German sacred Madrigals in „sonderbar anmüthig Italian Madrigalischer Manier“
From 01 June 2024 to 02 June 2024/ Germany / Hamburg
ENSEMBLE POLYHARMONIQUE
Joowon Chung, Anna Nesyba | Sopran
Alexander Schneider | Alt & primus inter pares
Johannes Gaubitz, Christopher Renz | Tenor
Matthias Lutze | Bass
Flóra Fábri | Truhenorgel
Sacred madrigals? This sounds paradoxical at first, as we know either polyphonic sacred motets or secular madrigals from the early Baroque period. In the works of Heinrich Schütz, Christoph Bernhard, Johann Vierdanck Johann Hermann Schein, Andreas Hammerschmidt and Michael Praetorius, both styles are combined, and one spoke of a ‘peculiarly pleasant Italian madrigal manner’ or ‘a peculiar, lovely madrigal style’. The four- to six-part chants, accompanied only by the basso continuo, which were intended for use in church services, are among the treasures of 17th century Central German vocal music.
The programme invites you to discover the lively polyphonic music of Schütz and Praetorius and its further development by their younger composer colleagues. In his Geistliche Chor-Music 1648, the old master Heinrich Schütz shows how it was still possible to write lively polyphonic music in pure counterpoint style around the middle of the century without violating the sacrosanct compositional rules of the 16th century. Together with the Ensemble Polyharmonique, the audience can experience the artistic structures of these works and be carried away by the expressive stylistic devices in the spirit of Monteverdi. If today's audiences are able to surrender to the pervasiveness of this music, they will certainly be rewarded with the highest artistic enjoyment!
Alexander Schneider | Alt & primus inter pares
Johannes Gaubitz, Christopher Renz | Tenor
Matthias Lutze | Bass
Flóra Fábri | Truhenorgel
Sacred madrigals? This sounds paradoxical at first, as we know either polyphonic sacred motets or secular madrigals from the early Baroque period. In the works of Heinrich Schütz, Christoph Bernhard, Johann Vierdanck Johann Hermann Schein, Andreas Hammerschmidt and Michael Praetorius, both styles are combined, and one spoke of a ‘peculiarly pleasant Italian madrigal manner’ or ‘a peculiar, lovely madrigal style’. The four- to six-part chants, accompanied only by the basso continuo, which were intended for use in church services, are among the treasures of 17th century Central German vocal music.
The programme invites you to discover the lively polyphonic music of Schütz and Praetorius and its further development by their younger composer colleagues. In his Geistliche Chor-Music 1648, the old master Heinrich Schütz shows how it was still possible to write lively polyphonic music in pure counterpoint style around the middle of the century without violating the sacrosanct compositional rules of the 16th century. Together with the Ensemble Polyharmonique, the audience can experience the artistic structures of these works and be carried away by the expressive stylistic devices in the spirit of Monteverdi. If today's audiences are able to surrender to the pervasiveness of this music, they will certainly be rewarded with the highest artistic enjoyment!
