Marcus Olter
Marcus Olter (1625-1684) was a German organist and composer.
Life
Olter was born in Wilster on February 20, 1625. Before 1653 he was the organist at St. Stephan-Kirche in Tangermünde, playing the three-manual organ built by Hans Scherer d.J. in 1624.
On April 19, 1653, he was appointed as the organist at St. Johannes-Kirche in Meldorf, playing a two-manual renaissance organ built by Hans Scherer d.A. in 1596 or 1597. He retained this organist position until his death on May 4, 1684.
Works
Only one piece by Olter survives, a canzona in C minor.
| Source | Title | Incipit | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D-Lr Mus.ant.pract. K.N. 207-15 f.17v-18r | 25 / CANZON. |
 |
end: Marcus Olter / org. zu Meldorff. |
[1] |
This piece is a canzona a 4 in three sections, each of which has a theme based on the ascending 5-note scale.
The Canzon was published for the first time in the Max Seiffert series Organum IV in 1925. At that time, nothing was known about Marcus Olter other than his name appearing in this manuscript.
Links
Canzon on IMSLP
References
Beckmann, Klaus, Die Norddeutsche Schule. Teil II: Blütezeit und Verfall. Mainz: Schott, 2009. 521-523.
Vollstedt, Andreas. "Ein Meldorfer Orgelmeister: Marcus Olter (1625-1684)". Dithmarschen Landeskunde, Kultur, Natur 3, 2017. 2-3.