The Orpheus of Amsterdam
At the beginning of the sixteenth century, one of the most celebrated composers in undivided Western Christendom was Josquin des Prez, who died 500 years ago this year. Conductor Peter Phillips has recently argued that Josquin is a giant among composers because "he mastered all the techniques of his time, turned them into something better, and then passed them on to the next generation of composers, who were all influenced by him."
This year is also an anniversary year for another composer who had a significant influence on subsequent generations. Even less well known than Josquin, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck died 400 years ago this year. Born in 1562 in Deventer, a city in a province now part of the Netherlands, Sweelinck succeeded his father as the organist in Amsterdam's Oude Kerk in 1577. The Old Church is aptly named, as its founding dates to about 1213. That such a prestigious congregation would select a 15-year-old as its organist is testimony to his talent, which blossomed over the years under somewhat constricted circumstances.
The year after young Sweelinck first took over as the church's organist, the Calvinist Synod of Dordrecht called for the removal of all organs from churches. Not only was the instrument not to be used during the austere liturgy—which also prohibited the use of choirs—but the playing of organ preludes prior to the services was to be replaced by readings from the Bible. This produced a conflict between church and state, and it proved fortunate in this case that the organs were owned by the municipal government, not by the congregations.
As music historian Jan R. Luth explains, "The organist served the government and it was under the government's orders that he played before and after the service." In something of a compromise, musicians were instructed to play preludes and postludes based on familiar Psalm tunes, in part to familiarize congregations with the melodies from the Genevan Psalter that were then in use during services in the Dutch Reformed churches.
It soon became evident to the citizens of Amsterdam (if not necessarily to the clergy) that young Sweelinck was a great gift to the city. In time, his abilities at the keyboard were recognized throughout northern Europe, and students sought him out for instruction, most notably students from North Germany, who would give birth to a tradition of organ playing that decades later nurtured the genius of Johann Sebastian Bach. In an ironic providential twist, a church musician prohibited from making music during the liturgy of his own church played a part in the formation of the greatest composer of church music in the Church's history.
Vocal Works
Sweelinck spent his entire life in Amsterdam, often traveling around the Dutch Republic to serve as a consultant in the building or re-building of organs. Contemporary accounts suggest a winsome personality, which, combined with obvious talent, ensured his long tenure in Amsterdam. Organist and musicologist Pieter Dirksen reports that Sweelinck was continually the beneficiary of raises in his salary, and eventually, "with the help of his patrons, he was able to have published precious printed editions of his vocal works."
Among these works are a collection of settings of all 150 Psalms, scored for unaccompanied voices in a style too elaborate for use in any Reformed churches of his day. Conductor Richard Marlow suggests that they were probably "intended for informal use and musical recreation." Originally published in four volumes between 1604 and 1621, these Psalm settings are based on tunes and metrical paraphrases in French from the Genevan Psalter. A number of these unique compositions were included on a three-CD set recorded by the Netherlands Chamber Choir in the late 1980s.
As they were not composed for liturgical use, Sweelinck was not afraid to let the joyousness in many of the texts develop into playfulness. Or soit loué l'Eternel, his setting of Psalm 150's invocation of universal praise, is for double choir. The six verses take well over six delightful minutes to sing; he was not in a hurry—nor should we be—to get praising God over with. Another six-verse Psalm, the twenty-third, is almost eight minutes long, moving from four voices to five voices to six voices, with a subdued, reflective, and confident mood, never maudlin or superficial.
In 1619, Sweelinck and his generous friends arranged for the publication of Cantiones Sacrae quinque vocum, a collection of 37 motets for five voices in Latin. They were published in Catholic Antwerp, and possibly intended for some use outside of the more restricted liturgical life of the Dutch Reformed Church.
This collection includes a Te Deum laudamus, nine Psalm settings, nine Gospel motets (settings of texts of sayings of Jesus from the Gospel of St. Matthew), nine Nativity motets (including a Magnificat), and nine works on miscellaneous texts. Perhaps the best-known of these motets is Hodie Christus natus est—"Today Christ is born"—which could easily be mistaken for a jubilant Venetian fanfare by Giovanni Gabrieli or Monteverdi. Its glorious renditions of the word "gloria" and its ecstatic "alleluias" make it one of the most joyous of Christmas treats.
Ken Myers is the host and producer of the Mars Hill Audio Journal. Formerly an arts editor with National Public Radio, he also serves as music director at All Saints Anglican Church in Ivy, Virginia. He is a contributing editor for Touchstone.
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