musica Dei donum
CD reviews
"A Bach & Abel Concert"
Catherine Zimmer, pianoforte organisé
rec: May 4 - 7, 2024, Bastelicaccia (F), Salon de musique
Encelade - ECL2401E (© 2024) (62'59")
Liner-notes: E/F
Cover, track-list & booklet
Spotify
Carl Friedrich ABEL (1723-1787):
Sonata in E flat, op. 2,4 (WKO 114);
Carl Philipp Emanuel BACH (1714-1788):
Sonata in d minor (Wq 169 / H 53) (allegretto);
Johann Christian BACH (1735-1782):
Sonata in c minor, op. 5,6 (Warb A 5);
Franz Joseph HAYDN (1732-1809):
The celebrated ouverture composed by Haydn;
James HOOK (1746-1827):
Sonata in G, op. 54,1;
Maria Hester PARK (1760-1813):
Sonata in C, op. 7;
Ludwig Wenzel LACHNITH (1746-1820):
Prelude No. 2 in c minor;
Prelude No. 11 in a minor;
Prelude No. 12 in A;
John STANLEY (1712-1786):
Voluntary in d minor, op. 6,5 (adagio)
Sources:
John Stanley, Ten Voluntaries for the Organ or Harpsichord, op. 6, 1752;
Carl Friedrich Abel, Six sonates for the harpsichord with accompaniments for a violin or German flute, & violoncello, op. 2, 1762;
Johann Christian Bach, Six Sonatas for the Harpsichord or Pianoforte, op. 5, 1766;
James Hook, Six Sonatas for the Piano Forte, or Harpsichord, with an accompaniment for the German Flute or Violin, op. 54, c1789
There was a time that historical instruments were so little-known that recordings were devoted to them. In the early days of historical performance practice very few music lovers had heard a historical harpsichord, or other instruments in their original state. Today such recordings are still produced, but then mostly devoted to historical organs, each of which is unique.
However, it still may make sense to focus on a particular instrument, if it has some unique features. That is certainly the case with the piano organisé that is presented on the disc that is the subject of this review. This instrument is a variant of the claviorganum, a combination of harpsichord and organ. In this case, the organ is combined with a fortepiano. In New Grove the piano organisé is mentioned in the entry on the claviorganum.
The maker of the instrument that Catherine Zimmer plays is as colourful as his instrument. John Joseph Merlin (1735-1803) was a Belgian-born inventor who spent some time in Paris and settled in London in 1780. His inventions include chairs for the disabled, roasting ovens and mechanical clocks, as well as roller-skates. "There is an anecdote related in Thomas Busy's Concert Room and Orchestra Anecdotes about how he once turned up for a society soirée at Carlisle House, home to Mrs Cornelys, in fancy dress, on roller-skates that he had himself invented, whilst playing the violin. As he had some difficulty braking, he ended up crashing into a very valuable mirror which was "smashed to smithereens" along with the violin, and he himself was seriously injured!" (booklet)
The piano organisé has its roots in the square piano. In England Johann Christoph Zumpe (1726-1790) was the first to build such instruments. In France the square piano was combined with an organ on the initiative of Claude-Bénigne Balbastre. The piano organisé was a square fortepiano with an organ placed upon it. Merlin's invention was a little different. In this instrument the organ pipes are laid out horizontally underneath the keyboard. Catherine Zimmer states: "After having tried out a good deal of repertoire on it, it seems clear to me that its single 4’ organ stop allows you either to reinforce the pianoforte or to respond to it, and also to vary the colours, although its bellows, which are worked using either a little handle positioned on the side or a pedal added later on, make it difficult to play complex works - or those involving a number of voices - on the organ if you are on your own."
It is necessary to quote her description of some technical details. "The beautifully-made single pilot pianoforte offers three possible timbres thanks to its 'raised dampers' stop and its genuine una corda. These various stops are operated using levers placed inside the case, as was also the case with Zumpe's square pianos. When the piano is combined with the organ, it offers up to eight combinations
of different timbres. However, as the organ's valves are triggered before the piano hammers, it is possible to come up with ways of orchestrating based solely upon how the instrumentalist plays, by lightly brushing the keys to play just the organ without having to take his or her hands off the keyboard. This is rather an unusual way of playing and means that you have to come up with an appropriate technique."
