Erik Sikkema

STAR Recording (The Organ magazine)

WECKMAN, MATTHIAS (1616 – 1674)

Matthias Weckman (1616 – 1674)

is a composer that anyone associated with the organ should have some perception of. His influence upon a generation of German organists and composers both to the north and south of that country during one of the most formative periods in the development of their distinctive styles, is not difficult to gauge, the after effects of his input contributing highly to the next generation of composers, most notably J.S.Bach.Though here we examine his works for organ, Weckman wrote in many other forms of music such as sacred cantatas and choral works.

Weckman’s musical capital is built upon a great mix of influences encountered throughout his life; his earliest was centred on his teacher Heinrich Schütz at the Dresden Court, as well as the many Italian musicians employed there. Indeed, with regard to his organ works, the free forms he used, such as the fantasia and toccata, helped liberate his own ideas and progress the stricter forms he found upon his peregrinations to northern Germany and Denmark, the latter at the behest of Schütz. Weckman studied for a time with Jacob Praetorius II whilst in Hamburg, where he also heard and sought advice from Heinrich Scheidemann.Back in Dresden in the late 1640s he found a lifelong friendship with virtuoso keyboardist Johann Froberger but in 1655 Weckman moved his family to Hamburg where he lived and worked until his death in 1674.

Organist Hans Davidsson provides splendid notes on both Weckman and the instrument used.The detail is extensive yet compact and gives a clear view of Weckman’s life and work that will undoubtedly encourage many organists to explore this music. Full descriptions and source of each type of registration used are also elucidated in the enthusiastic notes.

The North German Organ at Örgryte nya kyrka is full of baroque majesty and Davidsson gets his point across in many different ways using written, visual and aural evidence leading to a performance that is both exemplary and nothing short of stunning.This is a set that I implore you to buy, as it is an absolute must for the collector.

The North German Organ project is part of continuing research that began in August 2000 at GOArt, the Gothenburg Organ Art Centre at Gothenburg University in Sweden, one of the collaborators of this recording.Here, its Organ Research Workshop has reconstructed a 17th century organ in North German style and aims to regenerate historical building techniques. Readers should visit the website: www.goart.gu.se for more information about this wonderful and fascinating work.

David Alker

Review taken over with kind permission from The Organ.

Go to the webpage of The Organ