Paper Kite

Works by Ph.H. Erlebach, H. Schütz, J. Rosenmüller, A. Hammerschmidt, and others

Gottgeheiligte Sing-Stunde (“Sacred Hour of Song”) is the title of a song collection by Philipp Heinrich Erlebach dating from 1704 and reflecting the situation in church music in Protestant Germany after the Thirty Years’ War. At that time, the spiritual song was flourishing as an increasing number of compositions were created for the purpose of private prayer and familial singing practice. Thus, these songs can be seen as a symbol of the privatisation of faith. Even though the German speaking territories had recovered in a remarkable way from the devastations of war, the mournful psalms and songs sound the deep traumata caused by it.

In 1669, the envoys of the Hanseatic cities met for the last time in Lübeck. This alliance, which for centuries linked the northern European cities in an economic and military alliance, also facilitated a rich common cultural development. Our programme shows how various Baroque composers from the Hanseatic region achieved a common musical language.

Crato Bütner (1616–1679), about whose life little is known – except that his work played a major role in the development of sacred music in his city –was cantor of St Catherine’s Church in Gdańsk. Kaspar Förster (1616–1673), also a son of the city, worked for several years as cantor of St Mary’s Church in Gdańsk before directing the court chapel in Copenhagen from 1660. The stations in the life of Johann Valentin Meder (1649–1719) are a succession of Hanseatic cities. From 1671, he worked as a musician in Gotha, Kassel, Bremen, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Lübeck, Reval (now Tallinn), Gdańsk and Königsberg before working as a cathedral organist in Rīga until the end of his life. Heinrich Albert (1604–1651) was a musician and poet. In Königsberg, where he worked as a cathedral organist, he composed eight books of sacred and secular songs: “A collection of around 170 short compositions, rich with Italian, French and Polish influences”.

Many Hanseatic cities were not located directly on the sea. Brunswick is one example. This is where Delphin Strungk (1601–1694), who was organist in several churches in his city and composed a lot for his instrument, operated. Gustaf Düben (1628–1690) worked in the Swedish capital Stockholm as court conductor and organist in the Tyska Kyrkan (German Church). He composed both sacred and secular music and collected compositions of his time in the Düben Collection, an extremely important source for Hanseatic music of the 17th century, which is now in the library of Uppsala University. Düben’s friend and colleague was the most famous composer on our programme: Dietrich Buxtehude (1637–1707). The organist at St Mary’s in Lübeck was such an important musician of his time that in 1705 Johann Sebastian Bach travelled on foot from Arnstadt to Lübeck to hear the famous master.

Please click here for the complete programme.