Raven Pipe Organ CDs, DVDs, and Choral CDs - Hans Fährmann (1860-1940): Organ Sonatas Nos. 6 and 7

Andreas Jetter (b. 1978) plays Organ Sonatas 6 in G, op. 24, and 7 in F-sharp Minor, op. 25, of the 14 organ sonatas composed by Hans Fährmann (1860-1940), a leading Saxon and Dresden organist, professor, and composer. The works are recorded on the 1912 Goll 3-manual organ of 37 stops at the Kollegiumkirche in Schwyz, Switzerland. The organ was restored to original condition in 2012 by Christian Scheffler, including restoration of the original tubular pneumatic key and stop actions.

Hans Fährmann: Organ Sonata No. 6 in G Major, op. 24
I. Moderato maestoso
II. Adagio
III. Introduzione - Fuga

Hans Fährmann: Organ Sonata No. 7 in F-sharp Minor, op. 25
I. "Unser Leben währet siebzig Jahre"
Introduzione; Andante con moto; Allegro risoluto; Andante
II. "Unser Wissen ist Stückwerk"
Andante
III. "Unser Wandel abe ist im Himmel" (Hymnus)
Moderato maestoso
IV. "Unser Glaube ist der Siet, der die Welt überwunden hat"
Moderato - Fuga

Hans Fährmann (1860-1940)

Ernst Hans (originally Ernst Johannes) Fährmann, born on December 17, 1860, in Beicha near Lommatzsch in Saxony, is among the outstanding yet now largely forgotten composers of late German Romanticism. Under the name Hans Fährmann, he worked as a composer, organist, church musician, and educator, driven by a creative force that impressed both in its consistency and its imaginative diversity. His fourteen organ sonatas are among the most ambitious works in the German organ repertoire around 1900. They are symphonic in conception, rich in thematic development, dramatic structure, and colorful harmony - true symphonies for the organ, unmatched in the German-speaking world.

Fahrmann's musical talent became evident early; he began playing piano at the age of five and a half. At twelve, he took over the organist's duties in his local parish, substituting for his father, who served as the church schoolteacher and organist. Reflecting on his childhood in the strictly run teacher's household, Féihrmann once said: "There was little sunshine over my youth." At Easter 1874, at his father's wish, he entered the teacher training college in Dresden-Friedrichstadt. After graduating and teaching for a short time, he decided in 1882 to dedicate himself fully to music. He underwent extensive training in Dresden with renowned teachers: Hermann Scholtz (piano), Carl August "King of the Organ” Fischer (organ), and Jean Louis Nicodé (composition), all of whom had a lasting impact on him.

In 1884, he gave his first public organ concert at the Dreikonigskirche in Dresden. After a brief period as a teacher, he met the Swiss alto Julie Müller-Bächi from Zurich. Even before their marriage, the couple went on concert tours together throughout Switzerland and Germany. They married in 1889 and settled permanently in Dresden in 1890. That same year, he assumed the position of organist and cantor at the Johanneskirche, a role he fulfilled with great devotion for decades. His thematically structured concert
series at the Johanneskirche attracted particular attention. In these, he presented the major works of international organ literature — featuring programs with Bach and Mendelssohn, Rheinberger, or the French, English, or Dutch-Belgian schools - and gave the introductory lectures himself. According to Fährmann, these concerts sparked “an almost eerie level of interest”: always sold out, with crowds spilling into the street and frequent attendance by prominent figures from society, nobility, and politics. At heart, Féhrmann was an apolitical man. His conservative, grounded worldview — shaped by his time — was paired with an open
appreciation for French, English, and Belgian music. He had close friendships with both Paul Biittner, a composer and outspoken Social Democrat from Dresden, and members of the imperial family living in Dresden.

