LE CONCERT BRISE - The Art of Heinrich Scheidemann (2016)

Heinrich Scheidemann (1596-1663), student and follower of Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, was organist at St. Catherine’s Church in Hamburg from 1629 until his death. Mere traces of his music have survived in manuscript form that were transcribed from performances. A reason for Scheidemann’s oeuvre being nearly forgotten may be the high technical standard required for the execution of his music. Due to his talent for improvisation, Scheidemann wrote very virtuosic compositions emerging from various musical works in which seriousness and exuberance play side by side. The improviser’s demeanour can be felt in every note of these compositions. For contemporary musicians dealing with early music, a composition merely represented a framework upon which the musicians could improvise. In order to appreciate Scheidemann’s masterpieces of diminution and improvisation, William Dongois and Le Concert Brisé presents a programme with adaptations of his works on the present CD. The arrangement became a rewriting but one in which the basic form and intention of the original was never discarded.