Biography
Nicolas a Kempis (also Nicolaus, Nicolaes) (b.1600 - d. August 1676) was a member of the A Kempis Flemish family of musicians. He was known both as a composer and as an organist at the Brussels church of St Gudule, with his major contribution to the musical arts being his four volume work entitled "Symphoniae" (1644-47). These works were unassuming and among the earliest forms of sonatas from the Low Countries. He primarily wrote these compositions for strings and meant for them to be played in the privacy of homes rather than in a public forum.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.