Review

Gerard Bunk
Legende Op.55a: for Brass Quartet and Organ

Arranged by Jan Boecker and Christof Schmidt


Kassel, , Germany
Publisher: Bärenreiter-Verlag
Date of Publication: 2022
URL: http://www.barenreiter.com

Organ score and parts

Primary Genre: Brass Ensemble - 4 brass
Secondary Genre: Chamber Music

Gerard Bunk (1888-1958) was one of the most distinguished organists in the first half of the 20th century. In addition to being an excellent pianist, harpsichordist and choirmaster. As a composer, he penned a good deal of music for organ but also works for piano, songs, a Violin Sonata, piano trios, string quartets, choral/orchestral works, symphonic music, and an opera. He was born in Rotterdam, Holland, but spent most of his career in Germany, eventually taking German citizenship in 1928. He initially studied piano in his hometown and then furthered his education in Hamburg. In 1907 he became an instructor of piano and theory at the Bielefeld Conservatory. And subsequently in 1925 was named cantor and organist at the St. Reinoldkirche in Dortmund. Simultaneously he taught both piano and organ at the Hütner Conservatory in the same city. He also had an active career as a recitalist on piano, harpsichord, and organ, being featured on tour and on German radio broadcasts as that medium became increasingly popular in the 1920s.  Legende comes in two different versions, one for Brass Quartet and Organ, op. 55a and another for String Quartet (String Ensemble) and Organ, op. 55b. The brass version dates from 1914 when World War I  broke out. Bunk, living in Germany, had written back to his family in Rotterdam: Now that Germany has mobilized, everything will be gone tomorrow, it’s just terrible. While many of his musical colleagues went off to fight, Bunk stayed at home but showed his loyalty to his adopted country by composing patriotic music and taking part in numerous concerts and performances as voluntary war work. The exact date and location of the premiere of Legende is unknown. Most likely it took place in 1914 or early 1915 as part of a benefit concert. The work reappeared and was published in 1945 as a version for organ and string orchestra (or string quartet). The present Brass Quartet and Organ version takes the sparsely notated original score and fills in some of the markings from the string version.  The brass quartet is flexible in its instrumentation with available parts for trumpet (flugelhorn), horn, trombone, bass trombone, euphonium, and tuba. The brass writing is for amateurs with no excessive demands in any of the parts. Dating back to the Renaissance and Baroque, Legende is part of the Posaunenchor performance tradition in German Protestant churches. Almost all types of brass instruments can be found in trombone choirs, although the majority are trumpets and trombones. The music is more suited for a somber church service than a recital. Of moderate length (c. 12 minutes), it is simple, mostly chorale-like, and harmonically and rhythmically quite traditional. There is a YouTube performance of the String Quartet/Organ version (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40m-bppeaBA).