ensemble viii 3300 Bee Caves Road, Suite 650 !

P.O. Box 188 ! Austin, TX 78746

ensemble viii Renaissance and Baroque Voices

Passion of Seven

The

 

Last Concert of the 2012-2013 Season!

Get your tickets now!

Blessed Mother, Eternal Spir i t— The Eton Choirbook

May 10, 2013 St. Louis Catholic Church, Austin

For more information and to purchase tickets,

visit www.ensembleviii.org

                         

ensemble viii James Morrow, conductor

Jolle Greenleaf, soprano Brenna Wells, soprano

Charles Humphries, countertenor Donald R. Meineke, tenor

Aaron Cain, bass James Morrow, bass Tatiana Daubek, violin

Tess Isaac, violin Caitlin Cribbs, viola Ashley Salinas, viola

Eric Smith, gamba/cello Gudrun Raschen, violone

David Walker, theorbo William Averill, organ

Board of Directors James Morrow, artistic director

Donald R. Meineke, executive director Dr. Gena Tabery, president Jean Perdicaris, secretary

Meg Meo, media and public relations Thom Sloan, development

Tom Allen, member at large Dr. Nell Dale, member at large

Staff

Elaine Diefenderfer, bookkeeper Alyssa Barnes, intern Liz Culpepper, intern

www.ensembleviii.org

Special Thanks

We also thank….

Andrea M. Larsen, Design St. Martin’s Lutheran Church

Southwestern University Andrew Dell’Antonio

Sara Hessel John Aielli

Dr. Shannon & Dr. John Abikhaled

ensemble viii Renaissance & Baroque Voices

THE PASSION OF SEVEN North German Masterworks for Holy Week

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Lois Perkins Chapel, Southwestern University Georgetown, TX

Friday, March 1, 2013

Saint Martin’s Lutheran Church Austin, TX

Membra Jesu Nostri, BuxWV 75 Dieterich Buxtehude

(1637-1707) Ad pedes Ad genua Ad manus Ad latus Ad pectus Ad cor Ad faciem

Intermission Die Sieben Wort Jesu Christi am Kreuz Heinrich Schütz

(1585-1672) Christ lag in Todesbanden Johann Sebastian Bach

(1685-1750) Sinfonia Verse 1: Chorale Verse 2: Duet Verse 3: Chorale Verse 4: Chorale Verse 5: Aria Verse 6: Duet Verse 7: Chorale

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Text & Translations MEMBRA JESU NOSTRI I. Ad pedes (To the feet) 1. Sonata

2. Concerto (SSATB)

Ecce super montes pedes evangelizantis et annunciantis pacem

Behold, upon the mountains the feet of one bringing good news and proclaiming peace (Nahum 1:15)

3. Aria (S)

Salve mundi salutare, salve Jesu care! Cruci tuae me aptare vellem vere, tu scis quare, da mihi tui copiam

Hail, salvation of the world, Hail, hail, dear Jesus! On your cross would I hang Truly, you know why Give me your strength

4. Aria (S)

Clavos pedum, plagas duras, et tam graves impressuras circumplector cum affectu, tuo pavens in aspectu, tuorum memor vulnerum

The nails in your feet, the hard blows and so grievous marks I embrace with love, Fearful at the sight of you Mindful of your wounds

5. Aria (B)

Dulcis Jesu, pie deus, Ad te clamo licet reus, praebe mihi te benignum, ne repellas me indignum de tuis sanctis pedibus

Sweet Jesus, merciful God I cry to you, in my guilt Show me your grace, Turn me not unworthy away From your sacred feet

6. Concerto (da capo: Ecce super montes)

7. Concerto (SSATB)

Salve mundi salutare, salve Jesu care! Cruci tuae me aptare vellem vere, tu scis quare, da mihi tui copiam

Hail, salvation of the world, Hail, hail, dear Jesus! On your cross would I hang Truly, you know why Give me your strength

I I . Ad genua (To the knees) 1. Sonata

2. Concerto (SSATB) Ad ubera portabimini, et super genua blandientur vobis

You will be brought to nurse and dandled on the knees (Isaiah 66:12)

 

