“The amazing history of Vor Frelsers Kirkes church organ”

Tonight’s program revolves around the historic organ of Vor Frelsers Kirke, a remarkable instrument that stands as a contemporary witness to the music of its era. Built by the Botzen brothers in the final years of the 1600s, the organ has withstood the test of time, surviving the great fires of the eighteenth century and the British bombardment of 1807. Some of its pipes fell silent in 1889, only to be revived in 1965 through a restoration by organ builder Poul-Gerhard Andersen. With its delicate sound rich in overtones, it is perfectly suited to the church’s unique acoustics, which enhance its resonance. Today, the organ once again takes center stage, bringing to life the sounds of the past and acting as a historical witness to the musical works selected for the second concert of this festival.

This evening’s repertoire explores key musical trends of its era. Each piece was composed or published around the time of the organ’s construction, providing a glimpse into the rich soundscape of the period. Praeludiums, fugues, and arias by Dietrich Buxtehude, Heinrich Scheidemann, De Machy, and August Kühnel reflect the rich improvisatory and dance-inspired traditions of the Baroque era.. Works by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Johann Abraham Schmierer, and François Couperin illustrate the late 17th-century French style which captivated composers and audiences across Europe. The program includes two instrumental concerts by the often-overlooked Giuseppe Torelli, showcasing the early development of the instrumental concerto—an Italian genre that would go on to become one of the most celebrated musical forms in the centuries that followed.

The concert opens with a praeludium and fugue by Dietrich Buxtehude and a praelambulum by Heinrich Scheidemann—two influential figures in the evolution of the North German organ tradition. These forms combine freely improvisatory sections with structured, imitative passages, allowing for both expressive freedom and contrapuntal complexity. Their virtuosic writing not only highlights the organ’s distinctive sound but also reflects the rich musical imagination of the period.

Charpentier’s Missa Assumpta est Maria is the final work in his collection of twelve masses. Composed between 1699 and 1702, it was probably written for the Feast of the Assumption, celebrated on August 15th, an important occasion in the liturgical calendar. The instrumental Simphonie that precedes the first Kyrie features elegant contrapuntal writing, unfolding with a serene and solemn sense of expansion. The delicate interplay of voices, the mesmerizing musical sequences, and the graceful unfolding of melodic motifs pave the way for the pieces that follow.
Johann Abraham Schmierer (1661-1719) composed his instrumental Suite as the first in his Zodiaci musici collection, published in 1698. Schmierer intended these suites to be versatile, fitting for a variety of occasions. In his preface, he notes that they could be used “for comedies, dinner music, serenades, and other such cheerful gatherings.” This popular genre, the instrumental suite, exemplifies perfectly the influence of French fashion on German aristocrats and how composers interpreted it during the period. Inspired by Jean-Baptiste Lully’s style, this suite follows a traditional French structure, starting with a French overture followed by a series of seven contrasting dances.

A brief prelude for viola da gamba by De Machy sets the stage for François Couperin’s second Leçon de Ténèbres, offering a moment of expressive freedom and spontaneity. François Couperin (1668-1773) composed his Leçons de ténèbres for the professional female opera singers employed by the nuns at the Abbey of Longchamp near Paris in the early 18th century. The Tenebrae (darkness) services, which take place on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of Holy Week, mark the end of Lent and lead up to Easter Sunday. During these services, one candle is extinguished after each psalm, with the final candle being put out after the Benedictus Dominus. The remainder of the service is then sung in darkness. Couperin’s Leçons are among the most deeply personal and emotive works in the baroque church repertoire. To express the text from the Lamentations of Jeremiah, Couperin masterfully combines contrasting sections of recitativo and arioso—elements of tragédie lyrique, baroque French opera—with traditional plainsong and melismatic settings for the incipits and Hebrew letters that punctuate the text. Each Leçon concludes with Jeremiah’s poignant words to the people of Jerusalem: “Jerusalem, turn to the Lord your God.”

Giuseppe Torelli’s concertos offers a glimpse into the early development of the solo concerto genre. While Vivaldi is often seen as the “classic” exponent of this form, Torelli is among its earliest pioneers. His Concerti Musicali op.6 was published in Augsburg in 1698, during his time as concertmaster for the court orchestra of Georg Friedrich, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, Germany. The Concerti Musicali was one of the first collections of solo and ripieno concertos to be published. These works display many experimental features of the early baroque concerto, such as the use of ritornello form and the contrast between tutti and solo sections. Additionally, it is one of the earliest examples in which the composer clearly marks and distinguishes the solo and orchestral sections in his concertos. Tonight, we will be listening to numbers 10 and 12.

August Kühnel’s Aria from his Sonata ô partite No. 7 in G major introduces the last work by François Couperin in tonight’s program. This graceful instrumental piece reflects the refined style of the German composer, whose works often bridged French and Italian influences. François Couperin’s Usquequo Domine is the sixth motet in his collection Mottets à voix seule, deux et trois parties et symphonies, published around 1705 in Versailles. Scored for solo voice and basso continuo, this motet sets the Latin text of Psalm 12 (Usquequo Domine), expressing a soul’s plea for divine intervention amidst adversity. Couperin’s composition showcases his mastery in blending expressive vocal lines with intricate continuo accompaniment, characteristic of the French Baroque sacred music tradition.

Today’s program showcases the grandeur of the baroque in many forms, featuring solo, chamber, and orchestral works that offer a snapshot of the present, echoes from the past, and a glimpse into the future of Western European music in the eighteenth century—all brought to life with the invaluable help of the organ and its authentic baroque sound.