Prague - The Baroque Golden Age
Josef Ferdinand Norbert SEGER (1716-1782)
Prelude and fugue in C [5:19]
Fantasia and fugue in d minor [8:50]
Johann Caspar Ferdinand FISCHER (1665-1746)
Aria with variations [12:59]
Josef Ferdinand Norbert SEGER
Prelude and fugue in c minor [4:53]
Johann Caspar KERLL (1627-1693)
Canzona III in d minor [3:41]
Passacaglia in d minor [7:00]
Josef Ferdinand Norbert SEGER
Toccata and fugue in d minor [4:22]
Fugue in b minor [2:24]
Toccata and fugue Pastorell [4:32]
Gottlieb Theophil MUFFAT (1690-1770)
Aria sub Elevatione [6:23]
Karel Blazej KOPRIVA (1756-1785)
Fugue supra cognomen DEBEFE in d minor [3:18]
Pavel Kohout (organ - Hans Heinrich Mundt, 1673)
rec. 19-21 September 2007, Church of Our Lady of Tưn, Prague, Czech Republic.
DDD
HORTUS 953 [63:47]
This disc has two subjects: the historical organ in the Church of Our Lady
of Tưn in the old city of Prague, and the organ works of Josef Ferdinand Norbert
Seger. The latter are used to demonstrate the features of the organ. Pavel
Kohout has added some pieces by other composers, all from Bohemia or southern
Germany, to complete the picture.
The organ was built by Hans Heinrich Mundt, a Bohemian builder of German birth,
who combined elements of the Bohemian and Italian schools. The instrument
in the Tưn Church which he constructed in 1673 failed to meet the approval
of the board. He added some stops, but they remained dissatisfied. Mundt was
ordered to revoice the organ in order to make it louder. In 1823 some changes
were carried out by Josef Gartner, who became well known for his restoration
of baroque organs. He treated the instrument with great respect and as a result
Mundt's organ has survived largely intact. In 2000 a restoration took
place, which was not based on the original Mundt concept, but kept the changes
by Gartner. Even so it remains very suitable for the repertoire which Pavel
Kohout has selected for this disc.
The main figure is Seger, who was one of the leading composers and performers
in Bohemia in the mid-18th century. He attended the Jesuit Gymnasium in Prague
and graduated in philosophy at the university. He worked as a singer and violinist,
studied the organ with Cernohorsky and counterpoint with Zach and Tuma. From
around 1740 he was organist of Tưn Church and that means that the pieces Kohout
has chosen were probably first played on this organ. It needs to be noted
that Seger was well acquainted with the keyboard music of Johann Sebastian
Bach. He arranged various parts from his Well-tempered Clavier for liturgical
use. He was also an important teacher; among his students were the likes of
Brixi, Kozeluh, Myslivecek and Vanhal.
The repertoire here bears witness to Seger's contrapuntal skills, especially
in his many fugues. These are various in character and mood. The Toccata
and fugue in d minor is from a collection of pieces based on the eight
church modes. The Toccata and fugue Pastorell was written for Christmastide.
The toccata has pedal points which are a typical feature of pastorales whereas
the subject of the fugue is taken from a popular Bohemian Christmas carol.
The fugue from the Fantasia and fugue in d minor ends with a short
coda in free improvisatory style. One could see here the influence of Bach,
and indirectly that of the north-German organ school, where such pieces mostly
ended the same way.
Another pupil of Seger - apart from those mentioned above - was Karel Blazej
Kopriva. He was a brilliant organist whose vocal compositions are characterised
by a great amount of expression. His organ works bear witness to his mastery
of counterpoint. A specimen is the Fuga sopra cognomen DEBEFE. 'Debefe'
is a musical anagram of the surname of Josef de Boeufe, a patron of music.
The compositions by these two Bohemian masters are supplemented by music which
was written by composers who were active in southern Germany. That is a logical
choice because of the strong similarity between the organ in Tưn Church and
south-German instruments. Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer was Bohemian by
birth, but mostly worked in Germany and his music reflects the German style.
He has become particularly famous for his collection of twenty preludes and
fugues through different keys which were published under the title Ariadne
Musica. It inspired Bach to compose his Well-tempered Clavier. His Aria
with variations was originally intended for the harpsichord. It is certainly
not a liturgical piece but works very well at the organ, also because of the
variety in registration.
The form of aria with variations was quite popular in the 18th century, and
so was the passacaglia. In this case we hear a specimen by Johann Caspar Kerll,
who was born in Saxony and worked most of his life in Munich and Vienna. For
several years he was based in Rome, where he was a pupil of Carissimi. After
his return he worked for almost twenty years as organist at the imperial court
in Vienna. The Canzona III in d minor is in four contrasting sections,
two of which are fugues.
Gottlieb Theophil Muffat was a son of the famous Georg Muffat who was a prominent
advocate of blending Italian and French styles. His oeuvre comprises almost
exclusively keyboard music, and one of the most significant collections is
devoted to liturgical music. From this set the Aria sub elevatione
is taken, also a theme with variations, to be played during the elevation
at mass.
Pavel Kohout is an expert in this repertoire as he has also shown in other
recordings. He demonstrates the many possibilities of the organ which is not
that large - two manuals and pedal - but has much to offer in regard to contrast
of colour. Kohout uses these possibilities effectively, but not in a demonstrative
manner. He largely avoids changing the registration during play. The greatest
contrasts are between clear-cut sections or between prelude and fugue. The
playing is stylish in regard to phrasing and articulation, and the recording
engineer has also done a fine job.
This is a compelling portrait of an important and musically interesting organ
with repertoire which is largely beyond the mainstream. Organ aficionados
need not hesitate.
Johan van Veen
http://www.musica-dei-donum.org
https://twitter.com/johanvanveen
A compelling portrait of an important and musically interesting organ with
repertoire which is largely beyond the mainstream.
Support us financially by purchasing
this disc through MusicWeb
for £14.99 postage paid world-wide.
