E. Power Biggs: Buxtehude At Lüneburg (The Glory Of The Baroque Organ)
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- čas přidán 23. 07. 2024
- 0:00 Prelude And Fugue In G Minor (BuxWV 149)
7:15 Chorale Prelude "Ein Feste Burg" (BuxWV 184)
10:53 Prelude, Fugue And Caconne In C Major (BuxWV 137)
Partita "Auf Meinen Lieben Gott" (BuxXV 179)
16:13 Choral
17:15 Double
18:18 Sarabande
19:05 Courante
19:58 Gigue
20:45 Toccata And Fugue In F Major (BuxWV 157)
26:24 Wir Danken Dir, Herr Jesu Christ (BuxWV 224)
27:37 Vater Unser Im Himmelreich (BuxWV 219)
30:15 Lobt Gott, Ihr Christen Allzugleich (BuxWV 202)
31:24 Chaconne In D Minor (actually Passacaglia, BuxWV 161)
37:21 Fugue In C Major ("Jig", BuxWV 174)
E. (Edward) Power Biggs plays the 1553 Niehoff/Johansen, 1715 Dropa, 19c. Eduard Meyer, 1953 van Beckerath organ in St. Johannis Lüneburg. Stoplist in comments.
Liner notes:
Music history books often encourage us to mislabel composers. "Buxtehude was the forerunner of Bach," we read. So we think, possibly, of Buxtehude as an en-route, a perhaps not-quite-so-good Bach. But nothing could be further from fact, for Buxtehude's genius is much too original and vital to be overshadowed by any later composer. In fact, on the basis of his music, Buxtehude must be rated as one of the spontaneous miracles of musical history.
The birth date of Dietrich Buxtehude is given as 1637. His father was organist at the Church of St. Olaf in Elsinore, Denmark. Buxtehude was successively organist at Helsingborg, Sweden, in 1657, at Elsinore in 1660, and in 1668 at the Marienkirche in Lübeck, remaining there until his death in 1707. It was in 1705, when Buxtehude was sixty-eight and Bach twenty, that the young Johann Sebastian made his famous pilgrimage on foot to Lübeck, a journey of some fifty miles, to pay homage to and learn from the older master.
Little is known of Buxtehude's early life, his musical training, his contacts with other musicians, or the origin of his musical ideas. He was a born individualist. His strong creative impulses apparently took shape by themselves, instinctively forming a polished musical language quite complete within itself.
Buxtehude's compositions have a fine craggy grandeur. His music moves along in short spurts, almost in the style of improvisation, and his organ works usually comprise a series of compact contrapuntal sections, relating or contrasting to each other. Almost everything is very tuneful and entertaining and is written with an excellent, practical sense of how to make the organ "sound."
As an instance of Buxtehude's practical relationship to the organ, consider the splendid and insistent pedal figure, against brilliant manual arpeggios, in the Prelude and Fugue in G Minor; or the hint of Bach's Passacagliato-come in the .Chaconne in D Minor. There is a frank enjoyment of pedal and manual virtuosity in the Prelude, Fugue and Chaconne in C Major; and a buoyancy to the "Jig" Fugue, which has an engaging similarity to the later one by Bach. Incidentally, not even Johann Sebastian succeeded in writing as fine an organ prelude on Luther's "Ein Feste Burg" as did Buxtehude.
It is a privilege to be able to bring together in this recording the instrument, place and music, for the Lüneburg organ affords precisely the right sonority, the right acoustics, the right period (an inaudible asset, it's true), the right "feel" of the tracker playing mechanism, and the right size and variety to set forth Buxtehude's music. No other instrument, in my experience, matches so well the fine rough splendor which characterizes the best of Buxtehude's organ works.
The organ at St. John's Church was built in 1550. It was constructed in Holland and floated on barges down the canals to Lüneburg. From time to time, additions and restorations have been made, the most recent rebuilding being by Rudolf von Beckerath of Hamburg. Though this organ is now well over 400 years old, tonal and mechanical continuity has been preserved, and the instrument is one of the monuments of European organ building. It is interesting to reflect that the instrument was a century old when Buxtehude may have played it, and that it was 150 years old when Bach was a schoolboy at Lüneburg. What a remarkable and authentic link this instrument provides to the mind and mood of Buxtehude and his music!
Note: The Lüneburg instrument is often known as the "Böhm organ," since Georg Böhm was for a number of years organist at the Johanneskirche. It is possible that during the time he attended St. Michael's School (1700-1702), Bach may have been Böhm's pupil, though conclusive evidence of this is lacking, and the young Bach did not have the foresight to carve his initials on the organ case for our assurance. - Hudba
...this album was one of my favorites...and while I was in Germany (8 Nov '71 - 18 Jul '74) the ONLY E Power Biggs album at the post library...I spent HOURS off duty listening to it...prolly now is the first time I've heard this in the 50 years since I returned home in July 1974...
I bought this album back in the 70s It kicked ass then it still does.
I can't understand why there are not more recordings of this instrument--it rocks!
I bought this album, around early 1970's [I was 13-14], because of the picture on the cover. I was intrigued by the organ listening to many recordings at the J.F. Kennedy Library in Hialeah Florida. I still have a collection of E. Power Biggs albums, though I never learned to play the organ.
JB 🧑🏻of 34205usa Peace in Christ!
@@johnrborges2363 Me too brother---Me Too. Actually the first organ record I ever received was Helmut Walcha playing baroque French works at Alkmaar. THEN the next album I got was an E. Power Biggs.
