Johann Kuhnau

Johann Kuhnau (6 April 1660  5 June 1722) was a German composer. He was the cantor of the Thomaskirche before Johann Sebastian Bach.

 Life 
Kuhnau was born in Geising. His family came from Bohemia. He studied in Dresden and Zittau. He went to the Leipzig University to study law. He became an organist at the Thomaskirche in 1684. He became the cantor of the Thomaskirche in 1701. However, he was often sick. He couldn't write a lot of music. So, the town council let Georg Philipp Telemann write music for the Thomaskirche. This was normally Kuhnau's job. Kuhnau was not happy because of this. He died in Leipzig.

 References 

Category:1660 births
Category:1722 deaths
Category:17th-century German composers
Category:Baroque composers
Category:18th-century German composers