Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern

Johann Pachelbel (baptised September 1, 1653 – buried March 9, 1706) brought the south German organ tradition to its peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secular music, and his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude and fugue have earned him a place among the most important composers of the middle Baroque era.

His music was influenced by southern German composers, such as Johann Jakob Froberger and Johann Kaspar Kerll, Italians such as Girolamo Frescobaldi and Alessandro Poglietti, French composers, and the composers of the Nuremberg tradition. He preferred a lucid, uncomplicated contrapuntal style that emphasized melodic and harmonic clarity. His music is less virtuosic and less adventurous harmonically than that of Dieterich Buxtehude, although, like Buxtehude, Pachelbel experimented with different ensembles and instrumental combinations in his chamber music and, most importantly, his vocal music, much of which features exceptionally rich instrumentation. Pachelbel explored many variation forms and associated techniques, which manifest themselves in various diverse pieces, from sacred concertos to harpsichord suites.

I've been wanting to post a piece on the Trost organ to use the Cymbelstern for sometime, but always change my mind... :-( Finally, here we are! :-)

I'm a little late in posting my Christmas music, and a little early in posting the first of my Epiphany items!

"Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern" is typical of Pachelbel's beautiful style, and I used the Cymbelstern in C - as opposed to the Cymbelstern in G! The pedal trills are probably NOT stylistically correct... ;-)