Johann Walther (1496-1570) was a German kantor, composer, and hymn writer. He became a friend of Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchthon and wrote, arranged, and collected hymnody and other religious songs for the fledgling Evangelical movement during the Lutheran Reformation. Among his greatest achievements is the Geistliches Gesangbüchlein of 1524, the first collection of Lutheran chorale settings, plus motets. After Wittenberg, Walther served in the Saxon court chapels in Torgau and, later, in Dresden.