Classical

Michael Praetorius - Dances from Terpsichore (2001)

2010-05-05T13:07:36Z

Michael Praetorius - Dances from Terpsichore (2001)


1. Passameze, for 5 part instrumental ensemble (283)
2. Gaillarde, for 5 part instrumental ensemble (284)
3. Gaillarde, for 5 part instrumental ensemble (285)
4. Bransles, for 5 part instrumental ensemble (1)
5. Est ce Mars, for 4 lutes
6. Courante de Mars, for 4 lutes
7. Ballet, for four lutes
8. Ballet, for four lutes
9. Un jour de la semaine, for 4 lutes
10. Allons aux noces, for 4 lutes
11. Gaillarde, for 4 lutes
12. Pavane de Spaigne, for 4 part instrumental ensemble (Terpsichore, 30)
13. Spagnoletta (Terpischore, 27)
14. La Sarabande, for ensemble (Terpischore, 34)
15. La Canarie (Terpischore, 31)
16. Branse Simple, for 5 part instrumental ensemble (4)
17. Ballet, for 4 part instrumental ensemble (268)
18. Ballet du Roy pour sonner apres (Terpischore, 269)
19. Ballo del Gran Duca (from Novus Partus)
20. Une jeune fillette (from Novus partus)
21. Bransles de Villages
22. Bransles de Villages, for 5 part instrumental ensemble (Terpsichore, 14)
23. Courante (Wilson's Wild), for violin, 2 violas, bass violin & 4 lutes (Terpsichore, 151)
24. Courante (Light of Love), for violin, 2 violas, bass violin & lutes (Terpsichore, 152)
25. Courante (Grimstock), for violin, 2 violas, bass violin & 4 lutes (Terpsichore, 154)
26. Mrs Winters Jump, fo lute, P 55
27. Packington's Pound, courante
28. I Care Not for These Ladies for voice, lute & bass viol
29. Ballet des Baccanales (278)
30. Terpsichore Dances: Ballet des Feus (279) / Ballet des Matelotz (280) / Ballet des Coqs (254)
31. Courante (Battaglia), for 4 and 5-part violin band, 4 lutes, 4 guitars & drum (283)  (283)

The Parley of Instruments Renaissance Violin Band
Peter Holman – conductor

Praetorius's famous collection of dances entitled 'Terpsichore' (1612) surely needs no introduction - indeed, recordings of it are available in abundance. What undoubtedly sets this one apart from previous interpretations, however, is that it is the first to use predominantly stringed instruments: violin band, violin consort and lutes (only track 23 departs from this norm, where bagpipes and pipe & tabor are added to the violin band to emphasize the rustic element of the title, 'Bransle de villages'). Under Peter Holman's direction, the Parley of Instrument's playing is generally excellent, offering the listener some of the best available performances of some of the better-known dances (e.g. tracks 13 and 31). The lute intabulation arrangements also work well (most obviously in track 32), creating a distinctly French sound-world rarely exploited on previous 'Terpsichore' renditions. Lastly, Praetorius's dances are complemented with some attractive contemporary lute works by Nicolas Vallet and Jean-Baptiste Besard, amongst which listeners will probably recognize the 'Bransles de villages' (track 22) from Respighi's 'Ancient Airs and Dances' suite.

However, is it fair to argue (as Holman does, liner notes p.7) that 'the collection was primarily intended for violins'...? Evidence to support this hypothesis comes primarily from Praetorius's preface, which indicates that the dances were composed by French dancers known chiefly as good violinists or lutenists (in particular Pierre Francisque Caroubel, who contributed many of the dances and had recently spent some time at the Wolfenbuttel court, where Terpsichore was published). Yet Praetorius's preface also refers to 'bowed and wind instruments' when describing 'loud and soft' repetitions within a dance, and also explicitly notes the suitability of adapting the dances for domestic ensemble ('...oder fur furstliche Tafeln / oder nur "in convivius" enzig zum Vergnugen...'). Given that Praetorius was in fact German (i.e. not French!) and that Terpsichore was published in Germany rather than for a French market in France, it is impossible to isolate his comments on this topic from similar collections published in Germany. For example, although William Brade's collections of near identical music (Pavans, Galliards, etc., published in Hamburg, 1614 and 1617) indicate that these dances are especially suitable for violins, he also states that they can be 'pleasingly executed on all kinds of instruments' ('Auff allerley musicalischen Instrumenten, Insonderheit auff Fiolen zugebrauchen'), and a similar indication appears in other German sources too (e.g. Erasmus Widmann's 'Gantz Neue Cantzon, Intraden, Balletten und Courranten', Nuremberg, 1618).

