Erhard Mauersberger, born on 29 December 1903 in Mauersberg, Germany, was a German organist, music educator, composer, and choirmaster who served as the 14th Thomaskantor of Leipzig’s St. Thomas Church after Johann Sebastian Bach. The younger brother of Kreuzkantor Rudolf Mauersberger, he studied at the Leipzig Conservatory with Karl Straube, Otto Weinreich, and Stephan Krehl, and sang in the Thomanerchor from 1914 to 1920. He later directed the Eisenach Bach Choir, led the Thuringian Church Music School, and became Thomaskantor in 1961, succeeding Kurt Thomas. He helped preserve the choir’s sacred music tradition in East Germany and composed acclaimed a cappella works, including "Bleibe bei uns, Herr, denn es will Abend werden," "Domine dirige me," and "Die Heilung des Blinden von Jericho." Mauersberger received the National Prize of the GDR (1950) and the Art Prize of Leipzig (1972). He died in Leipzig on 11 December 1982 at the age of 78.
