Glossary
Ahle, Joh. Rudolph, was born 1625, and, after holding a post at Erfurt, became organist and burgomaster of his native town Mühlhausen. His chorale tunes are still popular in Thuringia. On his death in 1673 he was succeeded by his son Joh. Georg, who was a member of the Town Council, and poet laureate to the Emperor Leopold I.
Böhm, Georg. Is described by Walther as a fine composer and organist of St John at Lüneburg. Bach modelled some of his early chorale-preludes, notably “Wir glauben all’ an einen Gott” on Böhm’s style.
Brust-positiv. The name given to the choir manual when its pipes stand in front of the rest of the organ, as in many of the old English cathedral organs.
Buxtehude, Dietrich, 1637-1707, organist at the Marien-Kirche at Lübeck. His organ fugues, toccatas, &c., are of great importance as having furnished Bach with his earliest models. The fugues are usually in three portions, as in Bach’s great E flat fugue (Peters, 242). Many of his organ works have been published by Spitta.
Caldara, Antonius. Born at Venice 1678, a pupil of Legrenzi and Fux, and the writer of many operas, and much church music. He was successively Capellmeister at St Mark’s, the Court of Mantua, and to Charles VI. at Vienna. He was a clever imitator, but had little inventive genius. On coming to Germany, his style improved in vigour. Bach admired him sufficiently to copy his Magnificat in C.
Cantor, Choirmaster. The office is rarely held by the organist as in England, since the cantor has to conduct the “Hauptmusik” with a baton while the organist plays.
Cembalo, or clavicymbal, or clavessin, or clavecin, for which Bach wrote his clavier works, was in shape like the modern grand piano, but its interior construction was something after the model of the organ. It had, in common with the organ, the defect of being unable to produce piano or forte by the touch alone, this being done by stops. A complete cembalo had the compass of
