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Mitten wir im Leben sind
This week we have another Luther chorale, though only the text is generally attributed to him; the melody (as far as we know) is by Luther's colleague Johann Walter, one of the earliest composers to set Luther's chorales in parts.

The lyrics for 'Mitten wir im Leben sind' were derived by Luther from the chant 'Media vita in morte sumus', an ancient antiphon possibly written in the 10th century by Notker Balbulus, a monk at St. Gall (possibly much earlier). In Renaissance times, it was often sung to ask God for aid during trying times; thus its peculiar relevance in the current Corona Period.

Sources often state that the melody is an adaptation of the chant, but I have not been able to trace it. It seems to have arisen out of the mind of Johann Walter (quite possibly in collaboration with Luther). Like the text, it is somewhat discursive and extremely expressive. Unusual is a sort of internal exclamatory refrain which occurs in each verse: 'Holy Lord God! Holy Mighty God! Holy merciful Savior'. The chorale ends with a descent on 'Kyrie eleison'.

I'm including two very different arrangements of 'Mitten wir im Leben sind'. First, Bach's 4-part setting (BWV 383), one of his many chorales probably originating in lost cantatas. The piece is yet another Bach tour de force, with incredible lower lines adorning and supporting the ascetic melody. Don't miss spending some time with this piece!

Second, I am attaching materials for Arnoldus von Bruck's setting. Bruck (c.1500-1554) was born in Bruges, but worked in many places in Europe, including Ljubljana, Zagreb, Vienna and Linz. He wrote in much the same style as Johann Walter, but with his own highly expressive twists and turns of phrase.

In his setting of 'Mitten wir im Leben', Von Bruck places the melody in the tenor voice, as was common during the early Reformation. Around this structural voice, he weaves the other three parts, mostly imitating the chorale tune. Liberties are taken: Both the refrain (noted above) and the closing 'Kyrie' are extended and embellished, producing special a special urgency and sense of demand.

All of these features are stunningly rendered by the attached recording by the German quartet Stimmwerck. If you do nothing else with this project, you must listen to this performance!
Mitten wir im Leben sind by J.S. Bach
Click here to download practice materials
Mitten wir im Leben sind by Arnoldus von Bruck
click here to download practice materials
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