Donors AMBASSADORS- $10,000 and up City of Austin Cultural Arts Division North Coast Brewing Co. BENEFACTORS- $5,000 to $9,999 Anonymous Anonymous SPONSOR- $2,500-$4,999 Russell Gregory Prudential Foundation Thom Sloan and Jerry Lloyd Lashley, Jr. Dr. Gena and Ron Tabery SUSTAINER - $1,000-$2,499 Janis Burrow Dr. Nell Dale Mary Healy Hulsey Intellectual Property Lawyers Marilynn and Dr. Robert Kline Meg and Gary Meo The Rev. Janne Alro Osborne Scott & White Healthcare Foundation Gene Alice and Max Sherman Mary and Charles Teeple Dr. Mary Ann Rankin and Wesley Thompson PATRON - $500-$999 Susan and Tom Allen Margy and Bob Ayres Mary Parse and Dr. Klaus Bichteler Ara Carapetyan and Rebecca Pigott Ann and Wallace Harwood Margaret Murray Miller and Carl Caricari Ann Price Robert Schultz

DONOR - $100-$499 Dr. Rebecca Baltzer Jann and Dick Brown Richard Campbell Thomas Czerwinski Billie and Dennis Dalrymple Joan Dean Koma and Warren Donworth Tom Granger International Business Machines (I.B.M.) Janie Keys and Ivan Millman Virgina McDermott and Dr. William Schleuse Jean Perdicaris Gail Reid Viola and Harold Rutz Barbara and Stephen Seidman Dr. and Mrs. George Willeford III FRIEND- Up to $99 M. M. Anderson Sylvia B. Fatzer Dr. Diane Janda Sue Krider Paul Leche Ronald Wyllis

   

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3. Aria (T) Salve Jesu, rex sanctorum, spes votiva peccatorum, crucis ligno tanquam reus, pendens homoverus deus, caducis nutans genibus

Hail Jesus, king of saints Hope of sinners' prayers, like an offender on the wood of the cross, a man hanging, true God, Bending on failing knees!

4. Aria (A)

Quid sum tibi responsurus, actu vilis corde durus? Quid rependam amatori, qui elegit pro me mori, ne dupla morte morerer

What answer shall I give you, Vile as I am in deed, hard in my heart? How shall I repay your love, Who chose to die for me, Unless I die a second death?

5. Aria (SSB)

Ut te quaeram mente pura, sit haec mea prima cura, non est labor et gravabor, sed sanabor et mundabor, cum te complexus fuero

That I may seek you with pure heart, Be my first care, It is no labour nor shall I be loaded down: But I shall be cleansed, When I embrace you

6. Concerto (da capo: Ad ubera portabimini)

I I I. Ad manus (To the hands) 1. Sonata

2. Concerto (SSATB) Quid sunt plagae istae in medio manuum tuarum?

What are those wounds in the midst of your hands? (Zechariah 13:6)

3. Aria (S)

Salve Jesu, pastor bone, fatigatus in agone, qui per lignum es distractus et ad lignum es compactus expansis sanctis manibus

Hail, Jesus, good shepherd, wearied in agony, tormented on the cross nailed to the cross your sacred hands stretched out

4. Aria (S)

Manus sanctae, vos amplector, et gemendo condelector, grates ago plagis tantis, clavis duris guttis sanctis dans lacrymas cum osculis

Holy hands, I embrace you, and, lamenting, I delight in you, I give thanks for the terrible wounds, the hard nails, the holy drops, shedding tears with kisses

5. Aria (ATB)

In cruore tuo lotum me commendo tibi totum, tuae sanctae manus istae me defendant, Jesu Christe, extremis in periculis

Washed in your blood I wholly entrust myself to you; may these holy hands of yours defend me, Jesus Christ, in the final dangers

6. Concerto (da capo: Quid sunt plagae istae)

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Charles Humphries’ career has paired him with numerous highly distinguished conductors worldwide including Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Richard Hickox, Paul McCreesh, Robert King, Rinaldo Allessandrini, Nicholas McGegan, James O’Donnell, Trevor Pinnock and Lars Ulrik Mortensen, to name a few. Originally born in the United Kingdom, Humphries graduated from the Royal Academy of Music, London, and was honored with the letters ARAM (Associate Royal Academy of Music) for his services to music. Known for his intelligent interpretations of baroque and renaissance music, he has been one of the most sought-after countertenors worldwide for the past twenty years. Performances have taken him to many countries including France (Paris, Lyon, La Chaise Dieu,) Belgium (Brussels), Holland (Amsterdam), Greece (Athens), Croatia (Varazdin), Germany (Potsdam, Karlsruhe,) Norway (Oslo), Lithuania (Vilnius) and of course the UK (London – English National Opera). He has made over forty recordings as a soloist as well as a consort singer with all the world’s specialist ensembles. In 2009, Charles left the UK to continue his career in the USA and now resides in Washington DC where he has a flourishing career. The year 2012/13 will take him to New York where he will appear at the highly renowned St. Thomas Church, 5th Avenue, New York under Director of Music, John Scott. Mr. Humphries is also in high demand as a vocal coach, teacher and mentor within the Washington area and he may be currently heard amongst others on the Dorian Sono Luminus label.

