Schutz Symphoniae Sacrae ACC 30078 [JV]: Classical CD Reviews- January 2006 MusicWeb-International

In the first half of the 17th century Italy - and in particular Venice - was the place to be. Musicians who could afford it travelled to the city to study the newest developments in music, or - when they were in the service of a court - were sent over the Alps to increase their knowledge and skills. Heinrich Schütz was one of many composers from the northern part of Europe who stayed a number of years in Venice. From 1609 to 1613 Schütz lived in Venice and became the pupil of Giovanni Gabrieli, the chapel master of the San Marco in Venice. He held his teacher in the greatest esteem all his life, for personal and musical reasons. The meetings with Claudio Monteverdi, which are assumed to have taken place during Schütz's second visit to Venice, from 1628 to 1629, didn't change that. When in 1629 he published his collection of Symphoniae Sacrae he didn't mention the successor of Gabrieli as chapel master of San Marco in his preface. He referred again to Giovanni Gabrieli: "Gabrieli, o immortal gods, how great a man!" Although he went to Italy for a second time to study the latest trends he didn't adopt everything that was on offer. In his preface he mentions the changes which had taken place: "I learned that the long unchanged art of composition had changed somewhat: the ancient rhythms were partly set aside to tickle the ears of today with fresh devices." And he presents his collection as the result of his studies of the new style of composing: "I directed my mind and my energies, to the end that, in accordance with my purpose, I might offer you something from the store of my industry."

But these compositions demonstrate that Schütz was very selective in what he adopted from the new Italian style. There are very few traces of the Monteverdian 'stile concitato', for instance. And the extreme expression of affects in both vocal and instrumental parts Italian composers used is rather rare in the Symphoniae Sacrae. The most Italianate piece of the collection is the solo concerto 'Fili mi Absalon'. The differences are most striking in the concertos on texts from the Song of Songs: here there is none of the strong passion of Italian compositions on these texts. The expression in these Symphoniae Sacrae is also much more sober and restrained.

In these concertos Schütz uses a wide range of instruments, both strings and wind. They have different functions. Sometimes they serve as additional voices, as in 'Benedicam Dominum' or 'Veni, dilecte mi'. Many pieces begin with a sinfonia, in which the instruments play motifs which are later picked up by the voices. Instrumental passages are also used to divide a piece into contrasting sections. Sometimes they illustrate the text, for example cornett, trumpet and curtal in 'Buccinate in neomenia tuba': "Blow up the trumpet in the new moon (...) With trumpets and sounds of cornett, make a joyful noise before the Lord". And in 'In lectulo per noctes' Schütz prescribes low instruments - bass viols or bassoons (here curtals) - to illustrate the dark mood in this text from the Song of Songs: "By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth".

In this collection all but one of the texts are from the Old Testament; mainly from the Book of Psalms, and also a number on passages from the Song of Songs. The inclusion of these texts as well as a strongly madrigalian piece like 'Fili mi Absalon' raises the question of the purpose Schütz had in mind when he composed the sacred concertos. The subtitle is 'Opus ecclesiasticum secundum'. The word 'ecclesiasticum' suggests a performance in churches, but in the Lutheran liturgy there was no place for pieces on texts from the Song of Songs or for a concerto like 'Fili mi Absalon'. Therefore these pieces were probably intended for private use at court.

Schütz studied the Italian style, but only used it as far as it suited him. One of the strengths of this performance is that the interpreters are fully aware of that: they never exaggerate the text expression, the word painting or the affect in the instrumental parts. In this performance the text is always at the centre of attention, not only for the singers - who excel in diction and articulation - but also for the instrumentalists. I am very pleased that this splendid recording is available again. It has not been surpassed since it was first released.

Johan van Veen


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