hristoph Buel [Büel, Buhel, Buhl, Bul, Bull, Puel, Puhel, Bül, Buol] (* Jan. 9, 1574 in Nuremberg, † May 17, 1631 ibid.).was a German composer, bandmaster, music documentarian, theologian and jurist.
Buel, son of the Nuremberg deacon at St. Sebald Eucharius Buel, who came from Windsheim, studied first theology and then jurisprudence at the University of Altdorf from 1588. In 1598, he became registrar in the 'Larger Registry' in Nuremberg. In addition to this office, which he held until a few months before his death, he was often active as a music expert for the Nuremberg Council. The construction and expansion of the choir of the Frauenkirche, whose permanent direction he took over around 1615, was his work, which is why he was called, not entirely unjustly, the first Nuremberg city kapellmeister as early as the 17th century. In 1600, 1608 and 1613, Buel was briefly granted leave of absence to Heidelberg for the reorganization of music at the court of Electors Frederick IV and Frederick V of the Palatinate. In 1614, his recommendation brought about the employment of Johann Andreas Herbst as Kapellmeister to Landgrave Philipp von Hessen-Butzbach.
His work was mainly sacred vocal music (4 to 8 voices), two of his psalm settings found their way into Melchior Franck's 'Contrapuncti compositi deutscher Psalmen' (1602).
Buel was friends with Gotthard Erythräus, Hans Leo Haßler, Easmus Widmann, Melchior Franck, Johann Staden, and Johann Andreas Herbst, among others. A portrait of Buel (mezzotint) was created around 1675 by the Nuremberg engraver Georg Fennitzer 1646-1722).
(Source: MGG online)