Donald R. Meineke, tenor, serves as Organist and Associate Director of Music at the Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity (New York City) known as “the Temple to Bach” and home of Bach Vespers, featuring the renowned Bach Choir and Players. Before moving to New York, Donald studied choral conducting at the University of Texas at Austin and served as Director of Music and Organist at First English Lutheran Church in Austin. Donald held the post of Director of Music and Organist at Trinity Church (Lutheran) in Worcester, Massachusetts for 6 years where he conducted the Choir of Trinity Church, Choristers, and was founder and Artistic Director of Vox Triniti, Worcester’s professional early music ensemble. Donald has given recitals, lectured, and performed throughout the United States, South America, Canada, and Europe. He has performed with such conductors as Paul Hillier, Helmuth Rilling, Maria Guinand, Matthew Halls, and Järn Andresen. Donald has sung with the Festival Ensemble Stuttgart, Junges Stuttgarter Bach Ensemble, Organ Bach Festival, the Pro Arte Singers, Arcadia Players, Mon Choeur, Dresden Kammerchor, Toronto Chamber Choir and the Holy Trinity Bach Choir (NYC). He has served as assistant chorus master for Helmuth Rilling, preparing Mozart’s Mass in C minor in multiple cities throughout Venezuela and Bach’s B minor Mass in Germany and Italy. Donald also holds a degree from Indiana University, where he studied organ with Dr. Larry Smith and Dr. Marilyn Keiser, as well as voice with Larry Brownlee and harpsichord with Elisabeth Wright.

 With a voice described as “fresh,” “ethereal,” and “elegant,” soprano Brenna Wells is garnering attention for her varied performances. Her recent operatic roles include La Poesie and La Paix in Les Arts Florissants, Galatea in Acis and Galatea, Venus in L’Europe Galante, Sandman in Hansel and Gretel, Anna II in The Seven Deadly Sins, and she was Première Nymphe de l’Acheron in the Boston Early Music Festival’s production and Grammy-nominated recording of Lully’s Psyché. Ms. Wells has sung and recorded with such acclaimed ensembles as the BEMF Orchestra, Blue Heron, Britten-Pears Baroque Orchestra, Apollo’s Fire, Boston Baroque, Opera Boston, L’Académie, and the Handel and Haydn Society. She has appeared in many festivals and programs world-wide, including the London Handel Festival, Aldeburgh Festival, Amherst Early Music Festival, BBC Proms and in both 2008 and 2009, she was selected to perform in the Early Music Seminars at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice, Italy. She is also featured on two new recordings, Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Acteon and John Blow's Venus and Adonis, both on the CPO label. Highlights from last season included solo performances with L'academie, Exsultemus, and the Marsh Chapel Choir and Collegium's performance of St. Matthew Passion. She also made her soloist debut at Symphony Hall under the direction of Harry Christophers and appeared as the First Witch in the BEMF Chamber Opera production of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas.

 

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IV . Ad latus (To the sides) 1. Sonata

2. Concerto (SSATB)

Surge, amica mea, speciosa mea, et veni, columba mea inforaminibus petrae, in caverna maceriae

Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come, my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hollow of the cliff (Song of Songs 2:13-14)

3. Aria (S)

Salve latus salvatoris, in quo latet mel dulcoris, in quo patet vis amoris, ex quo scatet fons cruoris, qui corda lavat sordida

Hail, side of the saviour, in which the honey of sweetness is hidden, in which the power of love is exposed, from which gushes the spring of blood that cleans the dirty hearts

4. Aria (ATB)

Ecce tibi appropinquo, parce, Jesu, si delinquo, verecunda quidem fronte, ad te tamen veni sponte scrutari tua vulnera