In 1892, Féhrmann was appointed as a lecturer at the Dresden Conservatory. For nearly ﬁve decades, he taught hundreds of
students from across the German—speaking world and beyond. In 1915, he was awarded the title “Royal Music Director.” In 1917, he became a professor of liturgical and virtuoso organ playing. After the death of his first wife Julie in 1921, Fährmann married Kathe Kulke from Dresden in 1923. Even after retiring as cantor in 1926, he remained active as a teacher and composer. In 1932, he reorganized his organ class into a newly established department ofchurch music. Fährmann was seen by his contemporaries — such as Richard Rost and Johann Hennings — as an uncompromising artist who rejected superficial fame and remained true to his convictions. Both described him as a deeply passionate and committed individual, uninfluenced by vanity or the pursuit of popularity. Due to the rich sound and orchestral colorfulness of his organ works, he was referred to in his time as the "Richard Strauss ofthe organ.” His compositions are marked by contrapuntal mastery, dense harmonies, and significant technical challenges. His characteristic writing style demands not only a wide hand span from the performer but also brilliant virtuosity. His fourteen organ sonatas in particular represent a unique contribution to the late—Romantic musical language: monumental, expressive, formally refined—true organ symphonies that build a direct bridge to the great orchestral symphonies ofthe era.

Hans Fahrmann died on June 28, 1940, in his home "Waldfrieden" in Dresden-Wachwitz, which he had purchased in 1896 as a place of peace and inspiration for composing. ln addition to his idyllic, forest-surrounded villa in the Wachwitzgrund, he also kept a city apartment in Dresden, which he avoided whenever possible. He was the father of five children. He was laid to rest at the Johannisfriedhof in Dresden.

The dissemination of his music was hindered not only by the new post-1945 cultural climate but also by the tragic fact that in 1943, during an air raid on Leipzig, the Otto Junne publishing house — where many of his works had been published — was destroyed. Along with it, the printing plates for many of his compositions were lost.

Fährmann left behind a vast oeuvre that — apart from music theater — encompasses almost every genre: organ and piano music,
symphonic organ concertos, orchestral works, chamber music, songs, as well as choral and oratorio compositions. It is time to rediscover this powerful and uncompromising Romantic — and most ofall: to hear him again.

The Sonatas Nos. 6 and 7
Sonata No. 6 in G major, Op. 24 was probably composed around 1902, published by Otto Junne in Leipzig in 1904 and dedicated to the Zwickau organist Paul Gerhardt. Compared to Fährmann's other sonatas, it is more modest in scope, but has a special effect due to its clear structure and life-affirming character. The work seems like a hymn of praise to the joys of earthly life. The three movements convincingly carry out this basic idea: the first movement, Moderato maestoso, contrasts a lively main theme with a lyrical E major theme, which is developed in an artfully crafted fugue. The movement exudes esprit and rhythmic verve. This is followed by a short but profound Adagio in E minor, which, with its harmonic tension and serious mood, serves as a warning,
but resolves itself in a conciliatory major key conclusion. The work concludes with a magnificent fugue — referred to in the manuscript as Grande Fugue — preceded by an introduction, which finally leads to a radiant reprise of the main theme from the first movement. The theme ofthe fugue is derived from the theme of the development section ofthe first movement. Thus, the work concludes with a powerful, joyful gesture. Experts early on praised the sonata as a ‘magnificent sonata’ and counted it among the 'most outstanding works in our organ literature’.

'“l saw nothing better than fora man to be happy in his work, for that is his lot.’ I would like to write these words from Ecclesiastes
above these concise and succinct sentences from the work. For here, everything is attuned to a tone ofjoy...” (Richard Rost, 1935).

Sonata No. 7 in F sharp minor, Op. 25, published in 1904 and dedicated to Otto Burkert in Brno, contrasts with the sixth in terms of content and sound. While the sixth celebrates the earthly, the seventh focuses on the transience of human life with a touching perspective on the afterlife. It bears programmatic titles that assign existential themes to the four movements: ’Our life lasts seventy years,’ ‘Our knowledge is fragmentary,’ ‘But our change is in heaven,’ and ‘Our faith is the victory that has overcome the world'. The first movement is in the classical sonata form, with a harmonically unusual introduction. Particularly impressive
is the masterful polyphonic development in combination with the recapitulation, which shines in radiant F-sharp major before finally collapsing back into a resigned minor key at its climax.

The second movement (in E flat minor) begins sparsely and with one or two voices, developing slowly from a rugged beginning into a moving musical whole. A theme reminiscent of Brahms with a characteristic sixth accompaniment lends it depth. The third movement is a radiant hymn to the hereafter, simple in structure, with a clear, luminous melody. Harmonically, the movement is reminiscent of Wagner and Bruckner — sonorous, warm, mystical.