In addition, it seems dangerous to argue that the 'Passameze pour les cornetz' [CCLXXXVIII a 6, F.C.] - the only dance in Terpsichore with a specified instrumentation - represents the exception rather than the rule, i.e. only one dance out of 312 not intended for violin band/consort. Both contemporary accounts and other French music collections of the period confirm that the repertory of the French violinists was not always as separate as Holman implies (liner notes p.7). The 'Recueil de plusieurs airs par Andre Danican Philidor' [B.N. de France, Res. F. 494] - again of music near identical to Terpsichore in style/form - includes numerous contemporaneous pieces which are given the addendum 'joue par les Grands hautbois' or 'fait pour les Cornetz [1601]' alongside (for example) a suite of music for a 'Concert donne a Louis 13 en 1627 par les vin[g]t quatres viollons et les 12 Grand Hautbois.' Let us not forget that the 'Passameze pour les cornetz' in Terpsichore was in fact written by one of the French violinists (Caroubel)!

In short, this CD presents one very plausible way in which these dances from Terpsichore were played, and the performances can definitely be recommended - just so long as the justification behind excluding any other instruments is accepted with a degree of caution! ---Maddy Evil, amazon.com

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Michael Praetorius - Pro Organico (2005)

2018-01-12T13:17:47Z

Michael Praetorius - Pro Organico (2005)


1 	Hymnus In Festo Trinitatis: O Lux Beata Trinitas 	3:30
2 	Hymnes In Festo Nativitatis Christi: A Solis Ortus Cardine 	2:05
3 	Hymnes In Festo Nativitatis Christi: Summo Parenti Gloria 	4:30
4 	Choralfantasia: Wir Gläuben All An Einer Gott 	11:19
5 	Hymnes In Adventu Domini: Alvus Tumescit Virginis 	1:43
6 	Nun Lob Mein Seel Den Herren (Prima Variatio / Secunda Variatio) 	6:45
7 	Choralfantasia: Christ Unser Herr Zum Jordan Kam 	14:08
8 	Hymnus In Festo Trinitatis: Te Mane Laudum Carmine 	2:02
9 	Hymnus In Festo Resurrectionis: Vita Sanctorum 	2:26
10 	Choralfantasia: Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott 	10:40

Jean-Charles Ablitzer - organ

Michael Praetorius has long been known to lovers of late Renaissance and early Baroque music, mainly for his tuneful and fascinating dance music from "Terpsichore". But in fact that collection represents only one facet of the composer's vast and varied output, for in truth he was a genius of the first rank, a musician of great versatility and erudition. Ample evidence of this is available on a number of discs of his sacred choral music, and as further proof we now have the present programme of his organ works consisting of the Lutheran chorale fantasias from "Musae Sioniae" and the Latin hymns of "Hymnodia Sionia" - all played on a superb early Baroque organ by the outstanding Jean-Charles Ablitzer.

It has to be said right away that Praetorius' settings of the Lutheran chorales are simply magnificent - early but fully-developed, and truly beautiful, examples of the great German tradition of the organ chorale variation, fantasia and partita as represented in the works of composers such as Scheidt, Buxtehude, Pachelbel, Böhm and Bach. Particular highlights of this disc for me are the majestic fantasia on "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott", and the glorious "Nun lob mein Seel den Herren" which culminates in seemingly endless (I mean this as a compliment!), miraculously ornamented variations on the closing line of the chorale.

All of this lovely music is performed with both brilliant energy and profound insight by the organist Jean-Charles Ablitzer. What is more, his instrument, the superbly restored 1624 Scherer organ of the St. Stephanskirche, Tangermünde in north Germany, sounds wonderful and could hardly be better suited to this music; and Alpha's recorded sound is superb too. To complete the picture, Ablitzer's own booklet notes are excellent and informative and altogether the disc is beautifully illustrated and presented.