Lo I approach you, Pardon, Jesus, if I sin, With reverent countenance freely I come to you to behold your wounds

5. Aria (S)

Hora mortis meus flatus intret Jesu, tuum latus, hinc expirans in te vadat, ne hunc leo trux invadat, sed apud te permaneat

In the hour of death, may my soul Enter, Jesus, your side Hence dying may it go into you, Lest the cruel lion seize it, But let it dwell with you

6. Concerto (da capo: Surge amica mea)

V. Ad pectus (To the breast) 1. Sonata 2. Concerto a 3 voci (in 3 voices: ATB) Sicut modo geniti infantes rationabiles, et sine dolo concupiscite, ut in eo crescatis in salutem. Si tamen gustatis, quoniam dulcis est Dominus.

Like newborn infants, long for the guileless milk of reason, that by it you may grow into salvation, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good (1 Peter 2:2-3)

3. Aria (A)

Salve, salus mea, Deus, Jesu dulcis, amor meus, salve, pectus reverendum, cum tremore contingendum, amoris domicilium

Hail God, my salvation, sweet Jesus, my beloved, hail, breast to be revered, to be touched with trembling, dwelling of love

 

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Artistic Director James Morrow is Director of Choral Activities at The University of Texas at Austin, where he conducts the Chamber Singers and Choral Arts Society and directs the graduate program in choral conducting. He is Founder and Artistic Director of the Bach Cantata Project at the Blanton Museum of Fine Arts and is also Founder and Artistic Director of Ensemble VIII. Under Dr. Morrow’s direction, the UT Chamber Singers have recorded two compact discs of American choral music on the Naxos label, and on the Koch International Classics label they recorded Sweet Music of Christmas, as well as Great Hymns of Faith with organist Gerre Hancock. He led the Chamber Singers in a modern-day premiere and recording of Brazilian composer José Maurício Nunes Garcia’s Missa de Nossa Senhora da Conceição of 1810, and their latest disc of American folksongs is in post-production. Dr. Morrow and the Chamber Singers recently performed Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers with period instruments in celebration of the work’s 400th anniversary, as well as the complete Tenebrae Responsories of Tomás Luis de Victoria. Dr. Morrow’s choirs have toured internationally, singing for audiences in England, Scotland, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. The UT Chamber Singers’ most recent international concert tour was to Brazil, where they performed with the University of Saõ Paolo Chamber Orchestra in historic venues in São Paolo and Rio de Janeiro. They toured the Northeastern U.S. in Spring 2011, performing in major venues in Boston, New Haven, New York City, and Washington DC. Dr. Morrow performed as a choral singer with Robert Shaw and the Robert Shaw Festival Singers in France and in the United States, participating in several recordings for TELARC, as well as performing in concert as baritone soloist under Mr. Shaw’s direction. He is a featured soloist on a TELARC compact disc with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus. A student of the late Gérard Souzay, he has also performed as a baritone soloist with orchestras in a variety of repertoire, including Stravinsky’s Pulcinella, Vaughan Williams’s Five Mystical Songs, Arvo Pärt’s Passio, and the Passions of J. S. Bach. He was twice selected as an Artist/Fellow at the Bach Aria Festival and Institute in Stony Brook, New York. Prior to his appointment at UT, he served as Director of Choral Activities at the University of Florida and at Hope College in Michigan.

 About the Performers Baritone Aaron Cain has performed and recorded with a variety of instrumental and vocal ensembles, most of which have made early music their focus. Before relocating to Eugene, Oregon, he performed with groups such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Musica Angelica and the Los Angeles Chamber Singers. Aaron is also one of the members of The Concord Ensemble, a Los Angeles-based vocal ensemble which performs and records a variety of music ranging from medieval, renaissance, baroque to contemporary vocal works. Oregon-based groups with whom he has collaborated include Cappella Romana, the Portland Baroque Orchestra, the Cascade Consort, Vox Resonat, the Oregon Bach Collegium and the Berwick Chorus of the Oregon Bach Festival. He holds a Bachelor's of Music degree in voice from The University of Iowa and studied voice with Eric Mentzel at the University of Oregon, where he received a master's degree in choral conducting and a doctoral degree in vocal performance with a specialization in historical performance practice. Jol le Greenleaf, one of the leading voices in the field of early music, has been hailed as a “golden soprano” and called “a major force in the New York early music-scene” by the New York Times. She is a much sought-after soloist in music by Bach, Buxtehude, Handel, Purcell and, most notably, Claudio Monteverdi. Her performances have earned raves from the Oregonian; “[Greenleaf] sang with purity and beguiling naturalness,” and the New York Times, who called her “An exciting soprano soloist… beautifully accurate and stylish…” As artistic director of the virtuosic one-voice-per-part ensemble TENET, Ms. Greenleaf creates diverse programs, directs and sings in performances of repertoire spanning the middle ages to the present day. TENET’s programming has been lauded by the New York Times as “smart, varied and not entirely early.” Greenleaf has balanced a career as a top soloist and innovative impressaria. In January of 2010, she spearheaded a performance of Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, (the first performance of the work to celebrate its 400th anniversary), by creating the Green Mountain Project (an annual TENET initiative). For the Green Mountain Project she acts as artistic director, engaging singers and instrumentalists, and managing the many logistics of mounting a major musical production.

