| Description: | Sonata in C Major “Matrosenlied” Op. 9, No. 51
This sonata is a large-scale, four-movement meditation upon the Matrosenlied, a song associated with the sea’s peril, longing, and spiritual hope.
In the Song Movement, the melody appears in unadorned clarity. The first Variation breathes contrapuntal life into it; the second Variation intensifies its dramatic potential. The final Fugue, leading into a radiant coda and full organ restatement, unites the visionary and the communal — the familiar tune transformed into grand symphonic organ poetry.
The source melody, catalogued as No. 440 in the Allgemeines Deutsches Kommersbuch, was arranged by Friedrich Silcher in 1830. The text, of unknown authorship, evokes the perils of sea-voyage, love and separation, faith and resurrection.
This performance is given on the Noeske organ at Kassel-Niederzwehren, where the full palette of reeds, flues, mixtures, and pedal provides the grandeur and breadth required for the final closing statement.
May you perceive in these arcs of development the journey from solitary song to full organ affirmation — the sea motif renewed in organ splendour. |
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