Wie der Hirsch schreiet – Sacred concerti of the 17th century
Dominik Wörner (bass)
Kirchheimer Dübenconsort/Jörg-Andreas Bötticher
rec. 2024, Protestant Church of Kirchheim/Weinstraße, Germany
Texts included, no translations
Reviewed as a download
Passacaille PAS1160 [83]

One of the astonishing features of music history is the production of composers of the 17th and early 18th centuries. They were always in the service of a court, a town or a church, and were expected to compose the music that was needed for entertainment, for Sundays and feast days, as well as special occasions such as birthdays, weddings and funerals. That goes especially for the German-speaking world, which was ruled by many different aristocrats who had their own musical establishments. Only a part of what was written, has been preserved, and of that we still know only the tip of the iceberg. It is telling that the programme that was recorded by Dominik Wörner and the Kirchheimer Dübenconsort, consists entirely of pieces that appear on disc for the first time.

This recording says much about the German musical landscape of the 17th century, and especially the latter half. A number of composers are hardly known, and about several of them we know little. Stylistically the pieces performed here attest to the change in style from the first half of the 17th century, of which Heinrich Schütz was one of the main exponents, to its end. The inclusion of two pieces by Italian composers makes much sense, not only because they have been found in German sources, but also because they document one of the features of German music at the time: the growing influence of the Italian style. That did not find universal approval. In 1672, when Schütz died, Martin Geyer, the electoral senior court chaplain, said in his funeral sermon: “Even in the church a brand-new manner of singing reigns, but extravagant, broken, dance-like, and not even in the least devout; it is more appropriate to the theatre and dance hall, than to the church (…). For what is this new hopping manner of singing other than a commedia in which the singers are the acting persons, of whom now one, now two, now all appear together and speak all at one time with broken voices?” This may well reflect the way Schütz himself assessed the new style of composing and performing. He had experienced it at his court in Dresden, when the Italian Marco Giuseppe Peranda entered its service and was appointed Kapellmeister in 1663. He became Schütz’s successor as Hofkapellmeister in 1672.

Peranda is not included here, but his style is represented, for instance by Dedit abyssus vocem suam by Bonifazio Graziani, a setting of verses from the third chapter of the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk. The text inspired Graziani to compose a concerto in theatrical style: “Torrents of water swept by; the deep roared and lifted its waves on high. Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear. In wrath you strode through the earth and in anger you threshed the nations.” Features of this piece are wide intervals and highly virtuosic coloratura, especially in the recitativo passages. It is suggested that Graziani’s music may have been part of what Christoph Bernhard had in his luggage when he returned from his time studying with Giacomo Carissimi in Rome. It is ironic that Bernhard was Schütz’s star pupil, and that it was he who not only brought the latest Italian music to Dresden, but also introduced Peranda to the court. He is not represented here with a vocal work, but an instrumental piece – more about that later.

The title of this disc refers to the opening phrase of Psalm 42 (Vulgata: 41): “As the deer pants for streams of water (so my soul pants for you, my God)”. That is well-chosen, as three pieces are settings of verses from this Psalm, and the Book of Psalms generally played a central role in Protestant music in 17th-century Germany. That was inspired by Martin Luther, who saw the Book of Psalms as a little Bible in itself.

The programme opens with a setting of the opening verse in Latin by Sebastian Knüpfer, who sang as a bass in Leipzig under Thomaskantor Tobias Michael, and became the latter’s successor in 1657. The second half of the piece consists of words from the Soliloquia of the so-called Pseudo-Augustine. It is one of three different versions of Quemadmodum desiderat cervus. Those who know Robert King’s recording of works by Knüpfer (Hyperion, 2000), may not recognize it, as he recorded a different version (not mentioned in the liner-notes to that disc). Musically, this version is notable for the sudden modulation from C major to C minor in the closing section, and the omission of the final tonic chord.

