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News for Reinken
- Earliest Bach manuscript discovered
(4 September 2006)Researchers in Weimar, Germany, have discovered the earliest known manuscripts of Johann Sebastian Bach. The manuscripts are copies of choral fantasies by Buxtehude (Nun freut euch, lieben Christen gmein) and Reinken (An Wasserflüssen Babylon), and were written down by Bach in 1700, when he was 15 years old. The two pieces are in tabulatur notation.
The found manuscripts stem form what is left from the large collection of the Anna-Amalia library in Weimar, which burnt down in 2004. The small part that is left happened to be sent away for restauration at the time of the fire.
[source: www.nrc.nl]
Music
- Hortus musicus (Hamburg, 1687) — 6 sonatas for 2 violins, viola da gamba, and basso continuo
- 8 Suites (keyboard)
- 3 sets of variations (keyboard)
- Toccata in G (keyboard)
- 2 large Chorale settings (fantasias) (organ)
(Contribution by Mr. Sardonicus.)
Life
At the age of 14 Reincken (also spelled “Reinken”) settled in the Dutch town of Deventer. In 1654 he went to Hamburg in Germany to study with Heinrich Scheidemann, who was a pupil of Sweelinck.
Reincken then returned to Deventer in 1657, where he was to become organist in the “Bergkerk”. A year later he again moved to Hamburg to become Scheidemann’s assistant. Reincken then succeeded him in 1663, and stayed in function till his death (5 month before he was to become 100 years old!).


