Musical contribution - March 2024

O hoofd bedekt met wonden - Jan Zwart (1877-1937)

This month we’re focusing on an old melody, first heard in Frankfurt in around 1600. This hymn became extremely well-known following beautiful settings by J.S. Bach in his St Matthew Passion.

The organist Jan Zwart saw it as his task to write good arrangements of church hymns that never went far beyond the level of amateur organists. He took a very serious approach to this.

He produced no fewer than three arrangements of the melody we’re offering this month. However, all three are in a different key. If we change the keys, it enables us to play several variations sequentially.

The first is a short one and does not yet present the entire melody.

The second is a combination with another famous German Lent chorale.

The third is a canonic prelude with a continuous quaver pattern.

The challenge is to use different registrations for each of the three variations, but always in keeping with a serene instrumental idiom.

Kind regards,

André

* Unfortunately, due to circumstances, we do not have a sound clip.