Although his name sounds very familiar to us by the valley named after him, little is known about the life and personality of Neander so...

Although his name sounds very familiar to us by the valley named after him, little is known about the life and personality of Neander so far. Born in Bremen, he studies reformed theology in his hometown and experiences his personal awakening through the sermon of a newly appointed pastor. He himself becomes an early supporter and representative of Pietism – the reform movement among the Protestants who put piety and prayer into the center of religious practice. Repentance and self-observation are important as well as the idea of edification. His poorly paid job in Düsseldorf will have been less edifying; it was the frond service common at the time leading at least to a parish office. But in his free time Joachim Neander follows his vocation. He hikes through today‘s Neandertal and sings the praise of God and the beauty of creation. When the municipality looks for a new curate Neander is left out. But than a call from his hometown reaches him: Pastor Underyck – whose sermon once touched the young Neander – brings him back to Bremen in 1679 as a preacher who is particularly responsible for the services at five o’clock in the morning. One year later Joachim Neander dies thirty years old only, but he had succeeded in completing his booklet entitled “Belief and Love Exercise, Topped by simple-minded covenant-songs and psalms of thanksgiving“. It comprises 58 titles of which he arranged 43 himself and marked 17 with the note “own melody“. About half of the pieces can be heard on the album in alternating sequences of solo or duet vocals with and without lute accompaniment matching the intimate character of the music.