Fantasia sexti toni

The ninth piece in manuscript Ms Lynar B3 is an anonymous Fantasia, written in the sixth tone. Though it is anonymous in this manuscript, in the organ book of Matthias Rottenau (held in the Staatsbilbiothek Berlin under signature Mus. Ms. 40615) it is designated to Christian Erbach. It is undoubtedly the same piece, though there are diffences between the versions in both manuscripts. For the largest part these differences are small variations in individual notes, of written out embelishments. The largest difference between the two versions is that the version in Lynar B3 is some 12 bars longer. The version in Lynar B3 attracted interest of researchers because is contains fingering instructions for parts of the piece. The version in Lynar B3 contains frequently an ornamentation in the form of two small lines. This form is akin to the Italina mordente. However, where the mordente is a trill downward from the main note, two indications in Lynar B3 suggest that here it is meant as a trill upward from the main note. Both the fingerings and the ornamentations are represented in the score as they appear in the manuscript. In my performance I ignore most of the ornamentations in the manuscript and make up my own ornamentations as I go along.

Score available here: http://partitura.org/index.php/christian-erbach-fantasia-sexti-toni