The collection of manuscript music known today either as the ‘Schneeberger Clavierbuch’ or as the ‘Schneeberger Orgel- und Clavierbuch’ is a large three-part volume of keyboard works housed in the Leipzig Municipal Library (D-LEm) at shelfmark Becker II. 6. 22. The manuscript’s last private owner was the Leipzig musician Carl Ferdinand Becker (1804–77) who gave the manuscript to the library in 1851. Quite how the manuscript came to be owned by Becker is not known.
It is the first section of this manuscript (43 pages) that is considered here, and for clarity I refer to it as Schneeberger: part 1. This is the work of Christian Umblufft (1673–1757) the cantor of St Wolfgang’s church in Schneeberg (Saxony). It comprises 27 pieces of organ music by various Central-German musicians working mainly in an area south of Leipzig during the late 17th century and the early 18th century. They are David Heinrich Garthoff (?–1741), Gottfried Ernst Pestel (1659?–1732), Christian Pezold [Petzold] (1677–1733), Christian Umblufft, Nicolaus Vetter (1666–1734), Andreas Werckmeister (1645–1706) and Christian Friedrich Witt (c.1660–1717).
The significance of Schneeberger: part 1 comes from the fact of its creation during the first two decades of the 18th century. This was the period in which J. S. Bach (1685-1750) wrote most of his organ works. Schneeberger: part 1 is one of only a handful of surviving contemporary non-chorale-based German organ-music collections known to have originated outside the circle of J. S. Bach. Thus Schneeberger: part 1 forms a valuable part of this period’s organ repertoire. Also – and thus far – Schneeberg: part 1 contains Umblufft’s only surviving keyboard works.
Christian Umblufft was born in Bischofswerda (Saxony) the child of Christoph Umblufft (n.d.) a cloth maker and town councillor. Christian’s first teacher was Bischoffswerda’s cantor Adolph Caschauer (fl. 1674–90). In 1684 Umblufft took up a place at the St Thomas school in Leipzig under the tutelage of the cantor, Johann Schelle (1648–1701). From 1694 Umblufft was enrolled at the local university and in 1696 was appointed to the post of cantor at St Wofgang Schneeberg where he remained for the rest of his life.
At some point Umblufft passed Schneeberger: part 1 to Gottfried Linke (c.1695–1760) the Schneeberg church’s organist (1717-1760), possibly around 1719 after a disastrous fire in the town had destroyed all of Linke’s music. NB The second and third sections of D-LEm: Becker II. 6. 22. are the later work of Linke.
- Playlist : more tracks coming soon
Manuscript Index
1. Christian Umblaufft (1673–1757) : Praeludium ex C
2. Christian Umblaufft : Praeludium ex c
3. Christian Umblaufft : Praeludium ex e
4. Christian Umblaufft : Praeludium ex g
5. Christian Umblaufft : Praeludium ex f
6. Christian Umblaufft : Praeludium ex D
7. Andreas Werckmeister (1645–1706) : Canzon ex g
8. David Heinrich Garthoff (d. 1741) : Praeludium ex C
9. David Heinrich Garthoff : Praeludium ex c
10. David Heinrich Garthoff : Praeludium ex D
11. David Heinrich Garthoff : Praeludium ex d
12. David Heinrich Garthoff : Praeludium ex E
13. David Heinrich Garthoff : Praeludium ex F
14. Anonymus : Air (con Variatione) ex c
15. Christian Pezold [Petzolt] (1677–1733) : Fuga ex d
16. Anonymus : Praeludium ex d
17. Nicolaus Vetter (1666–1734) : Fuga ex G
18. Gottfried Ernst Pestel (1654–1732) : Ciaccona ex C
19. Anonymus : Alia Ciaccona ex e
20. Anonymus : Ciaccona ex d
21. Gottfried Ernst Pestel : Gigue Suite ex g
22. Christian Friedrich Witt (c.1660–1717) : Canzon ex B
23. Christian Friedrich Witt : Ciaccona ex B
References and further reading
– D-LEm Becker II.6.22. Sachsen digital. Online resource, accessed 5 August 2023.
– Wolfgang Eckhardt. ‘Mitteldeutsche Tastenmusik um 1700: Zu Geschichte und Repertoire der Sammelhandschrift II.6.22 der Leipziger Städtischen Bibliotheken-Musikbibliothek‘. Ständige Konferenz Mitteldeutsche Barockmusik in Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt und Thüringen: Jahrbuch, 2002 (2004), 290-304. Online resource, accessed 5 August 2023.
– ‘David Heinrich Garthoff‘ [in German]. Wikipedia. Online resource, accessed 17 September 2023.
– Enrico Lange ‘Vorwort’. Das Schneeberger Orgel– und Clavierbuch um 1705. (Altenberg: Hans Jürgen Kamprad, 2020)
– Michael Maul ‘The Schneeberger Clavierbuch: history and repertoire’. Sleeve-notes in the CD Das Schneeberger Orgel- und Clavierbuch um 1705. Enrico Langer, organist. (Kassel: Querstand, 2018. ASIN: B07Q5CPRZV)
– Karl Wilhelm Mittag. Chronik der königlich sächsischen Stadt Bischofswerda (1861). Online resource, accessed 5 July 2023.
– ‘Chrsitain Pezold[Petzold]‘. Wikipedia. Online resource, accessed 10 August 2023.
– ‘Nicolaus Vetter‘. Wikipedia. Online resource, accessed 10 August 2023.
– ‘Andreas Werckmeister‘. Wikipedia. Online resource, accessed 10 August 2023.
Techincal Notes
– Edition. Das Schneeberger Orgel– und Clavierbuch um 1705. (Altenberg: Hans Jürgen Kamprad, 2020), edited by Enrico Langer.
– Temperament: Kirnberger II; pitch A=440
– Organ: Viscount Sonus 60
– Microphone: Zoom Q2N-4K
– Recordings: ©Andrew Pink (2023). All rights reserved. Creative Commons licence: [Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International]
#TheOrganShow #InternationalOrganDay #internationalorganday @InternationalOrganDay @internationalorganday
You must be logged in to post a comment.