2021.03

Léon Berben, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck commemorated
The Amsterdam composer and keyboard player Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck was highly esteemed in his own time and had a major influence on the next generation.Many questions remain concerning the performance of his keyboard works, such as: for which instrument was each composition written; can we even distinguish between organ and harpsichord works; how should we deal with the fact that some pieces include ornamentation while others do not; what do the ornamentation symbols mean; and—particularly for organists—how can his works be registered?
We possess very little information about Sweelinck himself. Not a single autograph of his keyboard works has survived. For that reason, we depend on other, indirect sources. For certain aspects, such as ornamentation, there existed a kind of shared European practice, sometimes with local “dialects”. Numerous sources from various countries and time periods often provide similar insights regarding ornamentation and performance.
Of particular interest are the registration indications preserved from Sweelinck’s time, which frequently offer a different perspective from what we hear in modern performances. Registrations with “gaps” were commonly used, providing a highly varied and colourful palette.
Did Sweelinck compose his works for a particular instrument? And for whom? I believe that the great majority of his compositions can be performed on any keyboard instrument. Sweelinck prescribes pedal use only twice! On the other hand, his music lacks the ‘style luthé’ so characteristic of the harpsichord. His own organs had a compass beginning on FF/F in the bass, whereas modern organs in Sweelinck’s environment had a range starting from C. Thus, even assigning a composition to a particular instrument based on keyboard range is not possible.
Sweelinck’s surviving works were probably intended primarily as teaching material: exemplary models demonstrating how one might compose or improvise in a particular form. That does not diminish their value—quite the opposite!
Descriptions from the 16th and 17th centuries indicate that secular music was certainly played on organs as well. Moreover, competent and professional musicians would have improvised, which suggests that our modern idea of a fixed ‘urtext’ organ repertoire may not be entirely accurate.
Differences undoubtedly existed between performers—some using extensive ornamentation, others taking more liberties. Many sources offer valuable insights into these practices.

Benoît Mernier, A transcription for organ and orchestra of César Franck’s Deuxième Choral in B minor by Benoît Mernier
The idea of orchestrating Franck’s Deuxième Choral arose at the invitation of Peter de Caluwe, director of La Monnaie, to perform a “ten-minute piece for organ and orchestra” at the opening concert of the Monnaie season in Bozar in September 2020. The opportunity was too good to pass up! At last, I could put on paper the sound world I had always imagined while playing this piece… The orchestration includes pairs of woodwinds (with bass clarinet, cor anglais, and contrabassoon), four horns, two trumpets, two trombones, a bass tuba, four cymbals, a symphonic organ with three manuals and pedal, and a string quintet (twelve first violins, ten second violins, eight violas, six cellos, and four double basses with five strings), bringing the total to about sixty musicians.
The chosen orchestral approach does not aim to transform the Choral into an organ concerto, but rather expresses a personal interpretation. In this sense, various tempo markings and metronome suggestions were added, allowing the orchestra to make the work sound in a new way while still rooted in tradition. Some registrations from the original edition were also adjusted to combine better with the orchestra.
This orchestral adaptation is functional: it attempts to clarify the form and phrasing implied in the original work. It uses the alternation between organ and orchestra to create a kind of sonic continuum.
Bart Wuilmus, Organs in Neigem and Ninove renovated
In the East Flemish city of Ninove and its district Neigem, organ builder Jos Moors completed two renovations in 2020. The Church of Saint Margaret in Neigem likely houses the earliest surviving instrument by Pieter-Hubertus Anneessens, dating from 1834. In the former abbey church of Ninove, Joannes-Baptista Forceville built a majestic instrument with impressive proportions in 1728.
The aim of both projects was to improve the technical condition and to refine the tonal character of the instruments.

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