Organist, Composer, Theorist. Blind from birth, he became Germany's first great organist and founded the tradition of keyboard virtuosity in his country. His treatise on organ playing, "Fundamentum Organisandi" (1452), is one of the earliest books of its kind. J.S. Bach was learning from it 250 years later. Paumann was born in Nuremberg. As a child prodigy his education was sponsored by local noblemen and he soon mastered not only the organ but the lute, harp and recorder as well. He is credited with devising the first German lute tabulature, a simplified form of music notation much used during the Renaissance. Around 1440 Paumann was appointed Nuremberg's official organist on condition that he not leave the city without permission - his exceptional skills had already attracted outside attention; this restrictive environment eventually proved too much for him. In 1451 he secretly fled to the Munich Court of Duke Alberich III of Bavaria, who gave him a lifetime position at a handsome salary and the freedom to travel abroad. He visited Flanders several times and made extensive tours of France and Italy, leaving awestruck listeners in his wake. Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III and Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy praised his playing, while the Duke of Mantua awarded him a knighthood. With fame came many job offers, but he remained based at Munich until his death. Today we have only a general idea of Paumann's once legendary abilities. Because of his blindness he improvised most of his music, and the 10 organ pieces and songs that survive were dictated for teaching purposes. (Seven were included as examples in the "Fundamentum Organisandi"). The most substantial of them is "Incipit Fundamentum", a cycle of etudes that demonstrates his knowledge of early polyphonic style, as does his only consort song, "Wiplich figur". But through his book and his many students Paumann had a major impact on the course of German music.