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Heinrich SCHÜTZ (1585 - 1672): "Schwanengesang" (SWV 482-494)
La Capella Ducale; Musica Fiata
Dir: Roland Wilson
rec: August 31 - Sept 2, 2020, Berlin-Oberschöneweide, Christuskirche
CPO - 555 424-2 (© 2022) (84'20")
Liner-notes: E/D; lyrics - translations: E
Cover, track-list & booklet
Scores
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Königs und Propheten Davids Hundert und Neunzehender Psalm in Eilf Stükken nebenst dem Anhange des 100. Psalms: Jauchzet dem Herrn! und Eines deutschen Magnificats: Meine Seele erhöbt den Herrn (SWV 482-494)
[LCD] Marie-Luise Werneburg, Magdalena Podkoscielna, soprano;
Alexander Scheider, David Erler, altus;
Tobias Hunger, Johannes Gaubitz, tenor;
Markus Flaig, Joachim Höchbauer, bass
[MF] Roland Wilson, Anna Schall, François Petit-Laurent, cornett;
Gerd Schnackenberg, Detlef Reimers, David Yacus, Clemens Erdmann, sackbut;
Nora Hansen, Elisabeth Kaufhold, Claudis Kamp, dulcian;
Claudia Mende, violin;
Uwe Ulbrich, violin, viola;
Michael Freimuth, lute, chitarrone;
Johannes Gontarski, chitarrone;
Arno Schneider, Klaus Eichhorn, organ
Until the classical period composers wrote music usually as part of their duties as Kapellmeister at a court or a church. That does not mean that they did not want to write such music or, in the case of vocal music, did not share the content of the texts they set, but one cannot always connect the music to the personal feelings or faith of the composer. However, there are some pieces which undoubtedly have a more personal character. An example is the last work Orlandus Lassus composed, the Lagrime di San Pietro. Another one is the Klag-Lied Dieterich Buxtehude composed at the occasion of the death of his father. The most monumental specimen of such a composition is the so-called Schwanengesang by Heinrich Schütz.
He reached the exceptional age of 87. Several times towards the end of his life he had asked to be released from his duties as Oberkapellmeister at the court in Dresden, but to no avail. He indicated that he felt it increasingly hard to fulfill all his obligations, and that composing music became more and more difficult as well. In the early 1670's he started to make preparations for his funeral. He asked his former colleague - probably pupil - Christoph Bernhard to compose a motet on the text which he had chosen for the sermon. It was the 54th verse from Psalm 119: "Deine Rechte sind mein Lied in meinem Hause" (Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my sojourning). Despite his age and his deteriorating health he undertook the huge task of composing the whole psalm himself. The result - with additional settings of Psalm 100 and the Magnificat on German text - was what was called in his circle the Schwanengesang (the swan song). The official title was Königs und Propheten Davids Hundert und Neunzehender Psalm in Eilf Stükken nebenst dem Anhange des 100. Psalms: Jauchzet dem Herrn! und Eines deutschen Magnificats: Meine Seele erhöbt den Herrn.
Psalm 119 isn't only exceptional in its length, it is also its content which makes it unique in the whole of the Bible. It is a lengthy ode on the Word of God and his commandments. The tone is set in the first verses: "Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!". This Psalm was considered a summary of the whole Bible, both Old and New Testament. Its 176 verses are grouped into sections of eight, and every section is marked with a letter from the Hebrew alphabet (from Aleph to Thau), which led this Psalm being called the 'Golden ABC'. It says much about Schütz's spiritual convictions that it is a verse from this particular Psalm which he chose as the subject for the sermon at his funeral and that he set the whole Psalm as his 'swan song'.
Psalm 119 is set in eleven motets and every motet consists of sixteen verses (two sections of eight each). The opening line of each motet and the first line of the doxology are sung in plainchant in the way of an intonation on the Psalm tone. All the motets are written for two four-part choirs with a basso seguente. Just as this work reflects the faith of Schütz, it is a testimony of his artistic ideals. During his whole career Schütz followed musical developments - in particular in Italy - very closely, and mostly with sympathy, but at the same time he always stuck to what he learned from his first teacher, Giovanni Gabrieli. During the 17th century the concertato style became more and more fashionable, at the cost of the polyphony which was the feature of the stile antico. But Schütz always underlined the importance of polyphony as the foundation of the art of composing. One of his main collections of music, the Geistliche Chor-Music of 1648, is an impressive statement of his aesthetic ideals. And it can hardly be a coincidence that at the end of his life he followed up on what he stated with that opus. In line with this is the motet for his funeral he asked Christoph Bernhard to compose: it had to be written in the stile antico, and when Schütz received it he was completely satisfied, and stated that there wasn't a single note he could improve. He must have been very happy to see that the art of writing polyphony hadn't died out.
