Engels Nachgaeltje for solo recorder

Jacob van Eyck (ca. 1590-1657) was a brilliant musician both in composition and performance. Still regarded as a pioneer in the science of carillon, van Eyck also created some of the earliest professional works for solo recorder. His major collection, titled Der Fluyten Lust-hof or The Flute’s Garden of Delight, appeared in stages between 1644 and 1649. Containing over 150 pieces, it is still the largest repository of solo wind music ever printed. Equally astounding is the fact the van Eyck was born blind. Engels Nachgaeltje (English Nightingale) typifies the style of the collection. It starts with the main tune in binary AB form, each part repeated. It is followed by two variations replete with bird-calls, scale runs, trills, and various tremolos. Showing van Eyck’s style at its very best, Engels Nachgaeltje forms an important step in the emergence of true instrumental music. Not simply a transcription of song, this repertoire foregrounds brilliant figuration, creating textures that transcend vocal technique and push the bounds of what a virtuoso wind player could accomplish. A younger Dutch artist penned an apt eulogy:

“Those noble eyes if they could see
With twice as many tunes would he
Euterpe’s stages decorate;
But since the gods decreed his fate,
On wings he rises without sight,
A Phoenix in exalted flight
Above where mortal man espies:
Past Orpheus, if he had eyes.”
- Thomas Asselijn, 1654

(c) Jason Stell