Jan Dismas Zelenka was born in Launowitz, Bohemia, in 1679 and died in Dresden in 1745. He had been a member of the court orchestra there since 1710, one of the best ensembles at the time, first as a double bassist and then as a church composer. From the 1720s, he stood in for the ailing court conductor Johann David Heinichen, who was then succeeded by the world-famous opera composer Johann Adolf Hasse. Zelenka's oeuvre – around 150 compositions have survived – includes symphonies, suites, overtures and, above all, sacred vocal music in addition to trio sonatas (which were written after studies with Johann Josef Fux in Vienna).

Catholic church music in Dresden, with Zelenka as one of its main representatives, is once again enjoying greater attention.