Arnold Matthias Brunckhorst, Praeludium und Fuge, e moll

by admin · February 27, 2019

Arnold Matthias Brunckhorst (~1670/1675 – 1725) was a German organist and composer. He was born in or near Celle. Beginning in 1693, he served as an organist at St. Andreas in Hildesheim. In 1697, he assumed the organist’s post at the Stadtkirche in Celle. In 1720, he was appointed court organist at Hanover. Only one organ work of him survives that is attributed to him in the manuscript source, a prelude and fuge in e minor. A further Prelude and fugue, in g minor, formerly believed to be composed by Bruhns, is nowadays also somtimes attributed to Brunckhorst. THe prelude in e minor can be found in the same manuscript as the preludes by Georg Wilhelm Saxer. As both men worked as organist in Celle, they probably knew each other, or at least each other’s work. The Brunckhorst e minor prelude has a lot of similarities to the Saxer e minor prelude. It’s not unlikely Saxer (being the younger) modelled his work after the prelude by Brunckhorst. Brunkhorst’s prelude is an attractive work, with a lively prelude, a fugue and a short concluding episode.

The recording was done on the sample set of the Müller-organ in the Sint Bavokerk in Haarlem by Voxus Organs for Hauptwerk.

Score
Brunckhorst, Praeludium und Fuge, e moll