Another feature of Schütz's compositional style is the attention he pays to the text. That was the reason he was called musicus poeticus. His main focus was always to express the text in his music. And to that end he made use of all tools a composer of his time had at his disposal. In this work he uses the split of the ensemble into two choirs to create dynamic contrasts: the two choirs join each other to single out verses which Schütz must have wanted to give special attention. For instance, in the very first motet three lines are emphasized: "verlaß mich nimmermehr" (do not utterly forsake me!), "gelobet sei der Herr" (blessed are you, O Lord), and "schaue auf deine Wege" (fix my eyes on your ways). Repetition of the same word or phrase in both choirs is used to enhance the emotion ("ach, ach"; SWV 486) or to increase the expression ("hilf mir"; SWV 487 - "hasse"; SWV 489). The use of specific rhythmic patterns also serves the emphasis on some passages in the text, like "deine Rechte sind mein Lied in meinem Hause" (SWV 485) - the text of the sermon at Schütz's funeral. Direct text illustration is, for instance, the extended treatment of lines with words like "ewiglich" and "immer und ewiglich" (ever [and ever]). Repetition is also used to depict specific words, in particular "Verfolger" (persecutors). The last motet of Psalm 119 is the most intimate. Here the poet expresses his longing for God's salvation. It is dominated by lines like "Let my cry come before you, O Lord", "Let your hand be ready to help me", "Let my soul live and praise you" and ends with "seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments." It brings to a close one of Schütz's most impressive compositions.
Schütz added two pieces, which are included under the heading of Anhang (appendix). However, they are clearly connected to Psalm 119. Psalm 100 is a song of praise for God: "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!" The second piece is a setting of the Magnificat, the canticle of Mary, which can be considered the connection between the Old and the New Testament, as it is linked with the Song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2). The Magnificat is a reworking of an older composition, but again in two choirs. It closes with an extended doxology, in which "in Ewigkeit, Amen" (for ever and ever, Amen) is repeated a number of times. Musically speaking, Psalm 100 is even closer connected to Schütz's setting of Psalm 119, as here again the first lines of the Psalm and the doxology are sung in plainchant.
Schütz doesn't give any indication as to whether and, if so, which instruments should be used. But there is general agreement that in those of his works which are strongly rooted in the tradition of counterpoint, instruments can or should be used to support the voices. Roland Wilson is not the only one who does so, but his application of this practice is different from any previous recording I know. In his liner-notes he expresses his agreement with a statement by the editor of the first modern edition of the Schwanengesang, Wolfram Steude, that "[the] early Psalmen Davids and the Schwanengesang not only presuppose the same principles of performance practice, they are also related to one another in other respects (...)". The Psalmen Davids were published in 1619 and show the strong influence of the Venetian cori spezzati technique. These similarities between this collection of Psalms and the Schwanengesang are striking indeed. It is interesting to look at Schütz's remarks regarding the performance practice in the preface to his Psalmen Davids. A particularly important element is the option of adding capellae - groups of voces and/or instruments. Wilson decided to apply the suggestions in that preface in his recording of the Schwanengesang. In some motets he goes as far as transposing upwards or downwards.
The track-list mentions the line-up in each motet. The first, Wohl denen die ohne Wandel leben, is performed in probably the most common way: eight voices in two choirs, with two additional capellae of instruments, one with two strings (violin, viola) and two winds (sackbut, bassoon) and one with two cornetts and two sackbuts. In the second motet, Tue wohl deinem Knechte, the line-up is very different: the first choir comprises two violins and two voices (AT), the second one voice (A) and three sackbuts. The third is then performed in a very basic scoring: eight voices and basso continuo. Although the combinations of voices and instruments differs from one piece to the other, these are the three main ways of performing these motets. This way Wilson's performance is a real alternative to the recordings that are available, such as those directed by Philippe Herreweghe and Hans-Christoph Rademann.
Whether this performance convinces is partly a matter of taste. There are two issues. First, although there are unmistakable similarities between the Schwanengesang and the Psalmen Davids, there is one meaningful difference: the Psalms are separate pieces which are connected by the choice of texts - mostly from the Book of Psalms - and their compositional style. The Schwanengesang is undoubtedly meant as a cycle. That may suggest a more or less similar way of performing. Changing the line-up from one piece to the other may well break up the continuity expected in a cycle. Second, the use of instruments as here and especially the way there are used, sometimes has the effect that the text is not that well intelligible. And that is what is a central issue in Schütz's work as a composer, as I have indicated above.
That said, this is a very interesting angle to look at Schütz's masterpiece, and the performers defend this approach very well. In fact, these performances are quite exciting. La Capella Ducale and Musica Fiata are two top-class ensembles, which include some of the finest specialists in music of the 16th and 17th centuries. Wilson has a very good ear for voices, and that results in entirely consistent performances, in which all voices blend perfectly. The performers show also a good understanding of what the text is about.
Whatever one may think about the decisions Roland Wilson has taken, this is a compelling interpretation of one of Schütz's masterworks, and an important addition to the discography of his oeuvre.
Johan van Veen (© 2024)
Relevant links:
La Capella Ducale & Musica Fiata