J. A. Reincken in the Focus: 1722-2022

J. A. Reincken in the focus: 1722-2022 Hamburg, Germany, 24–26 November 2022

The Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg (HfMT) presents in collaboration with the Institut de Recherche en Musicologie - IReMus (Sorbonne Université, CNRS, BnF, Ministère de la Culture), Paris an interdisciplinary conference “J. A. Reincken in the Focus: 1722-2022” (24-26 November 2022).

Organizing Committee
 * Christophe Guillotel-Nothmann (IReMus Paris)
 * Jan Philipp Sprick (HfMT Hamburg)
 * Roberta Vidic (HfMT Hamburg)

Scientific Committee
 * Achille Davy-Rigaux (IReMus Paris)
 * Michael Heinemann (HfM Dresden)
 * Théodora Psychoyou (IReMus Paris)
 * Ivana Rentsch (Universität Hamburg)

November 24, 2022 marks the 300th anniversary of Johann Adam Reincken’s (1643–1722) death. Reincken was organist at the Hauptkirche St. Katharinen in Hamburg, a central figure in the Collegium Musicum, and co-founder of the Oper am Gänsemarkt. He is widely regarded as a leading figure of the North German organ school and a “source of influence on Johann Sebastian Bach that can hardly be overestimated” (Emery & Wolff 2001). Yet despite this, his own œuvre has so far received only cursory attention, mostly in the form of specialized studies. The task of this symposium, which ranges over the socio-cultural context, the material culture, the music-theoretical writings, and the compositions themselves, is to better understand Reincken's work and so to redefine his place in both local and European musical and cultural history.

We invite proposals for 20 minute paper presentations on any topics related to the conference themes. Paper may be presented in German, French, or English. The symposium will take place on site, at different venues in Hamburg. Only in exceptional cases, contributions might be streamed into the lecture halls (without online audience). Participation is free of charge.

Submissions should be sent as a single .pdf file to roberta.vidic(at)hfmt-hamburg(dot)de and include the following information:


 * Name and, in case, institutional affiliation
 * Contact Information
 * Abstract (max. 300 words)
 * Short biography (max. 100 words)

The deadline for submissions is January 9, 2022. Abstracts will be selected by the end of February 2022. Call for papers in full length, updates on the conference, and practical information (travel and accommodation) will be available on the following websites:


 * German: https://www.hfmt-hamburg.de/musik/musiktheorie/aktuelles/
 * French: https://www.iremus.cnrs.fr/fr/appel-communication/focus-sur-j-reincken-1722-2022/
 * English: https://www.hfmt-hamburg.de/musik/musiktheorie/current/

Section 1 – Socio-cultural context

The cultural life of the Hanseatic city of Hamburg underwent great changes in the middle of the 17th century. For instance, the foundation of the Collegium Musicum in 1660 is an event of crucial importance since it assured a link between the increasing autonomy of church music and the emergence of a secular vocal repertoire. This section investigates the socio-cultural context of the musical and compositional innovations of Reincken and his contemporaries.

Section 2 – Material culture

Important premises for research work relating to Reincken and his environment are the rediscovery of the painting Häusliche Musickszene (Domestic Music Scene, 1674) by Johannes Voorhout and the reconstruction of the large organ of the Hauptkirche St. Katharinen in Hamburg. This section aims to deepen previous findings from an interdisciplinary perspective. Besides iconography and organology, questions of composition and performance practice can also be discussed, as well as matters of sound and acoustics under historical conditions.

Section 3 – Music theoretical writings

The fact that the editor of Sweelinck's rules of composition (Gehrmann 1901) intended a reconstruction of a "Sweelinck archetype" of compositional theory has kept Reincken’s own theoretical contribution in the background. This contribution also remains biographically incomplete because a manuscript written by Reincken himself (D-Hs ND VI 5002) was omitted until recently. The aim of this section is also generally to shed new light on Reincken’s music theory by means of comprehensive source study.

Section 4 – Musical works

The discrepancy between the frequent biographically oriented references to Reincken in publications on the history of music and composition and the comparatively late availability of secure musical texts is especially evident in the field of musical analysis. In the papers of this section, problems of attribution and dating will be discussed in connection with the editions already available. Questions concerning the location of Reincken’s music between the 17th and 18th centuries will be addressed analytically, also in relation to J. S. Bach's style.