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4. Aria (T)

Pectus mihi confer mundum, ardens, pium, gemebundum, voluntatem abnegatam, tibi semper conformatam, juncta virtutum copia

Give me a clean breast, ardent, pious, moaning, an abnegated will, always conforming to you, with an abundance of virtues

5. Aria (B)

Ave, verum templum Dei, precor miserere mei, tu totius arca boni, fac electis me apponi, vas dives Deus omnium

Hail, true temple of God, I pray, have mercy on me, you, the ark of all that is good, make me be placed with the chosen, rich vessel, God of all

6. Concerto a 3 voci (da capo: Sicut modo geniti)

VI . Ad cor (To the heart) 1. Sonata

2. Concerto a 3 voci (SSB)

Vulnerasti cor meum, soror mea, sponsa, vulnerasti cor meum.

You have wounded my heart, my sister, my bride, you have wounded my heart (Song of Songs 4:9)

3. Aria (S)

Summi regis cor, aveto, te saluto corde laeto, te complecti me delectat et hoc meum cor affectat, ut ad te loquar, animes

Heart of the highest king, I greet you, I salute you with a joyous heart, it delights me to embrace you and my heart aspires to this: that you move me to speak to you

4. Aria (S)

Per medullam cordis mei, peccatoris atque rei, tuus amor transferatur, quo cor tuum rapiatur languens amoris vulnere

Through the marrow of my heart, of a sinner and culprit, may your love be conveyed by whom your heart was seized, languishing through the wound of love

5. Aria (B)

Viva cordis voce clamo, dulce cor, te namque amo, ad cor meum inclinare, ut se possit applicare devoto tibi pectore

I call with the living voice of the heart, sweet heart, for I love you, to incline to my heart, so that it may draw close, devoted to you with the breast

6. Concerto a 3 voci (da capo: Vulnerasti cor meum)

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Buxtehude’s Limbs of our Jesus is also structured around the number seven – the feet, knees, hands, side, breast, heart, and face of Christ are each featured in a multi-sectional meditation that begins with the full ensemble and then features solos by two or more singers before a return of the full-ensemble “concerto” to close the reflection on the body part. Genre terminology is notoriously slippery in Buxtehude’s works: terms like “cantata” and “oratorio” have been used to describe the seven-part work as a whole, and the descriptor “aria” is assigned (by Buxtehude himself) to several solo and duo-trio sections. This work draws on the “concerted” principle of combining various contrasting musical resources (solos and full ensembles, voices and instruments, but also sections with varying texture, form, and expressive goals), a principle that had emerged in Italy during Schütz’s early career, was quickly embraced by Lutheran musicians, and is reflected in all the works performed today. Christ lag in Todesbanden is perhaps J.S. Bach’s most famous concerted sacred work. He did not use the term “cantata” to describe it, or for that matter any of his sacred compositions, but we now know it by that designation. It has seven sections, corresponding to the seven verses of a hymn – “Chorale,” as the Lutheran congregations of Bach’s day would have called it – that was reshaped by Luther himself from a much earlier Christian hymn on the resurrection. Even as he creates an entirely different soundscape for each verse, Bach incorporates the chorale melody and text into each one of the seven sections of Christ Lag, a very unusual approach for his sacred compositions, which usually draw on but then depart from the chorale source. In this respect, Christ Lag is closer to works of Buxtehude’s generation, and it was long considered an early composition (hence its low BWV number), though now we think that Bach was instead self-consciously using a somewhat archaic style to pay homage to the tradition of his predecessors. And, of course, the text speaks of Christ’s suffering and triumph, just as the others we are hearing tonight. So who knows? Perhaps Bach was, indeed, thinking of Schütz’s and Buxtehude’s “seven,” after all. Andrew Dell’Antonio ©2013

