Sigfrid Karg-Elert, we also have him. You would almost forget him, despite his productivity. He composed so much that he himself no longer had an overview. Opus numbers he assigned haphazardly, some songs were skipped. He composed countless miniatures with a sweet, impressionistic character. But also large concert pieces, such as the symphonic chorale Jesu, meine Freude. He oriented himself to
… present and past. The Dreiunddreissig Portraits (harmonium) contains style copies from Palestrina to Schoenberg. He was an enthusiastic advocate of the harmonium (Kunstharmonium, orgue expressif). With his fine Sonata No.2 op.46 (harmonium), he followed in the footsteps of the great B-A-C-H fantasies of Liszt and Reger. The Canzone from this sonata shows how enchanting the harmonium can be. Unfortunately, Karg-Elert faced hostilities, in part because of his perceived Jewish name. An attempt to gain recognition in the United States ended in disappointment. He was already seriously ill when he returned to Leipzig. Here he died on April 9, 1933. Sigfrid Karg-Elert, how could we have overlooked him. This handy collector's box (organ, harmonium, piano) provides access to an extraordinary body of work. (HJ)more
