Johann David Heinichen (1693-1729)
Der Herr ist nahe
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Meines Bleibens ist nicht hier (TWV 1,1101)
Ach Herr, strafe mich nicht (TWV 7,3)
Sei getreu bis in den Tod (TWV 1,1284)
Ensemble Polyharmonique
{oh!} Orkiestra/Alexander Schneider
rec. 2021, Hoffnungskirche, Magdeburg, Germany
Texts and translations included
cpo 5556032 [62]

The earliest cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach are among his most famous and most frequently performed. To this category belong the Actus tragicus (Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit, BWV 106) and Aus der Tiefen rufe ich (BWV 131). They date from Bach’s time in Mühlhausen (1707-1712). They are rooted in the 17th-century sacred concerto and are clearly different from the cantatas Bach composed in Leipzig. For a long time, sacred music written in Protestant Germany in the last decades of the 17th and the first decades of the 18th century was largely neglected, except Bach’s cantatas. In recent times more of this repertoire has been recorded. That goes for the cantatas by Dieterich Buxtehude (recorded complete by Ton Koopman, Challenge Classics) and those by Johann Kuhnau (recorded complete by Gregor Meyer, CPO). From this time also date many cantatas by Johann Philipp Krieger, which to date have received little interest (unfortunately a large part of his output has been lost), and those by Philipp Heinrich Erlebach (some of which were recorded by Ludger Rémy, CPO).

The disc which is the subject of this review is the latest contribution to the exploration of this stage in German Protestant church music, and includes music by composers who have not figured prominently in this process. Johann David Heinichen is best-known for his music for the Catholic chapel in Dresden, and as far as Telemann is concerned, it is mostly his later cantatas that have been recorded.

Heinichen was born in Krössuln near Weissenfels. Like his father he entered the Thomasschule in Leipzig, where he received lessons at the keyboard from the then Thomaskantor, Johann Kuhnau. He was so impressed by the qualities of his pupil that he asked Heinichen to act as his assistant. Heinichen didn’t plan a musical career, though; he studied law at Leipzig University and moved to Weissenfels to start a practice as lawyer. But Johann Philipp Krieger, then Kapellmeister at the court of Duke Johann Georg, encouraged him to compose music for festive occasions at the court. It was the beginning of a career in music; in 1709 he returned to Leipzig, composed several operas and played in the Collegium Musicum which was directed by Telemann. In 1710 Heinichen travelled to Venice, where he came into contact with several famous masters, such as Gasparini, Lotti and Vivaldi. In 1712 he paid a visit to Rome, and then returned to Venice.

In 1716 the Saxon Elector Frederic August (with the addition of II after his coronation in 1733) visited Venice and heard some of Heinichen’s cantatas being performed. He expressed great enthusiasm and didn’t hesitate to appoint Heinichen as Kapellmeister at his court in Dresden; he took up his job the next year. The religious situation in Dresden was a bit complicated. Frederic August’s father (known as Frederick August I) converted to Catholicism in 1697 in order to be elected King of Poland. That had no consequences for the Electorate Saxony, which remained firmly Lutheran, and where Catholics were a small minority. However, it did have consequences for religious practices at the court. The opera house at the Taschenberg was converted into the first Catholic court church after the Reformation. Frederick August (II) converted to Catholicism himself in 1712, which became only known five years later. In 1719 he married Archduchess Maria Josepha, daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I, and this only enhanced the Catholic influence in Dresden. The Electoral Princess took the role of patroness of the Catholic community. This included the promotion of Catholic sacred music. The composition of music for the Protestant court chapel was the responsibility of Johann Christoph Schmidt, who is hardly known today. At first he was also responsible for the Catholic church music, but in 1717 he handed over that task to Heinichen. As a consequence Heinichen’s contributions to Protestant church music have been largely overlooked. That makes the inclusion of one of his cantatas in the programme of this disc all the more important.

According to the work-list in New Grove, Heinichens oeuvre includes fifteen German sacred cantatas. Der Herr ist nahe bei denen, die zerbrochenes Herzens sind is a setting of a text by an unknown author and is intended for the third day of Easter. It opens with a sonata, which is followed by a dictum, a quotation from the Bible, in this case Psalm 34, vs18: “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” This is followed by four arias; the cantata closes with the sixth stanza of the hymn Jesu meine Freude. In the opening chorus the word “zerbrochenes [Herzens]” (heartbroken) the music is literally broken up, and something comparable is the case on the word “zerschlagen” (crushed). The second section is fugal. In the arias several words are singled out through coloratura, such as “fröhlich” (joyful) and “Freuden” (joys). In the bass aria the strings mainly play descending figures, reflecting the text “Jesus, who suffered the wound of the serpents (…)”. The hymn which closes the cantata has the form of a chorale arrangement; we find this also in cantatas by, for instance, Johann Ludwig Bach, which are from about the same time. It is not known for sure whether or when this cantata has been performed in Leipzig. Samuel Jacobi did perform it in Grimma (Saxony) in 1709. That gives some indication about the time of composition.

