"Böhm at Home"
Summary
A concert that explored the keyboard music of Georg Böhm (1661-1733) on the three most typical keyboard instruments that would have been found at home in Böhm's time: the harpsichord, clavichord and positive organ.
Supported by
The Göteborg International Organ Academy Association, Högskolan för scen och musik och GOArt vid Göteborgs universitet, City of Göteborg, The Friends of the Organ Art
Description of project
As part of the Göteborg International Organ Academy 2012, Speerstra played the inaugural concert. The program consisted of keyboard music of Georg Böhm (1661-1733), including a number of pieces that are most often thought of as repertoire for large organ. The purpose of the concert was to explore examples from Böhm's keyboard output at the three most typical keyboard instruments that would have been found at home in Böhm's time: the harpsichord, clavichord and positive organ. The praeludium in g, which is often thought of as a plenum piece was performed at 16-foot pitch at the harpsichord in order to demonstrate what the opening section might sound like on a 16-foot North German harpsichord. These instruments were fairly common and very few of them have been preserved. A common modern copy of a two-manual french harpsicord can be used in order to play this piece at 16-foot pitch by tuning low F down to the D below, and tuning low G-sharp down to low F. The Bjurum organ was also used to present the chorale partita "Ach wie nichtig". The Bjurum organ, on permanent loan from the Skara länsmuseum is tuned in meantone with spit sharps and a short octave and comes originally probably from the 1640s from the important central German organ builder Nicolaus Manderscheidt. Böhm would certainly have known similar organs in his youth. The Capriccio in D and the partita on Freu dich sehr were performed on two clavichords that were presented as part of an exhibition of new instruments at the Academy.
Georg Böhm (1661–1733)
Ach wie nichtig, ach wie flüchtig (chorale partita)
Suite in D
Ouverture – Air – Rigaudon – Trio
Rondeau – Menuet – Chaconne
Freu dich sehr, o meine Seele (chorale partita)
Capriccio in D
Praeludium in g and Chaconne in G
For more information about the performer and the instruments used, see the attached pdf of the complete program of the Götebog Internaional Organ Academy 13-15 September, 2012.
Description of work included
Program
Type of work
Performance of Georg Böhm's music at the harpsichord, clavichord and organ.
Published in
Göteborg International Organ Academy, September 13, 2012, Artisten, Ohlinsalen
Link to web site
http://filemaker-vir-5.it.gu.se/artisten/detalj.php?id=1144&gul=1
View/ Open
Date
2012Creator
Speerstra, Joel
Keywords
Georg Böhm
Clavichord
Harpsichord
Bjürum organ
Joel Speerstra
Publication type
artistic work
Language
eng