Gottfried Pestel Explained

Gottfried Ernst Pestel originally Bestel^[1] (Berka 1654-1732) was a German composer and organist at Weida, Thuringia and Altenburg south of Leipzig.^[2] He was princely organist in the castle church from 1686-1732, after which he was succeeded by Christian Lorenz.^[3]

Works, editions and recordings

• 17 organ preludes in the Mylauer-Tabulaturbuch^{[4] [5]}
• Ciaconna (in Schneeberger Orgelbuch um 1705)^[6]
• Cantata Komm du schoene Freudenkrone ^[7] (recording on collection by Sächsisches Vocalensemble, Batzdorfer Hofkapelle, directed Matthias Jung CPO 2009)

Notes and References

1. Werner Müller Gottfried Silbermann 1982 "Sächsischen Gothaischen Hoff-Organisten zu Altenburg«, Gottfried Ernst »Pestel«" 49, geprüft worden. ... Altenburger Hoforganisten dieses Namens hat es nicht gegeben, sondern nur einen Gottfried Ernst Bestel- Er wurde 1654 geboren (vgl. Anm. 702) und war in Altenburg (ab 1677) zunächst Stadtorganist. Im Jahre 1686 wurde er »aus denen hiesigen Stadt-Kirchen in die Fürstl. Schloßkirche "
2. The history of keyboard music to 1700 Willi Apel - 1972 "The Mylau tablature book preserves seventeen preludes by Gottfried Ernst Pestel (1654-1732), organist at Weida and Altenburg. Most of them (some barely legible) are transcribed in Shannon M. They are all sustained preludes, ..."
3. The Organs of J. S. Bach: A Handbook p. 5 Christoph Wolff, Markus Zepf, Lynn Edwards Butler - 2012 "Organists of the court church included Gottfried Ernst Pestel (1681–1732) and Christian Lorenz (1732–48). Bach's student Johann Ludwig Krebs took over the position in 1756 and held it until his death in 1780."
4. Sette secoli di musica per organo Giuseppe Radole Il Mylauer-Tabulaturbuch conserva diciassette preludi anche di un altro organista, Gottfried Ernst Pestel (1654-1732) che prima di essere attivo ad Altenburg fu organista a Weida. I suoi preludi di destinazione liturgica usano lo stile ..."
5. J. R. Shannon: The Mylauer Tabulaturbuch: a Study of the Preludial and Fugal Forms in the Hands of Bach’s Middle-German Precursors
6. Das Schneeberger Orgel- und Clavierbuch um 1705. Ed, Enrico Langer. (Altenburg : Verlag Hans Jürgen Kamprad, 2020) ISMN 9790502582623
7. Die Choralbearbeitung in der protestantischen Figuralmusik Friedhelm Krummacher - 1978 "Der mit den Gothaer Hofmusikern verbundene Gottfried Ernst Pestel (1659-1732), der in Altenburg Hoforganist war, beschließt seine Kantate „Komm, du schöne Freudenkrone" (vor 1683) mit drei Versen aus „Vom Himmel hoch" samt angehängtem .. "