Thomas Stoltzer was a German composer of the Renaissance era. He composed over 150 surviving works, including masses, Lutheran psalm settings, and other sacred and secular songs. Nothing is known about Stoltzer's life before 1518, but historians have hypothesized that he was born in Świdnica, Poland, around 1480, and that he studied music with Heinrich Finck. He was already an accomplished musician by 1518, and he became a priest in Breslau beginning in 1519. Stoltzer supported the Reformation but kept it a secret because he was afraid of losing his position with the church. In 1522, he was appointed kapellmeister at the royal court of Louis II, King of Hungary. This was arranged by Louis' wife, Queen Mary of Austria. At her request, he composed four Lutheran psalm settings, which were some of his best works. During his four years of service in Hungary, he had access to a highly skilled group of musicians which inspired him, and he composed prolifically. The Turks overtook the Hungarian monarchy at the Battle of Mohács in 1526, and this brought Stoltzer's appointment to an end. However, he had been communicating with Duke Albert of Prussia, who offered Stoltzer the position of kapellmeister at his court in Konigsberg. He accepted the position, but it's unclear if he traveled there, since no further documentation exists regarding his life after this point in time. It was previously thought that he was killed along with the king in 1526, but he actually drowned after being swept away in a flooded river in the Carpathian Mountains. Regardless, his works were mostly published after 1530, and they were very popular among supporters of the Reformation. His compositions can be found on recordings by Amarcord, Musica Ficta, and the RIAS Kammerchor. ~ RJ Lambert, Rovi