Dieterich Buxtehude - Prelude in C major, BuxWV137
Hieronymus Praetorius - Hymnus: Te lucis ante terminum
Joachim Decker - Vater unser im Himmelreich
Jacob Praetorius - Vater unser im Himmelreich
Matthias Weckmann - Gott sei gelobet und gebenedeiet
Heinrich Scheidemann
- Prelude in C major
- Prelude in D minor
Harald Vogel - Registrations and Improvisations

As I had pointed out in a previous review for the MDG recording of organ music by Matthias Weckmann, here again the star attraction is the organ itself. This time around it's the wonderful baroque Arp Schnitger organ that resides in St. Jacobi, Hamburg. The booklet notes go on to indicate that this four manual instrument contains the largest inventory of original 16th and 17th century pipes, and that all the composers on this disc were closely familiar with this organ. Some of its stops produce a superb sound, be it the guttural quality of some of its reed pipes or the sweet voice of its 4' Spitzfloht or 8' Gedackt. And of course master organist Harald Vogel certainly knows a thing or two about picking the precise combination of stops to best enhance the character of each and every piece. As a matter of fact one of the highlights of this recording is the 15 minute overview and presentation by Vogel himself of the various stops and possible combinations that this magnificent instrument has to offer.

As for the music itself, this collection is a fine example of that period when composers were just starting to fledge and spread their harmonic wings. Not quite yet with the level of counterpoint that Bach developed and refined, but by elaborating and improvising on established hymn tunes, and matching the manuals and pedals to focus attention on the tune's development and expansion. Again to quote the people at MDG, this is like a family reunion 400 years in the making. Highly recommended!