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  • Deep Dives
    • 2024-2025 Concerts >
      • William Byrd: Angelical and Divine
      • Heinrich Schütz: The Orpheus of the 17th Century
      • George Frideric Handel: Messiah
      • Samuel Scheidt: The Art of Variation
      • Ludwig Senfl: A Gifted Imagination
      • Claudio Monteverdi: A New Manner of Composing
      • J.S. Bach: Bach Around Thirty
    • Donate today!
  • Tickets
    • Tickets
    • Subscriptions
  • Who we are and What we do
    • Board of Directors and Staff
    • Mission Statement
  • Our Ensembles
    • Sonoma Bach Choir
    • Circa 1600
    • Green Mountain Consort
    • Live Oak Baroque Orchestra
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Sponsor a Singer!
    • Escrip & Amazon Smile
  • Resources
    • Virtual Offerings - Archive >
      • The Choir Loft
      • Virtual BachTalk
      • Adventures in Sightsinging
      • Madrigal Mondays
      • Chorale Wednesdays
      • Motet Fridays
      • Virtual Recording Projects
      • Virtual Concerts >
        • Live Oak Baroque Orchestra
        • Music for these Distracted Times - Barefoot All-Stars
        • Agave Baroque American Originals
        • Bach's Long Walk to Lübeck - Anne Laver, organ
    • Concert Programs
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Herzlich tut mich verlangen
Hi, I was all set to send out an intriguing Lassus motet for last Friday's post, but circumstances intervened, delaying and ultimately leading to a delay and to a Change of Plan. The Lassus will come along in due time (it'll be well worth the wait), but apropos of various recent threads concerning the Passion chorale--aka Herzlich tut mich verlangen--I thought it would be timely to send out a new-to-me setting of that great and moving melody.

It's by Johann Fischer (1646-c1717), and the only extant manuscript is in the Düben Collection, a massive anthology of printed and manuscript scores begun in the 1640's in Sweden and housed in Uppsala, Sweden. As you can see from the attached score, the piece is scored for five strings. It includes multiple statements of the melody, appearing in different parts and always bearing the indication c.f. ('cantus firmus', the chorale).

You can listen to a very nice recording of the piece at this link. I love the way the melody drifts from part to part, with little interludes separating the statements. The entire setting seems like a reflection upon grief, dwelling in the state for an extended period; but each time the melody reaches the major-key move in the B section, the sun seems to come out for a bit like a ray of sunshine piercing the darkness.

So restrained. So expressive. So beautiful!

There is a connection between the Fischer and Sonoma Bach's 'World of Wonder' concert coming up on Saturday afternoon: That repertoire includes several pieces also preserved in the Düben Collection. I hope you'll be able to join us--Dianna Morgan, Chris Fritzsche and a septet version of the Live Oak Baroque Orchestra. (I'll be turning pages.) Great performers all, and the music is staggeringly beautiful. And it'll be great to be back n Schroeder! Here's a link if you want to get some tickets.​
Click here to download score
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