The ¨Geistliche Chormusik¨ appeared in 1648, the year in which peace was declared following the last European religious war which had been carried on for 30 years throughout the German Länder. The collection comprises 29 motets which illustrate the church-style of the Dresden Hofkapellmeister, and range from five-part to six and seven-part settings. A second volume of eight-part motets has not survived. The texts are taken mostly from the liturgical Proper. Heinrich Schütz is notable as one of the greatest musical innovators of the Baroque period, in succession to his Italian mentors Gabrieli and Monteverdi. In the motets which are given here the “hoary father of German music” at the age of 63 turned away from the promotion of his own generation and dammed up the musical flood which, as a young advocate of ¨Sturm und Drang¨ with his madrigalian and concerted style, he had himself caused to flow. In contrast to the exuberant growth of the characteristic Italian school of music with continuo-bass, he recalled here the austere contrapuntal motet of the German and Netherlands school, upon which irrefutable foundation all composition and music-making must, in his opinion, be based. In his Preface he says that no-one can truly learn the craft of composition ¨unless he is sufficiently practised in the style of writing without a continuo-bass¨. Above all, he encourages his composition-students and colleagues to ¨crack this hard nut (wherein lies, awaiting discovery, the kernel which is the foundation of good counterpoint) before proceeding to concerted style, therein submitting to their first test...¨. What Schütz was expounding in his preface to the ¨gentle reader¨ with great theoretical integrity, and what he practically demonstrated in the examples of his art which followed, with surpassing mastery, was the contrapuntal movement which set the individual voices in profile, which he had developed from the great Netherlands school; he brought forth the musical Renaissance and it must never be overlooked that the Baroque period was based on such craftmanship as Schütz’s. This set of motets, which were dedicated to the already famous choir of the Thomaskirche at Leipzig, is at the same time highest form of art and a pedagogic instruction. For this reason it stands on a plane with Bach’s ¨Little Organ Book¨, Bartok’s ¨Microkosmos¨ and Hindemith’s ¨Ludus Tonalis¨. The course of European musical history would have been unquestionably altered, had not the Dresden Kapellmeister set up this towering monument of artistry. The choirs of the present day have learnt once again from this ecstatic ¨Wortmusik¨ the height to which great choral music can attain. The composer has left many details of performance to be freely realised, particularly with regard to the employment of soloists and the use of the organ and other instruments. Therefore, in the presentation on this record, these opportunities have been taken, in accordance with correct practice. Cantate (CAN 11 09 L)
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