1550-1750 Greg Peterson

Mechanical, Musical Marvels: an Investigation of North German-style Pipe Organs 1550-1750

by GREGORY PETERSON, Professor of Music and College Organist

Last fall I made an investigation of his death. The occasion elicited scores North German-style pipe organs of conferences, exhibits, and recitals to circa 1550 to 1750 to further my attend. interest in these mechanical, musical marvels. I also explored how instruments influence improvisation, compo sition and pedagogy, both historically and currently. The study began at the Göteborg International Organ Festival, an annual conference bringing together performers, scholars, teachers, and students at the University of Gothenburg in I traveled to Hamburg, Leipzig, Lübeck, Sweden. The 2019 festival, “The Organ and Lüneburg, Germany; Gothenburg, as a Mechanical Musical Marvel,” Lövstabruk, and Stockholm, Sweden; focused the first week on early music and Kongsberg, Oslo, and Trondheim, and the experimental world of organs, Norway. The Hansa, a German mer- clavichords, and harpsichords. chant guild dominating commercial activity in northern Europe from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries, connected many of these cities. Organ builders were among those merchants benefitting from robust trading and enough economic prosperity to advance their art, which reached its apex in the work of Arp Schnitger (1648-1719). It was particularly beneficial to travel in this region, seeing and playing restored, extant organs by this most influential artist/builder, during the bicentennial of A unique feature of the conference was the claviorganum, a clavier or keyboard plus organ (see photo on page 7). This prototype instrument, commissioned by the ensemble Gothenburg Baroque in 2019, follows designs by Georg Frideric Handel (1685-1759) for a continuo instrument that he never built. It is a standalone instrument combining organ and harpsichord through long movement action. A single player plays both instruments, either separately, or together with the aid of a coupling mechanism. A wide array of concerts, recitals, and lectures inaugurated this unusual instrument. The use of two keyboard instruments for continuo playing (filling in harmony from the bass line at the keyboard) during the baroque era was common. A stringed keyboard instrument such as the harpsichord could alternate with the portative organ, a wind keyboard instrument, depending upon the style and texture of the music. Alternatively, both could play simultaneously, following the same bass line and harmony while allowing for individual applications of chord voicing, improvised arpeggiation, and ornamentation. An oratorio such as The organ in St. Jacobi Church, Hamburg, built in 1689-1693 by the renowned organ builder Arp Schnitger Handel’s Messiah, with its choruses, recitatives and arias, is an example of a work where this approach to con32 Agora/Fall 2020

PHOTOS COURTSEY OF THE AUTHOR Gregory Peterson at Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim, Norway

tinuo playing is sometimes applied. A recent manifestation of this on our campus was the performance of Bach’s Mass in B Minor, during the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation in 2017 with Kathryn Reed playing the harpsichord while I played the portative organ. Not only for continuo playing, the idea of claviorganum can be used creatively to present organ and harpsichord literature, deftly demonstrated in a recital I attended at the Haga Church in Gothenburg. Professors Ulrika Davidsson and Joel Speerstra performed a variety of baroque pieces originally composed for a single instrument with one player in their arrangements for two players on contrasting keyboard instruments. Through this approach, the listener hears musical phrases, textures, melodies, and motives differently. The listener can also gain insights into the piece through this enhanced sonic experience, demonstrated recently at Luther when Kathryn Reed and I collaborated

