Jacob van Eyck: Wat Zalmen op den Avond Doen

Описание: Wat Zalmen op den Avond Doen ["What shall we do in the evening?"] is the most exensive set of variations in "Der Fluyten Lust-hof," ["The Flute's Pleasure-garden"] the magnum opus of seventeenth century blind carillon and recorder player Jacob van Eyck (ca. 1589-1657). FLH was published in Amsterdam by Paulus Matthysz in several editions (the first edition was known as "Euterpe oft Speel-goddinne" ("Euterpe, or the goddess of [music] playing") in the middle of the seventeenth century. As its title page states, FLH is a compendium of "psalms, pavanes, allemandes, courantes, ballets, airs, etc." for solo recorder. van Eyck was carillonneur for both the Dom and the city, and keeper of the carillons in Utrecht; he received an additional stipend from the city to play music like that in FLH on his "little flute" (recorder) for townspeople as they promenaded in the park beside the St. Janskerk. He became famous throughout Europe both for his profound knowledge of bell acoustics, and for his recorder and carillon playing.

In his poem "Hofwijck" (1651) about his country home of the same name near Den Haag, Constantijn Huyghens (the dedicatee of FLH and van Eyck's distant cousin) writes of singing "Wat sal men op den Avond Doen" with friends as they departed for home in the evening.

I am playing on my copy of an early seventeenth century soprano recorder from the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.
Thank you for listening!