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Organ Events, Fall 2021

Organ recitals this semester bring you the multifaceted music of the Northern European baroque, balancing the splendid with the learned, the glittering with the melancholic. Our opening recital on the Cornell baroque organ in Anabel Taylor chapel revisits the works of Buxtehude, his student Bruhns, and their young admirer J. S. Bach, as their music rang out on the glorious organs of the wealthy north German cities of the Hanseatic League. This is music that transmits the lessons learnt by generations of German organists from the great ‘Orpheus of Amsterdam’ Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, the 400th anniversary of whose death we mark this semester with a festival in his honor (Oct 20-23); highlights of that festival include guest artists Jonathan Schakel (organ and harpsichord) who will explore the vivid traces of Italy in Sweelinck’s music with soprano Megan Sharp, and baroque violinist Martin Davids who will improvise and elaborate in extravagant style with David Yearsley. Midday Music for Organ kicks off with a performance by graduate students Anna Steppler (organ) and Zoe Weiss (treble viol), followed by programs across the semester, in Anabel Taylor Chapel and at the Italian organ in Sage Chapel that will explore the musical world of early 17th-century Europe, and the extraordinary riches of the music of Sweelinck, his friends, and his students. The semester concludes with two evening recitals by graduate students Nathan Mondry and Anna Steppler.

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The Glorious Hanseatic League: Music of Buxtehude, Bruhns and Bach

Saturday, September 11               7:00 pm               Anabel Taylor Chapel

Annette Richards and David Yearsley. The Glorious Hanseatic League: Music of Buxtehude, Bruhns and Bach

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40 minutes of music on Wednesday lunchtimes, 12:30-1:10pm

  • Wednesday, September 15         12:30 pm             Sage Chapel

Anna Steppler with Zoe Weiss (treble viol). Sweelinck, Praetorius, and the English Connection

  • Wednesday, September 29         12:30 pm             Anabel Taylor Chapel

Annette Richards.  J. S. Bach: The World Famous Organist

  • Wednesday, October 20             12:30 pm             Anabel Taylor Chapel

Festival: The Orpheus of Amsterdam (1)

Jeffrey Snedeker. Sweelinck Groot en Klein: Works for Large and Small Organ

  • Wednesday, November 3            12:30 pm             Sage Chapel

Nathan Mondry (Italian organ). Includes music by Sweelinck and Nathan Mondry

  • Wednesday, November 17           12:30 pm             Anabel Taylor Chapel

David Yearsley. Sweelinck the Catholic? Byrd, Philips, Bull, and the Orpheus of Amsterdam

  • Wednesday, December 1             12:30 pm             Anabel Taylor Chapel

Annette Richards and Friends. Music for Advent and Christmas

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Festival: The Orpheus of Amsterdam
  • Wednesday, October 20               12:30 pm             Anabel Taylor Chapel

Festival: The Orpheus of Amsterdam (1)

Jeffrey Snedeker. Sweelinck Groot en Klein: Works for Large and Small Organ

  • Friday, October 22                        8:00 pm               Sage Chapel

Festival: The Orpheus of Amsterdam (2)

Jonathan Schakel (Italian organ and harpsichord) with guest Megan Sharp (soprano). Sweelinck in Italy

  • Saturday, October 23                    1:00 pm.             Anabel Taylor Chapel

Festival: The Orpheus of Amsterdam (3)

Annette Richards. Sweelinck and the Germans

  • Saturday, October 23                    8:00 pm               Anabel Taylor Chapel

Festival: The Orpheus of Amsterdam (4)

David Yearsley and guest Martin Davids (baroque violin). Melancholy Flee! Schop and Scheidemann in the Organ Loft

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Doctoral Student Recitals
  • Thursday, December 2                  8:00 pm               Anabel Taylor Chapel

Nathan Mondry. Program TBA

  • Monday, December 13                   7:00 pm            Anabel Taylor Chapel

Anna Steppler. Winter Light