Finally, the finale is a contrapuntal masterpiece. Based on the chorale ‘Nach einer Prilifung kurzer Tage’ (After a trial of short days), whose text speaks of comfort and eternity, an expressive fugue develops that musically condenses the core message of the work: overcoming the world through faith. The first verse ofthe chorale underlying the fourth movement reads: ‘After a trial of short days/eternity awaits us. /There, there, Iamentation is transformed/into divine contentment. /Here virtue practises its diligence/and that world gives it its reward.’ (Christian Fürchtegott Gellert)

"When the chorale enters at the end in double pedal (’and that world gives it its reward‘) and the sixth passages rush above it, the effect is one of intensification that is nothing short of shattering." (Richard Rost,1935)

Contemporary critics described the sonata as a work of "greatest style” and highlighted it as a particularly successful example of deeply felt, non-illustrative programme music. At first glance, the two sonatas, Nos. 6 and 7, appear to be opposites: one is light and worldly, the other serious and spiritual, looking towards eternity. Yet it is precisely in their juxtaposition that they reveal a profound unity. Under the motto ‘per omnia saecula saecuIorum', this recording spans the beauties of earthly life and the joys of heavenly life. It is dedicated to the transition of human beings between earth and heaven, thus connecting two worlds that only unfold their perfection in context, ‘from eternity to eternity’.

Andreas Jetter was born in 1978 and has held the post of cathedral director of music at Chu Cathedral in Switzerland since 2010, where he is the cathedral organist and director of the cathedral choirs. He is also the artistic director oforgan recitals and concerts in the cathedral. In 2013 he was also appointed cantor of the Minster of Our Lady in Radolfzell on Lake Constance, a position he held until 2023. From 2004 to 2010 he was organist of Salem Minster in Salem on Lake Constance.

Andreas letter studied church music, organ, piano and conducting at the colleges of music in Esslingen, Rottenburg, Trossingen and Tijibingen. He graduated with honours in piano and conducting from the Rachmaninov Institute of Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Performances as an organist, pianist and conductor have taken him to major cathedrals and churches as well as famous concert halls around the world. Andreas Jetter has recorded the complete Rachmaninov piano concertos with Philharmonia Moldova for Reader's Digest. His other recordings include piano concertos by Brahms, Schumann and Stanford for Antes
Edition on Bella Musica. CD recordings as an organist with late romantic works have been released by Motette and Ambiente Audio. Jetter's previously released Ambiente-Audio productions with works by Hans Rott and Franz Schmidt have received great praise from the press and were nominated for the best list ofthe "German Record Critics’ Prize”.

Orgelbau Goll & Cie, Op. 400, 1912/13
Kollegiumskirche Mari Hilf, Schwyz, Switzerland
restored 2012 by Christian Scheffler

I Hauptwerk C-g3
Bourdon16’
Prinzipal 8'
Bourdon 8'
Gamba 8'
Flauto amabile 8
Oktave 4’
Rohrflöte 4'
Cornett 8'
Oktave 2'
Mixtur Sf. 5-1/3’
Trompete 8'

ll Schwellwerk C-g3
Lieblich Gedackt 16'
Geigenprinzipal 8'
Salicional 8'
Conzertflöte 8'
Lieblich Gedackt 8'
Dolce 8'
Traversflöte 4'
Harmonia aetherea 2-2/3
Trompete 8'
Clarinette 8'
Tremolo II

III Schwellwerk C-g3
Rohrflöte16'
Hornprinzipal 8'
Viola d'Orchestre 8'
Flûte harmonique 8'
Quintaton 8'
Lieblich Gedackt 8'
Aeoline 8'
Voix céleste 8'
Flauto amabile 4'
Piccolo 2'
Oboe 8’
Tremolo Ill

Pedal C-f1
Prinzipalbass 16'
Subbass16'
Echobass16'
Oktavbass 8'
Violoncello 8’
Dolcebass 8'
Posaune 16'

Koppeln
II-I, Ill-I, Ill-ll
I-Ped, ll-Ped, III—Ped
Suboctavkoppeln
Ill, III-ll, Ill-I, II-|
Superoctavkoppeln:
Ill, Ill-II, II, II-Ped,III-I, ll-I
Melodiekoppel I-II
Normalkoppeln
Generalkoppel

Spielhilfen
Freie Kombination I
Freie Kombination ll

Feste Kombinationen:
P, MF, F, FF, TT, Grd. Jeu,
Prinzipalchor, Flötenchor,
Gambenchor, Trompetenchor,
Automatisches Pianopedal

Click to enlarge

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