Johann Sebastiani (30 September 1622 – 1683) was a German baroque composer. Sebastiani was born in Weimar. He became Kantor at Königsberg cathedral in 1661, and court Kapellmeister from 1663 to 1679. He died in Königsberg. His works include sacred and occasional pieces and songs; the most famous is hisSt Matthew Passion (before 1663, performed again 1672). He is the first composer who introduce chorale into oratorio passion. Within the St Matthew Passion, Sebastiani includes eight different chorale melodies and introduces thirteen chorale verses. This work is a development from the style of Heinrich Schütz which includes recitatives and arias but avoids a dramatic operatic idiom, and marks an intermediate position between Schütz and Bach such as those of Johann Theile and Johann Valentin M