Organ Music in Trento in the Times of Count Matteo Thun

Featuring

Simone Vebber
Raffaele Nencini
Giovanni Battista Runcher
Justin Heinrich Knecht
Davide Urmacher
Padre Davide Maria da Bergamo

Anonymous
Fratelli Lombardi

Did you know?

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Compositional Technique

The 1838 Damiano Damiani organ, used for this recording, was one of the first Italian organs to feature an 'Oboé Soprani' stop.

Composition History

The scores on this album were found in a military trunk from World War I, discovered in the attic of a former German Gymnasium-Lyceum in Trento.

Cultural Impact

The organ, more than theatre or bands, reached all people in Trento—children and adults, rich and poor, literate and illiterate—caring for their intimate 'feelings'.

Compositional Technique

Justin Heinrich Knecht's Toccata, published between 1796 and 1799, features the famous rhythmic opening of Beethoven's 5th Symphony about ten years before Beethoven composed it.

Interpretation

Penciled annotations on some scores provide important information about historical performance practice, such as the 'princ.' marking in Urmacher's books, which suggests starting a piece later to prioritize liturgical function over form.

Historical Context

Trento had strong cultural ties with German cities like Innsbruck, Salzburg, and Graz, with many noble and middle-class families maintaining kinship relationships.

Interpretation

Organists were often laypeople like school teachers, band conductors, artisans, or peasants, rather than priests, which contributed to the secularity of organ music.