Georg Österreich’s Resurrected Treasures
North-German Cantatas Around 1700
Musica Gloria/Nele Vertommen, Beniamino Paganini
rec. 2024, St Mauritiuskirche, Hollern-Twielenfleth, Germany
Texts and translations included
Reviewed as a download
Et’cetera KTC1819 [79]
During the 17th century a huge amount of sacred music was written in the Lutheran part of Germany. Some of it was published, but the largest part has been preserved in manuscript. One of the main sources of this repertoire is the so-called Bokemeyer Collection, so called after Heinrich Bokemeyer, the former private owner of the collection. However, that is a bit unfair, as it was his teacher, Georg Österreich, who put it together. It is due to this collection that he is known, more than because of his own compositions, although in recent years some of them have been recorded. The present disc includes two further works by him.
Most of the pieces on this disc reflect the style of the 17th century, but some are more modern and point in the direction of the 18th century, such as the cantata by Bokemeyer and the motet by Giulio Giuliani, who is the odd man out in the programme.
Most of the pieces in the collection can probably not be dated; the liner-notes don’t indicate when the pieces were written. The earliest composer is Johann Friedrich Meister. He has become known through the recording of a collection of sonatas from 1695 with the title of Il giardino di piacere. Six sonatas were recorded by Musica antiqua Köln; it was the ensemble’s last recording before it disbanded. About ten years later, the remaining sonatas were recorded by the Ensemble Diderot. Little is known about Meister. He was assumed to have been born around 1638, but the present disc mentions 1640, without a question mark. Is this the result of more recent research? What is known is that Meister was recruited by the Hanoverian Kapellmeister Nicolaus Adam Strungk in January 1677 as music director of the court chapel of Duke Ferdinand Albrecht I of Brunswick-Lüneburg at Schloss Bevern. Soon he was involved in a conflict between the Duke and his musicians, and as a result was imprisoned. He escaped and entered the service of Bishop August Friedrich of Lübeck, who had his residence in Eutin. In 1683 he became organist of the Marienkirche in Flensburg where he also was responsible for the composition of sacred vocal music. The Bokemeyer Collection includes all his sacred works, one of them Ach daß die Hülfe aus Zion: “Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion!” These words are the opening of Psalm 14, vs 17, which – after a sinfonia – is the text of the first section. Next are quotations from two different hymns – although slightly adapted – which close with a refrain taken from one of them. These are Warum willst du draußen stehen (Paul Gerhardt, 1653) and Hosianna, Davids Sohne (Christian Keimann, 1607-1662). The latter hymn includes the refrain: “Let Hosanna in the highest resound throughout the world.” The piece is called an aria, which was a not unusual description of a sacred piece in the 17th century; it has nothing to do with the 18th-century term. The scoring is for two tenors, two violins or oboes, bassoon and basso continuo. As in nearly every piece by German composers of the time, the text is carefully illustrated in the music, here, for instance, in the acceleration in the second half of the first section on the text: “Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.”
The disc opens with Johann Theile, who was highly gifted, not only musically, but also intellectually. At the age of just twelve he was already studying law at Leipzig University. That was mainly a way to improve his social position, since he was of humble birth. He was held in high esteem by student friends and also, according to a poem dedicated to him in the preface of his first publication of 1667, by none other than Heinrich Schütz. Theile did take lessons with Schütz, but how intensive their relationship was, is not known. Later on, Theile had a frequent contact with Dieterich Buxtehude in Lübeck. From 1673 to 1675 Theile was Kapellmeister at the Gottorp Palace, some 120 kilometres away from Lübeck, and then on Danish territory. The dukes of Gottorp had made their palace a cultural centre of the northern region. Political circumstances in Denmark forced the Duke to leave Gottorp for Hamburg in 1675. Theile followed him, after a failed attempt to succeed Sebastian Knüpfer as Thomaskantor in Leipzig.
Gott, sei mir gnädig is a setting of verses from Psalm 51 (known in Latin as Miserere mei Deus), one of the seven penitential psalms, in the German translation of Martin Luther. It has the typical scoring of a 17th-century German sacred concerto: four voices, two violins, two violas and basso continuo. The text is divided into tutti and solo sections, and opens with a sinfonia. As one may expect, the first verse is set to descending figures. Key words are singled out through coloratura, such as “wasche” (wash) and “reinige” (cleanse), or by way of repetition (“immer” – ever; “alle” – all [mine iniquities]). Theile was considered a master of counterpoint, and that is amply demonstrated here, not only in the fugal conclusion.