Indeed, this album is METAL. Buxtehude is an early-early headbanger imho. The way his music goes in complementary segments with explosive moments foretells Bruckner in an odd way.
I think this is one of the "most important" organ recordings ever made, as it introduced thousands of people to a sound world completely different from the normal American church setting.
Yes indeed… joy of my youth…
Божественная музыка органная супер лекарство для души ! ! !😎😋😀🙂
Thank you so much for putting this on CZcams. I grew up listening to Power Biggs, and this was one of my favorite vinyl LPs... I get to hear Power Biggs' rendition of Buxtehude's "Ein Feste Burg" again ... one of those pieces to be heard when laid to rest...
Yes!💜
Thanks a Lot. I Love Power Biggs !
MY FAVORITE VINYL FROM E POWER BIGGS!!! I have this🔥
Thank you for posting it. His recordings are getting scarce.
When I was 10 or so my Mother took myself and some friends to see Walt Disney's movie of 20000 league's under the sea. Watching the Nautilus cruise that under water canyon and listening to Bachs Tocoatta and Fugue in D made me a lover of pipe organ and pipe organ music and that will never end.
Many thanks for uploading this recording - I had it on CD (I had the original LP, too, once upon a time) from Haydn House (which now seems to be defunct), but lost all of my recordings (along with everything else) in a house fire in 2019. Nice to be able to hear it, again.
That is such a shame. I have mine from Haydn House, too. Fortunately, more may come out that you once possessed.
Sorry for your loss. My biggest losses have been from 'friends'.
At one time, I had about 3tons of vinyl, and a home recording studio. Thank God I had my keyboards with me.
Thanks for this!💜🙏
I think this was probably one of his best! Love Buxtehude!
Understated Nitroglycerin.
Oh God! This recording Is marvellous, and imposible to find in the streaming platforms! Thank you so much for uploading it! ❤️ Bach and Biggs approve
👆🏼👍🏼‼
Since I bought in 1986 the first records of Edward George Power Biggs (Bach's Organ Favorites #2 + Eight Little Preludes and Fugues & Concerto in D minor after Vivaldi), I added him to my favorite ones: what I remarked in his discography was the amplitude of his repertoire and not a strict dedication to a specific composer and/or period of the organ literature. It seems that he is until the present time the only organist that traveled to Mexico and played the Mexican anthem: as I am not sure, this is only a speculation of my part. Thanks for posting these very beautiful works beautifully performed. An important information: he plays the prelude in G minor according to the edition by Spitta and Seiffert (Breitkopf und Härtel), while Kraft used the one by Hedar (Wilhelm Hansen).
I have a friend in Chicago whose father accompanied Biggs in his last life years.
Edward Power Biggs ( 1906/1977 ) genius organist, son of his time, but a precursor in the search for historical organs and interpretations in style.
One of my favorite alltime Buxtehude pieces!🔥❤💪😎👍🙏🧨
The best of the best. I was blessed to have him in our area of the North Shore, Boston, and Cambridge. He suggested to us that we not have organist as our friends but other musicians. He would continue to say that a pipe organist was close to lunacy. I have always thought of us as an octopus 🐙
Oh what a great guy! He was an early musical influence on me. Still rocks (The Spanish organ LP) with how I approach trombone.
I adore the F major. Buxtehude is like a steam (punk) locomotive. Part of the heart's satisfaction is that with all its precision and complexity, you can tell how it works just my looking at it. I just heard Bruckner in it for the first time.
My older sister (God rest her soul) gave me this LP when I was about 15 and I was nuts over it. Especially the lowest bass notes which I always tried to get the most out of the speakers. Didn't have a sub back then. I was just hankering for some pipe organ so I typed in the album title and boom! Nice surprise! I still have the LP in an ice chest. Best way I could keep em upright and dust free through the decades.
I use steel shelving, bolted to the studs in the wall. Steel lockable doors keeps it concealed.
I trust the ice chest isn't switched on!
I wish Columbia would remaster all of E Power Biggs recordings
I agree, but I have read that the original tapes have long been discarded.
What is it that makes this playing so impressive and gives it such a direct impact? It has got something to do with the self-confidence of the playing which somehow this organ demands.
The Best of BIGGIS!
Wow 317 years ago Buxtehude was the same age I'll be next year, when he first met Bach, then twenty, whom had traveled some fifty miles on foot just to consult with him.
As you can realize, Bach's determination to learn with the famous master surpassed any eventual obstacles in his path.
From Arnstadt church to Lübeck Marien church its a walk of ~ 380 km resp.
235 miles.
Another one of the greats. Biggs showed me the best of baroque organs. He took Bach to another height being the sound that compares to none. Glad EM Skinner isn’t reading this.
Who says "baroque organs have no warmth"? There is plenty of warmth of tone here.
I played this organ back in 2017 - despite the beautiful room acoustics, you can tell that it is still a sort of neo-baroque state, after a 50's restoration by Beckerath so the plenum is probably steelier than what you would find on an original Baroque organ. It's due to be restored again in 2025, by Ahrend orgelbau (certainly the tried-and-true best firm for this sort of work!) - I'm certainly all ears for the results!
@@joannescouchet7038 How could I NOT subscribe to you⁉ Thank you for your uploads and sharing with those of us who had, but no longer have, such beautiful, powerful music❣👍🏼😇
@@joannescouchet7038 I'd love to hear how she turns out. Indeed, restorations are limited by the tastes and trends of the era they were carried out. I've read many despairing over the work done to the Zwolle Schnitker which Biggs made me fall in love with whatever state it was in during the 60s!