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VI I. Ad fac iem (To the face) 1. Sonata

2. Concerto (SSATB)

Illustra faciem tuam super servum tuum, salvum me fac in misericordia tua

Let your face shine upon your servant, save me in your mercy (Psalm 31:16)

3. Aria (ATB)

Salve, caput cruentatum, totum spinis coronatum, conquassatum, vulneratum, arundine verberatum facie sputis illita

Hail, bloodied head, all crowned with thorns, beaten, wounded, struck with a cane, the face soiled with spit

4. Aria (A)

Dum me mori est necesse, noli mihi tunc deesse, in tremenda mortis hora veni, Jesu, absque mora, tuere me et libera

When I must die, do not then be away from me, in the anxious hour of death come, Jesus, without delay, protect me and set me free!

5. Aria (SSATB)

Cum me jubes emigrare, Jesu care, tunc appare, o amator amplectende, temet ipsum tunc ostende in cruce salutifera.

When you command me to depart, dear Jesus, then appear, O lover to be embraced, then show yourself on the cross that brings salvation

6. Concerto (SSATB)

Amen DIE SIEBEN WORT JESU CHRISTI AM KREUZ In troitus (Chorus) ! Da Jesus an dem Kreuze stund und ihm sein Leichnam war verwund’t !sogar mit bittern Schmerzen, die sieben Wort, die Jesus sprach, !betracht in deinem Herzen. !  

In troduction (Chorus) Muse in your heart the seven words that Jesus pronounced ! in bitter sorrows when he was on the cross, covered with wounds.  

Symphon ia  

 

Evangel ist (Altus) Und es war um die dritte Stunde, da sie Jesum kreuzigten. Er aber sprach, Jesus ! Vater, vergieb ihnen; denn sie wissen nicht, was sie tun!!

Evangel ist (alto) And it was in the third hour, that they crucified Jesus. But he said:! Jesus Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they do! !

 

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Notes on the Program In weaving various stories into the fabric of history, we like to, we like to find connections between remarkable individuals, and the three composers whose works are featured tonight have often been linked. Johann Sebastian Bach was proud of having walked 250 miles to Lübeck as a 20-year-old budding organist to hear the great Dietrich Buxtehude play and to draw from his expertise over a period of several months. A later tale even speculated that Bach was considering taking on Buxtehude’s position but balked when he discovered that marrying the elder composer’s daughter was part of the deal. This story is almost certainly apocryphal – not the marriage stipulation, because that was a common practice at the time to keep good musical jobs in the family, and Buxtehude had married his own predecessor’s daughter. Rather, the young Bach had a reputation as a bit of a maverick, and it’s not likely that he would have been a serious candidate for such an important job. Bach also had some music by Schütz in his library, though the earlier composer’s style would likely have been too old-fashioned by the early 1700s to be anything more than a curiosity, or perhaps to be studied as an example of mastery in a largely outdated approach. Schütz had long been gone when the two later composers had their career overlap, and Buxtehude probably was not familiar with his music, though the degree of separation was only two steps, since Buxtehude knew some works by Christoph Bernhard, Schütz’s most famous and influential student. What all three did share was their passionate involvement in the worship music of the German Evangelical (aka Lutheran) church, and we’d be hard pressed to find three better representatives of the tradition that constantly incorporated cutting-edge styles from around Europe--especially Italy, but the French tradition was also a favorite of both Buxtehude and Bach--into some of the most intense manifestations of musical faith that Europe, perhaps the world, has ever heard. All three composers – especially the latter two, in keeping with tendencies in North German Lutheranism of the late 1600s – also were interested in the network of spiritual allusions that numerology and other intricate symbolic systems could provide. Likely they would have been amused, and approving, of their being linked tonight through the number seven – a very pregnant number, indeed, in Lutheran theology. The earliest of the three works on tonight’s program, Schütz’s Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross, is the most obviously linked to the number of the day. It did not circulate in print during Schütz’s career. The words of Christ are sonically highlighted, sung by a soloist with a composed-out string accompaniment, and they alternate with settings of scriptural passages supported by simpler harmonic and instrumental backup, mixing more modern solo styles with traditional four-part textures. This piece is an early example of the tradition of dramatic singing-through-scripture that would eventually bring us J.S. Bach’s monolithic Eastertide Passions.

