Clavierists at the Organ in 18th Century Sweden – Releasekonsert & föreläsning

This concert, and the album release it celebrates, is a modern portrait of the music that Swedish clavier players might have carried to the organ in the latter half of the 1700s. Since hardly any Swedish music of the time was written exclusively for the organ, we must rely on historical sources for a sense of the possibilities. The selection offered here is largely a work of reconstruction, and except for the short movement by Roman, none of this repertoire has been recorded on the organ before.



The organ at Dala-Husby is Sweden’s second-largest preserved 18th century organ, next after the famous Cahman organ at Leufsta Bruk. Completed in 1783, it was built by the church’s own organist, Nicolas Söderström (1730–1810). A former apprentice to the prominent organ builders Gren & Strahle in Stockholm, Söderström had received a royal privilege to build his own instruments. Perhaps his personal investment in the project explains why the Husby organ is so unusually splendid for a country church. The organ was retired from service in 1936, but was preserved, and could be restored and returned to service in 2011. Söderström’s technical solutions were occasionally idiosyncratic, something that affects the touch of the keyboard as well as the wind system and the timbre of the pipes. Yet the combination of a classic plenum, distinctive reed stops, and empfindsam, pre-Romantic solo stops also make the Dala-Husby organ one of the most important organs of Sweden’s Gustavian age. Moreover, the lack of an independent pedal division makes it an ideal organ for recreating the practice of the clavier players: complementing music written for the hands with the flexible use of the feet.

Filmed at Husby Church in Dala-Husby, Sweden, on the 26th September, 2020.
Organist: Jonas Lundblad
Lecturer: Mattias Lundberg, music professor
Presenter: Marie Wisén, Caprice Records
Registrants: Terhi Aho & Lennart Bengts

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Show playlist

    • 1.
      From Bilägers Musiquen (Drottningholm Music): I. Allegro con spirito Music: Johan Helmich Roman/Bedřich Janáček (arr)

    • 2.
      Keyboard Concerto in D Major, Op. 3, No. 2: I. Allegro Music: Johann Agrell/Martin Weyer (arr)

    • 3.
      Keyboard Concerto in D Major, Op. 3, No. 2: II. Andante Music: Johann Agrell/Martin Weyer (arr)

    • 4.
      Keyboard Concerto in D Major, Op. 3, No. 2: III. Allegro Music: Johann Agrell/Martin Weyer (arr)

    • 5.
      From Six Fugues for Organ or Harpsichord: No. 2 in D Major Music: Hinrich Philip Johnsen

    • 6.
      From Six Fugues for Organ or Harpsichord: No. 3 in E-Flat Major Music: Hinrich Philip Johnsen

    • 7.
      From Six Fugues for Organ or Harpsichord: No. 4 in G Major Music: Hinrich Philip Johnsen

    • 8.
      Sonata in A minor for Glass Harmonica: Adagio - Moderato Music: Johann Gottlieb Naumann

    • 9.
      Rondo in G Major Music: Peter Askergren

    • 10.
      Five Chorale Preludes: No. 1 in D Major: Andante Music: Joseph Martin Kraus

    • 11.
      Five Chorale Preludes: No. 2 in A Minor: Moderato Music: Joseph Martin Kraus

    • 12.
      Five Chorale Preludes: No. 4 in C Major: Moderato Music: Joseph Martin Kraus

    • 13.
      From 32 Preludes for the Organ or Pianoforte: No. 7 in D Minor: Adagio Music: Georg Joseph Vogler

    • 14.
      Overture to Gustaf Adolf & Ebba Brahe (exclusive for this concert) Music: Georg Joseph Vogler

  • Total playtime

CAP 90008 // Classical // Releasedate: 19 October, 2020