“Es ist ein Ros entsprungen” is perhaps the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the name Michael Prætorius, and his choral arrangement this German carol from the 15th century has made his name widely known. Michael Praetorius died aged 49 and in 2021 both the 450th year after his birth and 400th year after his death were celebrated. His lifespan in the decades around the year 1600 belongs the most exciting in music history. During this time, the transition between Renaissance and Baroque arose and amongst other things, the first opera and also the first organ fugue appeared. Praetorius originally studied theology but had so much interest in music and playing the organ that he developed into the most important organ expert of the 17th century and one of the most significant music personalities. He was court Kapellmeister and composer at the German Duke Henrich Julius, Christian IV's brother-in-law who was the builder of the Compenius organ (built for dance and not church use) in Frederiksborg Castle church in Hillerød. Praetorius has with his enormous knowledge has been a consultant on and left a decisive mark on the fascinating instrument that we now have here in Denmark. His diligence was immense and he has left a legacy not only intensely powerful and lively compositions but also the world's first music encyclopedia, Syntagma Musicum. It is an important source of construction practice in the early baroque. His collection of dances, "Terpsichore", is a significant collection of the Renaissance dance forms collected and arranged by M. Prætorius. The collection is named after the Muse of the dance in Greek mythology.
The composer and organist, Heinrich Schütz, the father of German music as he was called, was of his time the most important German composer. He traveled all over Europe and also visited Denmark. Musically, Schütz was a transitional figure between the early and the late baroque music. Much of his music was vocal. He was strongly inspired by, among others, Giovanni Gabrieli and Claudio Monteverdi and he too was a great inspiration for the later North German organ school that culminated with Johann Sebastian Bach. The year 2022 marked the 350th anniversary of his death.
The Dutch organist J. P. Sweelinck was an organ specialist, a consultant, teacher and composer. He lived in Amsterdam all his life. He worked for 44 years in his position of organist in the Oude Kerk. His works represent the highest development of the Dutch keyboard school. Even though he wrote a great deal of music, he was perhaps better known for his educational work. Sweelinck had numerous students and thus was hugely significant for organ playing and composition in Europe.
Samuel Scheidt was court organist and “Kapellmeister” in Halle, Germany. During the years 1607 to 1609, he studied with Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck in Amsterdam. When he returned to Halle in 1609, he remained court organist to the archbishop of Magdeburg, Margrave Christian Wilhelm von Brandenburg and somewhat later “Kapellmeister”, of the court orchestra in Halle. Between the years 1614 to 1616 he worked here together with Michael Praetorius. The main part of Scheidt's organ music is collected in the organ book, Tabulatura nova, published in 1624. In addition secular music, dances, variations, fugues and additionally, this work contains a number of chorale preludes, i.e. longer and more elaborate chorale preludes, the forerunners of Bach's immensely elaborate organ chorales.
The swallow's nest organ was constructed in 2016 by Organ builder Gerhard Grenzing, Barcelona. The instrument that is a copy of an original organ, built in 1586 by the Dutch-born organ builder, Hans Brebus It is a distinctly Renaissance instrument. Of the original organ, only the organ case itself and just one pipe are preserved. Based on old documents and quite detailed descriptions, it has been possible for the organ builder Gerhard Grenzing, to recreate the organ in precisely. The Danish organ builder Mads Kjersgaard must be described as the main architect behind it the so-called swallow's nest organ. He is, among other things known for his extensive knowledge of Brebus organs. With his background knowledge of Renaissance facades in Northern Europe, Mads Kjersgaard also designed a rückpositiv as it may well have looked.
In keeping with the period, the organs character is kept in the voicing of the time and the unequal temperament. Also, there is a short octave in both manuals and pedal. In accordance with the times the pitch is set to A= 467 Hz. Previously, swallows nest organs were commonly found in Danish churches but gradually they were replaced with other more "modern" organs. The recreation of the swallow's nest organ in Næstved has had an archaeological background where experts have jointly found archives which, together with knowledge of traditions, are the basis for this new, old organ.
The organ project was carried out on the initiative of the church's organist, Christian Kampmann Larsen.
The instrument was inaugurated in 2016 in the presence of, amongst others, HRH Princess Benedikte.
