CPO

Historia Nativitatis - Schütz: Christmas Oratorio (after SWV 435) / Ensemble Polyharmonique

$36.99

In stock - typically processed within 24-48 hours

Spend $60 or more and shipping's on us!

Details

Composer
Wolfgang Carl Briegel, Sethus Calvisius, Johann Georg Carl, Philipp Dulichius, Johann Eccard, Melchi
Artist
Magdalene Harer, Johannes Gaubitz, Joowon Chung, A
Format
CD
Discs
2
Label
CPO
Released
Jan 14, 2022
Catalog #
555432-2
UPC
761203543229

About

During the seventeenth century the historia developed in Protestant church music as a genre telling the Easter, Passion, and Christmas stories in the words of Luther’s Bible. The Dresden chapel master Heinrich Schütz, who was renowned far and wide already during his lifetime, drew on this form as early as 1623. And when he had his Weihnachtsthistorie published in 1664, it replaced the older historia in the setting by Rogier Michael, Schütz’s predecessor as chapel master, though Schütz retained most of Michael’s text. As manifold tractates and introductions in printed music of the seventeenth century often indicate, the works to be performed are to be presented in keeping with the circumstances and resources available in the performance location. Accordingly, Schütz also let it be known in his introduction to the Weihnachtshistorie that he “left it open to set these ten concertos in a manner pleasing to them and for the corpus musicum available to them, either entirely anew by themselves in a different way or to have them composed by others.” This idea inspired the members of the Polyharmonique ensemble to produce an alternative version of the Weihnachtshistorie that would be practicable for their particular ensemble. The resultant HISTORIA NATIVITATIS strictly follows the formal intention of “Sagittarius Schütz” and was set for a “corpus musicum” of six voice parts, two violins, curtal, and a colorful basso continuo.