In Hamburg Johann Philipp Förtsch became Theile’s pupil, and in 1680 he succeeded his teacher as Kapellmeister in Gottorf. He was born in Wertheim am Main where his father was mayor. He studied medicine, law and philosophy in Jena and then in Erfurt. He did not plan to become a professional musician but must have enjoyed a good musical education. He started his career as a singer in Hamburg in sacred music and in the Opera. He also composed operas himself, but none of them have been preserved. In 1683 the Duke, who was in permanent conflict with Denmark, had to flee, and that brought Förtsch’s activities as Kapellmeister to an end. At this moment Förtsch changed his profession: he settled in Husum as a doctor. However, he remained active as a composer, writing twelve operas for the Hamburg Oper am Gänsemarkt. When Christian returned to Gottorf Förtsch was appointed as court physician. After the Duke’s death in 1694 Förtsch entered the service of the bishop of Lübeck, August Friedrich, the Duke’s brother. Until his death Förtsch was active as a doctor and as a counsellor of justice. Das weiß ich fürwahr is a sacred concerto for two sopranos, bass, two violins, two violas and basso continuo. The various sections are separated by ritornellos. The opening and closing sections are for the tutti, in between are solo sections for the three singers. In the first solo a long-held note illustrates the word “halte [still]” (I stand firm), and descending figures with chromaticism are used for the word “Tränen” (tears)
When Christian returned to Gottorf, Förtsch’s post as Kapellmeister was given to Georg Österreich. He was born in Magdeburg where he received his first musical education. Aged fourteen, he entered the Thomasschule in Leipzig which was then under the direction of Johann Schelle. Two years later he went to Hamburg where he studied at the Johanneum and sang first as an alto and then as a tenor. In the latter capacity he worked at the court of Wolfenbüttel from 1686 to 1689 and it is here that he came under the guidance of Theile. In 1689 he started his activities as Kapellmeister in Gottorf. In the liner-notes to a disc with music by Österreich (Weser-Renaissance; CPO, 2015), Konrad Küster (who also participated in the preparation of the present recording) writes: “Österreich bequeathed to posterity a music library without which we would hardly know anything at all about the so-called pre-Bach period. (…) The library is a reflection of the fact that during the late seventeenth century Gottorf Castle formed one of the great music centres in contemporary Central European music.” This collection and its fame have overshadowed Österreich’s own works. That makes it especially important that two of these are included here.
Ich bin die Auferstehung und das Leben is a setting of the verses 25 and 26 of the Gospel after John: “Jesus said unto her: I am the resurrection and the life”. The piece is called a motetto concertato, and is scored for seven voices, two oboes or recorders, two violins, two violette (violas) and basso continuo. It opens with a sinfonia; the second of the two sections includes a duet. Notable is the use of harmony, especially in the sinfonia and in the closing chord on the word “sterben” (die).
Motetto concertato is also the term used for the second piece: Weise mir, Herr, deinen Weg, scored for four voices (soli and ripieni), two oboes, two violins, violetta, obbligato bassoon, cello and basso continuo. The inclusion of a part for cello may indicate that it is a relatively late piece, as the cello made its appearance in Italy only in the 1680s. It is a setting of verses from Psalm 86 (Vulgata: 85) and opens with a sinfonia. Again, coloratura is used to emphasize important words. In the fourth section, a solo for bass, the text “For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead” is set to low notes and a slow tempo; the strings play tremolos, always a device used to express great distress. For the next section Österreich makes use of the stile concitato: “Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God; ruthless people are trying to kill me – they have no regard for you.” The next section is strongly contrasting; it about God’s compassion and grace, and it opens with a solo episode for the violin. The words “gnädig” (merciful) and “geduldig” (patient) are illustrated with long-held notes. The penultimate section is a dramatic episode again, opening with strong accents both in the basso continuo (the effect is strengthened by the use of a large organ) and the voice.
Michael Österreich was the older brother of Georg; he was a pupil of the Thomasschule in Leipzig, but little is known about his activities until his presence in Gottorf is documented in 1689/90. There he worked as a member of the military administration. A substantial number of compositions have been preserved, but there are some doubts about their authenticity: it has been suggested they are in fact written by his brother. In some cases the latter may have reworked them. Vater unser is a setting of Martin Luther’s translation of the Lord’s Prayer, which is scored for four voices (SSAT), two violins, two violas, bassoon and basso continuo. The work opens with a sinfonia, and in the first vocal section the strings play tremolos. Several key words are repeated, such as “geheiliget” (hallowed) and “nicht” (lead us not in temptation). The words “von dem Übel” (from evil) are illustrated with harmonic means.
