Martin Bökelheide, born 1960, a native of East Westphalia, is a Protestant trombonist, choir bass and cantorial singer. In a "first life" he studied school music with trombone as his main subject and now lives as a "private citizen" on the Lower Rhine. His compositions are primarily in the context of sacred music and combine stylistic idioms of the pre-classical period with those of moderate modernism. They are mostly cantus-firmus-bound and are addressed to music-making amateurs in the trombone choir or choir section. Although mainly intended for use in church services or smaller concerts, they attempt to broaden the claim of "pure utility music" without exceeding a level of difficulty above the medium level - measured against the performance capacity of ambitious amateur ensembles.