This same piece returns, in a way, in Wolfgang Carl Briegel’s Wie der Hirsch schreiet. Briegel attended the grammar school at Nuremberg, and through Johann Erasmus Kindermann and some others he became acquainted with the Italian style. He studied four years at Altdorf University and then was appointed organist at St Johannis in Schweinfurt. In 1650 he entered the service of Duke Ernst the Pious at his court in Gotha. He first acted as Kantor and music teacher of the Duke’s children, and then was given the post of Kapellmeister. In 1671, he became Kapellmeister in Darmstadt, and as such was the predecessor of Christoph Graupner. Apparently he was well acquainted with the music scene in Leipzig, and therefore it is not surprising that he knew Knüpfer’s setting. He “uses not only the exact same formal and textual structure as Knüpfer’ concerto but also the same formal disposition, including the structure of the text and the placement of the Sinfonien; he also retained the bold harmonic shift to C minor at the end of the piece” (booklet).

The third setting of this same psalm is by Christian Andreas Schulze, who attended the Kreuzschule in Dresden and later matriculated at Leipzig University. He then worked as Kantor in Meissen. Wie der Hirsch schreiet is taken from the Bokemeyer Collection, one of the main sources of German sacred music – I recently I reviewed a disc with pieces from this same source. It is one of the more modern pieces in the programme. The psalm, introduced by an instrumental episode, is divided into sections separated by ritornellos, in which the first violin plays the hymn Wo soll ich fliehen hin.

Among the earliest composers in the programme are Johann Julius Weiland and Crato Bütner. Little is known about Weiland; in 1655 he entered the service of the court in Wolfenbüttel. The concerto Jesu, dulcis memoria is taken from his Op. 2, which he published under a Greek title (Deuterotokos). The text is attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux, and consists of a number of stanzas, of which Weiland set the first five, followed by the introit Omnis terra adoret te. The stanzas are set to different music and separated by ritornellos.

Bütner was from Thuringia and worked for most of his life in Danzig (Gdańsk). Heut triumpheret Gottes Sohn is a concerto for Easter; the text is a hymn by Caspar Stolzenhagen (1591), but Bütner ignores the melody associated with it and its division into stanzas. The result is a through-composed sacred concerto set in the form of a battaglia.

Moritz Edelmann is a nearly unknown quantity. He was organist in Thorau and later at the court of Duke August of Saxony in Halle. In 1676 he succeeded Andreas Hammerschmidt as organist in Zittau. The text of Lieber Herre Gott, wecke uns auf is best-known as a motet setting by Johann Christoph Bach. The original text, slightly altered here as well as in Bach’s motet, is Luther’s translation of an Advent collect from pre-Reformation times.

Johann Rosenmüller cannot be omitted in a programme like this. From early on he showed strong Italian leanings, but was also influenced by Schütz. During his time in Venice he continued to compose music for German courts. In this programme he is included with a sacred concerto of his own pen, but also an arrangement. The latter is a piece by Giovanni Antonio Rigatti, who was born in Venice, became a choirboy at St Mark’s in 1621 and was educated for a career in the church. From 1635 to 1637 he acted as maestro di cappella of Udine Cathedral. In 1639 he started teaching at the Ospedale dei Mendicanti and later also the Ospedale degli Incurabili. At the end of his life he became sottocanonico of St Mark’s, but he died only after about fifteen months in office. Instrumental parts of the concerto Jubilate, gaudete have been found in Erfurt, together with a sacred concerto for bass by Rosenmüller. The original concerto by Rigatti was scored for soprano, and the combination of the vocal part – in a collection of 1643 – with the string parts from Erfurt resulted in the concerto as it is performed here. It is assumed that it was Rosenmüller who is responsible for the arrangement.

Rosenmüller’s own concerto Stürmet, all ihr Winde is written in the stile concitato, illustrating the text: “Storm, all you winds, rage, rage, hell and death”. The text is a strophic song by Johann Olearius, and it is a specimen of the German tradition of illustrating the text in the music, which was a hallmark of the oeuvre of Schütz, the musicus poeticus.