on an Echo Fantasy by Jan Pieterszoon Kongsberg, in the heart of Norway’s original aesthetic where the bellows – Sweelinck (1562-1621) in the Paideia silver mining region some 40 miles the organ’s lungs – rather than an elecText and Issues Lecture, “Chamber southwest of Oslo, is the site of the tric blower, give the instrument a living, Music at a Distance: How Musical Royal Norwegian Mint. The city church breathing quality. Collaboration Transcends Traditional Spaces.” Another facet of claviorganum is a tradition of pedagogy where teacher and student each sit at a keyboard and work through complex counterpoint by dividing the notes between two players in pieces originally composed for a single player. This interactive pedagogical idea has many possibilities that I am eager to try in my teaching. In several workshops, various performers and scholars explored ideas about J. S. Bach (1685-1750) and pedagogy. The prevailing philosophy suggests that we spell at the keyboard, rather than write. In other words, Bach’s students learned keyboard technique through improvising – writing music while playing the keyboard. We do the opposite. This has many implications, too numerous and detailed for the scope of this article. Suffice it to say, it peaked my interest and makes me think about new ways to approach teaching, especially beginning students. At the very least, it gives permission to explore and ask questions. It also sheds new light on Bach as performer and pedagogue. He improvised in church and concert playing, only committing these notes to paper for pedagogical and publishing purposes. He always had four students around to undertake this task. is home to a fully restored 1764 Groger pipe organ. As a guest of the Norwegian National Academy, I attended an organ master class in this large baroque church, featuring student organists of university age under the expert tutelage of Professor Annette Richards, a guest presenter from Cornell University in New York. Professor Richards led an in-depth class, informed by the organ at hand, featuring music of Bach, his oldest son Carl Philipp Emanuel (17141788) and the north German Nicholaus Bruhns (1665-1697). She also performed a spectacular candlelit concert in which the organ was hand-pumped. Featuring the music of Bach and other baroque composers, the audience heard this music as close as possible to the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway, is the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world. It is home to two spectacular organs of historical interest. Restored in 1995, and originally on the west-crossing wall, the 1741 organ by Berlin builder Joachim Wagner now sits in the north transept. For the Jubilee Anniversary of St. Olav in 1930, the cathedral commissioned a German-built Steinmeyer organ. This instrument reflects the aesthetic of the industrial age and the need to fill a large space with sound. A 2014 restoration modernized this grand instrument with the latest computer technology. The restoration has inspired a new generation of organ aficionados, garnering large audiences at recitals. After attending high mass on Sunday morning, I heard a beautiful and moving candlelit concert by the Nidarosdomens Jentekor (young women), courageously programmed and boldly sung. As a guest of the cathedral’s organist, Petra Bjørkhaug, I spent several hours on Monday playing the Wagner organ and making recordings. I am grateful to her for arranging uninterrupted time in a space constantly filled with tour groups. It was a special and informative experience, especially feeling the weight of the ancient action, and negotiating the specific layout of the keyboards and stop knobs. While in Gothenburg, I was the guest musician for a Sunday worship service at the Hjällbo Church, leading the congregation in hymns, accompanying the choir, and performing the Toccata in F by Dieterich Buxtehude (ca. 1637-1707) on the church’s modern, mechanical action organ. I enjoyed the collaboration and learning more about church music and the role of the cantor in the Swedish Church. Harpsichord and fortepiano with portative organ in back at Haga Church recital in Gothenburg The organ music of Dieterich Buxtehude has captured my imagination since I was a teenager. Buxtehude is widely regarded as the most important German composer of organ in the seventeenth century. He was a brilliant organist and composer. His compositions – most likely born out of improvisation and considered avant-garde in his day – are now standard repertoire for most organists. The

