Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672): Psalmen Davids (1619)

Five Concertos for Soloists, Choruses & Instruments
00:00 Psalm 136: Danket dem Herren, denn er ist freundlich, SWV 45
for two 4-part solo ensembles (2 sopranos, alto, tenor, countertenor, 3 trombones), 5-part chorus, trumpets and timpani, and continuo
10:14 Psalm 6: Ach Herr, straf mich nicht in deinem Zorn, SWV 24
for two 4-part choruses and continuo
16:23 Psalm 23: Der Herr ist mein Hirt, SWV 33
for 4-part solo ensemble (soprano, alto, tenor, bass), two 4-part choruses, and continuo
21:59 Psalm 128: Wohl dem, der den Herren fürchtet, SWV 30
for high and low 4-part choruses and continuo
28:46 Canzone: Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren (Psalm 103), SWV 41
for 4-part solo ensemble (soprano, alto, tenor, bass), two 4-part choruses, two 5-part instrumental ensembles, and continuo
Adele Stolte, Rotraud Riedel-Pax: sopranos
Frauke Haasemann: alto
Bernhard Michaelis: countertenor
Hans-Joachim Rotzsch, Johannes Hoefflin: tenors
Wilhelm Pommerien: bass
Westphalian Choral Ensemble
Walter Holy: clarino, trumpet, cornetto
Pieter Dolk: clarino, trumpet
Helmut Finke: clarino
Willy Walther, Josef Feck, Lothar Zinke: trombone
Friedel Scherz: timpani
Helmut Winschermann, Atsoko Matsuyama: oboe
Tilmann Weber: oboe d’amore
Peter Adamzyk: English horn
Helman Jung: bassoon
Karl-Heinz Böttner: lute
Arno Schönstedt: harpsichord
Jörg-Neithart Keller: positive organ
Heinrich Haferland: viola da gamba, cello
Gunhild Münch-Holland: viola da gamba
Christa Labsch: cello
Hans Koch: violone
Claus Fink: double-bass
Wilhelm Ehmann, conductor
Source: Psalmen Davids sampt etlichen Moteten und Concerten mit acht und mehr Stimmen... Gestellet durch Henrich Schützen..., Dresden, 1619
Modern Edition: Ed. by Wilhelm Ehmann (Heinrich Schütz: Neue Ausgabe sämtlicher Werke XXIII-XXVI), Kassel, in prep.
Art: detail of King David playing the harp (1622), by Gerard van Honthorst (1592-1656)

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In 1609, Heinrich Schütz went to Venice to study with Giovanni Gabrieli. The young composer underwent a strict course in counterpoint, which soon bore fruit in a remarkable book of madrigals, but more important, he steeped himself in the innovations of Gabrieli’s music, which had spearheaded the development of the polychoral concertato style. When Schütz returned to Germany in 1613, some months after the death of his teacher, he brought with him a thorough mastery of a musical language as yet hardly known in his native land.
Schütz re-entered the service of Landgrave Moritz of Hesse, who had sponsored his trip to Italy. The Landgrave’s chapel in Kassel, although highly skilled, was of modest size and gave Schütz little opportunity to try his hand at music in the grand Venetian manner. But he paid frequent visits to Dresden, where Elector Johann Georg I of Saxony presided over a magnificent chapel; early in 1617, Johann Georg named Schütz as his Kapellmeister, and the thirty-one-year-old composer assumed direction of an ensemble with a depth and virtuosity second to none.
The Saxon Elector loved splendor no less than did the Venetians. Music graced every festival, and Schütz had ample occasion to demonstrate his prowess in polychoral writing on the largest scale. Two years after he moved to Dresden, he assembled twenty-six of his most elaborate works into the ¨Psalmen Davids¨, which appeared in the spring of 1619 with a dedication to Johann Georg. Schütz no doubt designed this set of Psalms, his first major publication in Germany, to impress his employer; but he struck a more personal note with it as well by post-dating his foreword to June 1, the day of his impending marriage.
The ¨Psalmen Davids¨ revealed the full extent to which Schütz had absorbed Gabrieli’s heritage and adapted it to his own purposes. An extraordinary variety of color, harmony, and rhythm matches the wide range of emotion and imagery in the Psalms themselves. Schütz sets each Psalm in its entirety, sometimes with added doxology. He seizes hold of every detail, maximizing the impact of every word; but his unerring sense of continuity and formal control welds every element into an indivisible whole.
The pieces united on this record illustrate some of the many ways in which Schütz recreated the world of the Psalmist in sound. The monumental scoring and skillful design of Psalm 136 (one of two settings of this text in the collection) transform the recurring acclamation “for his goodness endures for ever” into an unending ritual of praise. The penitential Psalm ¨Ach Herr, straf mich nicht in deinem Zorn¨ restricts itself to two equal choirs, in keeping with the gravity of its subject; chromaticisms (¨denn ich bin schwach¨) and other affective harmonic progressions (¨denn der Herr hort mein Weinen¨) convey the anguished mood of the words. In Psalm 23, again for two equal choirs, Schütz’s suggested division of the first chorus into soli and tutti lends additional warmth and color to this serenely pastoral music. A similar air of peaceful confidence underlies Psalm 128, which pits a high choir against a low one (the ¨Psalmen Davids¨ includes a second version of this piece, for a greatly expanded ensemble). The text of ¨Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren¨, a popular hymn by Johann Gramann, paraphrases the 103rd Psalm; Schütz bases the music on the melody by Johann Kugelmann associated with the poem - hence the title ¨canzone¨. As in Psalm 23, he suggests dividing the first of the two choirs into soli and tutti, and he further enriches the texture with two optional instrumental ensembles (the performance on this record presents the piece twice, once with, once without the added ensembles, using the fourth strophe of Gramann’s hymn for the repeat).
The ¨Psalmen Davids¨ mirror a time of peace and prosperity. Professionally secure, happy in his marriage, Schütz could look to a glowing future. Only a few years later, however, all had changed: his beloved wife died in 1625, and by the start of the following decade, the effects of the Thirty Years War decimated his chapel and forced him to leave Dresden for extended periods. Schütz never returned to the lavish style of his early Psalms, which remain a unique and wonderful monument to his youth.
JOSHUA RIFKIN
Nonesuch (H-71235) 1966

