Variations on "Lasst uns da Kindelein Wiegen"

Franz Xaver Murschhauser (1 July 1663 – 6 January 1738) was a German composer and theorist. He was born in Saverne, Alsace, but he is first mentioned as a singer and instrumentalist at St Peter’s School in Munich, in 1676. He studied music with the Kantor, Siegmund Auer and, from 1683 to his death in 1693, Johann Caspar Kerll. Murchhauser was appointed music director of the Munich Frauenkirche in 1691, where he remained until his death. He published two collections of organ music in the tradition of the South German school, intended for use with the Catholic liturgy; these consist of toccatas, fantasies and fugues written using the psalm tones and plainchant melodies. The first collection is entitled Octi-tonium novum organicum, octo tonis ecclesiasticis, ad Psalmos, & magnificat(Augsburg, 1696), and contains eighty-nine pieces. The second collection is in two parts of 34 pieces each, entitled Prototypon longo-breve organicum; (part I, Nuremberg, 1703; part II, Nuremberg, 1707). Both may be found in Denkmäler der Tonkunst in Bayern XXX, Jg.xviii (1917). There are other keyboard works in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Vienna, and the Berlin Singakademie. A surviving accompanied vocal work, Vespertinus latriae et hyperduliae cultus (Ulm, 1700), contains ten psalms and one laudate.

"Variations on 'Lasst uns da Kindelein Wiegen'" is a wonderful piece, and features "cuckoo effects" throughout most of the piece. I had originally done the piece on the great Trost organ, but because of the "echo effect" and the relatively dry acoustic, I couldn't get the feel that I wanted, and had to play the piece too quickly. I had wanted to use the Cymbelstern in spots... ;-) The effect in the vast echo of Utrecht is magical, and I found another piece to play on the Trost organ WITH Cymbelstern!

ALL registration changes could be made on the REAL organ with assistance from 2 registrants! :-)