Music and theatre

Treasures in the Royal Library

Gabriel Voigtländer: Erster Theil Allerhand Oden Vnnd Lieder. Sorø: Henrich Kruse 1642 & eight pages of handwritten music for keyboard instrument.
Music and Theatre Department, mu 6610.2631


Title page of Voigtländer’s collection	Fol. a2r: Dedication to Christian IV and the Prince Elect Christian and his Saxon wife Magdalena Sibylla	P. 42: One of Voigtländer’s songs is now known by many as the tune to Thomas Kingo’s love song Chrysillis	P. 2 of the supplement: Melchior Schildt’s variations on Paduana Lachrimae are modelled on a composition by the lutenist John Dowland who was one of the best known composers at the Danish Court at that time. Dowland himself used it in several versions, and it was popular around Europe as well

The trumpeter Gabriel Voigtländer was employed at the small Court orchestra of the Prince Elect Christian, son of King Christian IV, at Nykøbing Falster Castle in 1636. Nowadays Voigtländer is no longer known as a trumpeter. Encouraged by Prince Christian he published Allerhand Oden vnnd Lieder in 1642. It was written “for special entertainment for persons of higher and lower orders at parties and gatherings; for singing accompanied by harpsichord, lute, theorbo, bandore, viol”. The collection contains all kinds of songs that Voigtländer had written to tunes from all over Europe. It was reprinted several times in Denmark as well as in Germany.
Bound together with the song collection are eight pages of handwritten music notated in the so-called tablature. The contents are music for keyboard instruments by various well-known composers from the time of Christian IV in the first half of the 17th century: works by the organist Melchior Schildt, who 1626-1629 worked as music teacher to the King’s children, the organist Heinrich Scheidemann, and the organist of Helligåndskirken (Church of the Holy Spirit) in Copenhagen Joh. Rudolph Radeck.

30.1 x 21 cm.

See the entire book on the website of the Music and Theatre Department Gabriel Voigtländer: Erster Theil allerhand Oden und Lieder and read further on Gabriel Voigtländer and Melchior Schildt on the website of the Online Music Research Library of Denmark.

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