The instrument has been restored recently and is now in playable condition, which allowed Catherine Zimmer to present it on this disc with a programme, which includes pieces by well-known and largely unknown composers. Rare instruments such as the piano organisé raise the question of how frequently they were used and whether composers knew them. That is probably impossible to say. Obviously composers did not write music with such curious instruments in mind. And they are certainly not the 'ideal' instruments to perform the music written at the time. However, they contribute to our knowledge of performance practice in the late 18th century. This instrument by Merlin was built in a time when builders of keyboard instruments were experimenting with various forms, such as harpsichords with pedals.
Whether Merlin's invention was used during the Bach-Abel concerts is also impossible to document. These started in 1765 at Carlisle House. The first three seasons were organised by the above-mentioned Teresa Cornelys, an actress and businesswoman of Venetian origin, who played a major role in the London entertainment scene at the time. After three years Johann Christian Bach and Carl Friedrich Abel took over, and the concerts took place at several venues until 1775, when the series settled at the Hanover Square Rooms.
The best-known pieces are those by Johann Christian and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. The former may have played his keyboard works during the Bach-Abel concerts. It is an established fact that concerts of the 18th and early 19th centuries looked different from those of today. It was very common to perform orchestral works and chamber music or keyboard pieces within one concert. Whether Johann Christian - or other keyboard players - ever performed music by his older brother is questionable.
Abel is a household name, but he is almost exclusively known for the music for his own instrument, the viola da gamba. His oeuvre is large and varied, though, and the Sonata in E flat is a nice specimen of his keyboard music. It is one of a collection of sonatas for keyboard with accompaniment of one or two melody instruments (in this case violin or transverse flute and cello). Such scorings were quite popular in the second half of the 18th century across Europe. The sonata is adapted here to the piano organisé. Catherine Zimmer comments: "The instrument offers the possibility of playing the organ alone through variations in the instrumentalist's touch, making it possible to differentiate the flute part from the piano part using the same hand when they respond to each other." (corrected translation)
The Sonata in G by James Hook is of the same kind. It is taken from his Op. 54, printed around 1789. Hook, erroneously called "John" in the track-list, was a keyboard prodigy, who played the harpsichord at the age of four and performed in public at six. He worked as an organist, but the largest part of his oeuvre consists of vocal works, among them a large number of songs.
Maria Hester Park was a keyboard player who performed in public and acted as teacher to members of the nobility. She left a small oeuvre, in which the keyboard plays the main role. Her Op. 7 is a single sonata, probably dating from 1796. Haydn sent her a sonata in return for some pieces of her pen that he had received. Two times Haydn visited England, but his music was known before he arrived for the first time. The celebrated ouverture which opens the programme attests to that, as it was played during the Bach-Abel concerts. This overture consists of two movements from his Symphony No. 53.
The shortest pieces in the programme are of the pen of John Stanley and Ludwig Wenzel Lachnith. Stanley became blind at the age of two and made a career as organist. In this capacity he was greatly admired by Handel. Lachnith was never in England. He was born in Prague and was educated as a horn player. As such he made an international career; he settled in Paris, where he played his own concertos at the Concert Spirituel. Later he became especially known as a composer and arranger of music for the theatre.
This is a fascinating disc. The piano organisé may be a curious and rare instrument, and certainly was not common at the time, it is a most intriguing specimen of a time of experiments and creativity on the side of instrument makers. Catherine Zimmer is an excellent performer, who handles the instrument, which was new to her, impressively. She has made an interesting selection of pieces, which results in a compelling programme. This disc offers something you have never heard before, and that goes for the instrument and most of the music. It is a valuable addition to each collection of keyboard music.
Johan van Veen (© 2025)