Erste Sonate

Hermann Schroeder (26 March 1904 – 7 October 1984) was a German composer and a Catholic church musician, born in Bernkastel and spent the greatest part of his life’s work in the Rheinland. His mother's family had common ancestry with Beethoven. He studied from 1926 to 1930 at the Hochschule für Musik Köln, where his most important teachers were Heinrich Lemacher and Walter Braunfels (composition), Hermann Abendroth (conducting), and Hans Bachem (organ).[1]

His main sphere of activity as composer, conductor and organist were supplemental to his work as a professor of choral conducting, counterpoint, and composition. Upon graduation from the conservatory, he obtained a post teaching music theory at the Rheinische Musikschule in Cologne. 8 years later he became organist at the cathedral in Trier. He remained in this post until the end of the war, adding the position of director of the Trier School of Music in 1940. After the war he taught music theory at the Cologne Musikhochschule beginning in 1946, becoming a professor there in 1948 and deputy director in 1958. He was also a reader at Bonn University from 1946 until 1973, and a lecturer at the University of Cologne from 1956 until 1961.[1] He also conducted various semiprofessional ensembles such as the Bach-Verein Köln and the Rheinischer Kammerchor. Schroeder died on 7 October 1984 in Bad Orb aged 80.

This is his spiky 1st Sonate for organ - a wild and arresting piece. Movement 1 (0:00) Allegro risoluto starts out sounding like a demented French Overture, with moments of a calmer more flowing contrasting theme. Movement 2 (2:56) Larghetto cantabile presents a singing melody over flowing 16th notes, the middle section is a fugal contrast on 8' foundations, returning to the beginning material before finishing softly. Movement 3 (6:26 ) is a moto-perpetuo, kept interesting by frequent changes in texture and registration. It ends with a full-organ romp up and down the keys and pedals, Chamades blazing!