In short, any lover of the Baroque organ and its music should not hesitate to acquire this exceptionally fine disc. And, if you fit that description, you might also like to investigate "Auch auff Orgeln", a lovely CD of organ transcriptions of Praetorius' sacred and secular pieces again played by Ablitzer, this time on the wonderful 1610 Compenius organ at Frederiksborg Castle in Denmark. At the time of writing it is available from Amazon and other sources in Germany and France. ---Stephen Midgley, amazon.com

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Michael Praetorius – Mass For Christmas Morning (McCreesh) [1994]

2016-12-02T16:31:36Z

Michael Praetorius – Mass For Christmas Morning (McCreesh) [1994]


1 	Processional: Christum Wir Sollen Loben Schon 	3:14
2 	Introit: Puer Natus In Bethlehem 	7:29
3 	Kyrie (Missa: Gantz Teudsch) 	4:31
4 	Gloria (Missa: Gantz Teudsch) 	7:36
5 	Collect: Der Herr Sei Mit Euch 	1:08
6 	Epistle: So Schreibt Der Heilig Propheten Jesajas 	2:01
7 	Organ Prelude: Praemabulum 	1:09
8 	Gradual Hymn: Vom Himmel Hoch Da Komm Ich Her 	4:03
9 	Gospel: So Schreibt Der Heilige Lukas 	3:51
10 	Credo: Wir Glauben All An Einen Gott  (Composed By Samuel Scheidt)	5:12
11 	Organ Prelude: Resonet In Laudibus 	1:09
12 	Pulpit Hymn: Quem Pastores Laudavere 	4:36
13 	Sonata: Padouana A 5 (Composed By Johann Hermann Schein)		3:05
14 	The Lord's Prayer: Vater Unser, Der Du Bist Im Himmel - Words Of Institution: Unser Herr Jesus Christus 	2:35
15 	Sanctus Motet: Jesaja Dem Propheten Das Geschah 	6:25
16 	Organ Prelude: Wie Schön Leuchtet Der Morgenstern    (Composed By Samuel Scheidt)	1:35
17 	Communion Motet: Wie Schön Leuchtet Der Morgenstern 	3:26
18 	Communion Motet: Uns Ist Ein Kindlein Heut Geborn 	2:11
19 	Post-Communion: Der Herr Sei Mit Euch 	1:19
20 	Benediction: Der Herr Segne Dich Und Behüte Dich 	1:02
21 	Final Hymn: Puer Nobis Nascitur 	2:56
22 	Organ Voluntary: Nun Lob Mein Seel 	3:04
23 	Recessional: In Dulci Jubilo 	5:23

Tessa Bonner (Soprano) [8, 9, 16, 22]
Sarah Pendlebury (Soprano) [8, 9, 16, 18]
Constanze Backes (Soprano) [16]
Susan Hemington Jones (Soprano) [16, 22]
Angus Smith (Tenor) [8, 9, 16]
Tom Phillips (Tenor) [9]
Julian Podger (Tenor) [9]
Robert Horn (Tenor) [9]
Mark Le Brocq (Tenor)  [16, 22]
Donald Greig (Baritone)  [12, 16]
Simon Grant (Bass)  [9, 12, 16]
Stephen Charlesworth (Bass)  [9]
Hannelore Devaere (Harp) [18]
Timothy Roberts (Organ) [21]

Boys' Choir And Congregational Choir Of Roskilde Cathedral
Chorus Master – Finn Evald, Kristian Olesen
Gabrieli Consort & Players
Paul McCreesh – conductor

A refreshing antidote to all those unimaginative festive compilations, this beautifully presented disc demands your attention this Christmas.

Most seasonal CDs probably end up as coasters or gathering dust on a shelf somewhere but this is one festive disc that can be played all year round. As the cover points out it’s a reconstructed Lutheran Christmas service ‘as it might have been celebrated around 1620’ and it includes contributions from Samuel Scheidt (1587-1654) and Johann Hermann Schein (1586-1630). But it was the prolific and talented Praetorius (born Michael Schulze) who single-handedly produced much of the Lutheran church music heard in northern Germany in the early 17th century.

