Sweelinck/Sigtenhorst Meyer - Chromatic Phantasy for strings (demo)

Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1561-1621) was a Dutch composer and organist. Generally considered the most important Dutch composer of the early baroque period, he learned music from his father Pieter Swibbertszoon and later from Cornelis Boscoop. Some scholars believe he received further training in Venice with Gioseffo Zarlino; his early compositions have much in common with works by Andrea Gabrieli.
In 1577 Sweelinck became organist from the ‘Oude’ old Church in Amsterdam and became much famous. He would eventually influence Buxtehude and J.S. Bach; some of his students would became very famous: Samuel Scheid, Heinrich Scheidemann and Johann Praetorius, to name a few. His reputation would get him the nickname “Orpheus of Amsterdam”.
No compositions were published during Sweelinck’s lifetime. Only later his music would receive numerous editions. The Chromatic Phantasy SwWV 258 for keyboard is one of his most famous works. Composer Bernard van den Sigtenhorst Meyer (1888-1953) made a version for string quintet, yet the parts of this version contained many mistakes. This demo is a version for string orchestra which contains many much needed alterations.