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PSALM 136
Danket dem Herren, denn er ist freundlich,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich,
danket dem Gott aller Götter,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich,
danket dem Herren, aller Herren,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich,
der große Wunder tut alleine,
der die Himmel ordentlich gemacht hat,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich,
der die Erde aufs Wasser ausgebreitet hat,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich,
der große Lichter gemacht hat,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich,
die Sonn, dem Tage fürzustehen,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich,
den Monden und Sternen, der Nacht fürzustehen,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich,
der Ägypten schlug an ihren ersten Geburten,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich,
und führet Israel heraus,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich,
durch mächtige Hand und ausgestreckten Arm,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich,
der das Schilfmeer teilet in zwei Teile,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich,
und ließ Israel durchhingehen,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich,
der Pharo und sein Heer ins Schilfmeer stieß,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich,
der sein Volk führte durch die Wüste,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich,
der große Könige schlug,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich,
und erwürget mächtige Könige,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich,
Sihon, der Amoriter Könige,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich,
und Og, den König zu Basan,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich,
und gab ihr Land zum Erbe,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich,
zum Erbe seinem Knecht Israel,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich,
denn er gedachte an uns,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich,
da wir untergedrucket waren,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich,
und erlöset uns von unsern Feinden,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich,
der allem Fleische Speise gibt,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich.
Danket dem Gott vom Himmel,
denn seine Güte währet ewiglich.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is kind,
for his goodness endures for ever;
give thanks to the God of all gods,
for his goodness endures for ever;
give thanks to the Lord of all lords,
for his goodness endures for ever;
who alone does great wonders,
who has properly made the heavens,
for his goodness endures for ever;
who has spread the earth upon the waters,
for his goodness endures for ever;
who has made great lights,
for his goodness endures for ever;
the sun to rule over the day,
for his goodness endures for ever;
the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his goodness endures for ever;
who smote the first-born of Egypt,
for his goodness endures for ever;
and brought Israel out from among them,
for his goodness endures for ever;
with a strong hand and outstretched arm,
tor his goodness endures for ever;
who divided the Red Sea in two parts,
for his goodness endures for ever;
and let Israel pass through it,
for his goodness endures for ever;
who cast Pharaoh and his host into the Red Sea,
for his goodness endures for ever;
who led his people through the wilderness,
for his goodness endures for ever;
who smote great kings,
for his goodness endures for ever;
who slew mighty kings,
for his goodness endures for ever;
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his goodness endures for ever;
and Og, the king of Bashan,
for his goodness endures for ever;
and gave their land as a heritage,
for his goodness endures for ever;
as a heritage to his servant Israel,
for his goodness endures for ever;
for he remembered us,
for his goodness endures for ever;
when we were oppressed,
for his goodness endures for ever;
and rescued us from our foes,
for his goodness endures for ever;
who gives food to all flesh,
for his goodness endures for ever;
Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his goodness endures for ever.
PSALM 6
Ach Herr, straf mich nicht in deinem Zorn und züchtige mich nicht in deinem Grimme. Herr, sei mir gnädig, denn ich bin schwach; heile mich Herr, denn meine Gebeine sind erschrocken und meine Seele ist sehr erschrocken. Ach du Herr, wie lang!
Wende dich, Herr, und errette meine Seele, hilf mir um deiner Güte willen. Denn im Tode gedenket man dein nicht; wer will dir in der Hölle danken?
Ich bin so müde vom Seufzen; ich schwemme mein Bett die ganze Nacht und netze mit meinen Tränen mein Lager. Meine Gestalt ist verfallen von Trauern und ist alt worden, denn ich allenthalben geängstet werde.
Weichet von mir, alle Ubeltäter; denn der Herr hört mein Weinen, der Herr hört mein Flehen; mein Gebet nimmt der Herr an. Es müssen alle meine Feinde zu Schanden werden und sehr erschrecken, sich zurückekehren und zu Schanden werden plötzlich.
