Early Music Day. Correa de Arauxa: “Libro de tientos . . . Facultad organica” (1626)

Mayfair Organ Concerts
Andrew Benson-Wilson, organ
The Grosvenor Chapel
South Audley Street, Mayfair, London W1K 2PA
Tuesday 17 March 2025, 1:10

Francisco Correa de Arauxo (1584–1654)
Libro de tientos y discursos de musica practica y theoríca de organo

intitulado Facultad organica (1626)

This year’s annual Early Music Day recital focuses on the publication, exactly 400 years ago, of the monumental Libro de tientos y discursos de música practica, y theorica de organo intitulado Facultad organica (“Book of Tientos and Discourses on Practical and Theoretical Organ Music entitled Organic Faculty“) by the Spanish organist, composer, and theorist Francisco Correa de Arauxo.

Correa de Araujo was born in Seville. In 1599, aged just 15, he became organist of San Salvador, the second most important church in Seville. He became a priest around 1608, but became embroiled in various tussles with the authorities. In 1608, he was ordained as a priest. He maintained the Seville post until 1636 when, after many unsuccessful attempts to become cathedral organist, he was, after four years at Jaén Cathedral, appointed organist at Segovia Cathedral, where he stayed for the rest of his life, despite repeated offers from Seville to return as cathedral organist.

Continue reading

Early Music Day recital, Grosvenor Chapel, 19 March 2024

Andrew Benson-Wilson, organ
Mayfair Organ Concerts
The Grosvenor Chapel
South Audley Street, Mayfair, London W1K 2PA
Tuesday 19 March 2024, 1:10


BEFORE BACH

Andrew’s annual Early Music Day recitals are usually focussed on the music of JS Bach, reflecting the fact that Early Music Day is on 21 March, the date of Bach’s birth under the current calendar. This year, Andrew is giving two Early Music recitals, with the titles of BEFORE BACH and AFTER BACH. This first recital traces the history of German organ music from the Buxheimer Orgelbuch c1460 to Johann Pachelbel, the teacher of Bach’s older brother, Johann Christoph Bach. It seems likely that the 9-year-old Bach met Pachelbel at his older brother’s 1694 wedding.

Other composers represent the south, centre and north of Germany, including Hans Buchner (1483-1538), Hieronymus Praetorius (1560-1629), Mathias Weckmann (1617-74) in his anniversary year, and Samuel Scheidt (1587-1654)) in the 400th anniversary of his Tabulatura nova (1624).

The recital focussed on music written for the Catholic and Lutheran service of Vespers, notably the Magnificat, one of the key musical moments of the service in both churches. We hear versions from five composers, concluding with Scheidt’s Modus Pleno Organo Pedaliter Benedicamus à 6 Voc, composed for the conclusion of a Vespers Service as well as being the final piece in the Tabulatura nova.

Conrad Paumann (c1410-1473) Incipit Fundamentum m.C.p.C;
Magnificat Octavi Toni.
(From the Buxheimer Orgelbuch, c1460)

Hans Buchner (1483-1538) Magnificat anima sexti Toni.

Hieronymus Praetorius (1560-1629) Magnificat Tertii Toni.

Mathias Weckmann (1617-74) Magnificat II. Toni.

Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706) Fantasia in G; Three Fugues from the Magnificat tertii Toni

Samuel Scheidt (1587-1654) Benedicamus à 6 Voc. 1624

Continue reading