Molardi: Merulo – Complete Organ Works vol.1-2 (4 CD, FLAC)

In my youth I have visited Kaunas in Lithuania. On occasion I came inside a small old church in the center of town. Organ playing was heard. I came in – and stopped – and my heart has stopped beating. It was grandiose music! I stayed hearing for about half an hour – and could not force myself to stop.

It was my first great impression in classical music.

After that I tried to hear classical music. I bought the audiocassette with Bach’s popular organ music, that began with famous Toccata and Fugue. Yes, Toccata and Fugue were good, but the rest… In comparison with my impression from Kaunas, the rest organ music by Bach was not so great.

Now I have rather essential experience in classics. As for organ music, I am familiar with works by Widor, Frank, Reger, Rheinberger, etc. I can agree that Bach’s organ music is the greatest monument of colossal importance. And, nevertheless, I can repeat still, – in Kaunas I have heard something from another world!

Only one composer comes close to my Kaunas impressions. And here he is – virtually unknown Claudio Merulo (1533-1604).

Unfortunately, in this integrale of Merulo’s organ music we have wild mix from various opuses: 1) two books of Toccatas (1598 and 1604); 2) one book of Ricercares (strange, but I have found it dated by 1608???); 3) several books of canzonas alla Francese.

To my opinion, canzonas and other short pieces are rather standard and trivial repertoire characteristic to the age of Renaissance. Ricercares are more interesting. But if you are curious about what I heard in Kaunas – please select all Toccatas, move them in separate folder and hear only them! Don’t mix them with the rest pieces!

And you will find music from another world. Yes, it is archaic music, and in terms of musical technics Bach is incomparably higher (to say nothing of Widor and Reger). But all other great organ composers have passed through the temptation of sensuality. (Including J.S.Bach, – it was not accidential that it was glorified by romantic composers! Thanks to God, J.S.Bach is much more higher and deeper than his romantic image, – and nevertheless…)

In toccatas by Merulo we have grand example of music with purely spiritual orientation. The melody is practically absent; instead, we have grandiose waterfalls of sounds, and this is great!
Comparison of Merulo and romantic organ music is similar to comparison of Orthodox icon with realistic church painting of XVIII-XIX centuries. Only in XX century the great painters (e.g. Vasnetsov) have understood that their realistic art is nothing in comparison with the look from another, spiritual world in old Orthodox icons. Maybe, this is overstatement, but it seems to me that Toccatas by Merulo is something like this.

Many thanks to dear Mr.Whatever. I recommend Toccatas by Merulo heartily to all music lovers.