What Paul McCreesh has achieved here is remarkable. He chose Roskilde Cathedral because it provides the ideal setting for this collection of hymns (chorales) and polychoral motets; the choirs and instrumental groups are arrayed on the ground floor and galleries, the congregation gathered in the nave. This attention to detail pays off handsomely, producing a realistic and airy soundstage that is as deep as it is wide. Couple this with committed playing and singing and the result is nothing short of revelatory.

The opening Processional: ‘Christum wir sollen loben schon’ is based on a melody by Luther himself, and begins with the distant treble of Anders Engberg-Pedersen, soon joined by the choir. It sounds magical, as if heard from across the fields on a still and frosty Christmas morn. The unaccompanied choir is rich but not too resonant and the Introit: ‘Puer natus in Bethlehem’ brings in the congregation – very much at the centre of the Lutheran service – as well. It is gravely beautiful music and the transition from one segment of the mass to the next appears seamless, a striking characteristic of this performance as a whole.

The soloists are very well recorded and the cathedral organ (apparently close to the sound Praetorius would have known) is powerfully felt yet always discreetly played. Surprising, perhaps, is the animation – even jollity – that this music conveys; it’s more bright-eyed and apple-cheeked than one might expect from this Reformed liturgy. Indeed, the congregation and organ really raise Roskilde’s vaulted roof with their lusty singing.

As with the Introit the Kyrie and Gloria are taken from Praetorius’s Polyhymnia caduceatrix & Panegyrica of 1619; they mark a change of emphasis, employing just the instrumentalists, organ and soloists. Austere it may seem but McCreesh ensures the rhythms are always supple, the balance between players and singers carefully judged. And for those sceptical of period performance this disc demonstrates – in abundance – just how revealing such an approach can be when it comes to detail, rhythm and overall lucidity, yet without sacrificing warmth and body (just listen to the full-blooded ‘Amen’ that ends the Gloria).

The Collect and Epistle are intoned from afar with responses from the organ and choir. It’s at moments like these that the spatial effects McCreesh strives for are most clearly audible. There is just the right amount of resonance to the voice, echoing throughout the vaulted space, and in the organ prelude that follows Timothy Roberts adds real splendour and weight to the service without turning his brief solo into a showpiece.

The Gradual hymn ’Vom himmel hoch da komm ich her’ has a robust contribution from baritone Donald Greig and some warm, full-bodied singing from the congregation. What a palpable sense of celebration there is at this point, the organ underpinning it all with such authority.

After the intoned Gospel comes Scheidt’s Credo ‘Wir glauben all an einen Gott’, again based on a melody by Luther. As the very core of the mass the Credo is sung with a deep sense of devotion, the largely unaccompanied prayer rising and filling every last corner of the cathedral. After the gentle organ prelude the congregation and organ launch into the rousing Pulpit hymn ‘Quem pastores laudavere’. As before there is a highly effective antiphonal ‘dialogue’ between the distant trebles and those gathered in the nave.

Johannes Hermann Schein’s Sonata: Padouana a 5 for cornetts, sackbuts and organ has a strange, ethereal quality, no doubt heightened by the distinctive timbres of these instruments playing together. It is reflective, a perfect precursor to the intoned Lord’s Prayer and Words of Institution that follow. Again one is struck by how expertly McCreesh weaves these disparate threads into the overall tapestry.

The Sanctus motet: ‘Jesaja dem Propheten das geschah’, culled from the Polyhymnia caduceatrix, has some bright, crystal-clear singing from the sopranos in particular, aided and abetted by the flutes, recorders and, for emphasis, that magisterial organ. The motet ends in a great panoply of sound from all the assembled forces. Quite a contrast compared with the ensuing organ prelude and Communion motets: ‘Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern’ and .Uns ist ein Kindlein geborn’, which are on a much smaller, more intimate scale. Sarah Pendlebury’s still, pure soprano is ideal in the serene second motet, the harp adding an aura of warmth to both singer and choir.

