The distinctive musical style of Dietrich Buxtehude (c1637--1707) represents the North German organ school at its developmental peak. There are no known autograph manuscripts of his keyboard compositions; almost all of the sources are in copies prepared by central Germans after Buxtehude's death and they provide few performance clues. None of the organs Buxtehude played have survived, so the modern musician is left with many questions regarding the performance and registration of his music.

Renewed interest in Buxtehude's music in the twentieth century has led to the creation of many editions and recordings of his music. The discography of Buxtehude's music is a modern resource that certainly exerts a powerful, whether positive or negative, influence on young organ performers. Because recordings naturally serve as models for performance, it is important to consider the historical perspective of the recording artist.

The reasons for examining twentieth-century recordings of Buxtehude's organ music are compelling. They document the earliest period from which primary recording sources have survived and reveal the changing patterns of performance in great detail. Before recordings were possible, there were informative written accounts and instruments, but these do not provide the same type of detail as recordings. In perusing twentieth-century recordings, the listener can clearly hear changes that reflect modern taste and continuing research into baroque style. They demonstrate how newly discovered information was realized in practice and how earlier trends continued to exert influence on the performance of Buxtehude's music over time.

This project demonstrates how recordings of Buxtehude reflect the revelations of historical sources after World War II and how performance styles changed through the twentieth century. The examination includes an assessment of Buxtehude's compositions and the organs over which he presided. With this background, the author analyzes recordings of Buxtehude's organ music from the 1930s to the present day, comparing and contrasting aspects of each performer's style. Especially significant is the incorporation of greater rhythmic freedom and registrational change in recordings made after 1980, displaying a new understanding by organists of the stylus phantasticus in Buxtehude's free works.