This hour features two new CDs with music from German composers from around 1700. We will listen to the CD “Bach’s Roots” from Voces Suaves and Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, and the CD from “Musico-Instrumentalische Gemüths-Lust” from L’arpa festante conducted by Michael Behringer.
The first CD, titled ‘Bach’s Roots’ has music from contemporaries of the young Johann Sebastian Bach, who were working in Thüringen. Undoubtedly, he will have known them or will have heard (about) their music, which perhaps has contributed to his development as a composer. In this episode, we listen to three pieces that have been recorded for the first time on CD.
Johann Georg Ahle (1651-1706)
1. Wer gnädig wird beschützet
Georg Christoph Strattner (ca. 1644/45-1704)
2. Die Welt, das ungestüme Meer
Johann Samuel Drese (1644-1716)
3. Gott ist unser Zuversicht und Stärke
Voces Suaves, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin
(CD: “Bach’s Roots – Early Influences on the Young Master” – Arcana A566, 2024)
During the second half of the 17th century, many German aristocrats were fascinated with all that magnificent splendour at the French court of Louis XIV. Music and especially Lully’s operas were a big part of this and they wanted to hear the accompanying dances at their own courts. Kapellmeisters were commissioned to compose music in the French style.
This style quickly became very popular, which will have inspired Johann Abraham Schmikerer (or Schmierer) to publish a volume of 12 suites in French style. It wasn’t long ago that people thought his second volume had been lost, but a recovered volume without a composers’ name has recently been identified as Schmikerer’s second volume.
The ensemble L’arpa festante recorded the entire publication. The CD has six suites in French style – they are called Partien – and a seventh suite that has the Italian style mixed in, as appendix.
Johann Abraham Schmikerer (Schmierer) (1661-1719)
4. Partie I in a
5. Partie V in c
L’arpa festante conducted by Michael Behringer, Christoph Hesse
(CD: “Johann Abraham Schmikerer – Musico-Instrumentalische Gemüths-Lust” – CPO 555 636-2, 2024)
In addition:
Johann Abraham Schmikerer (Schmierer)
6. From Partie VII in G major: praelude (adagio-presto-adagio); allemande grave)
L’arpa festante conducted by Michael Behringer, Christoph Hesse
(CD: see 4-5)