The three next cantatas are from the pen of Georg Philipp Telemann and date from the same time. They may have been performed in Leipzig, when he was studying law there and played a major part in music life. His sacred works were mostly performed at the Neue Kirche.

Meines Bleibens ist nicht hier is the only ‘modern’ cantata in the programme, in that it consists of recitatives and arias. The text is taken from the first publication of such cantatas, written by Erdmann Neumeister, of 1702. This was the form that was to dominate the genre in the decades to come: both Telemann and Bach used his texts for cantatas. This particular cantata, scored for alto, two violins and basso continuo, is intended for Easter Monday and refers to the story of the men of Emmaus. The work opens with a sinfonia in binary form: the first section is slow, the second fast, and this contrast reflects the juxtaposition of contrasting feelings in the text. That comes to the fore in the first aria: “I shall not keep here. Thus I shall not endeavour greatly, world, with thee. Thou and I are not related. Above is my fatherland, there shall I go” (A) – “There I live in peace, there I live in joy, and I wish still today to depart henceforth” (B). Next is a recitative, which focuses on the thought that the stay of the faithful in this world is temporary and that after death they will see Jesus face to face. The ensuing aria says that “I go forth to my rest, to lay myself down in the grave”. The violins play figures illustrating man’s walking. The tempo is speeding up at the closing line: “Thou livest, and I shall live”. Another recitative follows, which expresses the longing for death and life everlasting. It turns into a repetition of the B part of the first aria.

Ach Herr, straf mich nicht in deinem Zorn is a setting of Psalm 6, the first of the seven penitential psalms. It is part of the music collection of the St. Augustin School in Grimma, just like another setting of this same text by Telemann, for alto solo (TWV 7,1). This setting is scored for four voices, strings and basso continuo. It is through-composed, and is the most ‘old-fashioned’ work on this disc, as it is not fundamentally different from the 17th-century sacred concerto. As one might expect, many words are singled out in different ways, such as “erschrocken” (vexed), “Seufzen” (groaning), “Trauren” (grief), “Weinen” (weeping). And, as is so often the case in settings of this text, it breaks off suddenly on the last word: “[zu Schanden werden] plötzlich” ([be ashamed] suddenly). Unlike the other setting, it ends with a doxology.

Sei getreu bis in den Tod has also been preserved at the Grimma collection, in two sets of parts. One mentions Telemann as the composer and Exaudi Sunday – the Sunday between Ascension Day and Whitsun – as the day for which it is written. The other copy omits the name of the composer, and Samuel Jacobi mentions the 9th Sunday after Trinity as the day of performance. The author of the text is not known. It opens with an instrumental introduction after which the soprano enters with the first half of the text, Revelation 2, vs10: “Be thou faithful unto death”. This is sung in alternation by solo voices and the tutti. The short second section is a fugue on the second half of the text: “and I will give thee a crown of life”. The opening chorus is followed by four arias; the believer expresses his love for Jesus and prays that his soul will stay faithful to him. The first three arias have a da capo, the last – for tenor – has not. The alto aria includes an obbligato part for violin. The cantata ends with a repeat of the opening chorus.

The four cantatas on this disc, which have been written at about the same time in Leipzig, attest to the variety of forms used in church cantatas. That is typical of a time of transition, where composers mix old and new, and experiment with new forms. That makes the repertoire of this stage in the history of German Protestant church music all the more interesting. What connects the pieces on this disc is their treatment of the texts: both Heinichen and Telemann show themselves masters in the musical illustration of words and phrases, and the exploration of contrasts in the text. These features come off perfectly in these performances by the Ensemble Polyharmonique, which has established itself as one of the leading ensembles in German music of the 17th and early 18th centuries. The line-up here is one voice per part (Joowon Chung, soprano; Alexander Schneider, alto; Johannes Gaubitz, tenor; Cornelius Uhle, bass), which seems historically justified. Musically it works wonders, as the voices blend perfectly. The individual contributions are also outstanding: the singers are very aware of the texts and their meaning, articulation and dynamics are immaculate. The collaboration with the {oh!} Orkiestra from Poland is a happy one: the ensemble delivers colourful and dynamically differentiated performances of the instrumental parts.

There is just one issue that needs to be mentioned: in several cases the original text as printed in the booklet seems to be ‘modernized’ in the performance: in Heinichen’s cantata the word “fürüber” is changed to “vorüber” (track 3) and “für” to “vor” (track 6). This is regrettable; performers should stick to the text as it has been used by the composer, even if it is ‘wrong’ according to modern standards.

Johan van Veen
www.musica-dei-donum.org
twitter.com/johanvanveen

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