 

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6. Versus 5 - Arie B Hier ist das rechte Osterlamm, Davon Gott hat geboten, Das ist hoch an des Kreuzes Stamm In heißer Lieb gebraten, Das Blut zeichnet unsre Tür, Das hält der Glaub dem Tode für, Der Würger kann uns nicht mehr schaden. Halleluja!

6. Verse 5 - Aria B Here is the true Easter-lamb, offered up by God, which was, high on the cross' stalk roasted in hot love, the blood marks our door, faith holds it against death, the strangler can no longer harm us. Hallelujah!

7. Versus 6 - Duett S T So feiern wir das hohe Fest Mit Herzensfreud und Wonne, Das uns der Herre scheinen läßt, Er ist selber die Sonne, Der durch seiner Gnade Glanz Erleuchtet unsre Herzen ganz, Der Sünden Nacht ist verschwunden. Halleluja!

7. Verse 6 - Duet S T So we celebrate the high festival with joy of heart and delight, which the Lord radiates upon us, He himself is the sun, that through the splendor of his grace illuminates our hearts completely, the night of sin has disappeared. Hallelujah!

8. Versus 7 - Choral Wir essen und leben wohl In rechten Osterfladen, Der alte Sauerteig nicht soll Sein bei dem Wort der Gnaden, Christus will die Koste sein Und speisen die Seel allein, Der Glaub will keins andern leben. Halleluja!

8. Verse 7 - Chorale We eat and live well on the true Easter bread, the old leaven shall not exist next to the word of grace, Christ will be our food and nourish the soul alone, faith will live in no other way. Hallelujah!

"Christ lag in Todes Banden," Martin Luther, 1524

 

Evangel ist (Tenor) Es stand aber bei dem Kreuze Jesu seine Mutter ! und seiner Mutter Schwester, Maria, Cleophas Weib, und Maria Magdalena. !Da nun Jesus seine Mutter sahe und den Jünger dabei stehen,! den er lieb hatte, sprach er zu seine Mutter,  

Evangel ist (tenor) By Jesus' cross stood his mother and his mother's sister Maria, wife of Cleophas, and Maria Magdalena. When Jesus saw his mother and near her the young man he had loved, he said to his mother:  

Jesus Weib, siehe, das ist dein Sohn!! Evangel ist (Tenor) Darnach spricht er zu dem Jünger, Jesus Johannes, siehe, das ist deine Mutter! ! Evangel ist (Tenor) !Und von Stund an nahm sie der Jünger zu sich. Evangel ist (Sopran) !Aber der Übeltäter einer, die da gehenkt waren, lästert’ ihn und sprach:! Schächer zur Linken (Alt) ! Bist du Christus, so hilf dir selbst und uns! ! Evangel ist (Sopran): Da antwortete der ander, strafte ihn und sprach, Schächer zur Rechten (Baß) !Und du, fürchtest dich auch nicht vor Gott, der du doch in gleicher Verdammnis bist? ! Und zwar wir sind billig darinnen, denn wir empfangen,! was unsre Taten wert sind; dieser aber hat nichts Ungerechtes gehandelt.! Evangel ist (Sopran) Und sprach zu Jesu Schächer zur Rechten (Baß) Herr gedenke an mich, wenn du in dein Reich kommst!! Evangel ist (Sopran) Und Jesus sprach, Jesus Wahrlich ich sage dir, Heute wirst du mit mir im Paradies sein.

Jesus Woman, behold your son! ! Evangel ist (tenor) And then he said to the young one: ! Jesus John, behold your mother! ! Evangel ist (tenor) And from then on the young man took her with him.! Evangel ist (soprano) But one of the two villains that were hung there, insulted him by saying:! Left Th ief (alto) You are the Christ, so help yourself and us! ! Evangel ist (soprano) But the other replied, rebutting him:! Right Thief (bass) And you, do you not fear God, you who are damned like me? We are suffering a just fate, because we gather the fruits of our actions; but he did nothing bad.! Evangel ist (soprano) And he said to Jesus:! Right Thief (bass) Lord, remember me when you will be in your kingdom! ! Evangel ist (soprano) And Jesus said to him:! Jesus In truth, I tell you: today you'll be in Heaven with me.

