Anthoni van Noordt - Selection From Tabulatuurboeck van Psalmen En Fantasyen

Anthoni van Noordt’s Tabulatuurboeck van Psalmen en Fantasyen, originally published in Amsterdam in 1659, represents a significant pinnacle of Dutch keyboard music during the 17th century. The collection was designed to provide organists with sophisticated settings of the Genevan Psalter, blending traditional Dutch polyphony with the influence of the stylus phantasticus. Its creation occurred during a period of urban prosperity that allowed the Dutch Reformed Church to invest heavily in the development of grand organ repertoire.

This 1992 recording by Leo van Doeselaar for the NM Classics label serves as a historically informed interpretation of these intricate works. Van Doeselaar sought to honor the structural rigor and expressive ornamentation inherent in van Noordt’s compositions by utilizing period-appropriate organ textures. The release was well received within the early music community for its technical clarity and for bringing much-needed attention to the specialized keyboard techniques required to perform van Noordt’s challenging counterpoint effectively.