The intoned Post-Communion: ‘Der Herr sei mit euch’ and the Benediction: ‘Der Herr segne dich und behüte dich’ – the latter with a sustained and radiant ‘Amen’ for choir over organ – signals the service is near its end. The congregation joins all the various forces for the ebullient final hymn ‘Puer nobis nascitur’ and the organ voluntary – with its appropriate bell-like figures – heralds the start of the Recessional: ‘In dulci jubilo’. This is the musical high point of this magnificent performance, the raised trumpets and thunder of drums bringing a distinctly martial air to the proceedings. The sopranos and organ add to the jubilant mood and the mass ends in a blaze of affirmation.

This is a disc that certainly won’t be filed away once the festivities are over. Indeed, it’s one of those rare recordings in which one seems to be eavesdropping on a live occasion, such is the warmth and spontaneity of the music making. The engineers must be commended for ensuring it all sounds so natural in terms of balance and blend; ditto Paul McCreesh and Robin A. Leaver, whose scholarly notes put the music into its historical context.

A refreshing antidote to all those unimaginative festive compilations, this beautifully presented disc demands your attention this Christmas. And at just £6-£7 it’s not just a cracker it’s also a steal. --- Dan Morgan, MusicWeb International

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Praetorius - Advent and Christmas Music

2011-12-11T10:17:44Z

Praetorius - Advent and Christmas Music


1. Veni redemptor gentium / Nun komm der Heiden Heiland           
2. In dulci jubilo       
3. Vom Himmel hoch       
4. Puer natus in Bethlehem       
5. Conditor alme siderum       
6. Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ           
7. Resonet in laudibus - Joseph, lieber Joseph mein  

Bremer Barock Consort
Manfred Cordes – conductor

Michael Praetorius is best known to British music-lovers through his hymn arrangements, particularly at Christmas: the Advent hymn Come, Thou Redeemer of the Earth is his, as is the chorale Es ist ein Ros entsprungen, sometimes anglicised to Lo, how a rose e’er blooming. This is hardly surprising, as Praetorius grew up in the aftermath of the Reformation. His father had studied theology at Wittenberg under Luther himself and Michael was brought up in a piously Lutheran household, a faith he made his own. Throughout his life he repeatedly expressed his regret that he had not become a theologian and he interpreted his initials (MPC) to mean "Mihi Patria Coelum": Heaven is my fatherland.

He spent most of his life in the employ of various German princes and, while he composed a large amount of instrumental music for entertainment at court, it’s for his sacred music that he is best known, and this disc shows why. It collects together some of his music for the Advent season, and most attractive it is too. Each item is based around a German or Latin hymn: as one would expect, the hymn tune is repeated regularly and without variation throughout each piece, but it is seldom if every dull because of the ingenious accompaniments and variations that the composer spins around each stanza. Take track 3, based on the chorale Von Himmel hoch: first the theme is played by the ensemble (little more than a spare continuum group at this stage), then sung by the all four parts. Two sopranos sing the next stanza while two recorders dance around them, followed by a soprano soloist supported by a pair of complementary violas da gamba. And so it continues until the end of the hymn: each stanza undergoes a new treatment so we have the attraction of something new together with the reiteration of the steady chorale theme. In contrast to this come the more complex numbers such as Gelobet seist du Jesu Christ, which contains more complex counterpoint and has a more developmental role for the instruments. The variety ensures that the disc is never dull, in spite of the repetition.

Incredibly, the performers are all students at the Bremen College of Arts - conducted by their professor - specialising in this branch of early music. Incredible because the performances contain a polish and flair that would put some professional groups to shame. They have clearly benefited from studying together and growing closer as musicians as their rehearsals have developed. The ensemble itself is rather small: the chorus contains four sopranos and one each of alto, tenor and bass, while the instrumentalists are four recorders, four violas da gamba, one harp and an organ positive. This feels entirely right for the repertoire, however, and they show a most enjoyable lilt in the ever popular In dulci jubilo. Players and singers weave in and out of each other with complete security and togetherness, though there is an unaccompanied bass entry in Puer Natus where the music noticeably flattens.

All in all a great place to begin an exploration of Praetorius’ music. Next December, when you’re singing one of his hymns in church, spare him a thought: had he not been surpassed by the likes of Bach he deserves to be much better known. --- Simon Thompson, musicweb-international.com

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