Ehre sei dem Vater und dem Sohn und auch dem heilgen Geiste, wie es war im Anfang jetzt und immerdar und von Ewigkeit zu Ewigkeit, Amen.
O Lord, rebuke me not in thy anger and chasten me not in thy wrath. Lord, be merciful to me, for I am weak; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled and my soul is sorely troubled. But thou, O Lord, how long?
Turn, O Lord, and save my soul; help me tor the sake of thy goodness. For in death there is no remembrance of thee; who would think of thee in hell?
I am so wearied from moaning; I flood my bed with weeping the whole night and drench my couch with tears. My eye wastes away because of my grief and has aged because I am frightened by everything.
Depart from me, all you workers of evil; for the Lord hears my weeping, the Lord hears my supplication, the Lord accepts my prayer. All my enemies shall be put to shame and sorely troubled, shall turn back and be swiftly put to shame.
Praise be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, so it shall be now and forever, from eternity to eternity, Amen.
PSALM 23
Der Herr ist mein Hirt, mir wird nichts mangeln. Er weidet mich auf einer grünen Auen und führet mich zum frischen Wasser. Er erquicket meine Seele, er führet mich auf rechter Straßen um seines Namens willen. Und ob ich schon wandert im finsteren Tal des Todes, fürcht ich kein Unglück; denn du bist bei mir, dein Stecken und Stab trösten mich. Du bereitest vor mir einen Tisch gegen meine Feinde. Du salbest mein Haupt mit Öle und schenkest mir voll ein. Gutes und Barmherzigkeit werden mir folgen mein Leben lang, und werde bleiben im Haus des Herren immerdar.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall lack nothing. He guides me through a green pasture and leads me to fresh waters. He restores my soul; he leads me in the path of righteousness for his name’s sake. And even though I wander through the dark valley of death, I fear no evil, for thou art with me: thy rod and staff comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil and give me a full cup. Goodness and mercy will follow me my whole life long and I shall remain in the house of the Lord for ever.
PSALM 128
Wohl dem, der den Herren fürchtet und auf seinen Wegen gehet! Du wirst dich nähren deiner Hände Arbeit; wohl dir, du hast es gut.
Dein Weib wird sein wie ein fruchtbarer Weinstock um dein Haus herum, deine Kinder wie die Olzweige um deinen Tisch her. Siehe, also wird gesegnet der Mann, der den Herren fürchtet.
Der Herr wird dich segnen aus Zion, daß du sehest das Glück Jerusalem dein Leben lang, und sehest deiner Kinder Kinder. Friede über Israel.
Ehre sei dem Vater und dem Sohn und auch dem heilgen Geiste, wie es war im Anfang, jetzt und immerdar und von Ewigkeit zu Ewigkeit, Amen.
Happy is he who fears the Lord and goes in his ways! Thou shalt nourish thyself from the labor of thy hands; happy art thou, it is well with thee.
Thy wife will be like a fruitful vine within thy house, thy children like the olive shoots around thy table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.
The Lord will bless thee from Zion, that thou mayst see the prosperity of Jerusalem thy whole life long, and see thy childrens’ children. Peace be upon Israel.
Praise be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, so it shall be now and forever, from eternity to eternity, Amen.
NUN LOB, MEIN SEEL, DEN HERREN (PSALM 103)
Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren,
was in mir ist, den Namen sein,
sein Wohltat tut er mehren,
vergiß es nicht, o Herze mein.
Hat dir dein Sünd vergeben
und heilt dein Schwachheit groß,
errett’ dein armes Leben,
nimmt dich in seinen Schoß,
mit reichem Trost beschüttet,
verjüngt dem Adler gleich.
Der König schafft Recht, behütet
die leiden in seinem Reich.
Die Gottes-Gnad alleine
steht fest und bleibt in Ewigkeit
bei seiner lieben Gmeine,
die steht in seiner Furcht bereit,
die seinen Bund behaltet.
Er herrscht im Himmelreich;
ihr starken Engel waltet
seins Lobs und dient zugleich
dem großen Herrn zu Ehren
und treibt sein heiligs Wort!
Mein Seel soll auch vermehren
sein Lob an allem Ort.
Now praise the Lord, O my soul,
and what is in me, praise his name;
he ever increases his good works:
do not forget this, O my heart.
He has forgiven thee thy sin
and heals thy great weakness,
he delivers thy poor life
and takes thee to his bosom;
graced with rich comfort,
he makes thee young as an eagle.
The King creates justice and protects
whoever suffers in his realm.
God’s grace alone
stands firm and endures throughout eternity
for his beloved congregation,
which stands ready in awe of him
and upholds his covenant.
He rules in the kingdom of heaven;
ye mighty angels, lead
his praise and serve
to the glory of the great Lord,
and spread his holy word!
My soul too shall magnify
his praise everywhere.
Translation by Joshua Rifkin

[@richardscrimger3969]

Fun combo of echo, passion, and pomp. I've never heard the Venetian influence so clearly. Thanks!