Wilhelm Karges, Sebastian Anton Scherer, Ricercar Primi Toni

by admin · March 9, 2020

In his adaptations Karges did not only shorten the original compositions he based his adaptations on, sometimes he elongated the originals as well. The Ricercar Primi Toni is an example of the latter. This piece is based on Sebastian Anton Scherer’s Intonatio Secunda Primi Toni. In 1664 Scherer published his second opus, called “Tabulaturam in Cymbalo & Organo Intonationum brevium per octo Tonos et Partituram octo Toccatorum usui aptam cum vel fine Pedali”. They sure liked long titles in those days.

The first part of this publication contains short intonations for the eight modi. Karges’ Ricercar primi Toni is based on Scherer’s second intonation in the first tone. Karges cites Scherer’s intonatio almost note-perfect, prepends it with an 11 bars exposition based on the same theme and appends 12 bars to more fully expand the chromatic ascending lines of the composition. Karges also notates an extra two and a half bar that are presumably meant to make a repeat possible. This fully shows Karges the practical organist at work. The original is too short to serve as, for example a sortie, so he elongates the composition and notates a handy way to create a repeat when the actual occasion call for a longer piece.

For some reason, whenever I play a ‘Ricercar’, my first instinct is to register with a Principal 8’perhaps add a Principal 4′ and leave it at that. This time I deliberately ignored my first instinct and registered it with full plenum. The chromatic ascending lines get an extra punch that way that I really like.

The recording was done with the sampleset, made by Sonus Paradisi, of the the Klapmeyer organ in the St. Nikolai church in Altenbruch.

Score
Karges, Scherer, Ricercar Primi Toni