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Organum Classics

The historic organ business is, in a way, a curious phenomenon. In the first instance it forms a bridge between two worlds; the volatile environment of historic art on the one hand, and the comparatively mundane world of heritage conservation on the other. Interestingly, the factors governing the funding needed to preserve the historic art seemingly go hand in hand with the strange irony of so many historic instruments having been altered according to ‘fashion’, funding permitting. The conservationist attitude to preserving old instruments, is, when all is said and done, a modern one. The results of altering ‘old organs’ can be observed almost anywhere with a long-standing organ culture, marking, simultaneously, both the natural flow of human invention, and the destruction of historic art. Both sides of the coin are represented in the organ of Sencelles, Mallorca. This is an interesting example of the regional organ building school developed by two of the famous Bosch family, Matheu and Pere Josep. After being altered, according to fashion, on several occasions, it has recently been restored to its original situation.

This new recording, made by Roland Dopfer, the young cantor of St. Laurentius in Wuppertal represents a very interesting portrait of the organ in Sencelles – but the instrument is not the only interesting factor.The programme presented here confronts the listener with repertoire planned indigenously and carefully around the oeuvre of a contemporary of the Bosch organ, Juan Bautista José Cabanilles. The Batalla imperial, formerly attributed to Cabanilles (now known to have been composed by Johann Caspar Kerll) opens the disc and is followed by the famous Xácara by Cabanilles and the Differencias sobre la Gallarda Milanesa written a century earlier by Antonio de Cabezón. Then we hear Tiento de 2do Tono por Ge sol re ut sobre la letania de la Virgen by Pablo Bruna (1611-1679), which leads us to the central point of the disc, the Tiento based on the hymn Ave maris stella by Juan Cabanilles, surrounded by two Pasacalles. The strong accent on the figure of Maria is nicely resumed by the hymn Salve, regina glorie from the 13^th century Codex Las Huelgas. The subsequent Gallarda and Tiento de falsas by Cabanilles form a nice counterpart to the Cabezon Gallarda. The two pieces by Samuel Scheidt: Alamande Bruynsmedelijn and Toccata super: In the Domine speravi, crown the project admirably.

I find the programming ingenious, even illustrating the stylistic connections between music written in Spain and The Netherlands, which at the time were bound both politically and culturally. Roland Dopfer’s playing, clear and vigorous, brings to mind the best of the modern German organ tradition. The booklet, well-designed, and containing much interesting information and complete registration details, contributes positively to the release.

Maria Erdman

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