Johann Gottfried Müthel

[Zimbelstern]

I’ve recently discovered the organ music of Johann Gottfried Müthel (1728 – 1788). Quite a revelation! Praised by Charles Burney, he was J.S. Bach’s last pupil and was present at the master’s death. He spent most of his subsequent career in faraway Riga and seems to have been largely forgotten, yet his (admittedly rather small) output of Sturm und Drang organ works, with their virtuoso pedal parts, are full of drama and feeling. There’s an excellent CD of his organ music by Matteo Venturini (Brilliant Classics).