Scheidemann came from
an organ playing family; his father,
a native of Hamburg, was working as
an organist in Holstein when Heinrich
Scheidemann was born. Scheidemann’s
father went on to become organist of
the Catherinenkirche in Hamburg and
the church supported Scheidemann’s three
years of study in Amsterdam with Sweelinck.
Sweelinck is one of those figures who
developed an enormous reputation and
influence not due to his travelling
but because of the wide range of his
pupils. Scheidemann would go on to take
his father’s position in Hamburg and
become one of the most influential figures
in North German organ music. He extended
and developed Sweelinck’s style to create
his own distinctive voice.
This recital is the
fourth volume in Naxos’s series of Scheidemann’s
organ works. Given that Scheidemann
is currently extremely under-represented
in the catalogue, Naxos are to be congratulated
on their making available such a wide
range of his music. This volume, like
the previous one, is played by Julia
Brown on the Brombaugh Organ in the
Central Lutheran Church, Eugene, Oregon.
This instrument dates from 1976, built
by John Brombaugh and Associates. It
has mechanical key and stop action with
a keyboard compass of 56 notes in the
manuals (C-g’’’) and 30 notes in the
pedal (C-f’). It has 38 stops, 60 ranks
with 2728 pipes and a wind-pressure
of 87 mm. It is tuned in unequal temperament
using Herbert Anton Kellner’s "Bach"
of 1978.
Scheidemann wrote an
important series of Magnificat settings
which were only discovered in 1955.
Each one of the cycle is on one of the
eight psalm tones. Included on this
disc are the Magnificats on the tones
I and V. Theses organ verses were designed
to replace the sung 3rd,
5th, 7th and 9th
verses; evidently a Hamburg tradition.
Also amongst Scheidemann’s
compositions are a series of 12 embellished
versions of motets by other composers
(1 by Praetorius, 3 by Hassler and 7
by Lassus). Unfortunately, the origins
of these pieces are lost to us. This
disc includes two pieces based on motets
by Lassus, Benedicam Domino and
De ore prudentis procedit mel,
a 5-part motet dating from 1565. Lassus
had died in 1594, just before Scheidemann
was born and these motets could be seen
as Scheidemann’s way of using the contemporary
tradition of improvisation to act as
a tribute to a great predecessor.
The three Praeambulum
(in F major, D minor and G minor) are
preludes, each of which has a significant
fugal section. In the Canzona in
F major the influence of Froberger
and Frescobaldi can be heard.
Finally, the disc includes
a group of choral preludes. Scheidemann
was an important figure in the development
of this form, following Sweelinck’s
example.
Julia Brown provides
fine performances of all of the music,
though there were moments when I would
have liked more flexibility and fluency
in her interpretations. This is an excellent
disc for those interested in the development
of North German organ music. But I would
hesitate to recommend it to a newcomer,
unfamiliar with the style.
Robert Hugill
Julia Brown (organ) 
