Tunder: Jesus Christus unser Heiland der von uns den Gotteszorn wandt

On this CD works by Tunder, Hasse, Buxtehude, Bach, Schiefferdecker and Bruhns are performed by Martin Rost on the Stellwagen Organ (1959), St. Marien Stralshund. Martin Rost tracked down the original plans for this instrument so that it could be restored with loving care.

Vol. 6 of our journey of discovery through the Northern German organ baroque is dedicated to the two little-known masters Franz Tunder and Nicolaus Hasse.

Tunder, the better known of the two, was Buxtehude’s predecessor as city organist in Lübeck. Hardly any documentation of Hasse’s life is available, but it is thought he was probably a pupil of Praetorius and Sweelinck. His four organ works shine with echo effects and virtuoso coloraturas.

Franz Tunder belongs to the second generation of Sweelinck's heirs; his part in this inheritance came from having studied with several of Sweelinck's pupils, Scheidemann included. He may well have studied with Frescobaldi in Italy. He fulfilled the position of organist at the church of St. Mary in Lübeck, performing there on a magnificent Stellwagen organ.

The compositions by Tunder that have survived clearly demonstrate his predominant position in the development of the organists art in Northern Germany and in the field of the chorale fantasia in particular.