important biographical source is the article on Österreich in Johann Gottfried Walther's Musicalisches Lexicon from 1732. Based on the detail in the article, it can be assumed that he received his information from Österreich himself. It is possible Österreich wrote his biography specially for Walther and accordingly some statements, particularly those regarding his motives for his various changes of employment must be treated with caution. Reputation Harald Kümmerling, a musicologist who has researched and catalogued the Bokemeyer collection, writing in the musical encyclopedia Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart, was critical of Österreich's work, saying "Österreich, like, Gustaf Düben was a great collector but a sterile composer." It is true, Düben's and Österreich's passion for collecting – Düben in Sweden and Österreich in Gottorf and Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel – is almost unique in the history of music. These great musical libraries are of enormous value, providing unique insight into the musical practice of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Thanks to his collection, the works of famous composers like Dietrich Buxtehude, Nicolaus Bruhns, Johann Rosenmüller, Matthias Weckmann, Vincent Lübeck, and Johann Philipp Krieger, among others have been preserved. For Österreich, counterpoint and canon were concrete manifestations of the "order of God" (Ordnung Gottes), their elaboration revealing the divine, inscrutable essence of God's creation, not merely as a metaphor for His order, but as the concrete actualization of that order. Österreich was certainly not a particularly innovative composer but he understood his work very well and was held in high regard during his lifetime. External links References German Baroque composers Musicians from Magdeburg 1664 births 1735 deaths 18th-century classical composers German classical composers German male classical composers 18th-century German composers 18th-century German male musicians