With the last two works we are in a different world, stylistically speaking. Heinrich Bokemeyer may have given his name to the collection from which the music on this disc is taken, but his own works are seldom performed. I cannot remember ever having heard a piece by him. Me miserum! is not only notable for the use of Latin, but also for its structure with recitatives and arias, showing the influence of Italian opera. That is not surprising: from 1712 to 1717 he was Kantor in Husum, where he sang Italian cantatas by the Italian-born Kapellmeister Bartolomeo Bernhardi. It is a cantata for soprano solo, accompanied by two oboes and basso continuo. In the course of the work the atmosphere changes. The first aria says: “Unhappy that I am, buried under manifold woes”. The protagonist probably takes the role of the Soul, worried about his sins. As soon as he discovers that Christ’s death will give him life, everything changes. The cantata closes with an aria in a speedy tempo: “Jesus, be the aim of my life. Jesus, be my Creed. May Jesus be the beginning and end of all our works.” The Italian influence and the scoring explain why the solo part is quite virtuosic.
That is different in the last cantata, by the Italian composer Giulio Giuliani, about whom little seems to be known, except that was an alto singer and worked as singing teacher at the court of Wolfenbüttel, where he was Georg Österreich’s colleague. Plaudant caeli exsultent spherea is a short motet, which has the structure that was to become the standard in 18th-century Italy: two arias embracing a recitative, and an Alleluja as the conclusion. The instrumental scoring is modest: two violins, bassoon and basso continuo.
The importance of a disc like this one can hardly be overrated. As far as the music that was written in Protestant Germany in the second half of the 17th and the early 18th century is concerned, we know only the top of the iceberg. Each recording that brings music to the surface that is not known, is most welcome. The Bokemeyer Collection is often used for recordings, but all the pieces performed here may well appear on disc for the first time – and each time I hear some of this repertoire, I am impressed by its quality. In accordance with the standard that was set by Heinrich Schütz, the ‘father of German music’, the text is always in the centre and illustrated in various ways with musical means.
In order to reach a convincing interpretation, one has to be aware of its spiritual meaning and of the ways composers used music to communicate the message. That is certainly the case here. The text is always in the centre of attention, and the singers show a full command of the German language and the articulation and phrasing it requires. Maria Ladurner is impressive in Bokemeyer’s cantata and Filip Dámec sings Giuliana’s motet nicely. In the other works the singers deliver excellent performances as soloists (although most solos are rather short), and also in ensemble, which is very important here; the blending of the voices is immaculate.
What makes these pieces especially interesting is the role of the oboe(s); the oboe was a relatively new instrument from France, and found a wide dissemination in the last decades of the 17th century, especially due to the fact that many German aristocrats were impressed by the splendour of the French court. The composers included here must have been among the first in Germany to make use of oboes. Nele Vertommen and Petra Amrosi play their parts brilliantly.
The performers have done everything to come as closely as possible to the original performing conditions. A particularly important element, already indicated above, is the use of a large organ in the basso continuo, which is a substantial improvement to the small chamber organs which are mostly used in performances. It is not easy to find an appropriate instrument, but they have found one, and it has a major positive influence on the impact of these works.
The reader may conclude that I am very happy with this disc, and wholeheartedly recommend it. Are there no issues? Probably just one: sometimes I wondered whether the tempi were not too fast; in some cases I would have liked a more moderate tempo. Another point of attention concerns the booklet: the information about the composers – who are mostly hardly known – is a bit economical. I have tried to compensate for that with information in this review. I hope that helps to convince you that this disc deserves a special recommendation.
Johan van Veen
www.musica-dei-donum.org
twitter.com/johanvanveen
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Contents
Johann Theile (1646-1724)
Gott, sei mir gnädig
Heinrich Bokemeyer (1679-1751)
Me miserum!
Michael Österreich (1658-1709)
Vater unser
Georg Österreich (1664-1735)
Ich bin die Auferstehung und das Leben
Johann Philipp Förtsch (1652-1732)
Das weiß ich fürwahr
Johann Friedrich Meister (1640-1697)
Ach daß die Hülfe aus Zion
Giulio Giuliani (?-?)
Plaudant caeli exsultent spherea
Georg Österreich
Weise mir, Herr, deinen Weg
