Musikalische Exequien (Funeral music), Op. 7,

SWV SWV (Sisters with Voices) is an American R&B vocal trio from New York City whose members are Cheryl (Coko) Gamble, Tamara (Taj) Johnson, and Leanne (Lelee) Lyons. Formed in 1988 as a gospel group, SWV became one of the most successful R&B g ...

279–281 is a sacred composition that

Heinrich Schütz Heinrich Schütz (; 6 November 1672) was a German early Baroque composer and organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as one of the most important composers of the 17th century. He ...

wrote in 1635 or 1636. Written for the funeral services of Count Henry II, Count of Reuss-Gera, who had died on 3 December 1635, it is Schütz's most famous work of funeral music. It comprises the following sections: :I ''Concert in Form einer teutschen Begräbnis-Messe'' :II Motet ''Herr, wenn ich nur Dich habe'' :III Canticum B. Simeonis ''Herr, nun lässest du deinen Diener'' Henry II had planned the service himself and chosen the texts, some of which are scriptural and others of which are from 16th-century Lutheran writers, including

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...

himself. He also commissioned Schütz to compose the music on the occasion of his death. Part I, by far the longest part of the work, is scored for SSATTB (2 sopranos, alto, 2 tenors, bass) chorus alternating with small ensembles of soloists. Part II is scored for double choir SATB SATB, and part III for SATTB choir and a trio of soloists. All movements are accompanied by basso continuo. The work was not well known to

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...

, though his German Requiem is remarkably similar in content. The work was the first requiem in the German language.

Recordings

There have been many recordings, making the Exequien the most recorded work of 17th-century German vocal music. Among the recordings: *Heinrich Schütz Choir, Munich dir. Karl Richter (

Archiv Produktion Archiv Produktion is a classical music record label of German origin. It originated in 1949 as a classical label for the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft (DGG), and in 1958 Archiv was established as a subsidiary of DGG, specialising in recording ...

, 1955) *

Dresdner Kreuzchor The Dresdner Kreuzchor is the boys' choir of the Kreuzkirche in Dresden, Germany. It has a seven-century history and a world-wide reputation. Today, the choir has about 150 members between the ages of 9 and 19, from Dresden and the surroundin ...

dir.

Rudolf Mauersberger Rudolf Mauersberger (29 January 1889 – 22 February 1971) was a German choral conductor and composer. His younger brother Erhard was also a conductor and composer. Career After positions in Aachen and Eisenach, he became director of the re ...

(Berlin) * Westfälische Kantorei dir. Wilhelm Ehmann (Cantate) * Chiaroscuro dir. Hans-Martin Linde (EMI) * Knabenchor Hannover dir. Heinz Hennig (Ars Musici) * Vassil Kazandjiev (Forlane) * The Schutz Academy dir.

Howard Arman Howard Arman (born 1954 in London) is an English choral conductor and opera director. He won the Handel Prize of the Handel Festival, Halle, in 1996, shaped the festival's orchestra and conducted operas of George Frideric Handel. He is a condu ...

(Berlin) * Chapelle Royale dir.

Philippe Herreweghe Philippe Maria François Herreweghe, Knight Herreweghe (born 2 May 1947) is a Belgian conductor and choirmaster. Herreweghe founded La Chapelle Royale and Collegium Vocale Gent and is renowned as a conductor, with a repertoire ranging from Re ...

(

Harmonia Mundi Harmonia Mundi is an independent record label which specializes in classical music, jazz, and world music (on the World Village label). It was founded in France in 1958 and is now a subsidiary of PIAS Entertainment Group. Its Latin name ''harm ...

) *

Monteverdi Choir The Monteverdi Choir was founded in 1964 by Sir John Eliot Gardiner for a performance of the ''Vespro della Beata Vergine'' in King's College Chapel, Cambridge. A specialist Baroque ensemble, the Choir has become famous for its stylistic convic ...

dir.

John Eliot Gardiner Sir John Eliot Gardiner (born 20 April 1943) is an English conductor, particularly known for his performances of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Life and career Born in Fontmell Magna, Dorset, son of Rolf Gardiner and Marabel Hodgkin, Ga ...

, (

) * Alsfelder Vokalensemble dir.

Wolfgang Helbich Wolfgang Helbich (8 April 1943 – 8 April 2013) was a German church musician, a choral conductor and academic. He was the founder of the Alsfelder Vokalensemble and served as their conductor for decades, a group that toured internationally and re ...

