Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) was one of the most influential thinkers about music during eighteenth-century Europe. In fact, his publications formed the basis for nearly all Western music theories today. In addition to being a leading keyboard composer, Ramaeu was the most dominant French opera composer of his lifetime. His revolutionary harmonies sparked huge debates over musical style, known as "The War of the Buffoons". Despite his huge influence on European thought and music as a composer and music theorist, sadly, American audiences rarely hear his music today.

Like most French harpischord music, Rameau's secular keyboard compositions are generally both graceful and fanciful. The three brief pieces constituting our prelude today are entitled "Le Lardon" (The Bacon or The Small Boy), "La Boiteuse" (The Limping Girl) and "Tembourin" (Tambourine).

Unlike most sonatas of any era, this and Mendelssohn's other organ sonatas are based upon sacred tunes. The sixth sonata presents the Vater Unser -- the tune Martin Luther wrote to accompany the singing of the Lord's Prayer. This fugue concludes a series of variations upon the tune; and, its theme is derived from Luther's tune. In a fugue, a composer shows his skill in presenting a theme over and over in different contexts, from the pedals to inside the keyboard textures to the top "voice". Nearly any Protestant between the 17th century and the mid-twentieth century would have immediately and easily recognized this tune, thereby increasing audience's enjoyment. Just like Handel and Mendelssohn used oratorios as "sacred operas", Mendelssohn turned the secular sonata into a sacred concert piece.

You can find the tune Vater Unser in our hymnal, 1982 #575 with the text "Before Thy Throne, O God". This poem has only 4 stanzas. Luther's hymn has 9 stanzas ("verses"). The tune is strong and set in the Dorian mode, which sounds sad to modern listeners; but, during these centuries, this mode did not necessarily connote sadness--it was used to present serious matters, even if uplifting. (With distant cultures--even our own after lengths of time--it's easy to misinterpret others.)