Kuhnau: Biblical Sonatas

June 5th marks the 300th anniversary of Johann Kuhnau’s passing. A missing link between the generations of Buxtehude and Bach, he was a revered figure of his time for his incredible erudition and his musical innovations: he was for instance responsible of the introduction in Germany of the keyboard sonata. Bach, his immediate successor as Thomaskantor in Leipzig, entitled his volumes of the Clavier-Übung as an homage to one of Kuhnau’s works.

The works Kuhnau is most remembered for is probably this collection of Biblische Sonaten, a set of six sonatas composed after famous episodes from the Bible, and one of the earliest examples of instrumental program music. This reference version was recorded in 1970 by Gustav Leonhardt, whom we commemorate this year after ten years of his passing. Four sonatas are performed at the harpsichord, the other two at the organ of the church of Bennebroek.