Gerhard Hamm (1835-1904) was born in Trier, where he received his earliest musical training at the Cathedral. He was organist in Echternach, Luxembourg, before settling in the Netherlands. In Venlo, where his son, Karel Hamm (1876-1937) was born, Gerhard composed orchestral and chamber music, songs and piano pieces, becoming an important figure in the cultural life of the southern Netherlands. In his booklet notes, Camiel Boomsma writes that his acquaintance with the music of the Hamms, father and son, was happenstance. Following a recital, a Hamm descendant handed Boomsma a stack of scores. On examination, he became convinced this all but forgotten music warranted a revival.

Gerhard Hamm’s Found: Six Character Pieces in Song Form is a set of charming miniatures of a decidedly Schumannesque cast. With titles like ‘When I saw you!’ and ‘It could be’, each suggests a succinct narrative with sensitively wrought melodies and straightforward textures. More adventurous harmonically, and perhaps less didactic in purpose, are the Bagatelles, which require a marginally wider range of keyboard skills. The Étude from the Op 15 Character Pieces, the longest piece on the recording at just under seven minutes, has a more extrovert expressive range yet remains within the reach of younger pianists. The five pieces of Karel Hamm strike as more resolutely didactic in character, even as they manifest an undeniable expressive intimacy.

Boomsma’s playing of these charming miniatures is never overstated. He wisely allows their straightforward simplicity to speak without affectation. His interpretations are abetted by use of a 2017 Chris Maene Concert Grand, a straight-strung instrument with a clear, characterful sound.