Zelenka was a court musician in Dresden for most of his career. Except for brief periods of travel during which he studied or participated in music research, he served as a double bass player in the court orchestra and later aided the ailing Kapellmeister in his duties. Upon the death of the Kapellmeister, the position was awarded to another musician, an event that led Zelenka to feel disillusioned by the lack of recognition he had received for his acheivements. He was a skilled contrapuntalist and a creative harmonic composer. His works are marked by extremely precise dynamic directions and some contain the unusual notation for crescendo that describes each progression in intensity, for example the words 'piano','forte' and 'piu forte' written under one instrumental note. ~ Lynn Vought, Rovi