where Böhm was principal organist Böhm was born in 1661 in
Hohenkirchen. He received his first music lessons from his father, a schoolmaster and organist who died in 1675. He may also have received lessons from Johann Heinrich Hildebrand, Kantor at Ohrdruf, who was a pupil of
Heinrich Bach and Johann Christian Bach. After his father's death, Böhm studied at the Lateinschule at
Goldbach, and later at the Gymnasium at
Gotha, graduating in 1684. Both cities had Kantors taught by the same members of the
Bach family who may have influenced Böhm. On 28 August 1684 Böhm entered the
University of Jena. Little is known about Böhm's university years or his life after graduation. He resurfaces again only in 1693, in
Hamburg. We know nothing of how Böhm lived there, but presumably he was influenced by the musical life of the city and the surrounding area. French and Italian operas were regularly performed in Hamburg, while in the area of sacred music,
Johann Adam Reincken of St. Katharine's Church (
Katharinenkirche) was one of the leading organists and keyboard composers of his time. Böhm may have also heard
Vincent Lübeck in the nearby
Stade, or possibly even
Dieterich Buxtehude in
Lübeck, which was also close. In 1698 Böhm succeeded
Christian Flor as organist of the principal church of
Lüneburg, the Church of St. John (
Johanniskirche). Soon after Flor died in 1697, Böhm applied for an audition for the post, mentioning that he had no regular employment at the time. He was promptly accepted by the town council, settled in Lüneburg and held the position until his death. He married and had five sons. This connection must have become a close friendship that lasted for many years, for in 1727 Bach named none other than Böhm as his northern agent for the sale of
keyboard partitas nos. 2 and 3. Böhm died on 18 May 1733 at the advanced age of 71. His son Jakob Christian, who would have inherited his post, died young. The position eventually went to Ludwig Ernst Hartmann, Böhm's son-in-law. ==Works==