(Naxos) * Weser Renaissance Bremen dir. Manfred Cordes (cpo) * Motettenchor Stuttgart dir.

Günter Graulich Günter Graulich (born 2 July 1926)Klaus Hofmann: Carus-Verlag. In Ludwig Finscher (edit.): ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart''. Second edition, Sachteil, volume 2 (Bolero – Encyclopedie). Bärenreiter/Metzler, Kassel u. a. 1995, Online-Au ...

(Carus) * Cappella Augustana dir. Matteo Messori (

Brilliant Classics Brilliant Classics is a classical music label based in the Dutch town of Leeuwarden. It is renowned for releasing super-budget-priced editions on CD of the complete works of J.S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and many other composers. The label also ...

) * La Chapelle Rhénane dir. Benoît Haller (

K617 K617 is a French classical music record label based in Metz and founded by Alain Pacquier, music author and creator of the Festival de Saintes at the Abbaye aux Dames in Charente-Maritime, and the Festival de Sarrebourg (July) at the Couvent de ...

) * Akadêmia dir. Françoise Lasserre with La Fenice dir. Jean Tubéry (

Pierre Verany Disques Pierre Verany is a French classical music record label named after its founder and producer. Verany, a producer and sound engineer, ran his own label "Disques Pierre Verany" for many years — concentrating on Italian and French baroque m ...

/ Arion) * American Bach Soloists dir. Jeffrey Thomas (own label) *

Vox Luminis Vox Luminis are a Belgian early music vocal ensemble led by Lionel Meunier. Their recording of Heinrich Schütz's ''Musicalische Exequien'' for Ricercar won a Gramophone Award and International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) in 2012. Recordings (ch ...

dir. Lionel Meunier (Ricercar) - winner of

Gramophone Award The Gramophone Classical Music Awards, launched in 1977, are one of the most significant honours bestowed on recordings in the classical record industry. They are often viewed as equivalent to or surpassing the American Grammy award, and refe ...

s 2012 *

Dresdner Kammerchor The Dresdner Kammerchor (Dresden Chamber Choir) is a mixed chamber choir which was founded in 1985 by Hans-Christoph Rademann in Dresden and is still conducted by him. The semiprofessional ensemble of about 40 singers has appeared internationally. ...

dir. Hans-Christoph Rademann ( Carus) *

La Petite Bande La Petite Bande is a Belgium-based ensemble specialising in music of the Baroque and Classical eras played on period instruments. They are particularly known for their recordings of works by Corelli, Rameau, Handel, Bach, Haydn, and Mozart. His ...

dir.

Sigiswald Kuijken Sigiswald Kuijken (; born 16 February 1944) is a Belgian violinist, violist, and conductor known for playing on period and original instruments. Biography Kuijken was born in Dilbeek, near Brussels. He was a member of the Alarius Ensemble ...

( Accent) * Stuttgart Hymnus Boys Choir dir. Rainer Johannes Homburg &

Musica Fiata Musica Fiata, also Musica Fiata Köln, is a German instrumental ensemble, founded in Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most popu ...

dir. Roland Wilson ( MD&G) *

The Sixteen The Sixteen are a United Kingdom-based choir and period instrument orchestra; founded by Harry Christophers, they started as an unnamed group of sixteen friends in 1977, giving their first billed concert in 1979. The group performs early Engl ...

& The Symphony of Harmony and Invention dir. Harry Christophers (CORO) * Alsfeld Vocal Ensemble & Febi Armonici dir. Wolfgang Helbich (

Naxos Naxos (; el, Νάξος, ) is a Greek island and the largest of the Cyclades. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture. The island is famous as a source of emery, a rock rich in corundum, which until modern times was one of the best ab ...

) * La Chapelle Vocale of Lausanne University dir. Jean-Christophe Aubert (

Gallo Gallo may refer to: *Related to Gaul: ** Gallo-Roman culture **Gallo language, a regional language of France **Gallo-Romance, a branch of Romance languages **Gallo-Italic or Gallo-Italian language, a branch spoken in Northern Italy of the Romance ...

)

References

External links

Live performance by Michael Stenov with the Cantores Carmeli, 26 November 2006
*

a
heinrich-schuetz-haus.de

Compositions by Heinrich Schütz 1636 compositions {{composition-stub