Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, O Herr
Amazingly, I discovered not long ago that I had never posted the chorale 'Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, O Herr', one of my all-time favorites.
I think I have more or less made up for this omission by focusing on this chorale entirely in our Bach Talk last week. But some of you weren't there, and for those who were, I am attaching at least one movement for which we didn't have time last Wednesday.
The chorale appeared in the latter years of the 16th-century, but probably has earlier roots. The text was published in 1571, though with a different melody; the melody many of us know and love was first published six years later, though in an embellished form.
'Herzlich lieb' is best known as the final chorale of Bach's St. John Passion; but Bach set the piece a number of times. In this zip file is a score and recording of the closing chorale from Cantata 174. This setting is wonderful in its own right, and also can serve well for those of you who don't already know the chorale to get to know the melody and the first-verse words.
But the real focus of this post is the three-verse setting by Dieterich Buxtehude (c.1638-1707). We listened to and sang with the outer movements of this incredible piece in our Bach Talk; but time limitations meant we had to skip the second movement. In the same zip file you will find the entire score, with a great recording and a text-translation.
Working with vocal soloists, a four-part choir, and a five-part string ensemble, Buxtehude has created an entire self-contained musical world in this piece, all built around our chorale. In the first movement, he presents the melody sung free and clear by the sopranos, accompanied by a veritable instrumental concerto which would be a complete, compelling work even without the chorale.
In the second and third movements, he responds--moment by moment, and also on a larger scale--to the text by creating two 'chorale fantasies': Explorations of the surface and deeper meaning inherent in the text, using his forces in ever-creative fashion. The melody circles through each movement, sometimes clear as a bell, sometimes less obvious in the texture, but always serving as a guiding light, along with the touching, hopeful words of the chorale.
It's not hyperbole to say that this work is a true masterpiece. No wonder the young Bach was so entranced by Buxtehude's music that he walked 200 miles to meet him, to get to know him, to hear him play, to sit (metaphorically) at his feet. Bach overstayed his leave from Arnstadt (for which he was duly reprimanded) so that he could glean everything possible from this veritable Orpheus of Lübeck.
Listen! Peruse! Enjoy! Let me know what you think!
Amazingly, I discovered not long ago that I had never posted the chorale 'Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, O Herr', one of my all-time favorites.
I think I have more or less made up for this omission by focusing on this chorale entirely in our Bach Talk last week. But some of you weren't there, and for those who were, I am attaching at least one movement for which we didn't have time last Wednesday.
The chorale appeared in the latter years of the 16th-century, but probably has earlier roots. The text was published in 1571, though with a different melody; the melody many of us know and love was first published six years later, though in an embellished form.
'Herzlich lieb' is best known as the final chorale of Bach's St. John Passion; but Bach set the piece a number of times. In this zip file is a score and recording of the closing chorale from Cantata 174. This setting is wonderful in its own right, and also can serve well for those of you who don't already know the chorale to get to know the melody and the first-verse words.
But the real focus of this post is the three-verse setting by Dieterich Buxtehude (c.1638-1707). We listened to and sang with the outer movements of this incredible piece in our Bach Talk; but time limitations meant we had to skip the second movement. In the same zip file you will find the entire score, with a great recording and a text-translation.
Working with vocal soloists, a four-part choir, and a five-part string ensemble, Buxtehude has created an entire self-contained musical world in this piece, all built around our chorale. In the first movement, he presents the melody sung free and clear by the sopranos, accompanied by a veritable instrumental concerto which would be a complete, compelling work even without the chorale.
In the second and third movements, he responds--moment by moment, and also on a larger scale--to the text by creating two 'chorale fantasies': Explorations of the surface and deeper meaning inherent in the text, using his forces in ever-creative fashion. The melody circles through each movement, sometimes clear as a bell, sometimes less obvious in the texture, but always serving as a guiding light, along with the touching, hopeful words of the chorale.
It's not hyperbole to say that this work is a true masterpiece. No wonder the young Bach was so entranced by Buxtehude's music that he walked 200 miles to meet him, to get to know him, to hear him play, to sit (metaphorically) at his feet. Bach overstayed his leave from Arnstadt (for which he was duly reprimanded) so that he could glean everything possible from this veritable Orpheus of Lübeck.
Listen! Peruse! Enjoy! Let me know what you think!