Reinken (Reincken), Jan Adams

Reinken (Reincken), Jan Adams , famous organist and composer; b. April 26, 1623; d. Hamburg, Nov. 24, 1722. The place of his birth has not been determined, but it may have been Wilshausen, Alsace, Wildeshausen near Bremen, or in a Dutch village of similar name. By 1654 he was in Hamburg, where he studied with Heinrich Scheidemann, the organist of the Katharinenkirche. In 1657 he became organist of the Berghkercke in Deventer, the Netherlands. In 1658 he returned to Hamburg as asst. organist to Scheidemann at the Katharinenkirche, and in 1663 he succeeded his teacher as organist, a position he held with great distinction for 60 years. Reinken was one of the most celebrated organ virtuosos of his time. In 1720 Bach played at the Katharinenkirche, and Reinken, then 97 years old, was in attendance. He was also a consultant on organ building, and a noted teacher of the organ; his students included Andreas Kneller (later his son-in-law) and G.D. Leiding. He composed several virtuoso organ pieces, and also 6 instrumental suites publ. as Hortus musicus. His complete works for keyboard may be found in K. Beckmann, ed., J.A. Reincken: Sämtliche Orgelwerke (Wiesbaden, 1974).

Works

KEYBOARD: An den Wasserflüssen Babylon; Ballet in E minor; Fuga in G minor; Partite diverse sopra l’Aria “Schweiget mir von Weiber nehmen,” altrimente chiamata “La Meyerin”; 3 suites, in C major, E minor, and G major; Toccata in C major; Was kann uns kommen anfürNoth. CHAMBER: Horfus musicus, 6 suites for 2 Violins, Viola da Gamba, and Basso Continuo (Hamburg, 1687; later ed. by J. van Riemsdijk, Amsterdam, 1888). VOCAL: Geistlich Konzert “auf Michael”: Und es erhub sich ein Streit for 4 Voices, 2 Violins, Viola, 2 Trumpets, Timpani, and Basso Continue.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire