Praise the Almighty, My Soul, Adore Him | Op. 26 No. 2

Jan Bender (1909–1994)

Praise the Almighty, My Soul, Adore Him
Lobe den Herren, o meine Seele

from

Festival Preludes on Six Chorales, Op. 26, No. 2 (1963)

After exploring what the Gallery Schlicker can reveal in repertoire ranging from Clara Schumann to Emma Lou Diemer and John Rutter, this recording brings us much closer to the instrument’s native musical world.

Jan Bender studied with Hugo Distler, arguably the grandfather of the German church-music renewal that accompanied the Orgelbewegung. Bender's Festival Preludes on Six Chorales, published in 1963, belong directly to that culture of renewed interest in the chorale, contrapuntal clarity, independent divisions, and organs capable of articulating complex textures without sacrificing color.

There is even a wonderfully tangible connection: the original 1963 publication I'm playing out of features a Schlicker organ on its cover, the instrument in Kramer Chapel at Concordia Senior College in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Bender conceived these pieces for practical church use. The chorale settings could function as intonations, congregational or antiphonal accompaniments, introductions to the preludes, or independent organ chorales; the preludes themselves could serve as preludes, offertories, or postludes. They are concert-worthy pieces that never lose sight of the liturgical world from which they arose.

Praise the Almighty, My Soul, Adore Him demonstrates that beautifully. The chorale remains unmistakably present while Bender surrounds it with energetic contrapuntal writing and sharply differentiated colors.

With some of my other recordings, the question has been how far the Schlicker can travel. For this upload, the question becomes, what happens when it comes home?

Organ: Gallery Schlicker, First Congregational Church of Los Angeles
Virtual instrument: Evensong Music