Passiontide is one of my favorite musical seasons because I simply have a soft spot for melancholy. Here is a short meditation I recorded in OrganTEQ on the hymn 'Holz auf Jesu Schulter.' In the English-speaking world, it is relatively unknown (often titled 'With the tree of life hung'), partly because its deeply poetic lyrics are quite challenging to translate without losing their essence.

The meditation focuses on the melody and aims to make the somber, heavy atmosphere of the hymn palpable. To achieve this, I played it at an agonizingly slow tempo, using a solo reed against an ethereal string background to reflect the weight of the cross.

The registration I used:

    Schwellwerk (Swell): Bourd. 8', Gambe 8', Voix Céleste 8' (This creates the floating 'harmonium' texture)
    Hauptwerk (Great): Flute Trav. 8', Clarinet 8' (The solo reed voice)
    Pedal: Bourd. 16', Flute 8'

https://forum.modartt.com/uploads.php?f...hulter.mp3

What are your thoughts on this registration?