Ralf Waldner, the performer on this album, has a repertoire spanning from early keyboard music to contemporary harpsichord works, some of which were composed specifically for him.
Compositional Technique
Johann Erasmus Kindermann's Drifache Fuge (Triple Fugue) blends the opening lines of three well-known hymns about Christ's passion, death, and resurrection.
Cultural Impact
The melody of Hans Leo Haßler's drinking song "Mein gmüth ist mir verwirret" later became the well-known church hymn "O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden" and was used in Bach's St. Matthew Passion.
Composer Biography
Johann Pachelbel, considered the greatest composer of his native Nuremberg, influenced organists in Thuringia, including the young Johann Sebastian Bach.
Instruments
The regal, an organ-like instrument with only reed pipes, was popular from the mid-16th to the late 17th century and produced a buzzing, nasal sound.
Historical Context
In the 17th century, Nuremberg was a leading music center in Germany, alongside Hamburg, Leipzig, and Dresden, where organists were the main carriers of musical life.
Instruments
The clavichord is the softest and most sensitive keyboard instrument, capable of a vibrato-like wavering sound called 'Bebung,' making it ideal for practice and expressive playing.
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