Christian Erbach’s exact date of birth is unknown, but he was probably born between 1568 and 1573. For most of his life he worked as assistant and then resident organist in Augsburg (Germany). His assignments included the teaching of music composition and organ playing to selected students from the choral school of the Cathedral. He was a highly regarded teacher and his good credit attracted both Catholic (like him) and Protestant students from many other cities.
Christian Erbach can be considered the most important music teacher of his time, together with J. P. Sweelinck from Amsterdam. The works he composed for keyboards are usually Fugues, Ricercari, Magnificats and Canzonas, and also Introitos, and Versos for the liturgical use. His Toccatas, above all, strongly influenced the organ composition style of Southern Germany, thanks to their virtuoso style. The composition style is reminiscent of the works of Gabrieli of the Venetian School, in the employment of some of the most majestic and sumptuous Italian instruments of his time, that are, luckily, still working and suitable to be used for these recordings. For example, the twenty-four feet organ placed in San Petronio in Bologna sounds absolutely majestic: this instrument is capable of highlighting both the low and the high frequencies, paying the righteous tribute to the high composition level of Erbach’s works.
Manuel Tomadin plays a variety of organs for this set, several of which are historical and date from the time of composition. Each organ is described in the extensive liner notes.
Tomadin is one of the foremost Italian organists of today, a scholar and passionate musician, with an impressive discography to his name: Husumer Organ Book, Alberti Complete Keyboard Works, Van Noordt, Krebs, Lübeck, Hassler, Martini and other North German organ masters.
