This German composer spent the majority of his musical life as a member of one town band or another. Pezel was a member of the Ratsmusiken and was promoted to Stadtpfeifer in 1670, the equivalent of being a master of his trade. Most indications are that Pezel was a string player though his compositions were scored for brass; however he noted that the voicings and arrangements could be played by strings. "Hora decima musicorum" and "Funff-stimmigte blasende Music" are two major collections of Pezel's work. They were scored for five parts, which was conventional for the Ratsmusiken brass bands though in reality there were only four voices as one of the five was in direct parallel to another, ille est, doublings. In the "Hora" there were forty one movement sonatas though pairings, and in a few cases combinations of three sections, seem to have been intended by meter and key. The "Funff" was a collection of seventy six intradas and other dance forms. Characteristics of Pezel's compositions are rather banal. He demonstrated little range and imagination particularly pursuant to dynamics and harmonic limitations. The strength of his compositions, generally, can be found in the texture of these pieces. ~ Keith Johnson, Rovi