Georg Philipp Telemann: Du aber Daniel, gehe hin – cantata
1. Sonata
2. Chorus – Du aber Daniel, gehe hin
3. Recitative – Mit Freunden folgt die Seele (bass)
4. Aria – Du Aufenthalt der blassen Sorgen (bass)
5. Recitative – Mit sehnendem Verlangen (soprano)
6. Aria – Brecht, ihr müden Augenlieder (soprano)
7. Recitative – Dir ist, hochsel’ger Mann (bass)
8. Chorus – Schlaft wohl, ihr seligen Gebeine
This funeral music, composed in memory of an unknown deceased person, was discovered in the manuscript collection of Berlin Sing-Akademie. The score originates from the estate of Jakob Ditmar (1702–1781), cantor of St. Nicholas Church in Berlin. The estate preserved a copy of the score of Telemann’s work as well as the vocal parts of several pieces composed by Ditmar. According to a note found in Telemann’s score, the cantata Du aber Daniel, gehe hin was performed in 1757 at the funeral service of a preacher: for this performance Ditmar supplemented the original piece with a few choral movements. The Berlin production featured an ensemble that was exceptionally large for the period. The date of composition and the intended purpose of Telemann’s (1681–1767) original work are unknown. However, the grand-scale orchestration of the work suggests that the deceased may have been a nobleman or a distinguished citizen (a clerical or secular official). The text of the cantata alludes to a crown and to the enduring fame of the deceased (“Even if decay is seen, his glory will nevertheless endure”). The author of the text of the cantata is also unknown. The introductory biblical quotation comes from the final chapter of the Book of Daniel (“As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance”). The choral verse inserted by Ditmar, which reads “Komm, o Tod, du Schlafes Bruder”, is the fifth verse of Johann Franck’s (1618–1677) church hymn Du, o schönes Weltgebäude. The verses appended at the end of the composition reading “Since you have risen from the dead” and “Thus I depart to Jesus Christ” are the fourth and fifth verses of Nikolaus Herman’s (1500–1561) hymn entitled When my appointed hour is come.
Johann Sebastian Bach: Fantasia in G major, BWV 572
The author’s own manuscript version of this very organ piece by Bach (1685–1750) has not survived: the surviving copies were made from an early version written in the 1710s and a revised version prepared in the 1720s. The first version of the piece was probably composed in Weimar, while the second may have been written in Köthen in the months prior to Bach’s move to Leipzig. The early version is known from Johann Gottfried Walther’s copy (bearing the inscription on the title page: “Pièce d’Orgue di Giov: Sebast: Bach”) whilst the revised version is known from a copy made by one of Bach’s pupils in Köthen. The title, which refers to the piece’s genre (fantasy), appeared in 19th-century editions.
Alessandro Scarlatti: Dixit Dominus
1. Dixit Dominus
2. Donec ponam inimicos tuos
3. Virgam virtutis tuae
4. Tecum principium
5. Iuravit Dominus
6. Dominus a dextris tuis
7. De torrente in via bibet
8. Gloria Patri
Alessandro Scarlatti (1660–1725) was one of the most prolific composers of Baroque music. He composed secular cantatas, operas and numerous works of sacred music, and was one of the most important representatives of the Neapolitan School style, which exerted a Europe-wide influence and can be traced right back to Mozart. Alessandro Scarlatti wrote four different works based on the text of Psalm 110. Of his musical settings of Dixit dominus (The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. “Rule in the midst of Your enemies! … In the day of Your power, in the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your youth), the best known and most outstanding is the ‘quattro voci concertato’ version, which is described by music historical accounts as an elegant blend of traditional polyphony (such as the Palestrina style) and the contemporary Neapolitan Baroque style.
Bach, Telemann and Scarlatti
2 SEPT 8 PM
Matthias Church
TICKETS