''Der Tod Jesu'' (''The Death of Jesus'') is an

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

libretto by Karl Wilhelm Ramler. In its setting by

Carl Heinrich Graun Carl Heinrich Graun (7 May 1704 – 8 August 1759) was a German composer and tenor. Along with Johann Adolph Hasse, he is considered to be the most important German composer of Italian opera of his time. Biography Graun was born in Wahrenbrü ...

in 1755, it was the most often performed Passion of the 18th century in Germany. The poem is part of the '' Empfindsamkeit'' movement of the 1750s. It is the middle of three oratorio texts by Ramler – ''Die Hirten bei der Krippe zu Bethlehem'', ''Der Tod Jesu'', and ''Die Auferstehung und Himmelfahrt'' – which may have been viewed by Ramler as a libretto cycle, though they were never set as a cycle by any composer. The libretto was intended for Graun but a copy of Ramler's text was somehow received by

Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family's wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hi ...

who produced his own setting of the oratorio (TWV 5:6) in Hamburg before Graun could perform the premiere in Berlin. Ramler revised his text in 1760. The text is not a full retelling of the

Passion of Christ In Christianity, the Passion (from the Latin verb ''patior, passus sum''; "to suffer, bear, endure", from which also "patience, patient", etc.) is the short final period in the life of Jesus Christ. Depending on one's views, the "Passion" m ...

and it does not quote Bible texts. Instead, it presents emotively various aspects of the Passion.

Settings

Georg Philipp Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family's wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hi ...

, Hamburg 1755, TWV 5:6 *

, Berlin 1755 – the best known of the settings; it was performed yearly in many cities in Germany throughout the second half of the 18th century. The Australian premiere of Graun's passion cantata took place on

Good Friday Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Ho ...

2012 in St John's Cathedral in Brisbane with the Badinerie Players and the Brisbane Chamber Choir under Michael O'Loghlin and with Shelli Hulcombe (soprano), Bethany Shepherd (soprano), Gregory Massingham (tenor), Jason Barry-Smith (bass). ** Adolf Friedrich Hesse (1809–1863) composed an Organ Introduction, Op. 84, to Graun's work. *

Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (21 June 1732 – 26 January 1795) was a harpsichordist and composer, the fifth son of Johann Sebastian Bach, sometimes referred to as the "Bückeburg Bach". Born in Leipzig in the Electorate of Saxony, he was ...

, cantata (1769) BR D 2 / Wf XIV:1, based on Ramler's revised version from 1760 *

Joseph Martin Kraus Joseph Martin Kraus (20 June 1756 – 15 December 1792), was a German-Swedish composer in the Classical era who was born in Miltenberg am Main, Germany. He moved to Sweden at age 21, and died at the age of 36 in Stockholm. He has been referre ...

to his own libretto (1776), in the ''

Sturm und Drang ''Sturm und Drang'' (, ; usually translated as "storm and stress") was a proto-Romantic movement in German literature and music that occurred between the late 1760s and early 1780s. Within the movement, individual subjectivity and, in particul ...

'' style * Anna Amalia, Abbess of Quedlinburg, used by

Johann Kirnberger Johann Philipp Kirnberger (also ''Kernberg''; 24 April 1721, Saalfeld – 27 July 1783, Berlin) was a musician, composer (primarily of fugues), and music theorist. He was a student of Johann Sebastian Bach. According to Ingeborg Allihn, Kirnber ...

as models of counterpoint in his ' (The art of pure musical composition) (1779) *

Christian Ernst Graf Christian Ernst Friedrich Graf ( Rudolstadt, 30 June 1723 – The Hague, 17 July 1804) was a Dutch Kapellmeister (, also , ) from German ''Kapelle'' (chapel) and ''Meister'' (master)'','' literally "master of the chapel choir" designates the ...

(1723–1804, The Hague 1802

Compositional style

Unlike Bach's Passions, Graun's setting does not imbue the

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors i ...

soloist with the role of narrator or Evangelist, nor is the

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

cast as

Vox Christi Vox (Latin for 'voice') may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters * Vox (DC Universe character), Mal Duncan * Vox, several characters in the anime series '' Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne'' * Gleeman Vox, from the ''Ratche ...

. The music is post-Baroque, an italianate '' galant style'', and contains little counterpoint (notably in the

duet A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a solo ...

