Late 17th-Century German Sacred Music

In this programme, we hear from three of the leading composers and kappelmesiters from 17th century Germany - in both expressive settings of sacred texts and rich instrumental textures. Heinrich Schütz was a pivotal figure during this time, a pupil of the Venetian master Giovanni Gabrieli, and pioneered in blending Italian and German styles. In this programme, we hear Jauchzet dem Herrn and Ach Herr strafe mich nicht from his first book of Psalmen Davids published in Dresden of 1619. The moving Erbarm dich mein, o Herre Gott of 1628 is a setting of a sorrowful sixteenth-century chorale melody, beginning with a dark instrumental sinfonia, before the singer enters over the rich string textures to repeat the cries of ‘Erbarm dich’ (‘Have mercy’).

Alongside Schütz, Samuel Scheidt was also one of the leading composers of his generation. He was an organist, and studied with Sweelinck in Amsterdam. His emphasis of writing for instrumental music shifted the previous dominant focus on vocal writing. The volumes of Ludi Musici from 1621 are an example of this - we hear the Paduan dolorosa and Courante dolorosa from these collections of dances and canzone. Like Schütz, he displays a beautiful blend of styles of late-Renaissance models and new Italian virtuosity.

The junior of the program features Christoph Bernhard, who served as deputy to Schütz at Dresden before being appointed kappelmesiter there himself in 1655. In this year he also published Geistliche Harmonien, from which we hear the motet Wohl dem der den Herrn fürchtet. Based on Psalm 128 of the Bible, it describes that blessed are those who fear and obey the Lord, which Bernhard sets to interchanging melodies between the vocalists and instrumentalists.