Vincent Lübeck

Vincent Lübeck (c. September 1654 – 9 February 1740) was a German composer and organist. He was born in Padingbüttel and worked as organist and composer at Stade's St. Cosmae et Damiani (1675–1702) and Hamburg's famous St. Nikolai (1702–1740), where he played one of the largest contemporary organs. He enjoyed a remarkably high reputation in his lifetime, and had numerous pupils, among whom were two of his sons.

Despite Lübeck's longevity and fame, very few compositions by him survive: a handful of organ praeludia and chorales in the North German style, a few cantatas and several pieces for harpsichord, some of which were published during the composer's lifetime. Of his works, the organ pieces are the most important: influenced by Dieterich Buxtehude and Johann Adam Reincken, Lübeck composed technically and artistically sophisticated works, with frequent virtuosic passages for pedal, five-voice polyphony, and other devices rarely used by most of the composers of the period.

Life The tower of St. Cosmae, Stade, where Lübeck worked for 18 years from 1675 to 1702 Lübeck was born in Padingbüttel, a small town some 70 km north of Bremen. His father, also named Vincent, worked as organist first at Glückstadt and then, from 1647, at the Marienkirche in Flensburg, where he was succeeded in 1654 by Caspar Förckelrath. Lübeck's father died that year, and Förckelrath married the widow; it follows that he must have been young Lübeck's first teacher. According to scholar Wolfram Syré, Lübeck may have also studied under Andreas Kneller, whose influence is palpable in Lübeck's surviving keyboard works. In late 1675 Lübeck became organist of St. Cosmae et Damiani in Stade. The city had been a prominent member of the Hanseatic League, but by 1675 it was being slowly eclipsed by nearby Hamburg. Nevertheless, St. Cosmae had an organ built by the celebrated Arp Schnitger (which still survives, although it has been reconstructed). Upon accepting the post, Lübeck married, as was custom in some parts of North Germany, the daughter of his predecessor, one Susanne Becker.

The only dated works by Lübeck are two cantatas composed in Stade in November 1693, both commissioned by the Swedish administration in Stade in memory of Ulrike Eleonora of Denmark. Lübeck's works were quickly forgotten with much of the rest of 17th and 18th century organ music. The first modern edition of the composer's work appeared in 1921 in Germany (G. Harms (Klecken, 1921)). A school in Stade was named in his honor, the Vincent Lübeck Gymnasium.

Music

Only a few pieces by Lübeck survive: five preludes and fugues (one possibly incomplete, and there is also a spurious sixth prelude and fugue), two chorale settings (one incomplete), a single harpsichord suite published in 1728, and five cantatas. Lübeck's organ works, predictably enough, show the influence of Reincken, as well as that of Buxtehude. The preludes and fugues are remarkably varied, and each has a distinct structure:

Prelude and Fugue in C major: Toccata – Fugue 1 – Fugato manualiter – Fugue 2 Prelude and Fugue in C minor: Toccata – Fugue (possibly incomplete) Prelude and Fugue in D minor: Toccata – Fugue 1 – Toccata Prelude and Fugue in E major: Toccata – Fugue 1 – Fugato – Fugue 2 – Toccata Prelude and Fugue in G minor: Toccata – Fugue 1 – Fugue 2 – Toccata – Fugue 3

Buxtehude's impact is apparent in some of Lübeck's fugue subjects, as well as the five-section structure of the E major work. The free sections often feature virtuosic pedal solos, and the G minor work includes double-pedal passages (see Example 1) of a type which is to be found several times in Reincken's output but which is absent from Buxtehude's. Most of Lübeck's fugues have an obbligato countersubject, commonly introduced during the first statement of the subject:

Example 2. Opening bars of the second fugue of Prelude and Fugue in E major. This is the manner in which Lübeck almost always treats countersubjects. The subject is highlighted in blue, the countersubject in orange.

The F major and G major preludes and fugues are now attributed to Lübeck's son, whose name also was Vincent. Both have a simple two-section structure (i.e., Toccata and Fugue) and show no trace of the virtuosity apparent in the fully authenticated works. The suite, on the other hand, is much more advanced and exhibits some of the virtuosic qualities found in Lübeck's organ works.

Of Lübeck's surviving cantatas, Gott wie dein Nahme, Hilff deinem Volck and Willkommen süsser Bräutigam are the less important ones, probably intended for small, average ensembles. The remaining two works, commissioned by the Swedish administration in Stade, include separate instrumental movements, choruses and ritornello arias; they also feature more advanced writing.

List of works Organ music Prelude and Fugue in C major Prelude and Fugue in C minor (possibly incomplete) Prelude and Fugue in D minor Prelude and Fugue in E major Prelude and Fugue in F major (possibly by Lübeck's son, also named Vincent Lübeck) Prelude and Fugue in G major (possibly by Lübeck's son, also named Vincent Lübeck) Prelude and Fugue in G minor Chorale fantasia Ich ruf zu Dir, Herr Jesu Christ Chorale prelude Nun lasst uns Gott (incomplete, only the first 6 verses survive)

Harpsichord music

Clavier Übung bestehend im Praeludio, Fuga, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande und Gigue als auch einer Zugabe von dem Gesang Lobt Gott ihr Christen allzugleich in einer Chaconne (Hamburg, 1728): Prelude and Fugue in A minor Suite in G minor Chaconne on Lobt Gott ihr Christen, in F major Works from Handschrift S.M.G. 1691, attributed to Lübeck and published in the recent Bärenreiter edition of his works: Praeludium (in D major) and Chaconne (in D minor) Chaconne in A major Suite in A minor March and Menuet in F major

Sacred vocal music Es ist ein grosser Gewinn, wer gottselig ist (4vv, 2 vn, 2 b viol, 2 ob, bn, bc; dated 10–14 November 1693) Gott wie dein Nahme (3vv (ATB), 3 instruments, bc) Hilff deinem Volck (4vv, 2 violins, 2 b viol, bc) Ich hab hier wenig guter Tag (4vv, 2 vn, 2 b viol, 2 ob, bn, bc; dated 10–14 November 1693) Willkommen süsser Bräutigam (2vv, 2 vn, bc) 14 more cantatas and a Passion, known from titles and/or texts (all lost)