- Founded: fl. 145
- Genres: Keyboard Music
Biography
By the mid fifteenth century, organs already enjoyed a cherished place within German courtly and ecclesiastical musical culture. Unfortunately, much of the music played upon these isntruments was improvised and is now lost. The relatively few sources of copied-out organ music thus provide vital evidence of a rich musical tradition. The largest source of the first German keyboard music is a manuscript now preserved in the Bavarian State Library of Munich, the Buxheimer Orgelbuch. Its name derives from the Carthusian monastery in the small town of Buxheim, where the manuscript was discovered in the nineteenth century. The Buxheimer manuscript contains over 250 notated pieces of organ music, including a wide variety of sacred and secular arrangements, freely composed preludes, and even organ teaching pieces; its music covers the gamut of music a professional organist might be asked to perform. Furthermore, this important and fascinating book contains music of a specific fifteenth century musician: Conrad Paumann, the famous blind organist to the Duke of Bavaria.Though the Buxheimer Orgelbuch does not always preserve the best readings of its music, it nevertheless must present ties to Paumann's art, both the improvisatory technique and the organ teaching of his time. All of the Buxheimer music is notated in German Renaissance organ tablature, which first presents a melody notated on a seven-line staff for the right hand. The ten fundamenta, or groups of instructional pieces, all cultivate an organist's improvisation and dexterity; the freely ornamented melodies throughout the book reflect these ideals. Many begin with a characteristic "turn" motive, and proceed with frequent melismatic ornaments, voice-crossings, and complicated hocket passages. Beneath these melodies are letter indications for the pitches of one or two lower voices for the left hand and pedal. (A helpful appendix to the manuscript itself explains the notation and gives instructions on playing the pedals.) The majority of the pieces are arrangments of popular secular music, including French chansons, Italian trecento music, and German lieder; even dance tunes appear in some of the Buxheimer tenors. Many of the best composers of the day are represented: Dufay, Binchois, Bedyngham, Ciconia, and Dunstable. Buxheimer also includes some groups of three-voiced liturgical arrangements, with settings from the Mass and Office, Marian pieces, and German vernacular religious songs. The nearly 20 preambulae, freely composed and often metrically free preludes, reflect even closer ties to the improvisatory style of Paumann and his contemporaries. ~ Timothy Dickey, All Music Guide