The sacred concertos performed here attest to the developments in the writing of sacred music in 17th-century Germany. The growing influence of the modern Italian style is obvious, but it was often mixed with German tradition, not only with regard to the treatment of the text, but also the importance of counterpoint. The latter comes especially to the fore in the instrumental parts of these concertos. Whereas Italian composers mostly preferred two violins and basso continuo (see, for instance, the oeuvre of Alessandro Grandi), German composers liked a fuller instrumental sound, with two violins and two or more lower instruments: violas or viole da gamba. The latter are used here.

The string ensemble also plays some instrumental works. The anonymous Sonata à 4 is taken from the Ludwig Partiturbuch, an important source of German instrumental music. It is a collection of 107 pieces, which the musician and writer Jacob Ludwig (1623-1698) sent to Duke August of Brunswick and his wife Sophie Elisabeth to celebrate the former’s 83rd birthday on 10 April 1662. (The ensemble Harmonie Universelle devoted a disc to this collection; Accent, 2012). It is scored for two violins, viola da gamba and violone or bassoon with basso continuo. It is written in the stylus phantasticus, in which sections of contrasting character and tempo follow each other attacca. From the same collection is the Suite in D minor by Christoph Bernhard, who – as mentioned – was Schütz’s most prominent – and apparently favourite-  pupil. He seems not to have written much instrumental music; in New Grove not a single instrumental piece is included in the work-list. The suite is scored for violin, viola da gamba and basso continuo – another favourite scoring in Germany: most of Buxtehude’s sonatas are written for the same combination of instruments.

Weiland’s sonata is an appendix to the Opus 2 mentioned above. It is in three parts, and includes a chromatic fugue which is repeated at the end. Johann Caspar Kerll’s Canzona à 3 has been found in Kassel. It consists of two fugues and a dance.

The Kirchheimer Dübenconsort is an ensemble that specializes in German music of the 17th century. Its name is derived from another important collection of such music, the Düben-Sammlung preserved at Uppsala University. A key figure in the ensemble is the bass Dominik Wörner, who is also a strong advocate of the cantatas by Graupner. He is the ideal interpreter of this kind of repertoire, thanks to his strong voice and wide range. His excellent diction and articulation are essential in these pieces, given the central role of the text. In that respect one could call him the successor of Klaus Mertens, one of the greatest German singers in the field of baroque music. Wörner is able to get to the bottom of each piece, and find exactly the way to communicate the content and meaning of each work, so it is a shame that the booklet omits English translations of the lyrics.

The collaboration with the instrumentalists could not be any better. They are following exactly the same path, and the players are also aware of what the texts want to express. They produce a beautiful sound, and thanks to their use of dynamic contrasts, the key moments in each piece are effectively emphasized. The instrumental works are beautifully played, with perfect ensemble.

In short, this is a historically interesting and musically exciting disc, which deserves a special recommendation.

Johan van Veen
www.musica-dei-donum.org
twitter.com/johanvanveen
https://bsky.app/profile/musicadeidonum.bsky.social

Contents
Sebastian Knüpfer (1633-1676)
Quemadmodum desiderat cervus (2nd version)
anon
Sonata à 4
Julius Johann Weiland (1625/30-1663)
Jesu dulcis memoria
Christoph Bernhard (1628-1692)
Suite in D minor
Bonifazio Graziani (1604-1664)
Dedit abyssus vocem suam
Johann Caspar Horn (1636-1722)
Schaffe in mir, Gott, ein reines Herz
Christian Andreas Schulze (c1655-1699)
Wie der Hirsch schreiet nach frischem Wasser
Julius Johann Weiland
Sonata à 3
Giovanni Antonio Rigatti (1613-1648)
Jubilate, gaudete (arr Johann Rosenmüller?)
Crato Bütner (1616-1679)
Heut triumphieret Gottes Sohn
Moritz Edelmann (?-1680)
Lieber Herr Gott, wecke uns auf
Wolfgang Carl Briegel
Wie der Hirsch schreiet nach frischem Wasser
Johann Caspar Kerll (1627-1693)
Canzone à 3
Johann Rosenmüller (1619-1684)
Stürmet, all ihr Winde (RWV.E 222)

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