We have met Musica Gloria on a number of occasions, most recently in live performance in Edinburgh, Scotland. Here, on the Etcetera label, they offer a selection of North German Cantatas from around 1700. This is, I should stress, far more than a purely musicological endeavour; the whole experience is invigorating.
Released on February 3, 2025, this disc present music by the overlooked composer Georg Österreich (1658-1709), who was not only a composer, but also a collector of works by his contemporaries. His manuscript collection is one of the most important souces for German sacred music around 1700, as the recommended video below reveals (the video also shows the highly individual layouts of the choir (!) and why that was, plus their “mobile approach” to continuo):
The video also speaks about the organ used in this recording: and it was quite a search to find one from Österriech’s period. They lighted upon one built by Arp Schnitger in the church at Hollern, Germany, dating from 1690. It was recently restored (while keeping a high proportion of original pipes).
Österreich was a pioneer in the use of oboes in German sacred music in the 1680s. Musica Gloria researched these performance traditions in some detail, and the results ae, to say the least, enriching.
We begin though with a cantata by Georg Thiele (1646-1724), who played an importent part in he development of strategically-placed chorales in Passion settings (his Passion of 1673). Thiele was Österreich’s teacher; he also penned a Musikalisches Kunstbuch, using the variation canzona as a teaching vehicle. Thiele’s Singspiel, Adam uud Eva, inaugurated he Hambug opera. A Schütz pupil, he was a respected contrapuntalist. The cantata (“psalm-concero”) heard is Gott, sei mir gnädig (Have mercy upon me, O God). This is a short piece but contains huge profundity, as one can hear from the short but significant Sinfonia (some lovely decorative lines for first violin). The depth prefigures the bass solo, “Siehe, ich bin aus sündigen Saanen gezeuget” (Behold, I was shaken in iniquity), superbly done by bass Thomas Vandenabeele, itself answered by the wonderfully light tenor solo, “Entsündige much mir Isopen” (Purge me with hyssop) by Rodrigo Carreto. The use of chorale is immediate after the Sinfonia, and also punctuates the discourse; there are short solos for “Cantor,” bass, tenor, and also (in that order).
Heinrich Bokemeyer is ecen more obscue (aguably). His dates are 1679-1751 (the booklet gives “1679-175” …). He was a pupil of Österreich’s (and indeed, the MS collection was bequeathed to him). The music is finely crafted, the soprano aria, “Jesu Christe” a wonderful moment of voice with active woodwind (contrasting with the organ background to the ensuing recitative). The aria “Sim turbatus” (Whether I am tired) is rare in that the recording seems to blur somewhat, not a complaint I have elsewhere. Interestingly, the collection of works that contained the pieces on this recording is known as the Bökemeyer Archive, housed in the Berlin State Library and containing around 1.800 scores.
The first piece actually by an Österreich is Vater Unser (Our Father) but this is by Michael Österreich (1658-1709, Georg’s brother). The piece opens with an instrumental “Sonata” before sopranos work beautifully as a pair in “Vater Unser”. In fact the vocal interactions, the sense of flow, is what characterises this cantata, and the sopranos are particularly pure throughout (Maria Ladurner and Wei-Lin Huang). The final chorus of Michael’s piece, “Denn Dein isn Das Reich” (For yours is the Kingdom), is a blaze of light, rhythmically sprung, and a thing of glory. All of which is a long approach to Georg Österreich himself, firstly in Ich bin die Auferstehung und Das Leben (I am the resurrection, and the life).
Here we have a “Motetto concerto”. Oboists double as flautists here, in a piece containing two extended movements (comparatively extended; most movements on this disc are shortly). Österreich’s writing is as light as Musica Gloria’s performance in the first movement; the second movement, a “Duet & Tutti” – the duet featuring Sophia Faltas (alto) and Adriaan De Koster (tenor) – seems to go deeper inside before emerging with renewed vigour. The final cadence comes as something of a shock, I’ll just leave that to you to discover …
Johann Philipp Förtsch (1652-1732) provides an ancestor to the church cantata in his wonderful Das weiß ich fürwehr (This I know to be true). Maria Ladurner is superb in “Woll an, mein Gott” (Hear me, my God). A piece by Johann Friedrich Meister (1640-97), organist at Flensburg, follows, Ach daß die Hülfe aus Zion (Oh that the salvation of Israel). It is deliciously woodwind-drenched: the players of Musica Gloria are all excellent, but it is the wind playing that gives the most consistent pleasure (Nele Vertommen and Petra Ambrosi, oboes).The last movement, “Hör, o Herr … Durch de Welt” includes some fine male-voice singing (and great writing).
An Italian virtuoso alto singer at the Wolfenbütel court, Giulio Giuliani (dates unknown) provides Plaudant caeli exultant spherea (Let the Heavens applaud). Alto Filip Dámec has the floor to himself here, and delivers the purest of melodies. At times his line merges with the violins, the result a Baroque tapestry. The final “Alleluia” paints a sort of restrained joy. Marvellous.
Finally, Georg Österreich’s Weise mir, Herr, deinen Weg (Teach me your way, Lord), which includes a bassoon obbligato (José Rodrigues Gomes), Here, Österreich’s mastery is in full glare, a quarter-hour “Motetto concertato” of pure compositional mastery. Österreich seems to delight in the very act of counterpoint (as Telemann does sometimes; JSB less so, arguably). Gomes’ tone is terrific, very reedy and working perfectly with the oboes. Here’s the complete cantata:
Upcoming performaces by Musica Gloria include Froville, France on June 6, 2025 with this programme (or at least one of the same title); two days later, on June 8, they give Music at the court of Zerbst: Fasch & others at the Tage Alter Music, Regensburg, Germany.
Another gem of a disc from Musica Gloria, The disc is available at Amazon via this link. Spotify below (the recording seems not to have reached iDagio as yet)
