December 15, 2024
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
Chicago, Illinois – USA
“A 17th Century German Christmas”
Bella Voce, Andrew Lewis, conductor; Madison Bach Musicians, Trevor Stephenson, artistic director.
Dietrich BUXTEHUDE: Das neugeborne Kinderlein, BuxWV 13
Michael PRAETORIUS: Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen
Michael PRAETORIUS: Nun komm der Heiden Heiland
Andreas HAMMERSCHMIDT: Freue dich, du Tochter Zion
Andreas HAMMERSCHMIDT: Wo ist der neugeborne König
Heinrich Ignaz Franz BIBER: Sonata in C major for Trumpet, Strings & Continuo
Christian GEIST: Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern
Christian GEIST: Pastores dicite
Andreas HAMMERSCHMIDT: Machet die Tore weit
Heinrich Ignaz Franz BIBER: Serenade of the Night Watchman
Johann Heinrich SCHMELZER: Sonata à 5 in d minor
Heinrich SCHÜTZ: Das Wort ward Fleisch, SWV 385
Hans Leo HASSLER: Hodie Christus Natur est
Johann Hermann SCHEIN: Quem vidistis Pastores
Michael Moore | 9 JAN 2025
On December 14 and 15, the Chicago-based vocal ensemble Bella Voce collaborated with the Wisconsin Baroque band Madison Bach Musicians to present a delightful program entitled “A 17th Century German Christmas” in both Madison, Wisconsin, and Evanston, Illinois. I was privileged to attend the Evanston concert, flying up in the morning and back that night. Both groups on their own are first-rate, and together, the results were nothing short of glorious.
Evanston’s concert at St. Luke’s Episcopal was preceded by a 45-minute lecture by keyboardist and MBM Artistic Director Trevor Stephenson on the composers and their music. It was informative and entertaining, providing proper context for the future wonders. This approach kept the 14 works moving along without the need for other commentary.
The first section began with the delightful motet Das neugeborne Kinderlein, BuxWV 13 for the complete ensemble by Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707), a composer long admired by his next-gen colleague, J.S. Bach. That was followed by a pair from Michael Praetorius (1571-1621) – the perennial favorite Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen (acapella) and Nun komm der Heiden Heiland (“Come Now, Savior of the Nations”), consisting of choir, soloists and basso continuo, with each verse punctuated by the triple-meter ritornello on the Gloria Patri. This piece, derived from a 1523 Martin Luther hymn after the Latin hymn “Veni salvator gentium,” is a great example of German composers’ fusion of Italian idioms into the German zeitgeist in the magical Renaissance-Baroque.
Next followed two works by Andreas Hammerschmidt (1611- 1675), his Freue dich, du Tochter Zion (“Rejoice O Daughter of Zion”), a strophic dialogue between male and female singers with interjections of “Hosianna in der Höhe!” with all forces; followed by Wo ist der neugeborne König (“Where is the newborne king?”) following the same general playbook, ending in a powerful homophonic “allelujah, allelujah.” Bohemian/Saxon Hammerschmidt was a colorful character who was often involved in bar fights, yet wrote over 400 works and was a leading advocate for Schütz’ concertato style, which is on display with both of these pieces.
For a change of pace, the next work was the instrumental Sonata in C major for Trumpet, Strings & Continuo by another Bohemian, Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644-1704), featuring baroque trumpet virtuoso David Kjar. By this period, Baroque music was getting fairly predictable in its harmonic language, although not to the point of boredom, as this fun “quilt” sonata attests.
Next, we have a strophic song based on a 1597 chorale melody, Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (“How beautifully shines the morning star”), by Christian Geist (1650-1711), beautifully sung by soprano Nathalie Colas and accompanied by strings and continuo. Geist, although German, spent his life as a church and court organist in Copenhagen and Gothenburg, Sweden. He also wrote the next motet in the early Baroque Italian style, Patores, dicite (“Shepherds, tell me”), beautifully sung by soprano Anna Joy Buegel, tenors Ryan Townsend Strand and Keith Murphy, and bass Mark Haddad.
Closing the first half was a final piece by Hammershmidt, Machet die Tore weit (“Open wide ye gates”), a double choir motet in triple meter that I found quite uplifting.
The second half began dramatically with Biber’s Serenade of the Night Watchman, with Vince Wallace, baritone/actor as the Watchman who made his way throughout the now-dimly lit church with his lantern accompanied by the strings and continuo.
The program continued with the instrumental Sonata à 5 in d minor for strings and continuo by Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (1620-1680), which proved to be one of the program’s highlights. Here, the strings demonstrated just how well-versed they are in this style, particularly Concertmaster and Assistant Artistic Director of the MBM, Kangwon Lee Kim. The subtle charm of the historical instruments was omnipresent in this fascinating piece.
Turning from instrumental to choral once again was Das Wort ward Fleisch (“The Word was made flesh”), SWV 385, by perhaps the most consequential German composer of the 17th century, Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672). The work is from his Geistliche Chormusik of 1648 (at the end of the terrible 30 Years’ War). Although the 29 motets in this set are some of Schütz’ most beloved works, I wish Bella Voce had perhaps opted for the final minutes of the Christmas Oratorio, perhaps the greatest example of Schütz’ Christmas music and a work infrequently performed in this country due to the instrumental forces required. But I appreciated that this beautiful acapella motet was so memorably performed.
No Christmas choral concert would be complete without some version of the “Hodie.” Hans Leo Hassler’s (1564-1612) Hodie Christus Natur est (“Today Christ is born”) (1591) didn’t disappoint. Hassler, who started the trend of German composers studying and working in Venice, wrote choral music that was equally appropriate for either Lutheran or Catholic services. This polychoral acapella performance by Bella Voce was superb.
The concluding work on the program was Quem vidistis Pastoren (“Whom did you see, shepherds”), by Johann Hermann Schein (1586-1630), another of the “three ‘S’s” of the early German Baroque. This large-scale Venetian-style polyphonic motet was rightly placed as the culmination of this program, with all hands on deck. Schein was clearly inspired by the text and provided a glorious pinnacle to the afternoon.
Much credit for the success of this performance belongs to Bella Voce’s conductor, Andrew Lewis, for his programming as well as conducting. Also, heartfelt congratulations go to the musicianship of the twenty-two singers and instrumentalists from both ensembles for their dedication to bringing these compelling, mostly under-performed works to life in both Midwestern communities. It was a pleasure to be in their world for those hours. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Bella Voce: bellavoce.org
- Andrew Lewis: bellavoce.org/artistic-director
- Madison Bach Musicians: madisonbachmusicians.org
- Trevor Stephenson: madisonbachmusicians.org/trevor-stephenson
- Kangwon Lee Kim: madisonbachmusicians.org/kangwon-kim-staff
Read more by Michael Moore.
