Composer, violinist and keyboard virtuoso, Nikolaus Strungk was born in Brunswick, the son of the composer and organist Delphin Strungk. He travelled to Lübeck for violin lessons with Schnittelbach and at the age of 19 was appointed concertmaster of the court orchestra at Wolfenbüttel, from where he moved to Celle. The death of his patron led him, in 1665, to the service of the latter’s brother in Hanover, where he married, going on to father 11 children. Employment as music director for the town council and cathedral in Hamburg followed, bringing involvement with the opera there. A journey to Italy brought contact with Corelli and
with Walther, and his later career involved service in the Saxon Electoral Court in Dresden. He spent his final years in Leipzig, where a new opera house was established.

Stage, Vocal and Instrumental Music
Strungk wrote operas for Hamburg and for Leipzig. His sacred vocal music includes settings of Latin and German texts, and his instrumental compositions include works for violins and continuo. He is said to have been able to accompany his violin playing with a bass part on the organ pedals and was renowned for his ability in multiple-stopping on the violin, for which he made use of scordatura (a retuning of the instrument).