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  CHRIST LAG IN TODESBANDEN 1. Sinfonia 2. Versus 1 - Choral Christ lag in Todesbanden Für unsre Sünd gegeben, Er ist wieder erstanden Und hat uns bracht das Leben; Des wir sollen fröhlich sein, Gott loben und ihm dankbar sein Und singen halleluja, Halleluja!

Christ lay in death's bonds given over for our sins, He has risen again and brought us life; therefore we should be joyful, praise God and be thankful to Him and sing Hallelujah, Hallelujah!

3. Versus 2 - Duett S A Den Tod niemand zwingen kunnt Bei allen Menschenkindern, Das macht' alles unsre Sünd, Kein Unschuld war zu finden. Davon kam der Tod so bald Und nahm über uns Gewalt, Hielt uns in seinem Reich gefangen. Halleluja!

No one could defeat death among all humanity, this was all because of our sins, no innocence was to be found. Therefore death came so soon and took power over us, held us captive in his kingdom. Hallelujah!

4. Versus 3 - Choral T Jesus Christus, Gottes Sohn, An unser Statt ist kommen Und hat die Sünde weggetan, Damit dem Tod genommen All sein Recht und sein Gewalt, Da bleibet nichts denn Tods Gestalt, Den Stach'l hat er verloren. Halleluja!

Jesus Christ, God's son, has come in our place, and has done away with sin, thereby taking from death all his rights and power, nothing remains but death's form; he has lost his sting. Hallelujah!

5. Versus 4 - Choral Es war ein wunderlicher Krieg, Da Tod und Leben rungen, Das Leben behielt den Sieg, Es hat den Tod verschlungen. Die Schrift hat verkündigt das, Wie ein Tod den andern fraß, Ein Spott aus dem Tod ist worden. Halleluja!

It was a strange battle, that death and life waged, life claimed the victory, it devoured death. The scripture had prophesied this, how one death gobbled up the other, a mockery has been made out of death. Hallelujah!

 

Evangel ist (Choir) Und um die neunte Stunde schrie Jesus laut und sprach, Jesus Eli, Eli, lama asabthani? ! Evangel ist (Chorus) Das ist verdolmetschet: Jesus Mein Gott, mein Gott, warum hast du mich verlassen? ! Evangel ist (Altus) Darnach als Jesus wußte, daß schon alles vollbracht war, ! daß die Schrift erfüllet würde, sprach er, Jesus Mich dürstet! ! Evangel ist (Tenor): Und einer von den Kriegesknechten lief bald hin, nahm einen Schwamm und füllte ihn mit Essig und Ysopen ! und steckte ihn auf ein Rohr und hielt ihn dar zum Munde und tränkte ihn. ! Da nun Jesus den Essig genommen hatte, sprach er, Jesus Es ist vollbracht!! Evangel ist (Tenor) Und abermal rief Jesus laut und sprach, Jesus Vater, ich befehle meinen Geist in deine Hände!! Evangel ist (Chorus) Und als er das gesagt hatte,!neiget er das Haupt und gab seinen Geist auf.

Evangel ist (chorus) And in the ninth hour, Jesus cried out:! Jesus Eli, Eli, lama asabthani? Evangel ist (chorus) which means: ! Jesus My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? ! Evangel ist (alto) Then, since he knew that all was accomplished so that the scriptures were fulfilled, Jesus said: ! Jesus I am thirsty! ! Evangel ist (tenor) And one of the centurions came, took a sponge, filled it with vinegar and hyssop, put it on a reed, raised it to his mouth and he drank. When Jesus had drunk the vinegar, he said.! Jesus It is finished. ! Evangel ist (tenor) And again he cried and said: ! Jesus Father, I commend my spirit into your hands! ! Evangel ist (chorus) And after saying this, he lowered his head and gave up his spirit.  

Symphon ia  

 

Conclusio (Chorus) Wer Gottes Marter in Ehren hat und oft gedenkt der sieben Wort,!deß will Gott gar eben pflegen, wohl hie auf Erd mit seiner Gnad, und dort in dem ewigen Leben.  

Conclusion (Chorus) Those who honor the martyrdom of God and remember the seven words often, God will take care of down here, through his grace, and down there in the eternal life.  

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