Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck
Synopsis
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621), Dutch organist, harpsichordist, composer, and teacher, spent most of his life in Amsterdam. In 1580 he became the organist of the Oude Kerk (Old Church) succeeding his father, Pieter. Though he never ventured much out of Holland, Sweelinck's influence spread through the North German organ school via his students, who include Scheidt, Scheidemann, Praetorius, and Hasse.
Toccatas, Fantasias, Pavanas, Ricercares, Echo Fantasies, and Variations are representative of Sweelinck's works. His compositional style was also highly influential. He was the first to use independent pedal parts, including fugue subjects in the pedal line. He took many important forms from around Europe, including the Italian ricercar and the English virginal style, expanding and developing them in ways unknown before. In fact, many of his pieces contain the embryo of the fugue form, later perfected by J. S. Bach. His compositions bridge the gap from the Renaissance to the Baroque periods.
Members of the Sweelinck family served as organists of the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam for nearly one hundred consecutive years.[1].
For additional details, see the Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck Wikipedia article.
List of Organ Works
Background and General Perspectives on Performing Sweelinck Organ Works
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Registration and Organs
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See the footnote in the "Notes" section at the bottom of the page[2]
Fingering and Pedaling
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Articulation and Phrasing
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Ornamentation
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Tempo and Meter
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Scores and Editions
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Recordings
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Free Online
Fantasia Cromatica, performed by Helmut Walcha.
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Other Resources
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Notes
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