A musical contribution - July 2010

Published on June 30, 2010

Dear organist, “Thee I will love, my strength, my tower“ We would like to present you with a beautiful trio just before the summer holiday. The well known “Thee I will love, my strength, my tower” song is the melody.

Composer Carl Piutti (1846-1902) was firmly committed to the tradition of producing “Choralvorspiele”. He wrote over 200 of these gems. Especially for the worship. He was an organist himself in the Thomaskirche in Leipzig and played these as an introduction to the song to be sung. “They therefore sometimes need a little adjusting”, he himself wrote. “The congregation does need to be invited to sing along”.

I sometimes include this trio in a concert programme. For example as a rest point after a large and difficult organ piece. And then with a beautiful registration. There are various different possibilities I could mention. But I won’t do that this time. Because you will see for yourself – providing the melody can be easily followed – that any combination can be applied.

Please enjoy it and have an excellent summer holiday.

Should you be staying anywhere near Erfurt, Piutti’s birth village is called Elgersburg. Just a few kilometres south from Arnstadt.

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