Medieval cloister church in Varnhem, Sweden

young J. S. Bach was so convinced of Buxtehude’s prowess as an organist that he traveled on foot some 250 miles in order to hear Buxtehude’s compositions and improvisations as they were happening in St. Mary’s Church, Lübeck, Germany, November and December of 1703. Buxtehude’s large-scale organ works are colorful, multi-section pieces that exploit the tonal resources of the north German organ. Much of what we know about this music stems from our knowledge of the north German organ, highly influential in the development of the instrument, influencing modern organ building that includes the Robert L. Sipe mechanical action organ in the Center for Faith and Life. Visiting St. Mary’s Church, Lübeck, for an organ recital and a Sunday worship service confirmed my adage about Buxtehude, “big music for a big organ in a big space.” The twin-spired, gothic nave from the fourteenth century is one of the largest non-cathedrals I have ever seen. Unfortunately, there are no extant instruments since the air raid on March 28-29, 1942 by the Royal Air Force nearly destroyed the building, including its famous Totentanzorgel, played by Buxtehude and most Vogelsänger, in a demonstration recital likely Bach as well. featuring a partita by Bach’s teacher and The city of Hamburg and surrounding region conerstwhile organist of this church, Georg Böhm (1661-1733). tains numerous restored Back in Sweden, I traveled to the old examples of Arp Schnit- iron-producing town of Lövstabruk on ger’s work. An organ the seacoast north of Uppsala. Burned committee from the me- by the Russians during the reign of Karl dieval cloister church in XII (r. 1697-1718) and rebuilt in the Varnhem, Sweden met up eighteenth century, the village church with me in Lübeck, led by hosts the oldest baroque organ in my friend and colleague Sweden, built by Johan Niclas Cahman Karl Nelson, an American from 1726-28. Organists and aficioexpatriate organ builder nados from around the world come to in Lidköping, Sweden. this resort town, now a cultural heritage The Varnhem congrega- center, to play, hear, and learn from this tion commissioned Karl period instrument. Forty degree inside to build a new organ in temperature aside, it was a thrill to play north German style for and record on this marvelously restored this historic church. It organ. In addition to the church, there was my privilege to travel is a keyboard museum, Klaverens Hus, as their resident organist boasting a collection of 600 historic to demonstrate Schnitger Swedish pianos, clavichords, and harorgans for their discern- moniums in restored playing condition. ment at St. Pankratius, It was a fascinating experience! I also Hamburg-Neuenfelde made a visit to nearby Östhammer (1688), Schnitger’s home where the Börstil Church has a robust church and where he is single-manual instrument by Olaf interred; St. Mauritius, Hollern (1689); Schwam (1782), authentic in its sound St. Cosmae, Stade (1676); St. Wilhadi, and continued use as a “psalm pumper.” Stade (1736); and St. Nicolai and St. Martini, Steinkirchen (1687). While in Hamburg, I visited St. Jacobi (Schnitger 1689-93) and St. Katharinen, which has a special new organ by the Dutch builder Flentrop, reconstructed to represent the instrument played by J. S. Bach in 1720, when he gave a celebrated recital in this church. The nearby city of Lüneburg where Bach attended Latin school is home to a Hendrik Niehoff organ built from 1551-53 and enlarged by Matthias Dropa from 171215. It has some of the oldest pipework in the world. This instrument is a compendium of organ building style and mechanics during the whole of the “golden age” of organ building. I enjoyed playing this organ and hearing the Schnitger organ at St. Pankratius Church (1688), resident organist, Joachim Hamburg-Neuenfelde

Finishing in Stockholm allowed me to visit the St. Gertrud, German Church. This is home to a new organ built in 2004 by Grönlunds, a reconstruction of the church’s original seventeenth century organ by Paul Müller. The ornate case in gold leaf is particularly stunning. It was an opportunity to see and hear this tradition come full circle. The organist of St. Gertrud’s in the seventeenth century, Gustav Düben (1629-1690), amassed one of the most important collections of keyboard music in Europe. He was a friend of Buxtehude, who dedicated a cantata to him in 1680. Along the way, I met many friends and colleagues who engaged in spirited conversations about organs, tuning systems, the current state of church music and liturgy, among many other topics including beer and US politics. I also learned more about green Norway, the benefit of trains, Greta Thunberg, and the way in which a broad cross section of the population appreciates culture and history. At the start of my sojourn, I ran the Berlin Marathon with 47,000 of my closest friends! Back at Luther, I continue to think about the takeaways from this sabbatical and ways to share it. I performed a candlelit recital in the Sundt Studio of Jenson-Noble Hall of Music in early March highlighting some of the music I studied and played in North Germany and Scandinavia. I collaborated in a demonstration of claviorganum in October. More importantly, I wonder about the big pedagogical questions pertaining to the teaching of music by Buxtehude and Bach knowing that their students, given a directive, notated the scores we now use. How much of a role should improvisation play in current teaching? How do we entice and engage a broader audience? Mostly, I am inspired to be the strongest advocate possible for this art, and to share it in even more compelling ways and in a wider variety of venues. I am grateful to Luther College for continuing to support faculty sabbatical research and time away from teaching. I am also grateful for the Tomson Family Fellowship that supported this most interesting and enjoyable project. Gregory Peterson playing the single-manual organ by Olaf Schwam (1782) at Börstil Church, Östhammer, Sweden

Oldest baroque organ in Sweden, built by Johan Niclas Cahman (1726-28), Lövstabruk Church