Quem Pastores

Lovely little prelude on "Quem Pastores" by Max Drischner 31 January 1891 – 25 April 1971) a German composer, Kantor, organist, and harpsichordist.

Max Drischner was born in Prieborn (now Przeworno), Silesia. After completing grammar school in Züllichau, he commenced with theological studies in 1910 at Leipzig and Breslau. However, after seven semesters he gave this up in order to study organ, piano, and harpsichord at the Berlin Music Academy. His teacher, Wanda Landowska, had a major influence on him.

Between 1916 and the end of WW1, he was a voluntary medical orderly serving in France. There he lost the top of a finger on his left hand.

After the war, through self-teaching, acquired an extensive knowledge about the music before Bach. He gave his first harpsichord concerts in Breslau in 1920 and in Brieg in 1923. In Brieg he was trained by Paul Hielscher in organ playing and choirleading.

Fritz Feldmann wrote in the 1973-edition of MGG (Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart) about Drischner's compositions: "Drischner's reproductive activity was born by the youth movement, unpretencious, serving only the church community and never emphasized the virtuoso. Parallel to that are his compositions which according to his own opinion are captured improvisations that in the line of the ritual want to be intelligible to each church member. They want to avoid modern paths without becoming a slave to the epigonic copy of the style of a specific standard. They are distinguished by an ever tonal melodic that is even with recitative texts songlike and beholden especially to the Silesian and also the Nordic folklore."

This recording uses the SW Bourdon 8 and Flute 2 vs the CH Holzflute 8 and Koppelflute 4, PD is the lone 8' Pommer