Herzlich lieb hab’ ich dich, O Herr

Melchior Schildt (born 1592 or 1593, Hanover – 18 May 1667) was a German composer and organist of the North German Organ School. He came from a long line of church musicians who had served the town of Hanover for over 125 years. He studied with Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck from 1609 to 1612, and in 1629 replaced his recently deceased father as organist at the Marktkirche in Hanover, where he remained until his death.

Although this composer is new to me, it seems that this piece is sort of famous, largely because of the echo effects and the very unusual ending.

Schildt’s lovely setting of the burial chorale "Herzlich lieb hab’ ich dich, O Herr" (O Lord, I love you very much) is a piece that contemplates death with sweet serenity until the last right-hand flourish just after the final cadence. Here Schildt disturbs the placid texture with a lengthy descending chromatic scale that snakes ominously down the keyboard in a bizarre gesture that casts into shadow the prevailing calm.

Although the piece is a "funeral piece," the mood is certainly far from that. I could not help but hear the figurative writing as a duet of trumpets (main and echo), and that's how I registered my performance, mostly avoiding the temptation of changing the sounds.

Since the writing is already very florid, I added only a few ornaments here and there.

The score is attached below, as well as a photo and a painting of the Marktkirche in Hanover where Schildt was organist. Also attached is a photo of the composer's "Paduana Lagrima".