, no. 17) or

fugal In music, a fugue () is a contrapuntal compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject (a musical theme) that is introduced at the beginning in imitation (repetition at different pitches) and which recurs frequently in the c ...

movements (chorus no. 14 is a double fugue). Instead, it gives prominence to melody and voice. All

aria In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...

s are

da capo aria The da capo aria () is a musical form for arias that was prevalent in the Baroque era. It is sung by a soloist with the accompaniment of instruments, often a small orchestra. The da capo aria is very common in the musical genres of opera and ora ...

s with stylistic borrowings from

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libre ...

arias. Grauner's

recitative Recitative (, also known by its Italian name "''recitativo''" ()) is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repea ...

settings are highly expressive, culminating in the moving simplicity of the bass's recitative no. 23 on the

death of Jesus The crucifixion and death of Jesus occurred in 1st-century Judea, most likely in AD 30 or AD 33. It is described in the four canonical gospels, referred to in the New Testament epistles, attested to by other ancient sources, and considere ...

, "" (He is no more!). The last chorus starts quite powerfully, but then ebbs away into a mystical silence.

Movements

Graun's settings consists of 25 movements: ;Part 1 #

Chorale Chorale is the name of several related musical forms originating in the music genre of the Lutheran chorale: * Hymn tune of a Lutheran hymn (e.g. the melody of " Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"), or a tune in a similar format (e.g. one of the ...

– Du, dessen Augen flossen #Chorus – Sein Odem ist schwach #Accompanied recitative ( soprano) – Gethsemane! Gethsemane! #Aria (soprano) – Du Held, auf den die Köcher #Chorale – Wen hab' ich sonst als Dich allein #Recitative (soprano) – Ach mein Immanuel! #Aria (soprano) – Ein Gebet um neue Stärke #Recitative (

) – Nun klingen Waffen #Aria (tenor) – Ihr weichgeschaffnen Seelen #Chorus – Unsre Seele ist gebeuget #Chorale – Ich will von meiner Missetat #Recitative (

) – Jerusalem, voll Mordlust #Aria (bass) – So stehet ein Berg Gottes #Chorus – Christus hat uns ein Vorbild gelassen ;Part 2 #

Chorale – Ich werde Dir zu Ehren alles wagen

#Recitative (soprano) – Da stehet der traurige, verhängnisvolle Pfahl #

Duet A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a solo ...

(sopranos) – Feinde, die ihr mich betrübt #Recitative (soprano) – Wer ist der Heilige, zum Muster uns verliehn #Aria (soprano) – Singt dem göttlichen Propheten #Chorus – Freuet euch alle ihr Frommen #Chorale – Wie herrlich ist die neue Welt #Recitative (bass) – Auf einmal fällt der aufgehaltne Schmerz #Accompanied recitative (bass) – Es steigen Seraphim #Chorale with bass solo – Ihr Augen, weint! #Chorus – Hier liegen wir gerührte Sünder A performance takes about hours.

Selected recordings

* Telemann ** Ex Tempore, Le Mercure Galant. conductor . René Gailly ** Telemann Chamber Orchestra, conductor Ludger Rémy. cpo * Graun **

Capella Savaria The Capella Savaria is a Hungarian ensemble that perform chamber music on original instruments (and instruments based on original designs). Established in 1981, in Szombathely, they most often perform music from the 17th and 18th centuries, and h ...

, conductor Pál Németh. HM Quintana ** La Petite Bande, conductor Sigiswald Kuijken.

Hyperion Records Hyperion Records is an independent British classical record label. History Hyperion is an independent British classical label that was established in 1980 with the goal of showcasing recordings of music in all genres and from all time period ...

2003''Der Tod Jesu''
at Hyperion Recors, with extensive details ** Das Kleine Konzert, conductor Hermann Max, cpo 2009 * Kraus – with ''Kom! din herdestaf att bära'', Philharmonia Chor Stuttgart,

Stuttgarter Kammerorchester The Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra (Stuttgarter Kammerorchester) is a German chamber orchestra based in Stuttgart. Its principal concert venue is the Liederhalle, Stuttgart. History Karl Münchinger founded the orchestra in 1945, and served as its ...

, Helmut Wolf.

Carus-Verlag Carus-Verlag is a German music publisher founded in 1972 and based in Stuttgart. Carus was founded by choral conductor Günter Graulich and his wife Waltraud with an emphasis on choral repertoire. The catalogue currently includes more than 26,0 ...

1997

References

External links