In quantity, quality and historical significance the work of Heinrich Scheidemann occupies the dominant position in North German organ music of the first half of the of the seventeenth century. Scheidemann assimilated Sweelinck's language, combining his master's polyphony and virtuosity with other elements to create a new, individual style. Scheidemann's legacy includes chorale arrangements and versions of the Magnificat in a series based on the eight psalm tones.