Swallow’s Nest
The Dutch composer Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck was number one in influence on the Northern European organ style of the seventeenth century, and his own special sound world can now once again be experienced. A four-hundred-year-old swallow’s nest organ from the Renaissance era has survived in St. Mary’s Church in Lemgo, and its missing pipes have been precisely reconstructed on the basis of historical models. Harald Vogel presents this unique instrument of European rank in a rich and varied program of works by Sweelinck, some of them celebrating their recording premieres.

Migratory Route
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck was a sixteenth-century child prodigy. Already at the age of sixteen he became the organist at the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam. Until his death in 1621 he performed and taught here on the two instruments by his famous fellow Dutchman Hendrik Niehoff. Cornelius Conradi, who later entered the service of Count Simon VI in Lemgo was one of Sweelinck’s first pupils. Conradi had the opportunity to perform on the swallow’s nest organ from 1595 in St. Mary’s Church at the Count’s residence and with him Sweelinck’s organ artistry migrated to Central Germany.

Golden Egg
Toccatas, chorale and psalm variations, an echo fantasia, the capriccio, song variations, and the great B-A-C-H fantasia – the recording is a treasure trove of Sweelinck’s compositions for keyboard instruments. The booklet lists every registration with precision. What is above all surprising, however, is the acoustic excellence of this multichannel production with an entertaining organ tour as a bonus. Harald Vogel presents the various registers and their joint sound in short improvisations.

Feathery Cap
Harald Vogel is regarded as a leading authority in the field of Northern German organ music. As a professor at the College of the Arts in Bremen he dedicates himself to conveying old playing styles on original instruments to his students. His many discs include recordings on historical organs and a prizewinning complete recording of Buxtehude’s organ works on MDG – all of them with an important documentary value.

Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621)

Organ Works Vol. 1

Toccata ex d (d1) SwWV 285
Echo-Fantasia ex d (d4) SwWV 261
Psalm 116 (Tenorsatz von Cl. Goudimel)
Psalm 116 (V. 1-4) SwWV 313
Fantasia à 4 (a1 / b-a-c-h) SwWV 273
Toccata à 4 Voc. ex a (a3) SwWV 298
Erbarm dich mein o Herre Gott (V. 1-6) SwWV 303
Ave maris stella. Canon SwWV 193
Capriccio SwWV 281
Allemanda: Soll es sein (V. 1-8) SwWV 330
Toccata ex g (g4) SwWV 295
Registervorführung der Orgel

Harald Vogel
Schwalbennest-Orgel St. Marien Lemgo