01 July 2010

Rosenmüller's Vespers

of the Blessed Virgin is simply delightful.  I really wish that the folks who put it together hadn't altered his original to Roman texts, though.  I'd have loved to hear the actual texts as Lutherans sang them in those days.  No, he's not quite Schütz, but he's not far beneath him in the quality of the music.  The peace of heaven distilled in song.

10 comments:

Chris said...

Who modified the texts? What were they modified from and to what? Were the texts originally in German or in Latin?

BTW, no one is Schutz! He's in a league all his own.

William Weedon said...

The cover of the album says they were recatholicized. The Lutherans had originally altered them for use in our liturgy. As they stand, they're just standard Roman texts.

William Weedon said...

Oh, and I totally agree on Schütz. He's my hand's down favorite - even over Bach.

Chris said...

Could you post a link or retype the original Lutheran texts?

Why would the group who recorded this be so adamant as to change the texts? OR were they singing a specific arrangement?

William Weedon said...

Alas, no. That's why I wanted to see them! As to why they were changed back, well, I imagine a Roman audience is much larger than a Lutheran?

RobbieFish said...

I can supply you with a number of fine hymn tunes by Rosenmueller. Interesting composer...

David Jay Webber said...

I think the people who recorded the Rosenmueller St. Mary's Day vespers did so with a Catholic audience in mind. From the program notes in the album I get the impression that those who produced it thought that the Lutheran alterations of the texts (which are not provided in the notes) were a quaint curiosity, but without any enduring meaning or value. I don't know why they would think so, what with all the observances of the Feast Day of the Blessed Virgin that still take place in Lutheran churches all over the place nowadays.

:-(

Check out items 13 and 37 on my Amazon Listmania page for a couple more CDs of Rosenmueller liturgical music.

And speaking of Schuetz, the music on items 38 and 39 on that page is from out of this world. And I am speaking literally. The power that comes through in the double-choir renderings of the Biblical and liturgical texts on those CDs is supernatural in origin: directly in terms of the sacred texts themselves, and indirectly in terms of the providential divine vocation that Schuetz was following when he composed this music.

When anyone with a soul listens to this music even one time, I don't know how he or she could ever again desire, or be satisfied with, "contemporary worship" ditties. I suppose it is the case with some people, but I personally would not be able to understand it.

David Jay Webber said...

What I said about the Schuetz double-choir CDs applies especially to item 38: "Polychoral Sacred Concertos/Motets"

David Jay Webber said...

Oh, and item 18 too - even more so than item 37.

David Jay Webber said...

I mean even more so than item 39. Not enough coffee yet today. Sorry.