Delphin Strungk (?1601-1694)
Tibi laus tibi gloria, Kolorierung, Motet en 5 parties d'après O. de Lassus
Ecce Maria genuit nobis, Kolorierung, Motet en 5 parties d'après O. de Lassus
Magnificat noni toni "Meine Seele erhebet den Herren"
Verbum caro factum est, Kolorierung, Motet d'après H. L. Hassler
Surrexit pastor bonus, Kolorierung, Motet en 5 parties d'après O. de Lassus

Peter Mohrhardt (?1630-1685)
Kyrie Summum
Du Friedefürst, Herr Jesu Christ
Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ
Was fürchtst du, Feind Horodes, sehr
Alle Welt, was lebet und webet
Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ
Meine Seele erhebet den Herren
Wacht auf, ihr Christen alle
Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir
Herr Gott, dich loben wir

Nicolaus Adam Strungk (1640-1700)
Capriccio della Chiave en sol mineur
Capriccio della Chiave en la mineur
Capriccio della Chiave en mi mineur
Capriccio della Chiave en fa majeur
Capriccio della Chiave en la mineur
Capriccio Primi Tuoni en ré mineur
Ricercar Sopra la Morte della mia carissima Madre Catharina Maria Stubenrauen Morsa a Brunsviga il 28 d'Augusto ao. 1685
Capriccio sopra il Corale "Ich dank Dir schon durch deinen Sohn"

Manuel Tomadin, orgue

Hans Scherer (1624), St. Stephan, Tangermünde, Allemagne
Arp Schnitger (1700), Jacobikerk, Uithuizen, Pays-Bas

Trois compositeurs allemands du dix-septième siècle oubliés, deux orgues séculaires, un organiste. Du bien nommé Delphin Strungk (1600-1694) on retiendra notamment les trois arrangements (Kolorierungen) des motets de Lassus et d'Hassler, jolies compositions ornementées voisines d'un Scheidemann, un sobre et beau choral « Lass mich dein sein und bleinben » et beaucoup moins la longue Toccata fastidieuse et répétitive. De Peter Mohrhardt (...-1685) élève de Scheidemann, on écoutera avec curiosité les quelques chorals ornementés basés sur le cantus firmus qui révèlent avant tout l'influence du maître. Manuel Tomadin joue sur deux orgues aussi nobles qu'emblématiques de ce répertoire d'Allemagne du Nord, un Schrerer (1624) et un Arp Schnitger (1700). Interprète exemplaire de sobriété, l'organiste n'invente rien en matière de jeux, il se contente d'être au près des partitions et de ses claviers. Pour clore son programme en beauté, il nous fait découvrir quelques pages du fils de Strungk, Nicolaus Adam, notamment une série de Cappricci exercices fugués qui ont la particularité d'utiliser des tonalités inédites et dans lesquels on trouve des échos de Frescobaldi et de Froberger. Enfin ce très émouvant Ricercar "sopra la morte della mia carissima Madre", méditation funèbre composée à l'occasion de la mort de la mère du compositeur. Il semblerait (d'après Forkel) que Bach admirait beaucoup la musique de(s) Strungk. Avec raison. (Jérôme Angouillant)

In this release we dive headfirst into 17th-century Northern Germany, a time of innovation and experimentation in music for the organ. As these imposing instruments were installed in cathedrals across Europe, the repertoire flourished. Three composers grace this set: Delphin Strungk, his son Nicolaus Adam Strungk and Peter Mohrhardt, and their musical output sheds light on the transition period between the Renaissance and Baroque eras. Delphin Strungk opens the set with an organ arrangement of a motet by Orlando di Lasso, a pioneer of the polyphonic style. Strungk was a highly respected organist and took up several posts during his lifetime including one as the court organist in Celle. His performances won him international acclaim and academics from across the continent would come to hear him play. Magnificat noni toni was a favourite of Duke Rudolph Augustus, Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, who often came to Braunschweig to watch him play. Strungk explores the potential of the instrument and uses special echo effects in several pieces. It’s a technique also employed by Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, and it’s possible Strungk was one of his pupils. Peter Mohrhardt moved in the same musical circles as Strungk but fewer of his compositions have survived, all of which are included here. His pieces reflect the influence of Sweelinck and Scheidemann, including echo effects, for example. However his music is also forward-looking, and the arrangements feature a highly ornamented cantus firmus, while the chorale fantasias show off the virtuosity of the performer, typical of Baroque keyboard music. Nicolaus Adam Strungk was active at the same time as Mohrhardt. As the son of Delphin Strungk, he grew up under the guidance of his father and was employed by various members of the nobility, later performing for the emperor Leopold I. As the most modern composer of the three, technological advancements in organ building, such as the introduction of tempered tunings, allowed the composer to experiment with new tonalities. Admired by J.S. Bach, Strungk was influenced by Arcangelo Corelli, whom he met in Rome in 1685. This was the same year that Strungk learned of the death of his mother, inspiring his Ricercar sopra la morte della mia carissima Madre, whose melancholy melody bears clear signs of the Italian master’s influence.