Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (c. 1620–1623between 29 February and 20 March 1680) was an
Austrian composer and
violinist of the
Baroque era. Almost nothing is known about his early years, but he seems to have arrived in
Vienna during the 1630s, and remained composer and musician at the
Habsburg court for the rest of his life. He enjoyed a close relationship with Emperor Leopold I, was ennobled by him, and rose to the rank of
Kapellmeister in 1679. He died during a plague epidemic only months after getting the position.