Heinrich Schutz (1585-1672)

Donald Macleod on the early years of the man described as the 'father of German music'.

Donald Macleod focuses on Schutz's years spent at the penniless court in Dresden.

Unlike many composers from the earlier end of music history, Heinrich Schütz left plenty of documentary traces - letters, petitions, memoranda, appraisals, prefaces, poetry and, in tune with the patronage culture of the times, his fair share of fawning dedications. It's a body of writings that opens fascinating windows onto the composer's life and times - and provides plentiful cues for music from one of greatest composers of his age.

Cantate Domino canticum novum, SWV 281 (Cantiones sacrae, Op 4)

Capella Augustana

Matteo Messori, director

O quam tu pulchra es, SWV 265 (Symphoniae Sacrae I)

Tobias M䀀thger, Georg Poplutz, tenor

Margret Baumgartl, Karina Müller, violin

Andreas Arend, theorbo

Matthias Müller, violone

Ludger R退my, organ

Hans-Christoph Rademann, conductor

Wie sehr lieblich und sch怀ne sind doch die Wohnung dein, SWV 181 (Becker-Psalter, Op 5)

Magdalena Kircheis, soprano

Aneta Petrasovက, alto

Tobias M䀀thger, tenor

Martin Schicketanz, bass

Dresden Chamber Choir

Margret Baumgartl, violin

Stefan Maass, theorbo

Michaela Hasselt, organ

Hans-Christoph Rademann, director

Habe deine Lust an dem Herren, SWV 311 (Kleine geistliche Concerte II, Op 9)

Gerlinde S䀀mann, Isabel Schicketanz, soprano

Matthias Müller, viola da gamba

Ludger R退my, organ and director

Concert in Form einer teutschen Begr䀀bnis-Missa, SWV 279 (Musikalische Exequien)

Mary Seers, Rachel Platt, soprano

Ashley Stafford, countertenor

Frieder Lang, Nicolas Robertson, tenor

Stephen Charlesworth, bass

Lawrence Wallington, bass

The Monteverdi Choir

Alastair Ross, organ

The English Baroque Soloists

John Eliot Gardiner, conductor

Gedenke deinem Knechte an dein Wort, SWV 485 (Psalm 119)

Collegium Vocale Gent

Concerto Palatino

Philippe Herreweghe, conductor

Produced by Chris Barstow for BBC Wales

Dipping a toe into the fertile archival territory of Heinrich Schutz's writings.

Heinrich Schütz lived to be 87 - a pretty creditable age even now, but in the 17th century, extraordinary. As he approached his 60th birthday, his thoughts turned to retirement - and pension arrangements. Unfortunately for Schütz, his then employer, Johann Georg I of Saxony, had different ideas - ideas that involved his celebrated kapellmeister continuing to work in much the same way as before, for an unspecified period of time. In the event, it took a change of leadership to bring about the result Schütz so desired; the old Elector died, and in 1657, with Schütz now a grand old 72, the new Elector, Johann Georg II, assented to new arrangements, involving a pension, permission to leave Dresden, and lighter duties. Schütz, though, didn't rest on his laurels, and some of his greatest music dates from his last years - including his sparse and powerful setting of the Matthew Passion, and his musical last will and testament, a collection of works he himself titled ‘Swansong'.

Auf dem Gebirge, SWV 396 (Geistliche Chormusik)

David Erler, Alexander Schneider, countertenor

Cappella Sagitariana

Hans-Christoph Rademann, conductor

Feget den alten Sauerteig aus, SWV 404; Saul, Saul, was verfolgst du mich?, SWV 415; Komm, heiliger Geist, SWV 417 (Symphoniae Sacrae III)

Dresdner Barockorchester

Hans-Christoph Rademann, director

Ich danke dem Herrn von ganzem Herzen, SWV 424 (12 Geistliche Gesange, Op 13)

Dresden Chamber Choir

Jauchzet dem Herren, alle Welt (Psalm 100), SWV 493

Collegium Vocale Gent

Concerto Palatino

Philippe Herreweghe, conductor

St Matthew Passion, SWV 479 (Und Siehe Da, Der Vorhang Im Tempel Zerreib In Zwei Stück)

Paul Elliott, tenor (Evangelist)

Rogers Covey-Crump, tenor (Pilate)

The Hilliard Ensemble

Mein Seele erhebt den Herren, SWV 494 (‘German Magnificat')

Produced by Chris Barstow for BBC Wales

Heinrich Schutz attempts to retire - and eventually bids farewell with his Schwanengesang

Christmas in 17th-century Dresden was not for the faint-hearted. Proceedings started at 3am with a signal call from the town watchman, followed by rounds of canon-fire, peals of bells, singing, shawm-playing, more bells, then a military parade - all leading up to the first church service of the day, at 7.30am, with its obligatory hour-long sermon. Schütz's music must have been a consolation, at least to those who were fortunate enough to do their worshipping at the court chapel. His yuletide masterpiece is The Christmas Story - today's programme includes a complete performance.

Hodie Christus natus est, SWV 456

Claire Lefilli tre, Julie Vall退e-Gendre, soprano

Renau Tripathi, haut-contre

Hans-J怀rg Mammel, tenor

Thomas van Essen, baritone

Etienne Debaisieux, bass

Chamber Choir of Namur

La Fenice

Jean Tub退ry, conductor

Warum toben die Heiden, SWV 23 (Psalmen Davids, Op 2)

Cantus C怀lln

Concerto Palatino

Konrad Jungh䀀nel, director

Ein Kind ist uns geboren, SWV 302 (Kleine geistliche Concerte I)

Dorothee Mields, soprano

David Erler, alto

Georg Poplutz, tenor

Andreas Wolf, bass

Stefan Maass, Theorbo

Matthias Müller, viola da gamba

Ludger R退my, organ and director

Verbum caro factum est, SWV 314 (Kleine geistliche Concerte II)

Gerlinde S䀀mann, Isabel Schicketanz, soprano

Historia, der freuden- und gnadenreichen Geburth Gottes und Marien Sohnes,

Jesu Christi (The Christmas Story), SWV 435

Else Torp, soprano

Adam Riis, Johan Linderoth, tenor

Jakob Bloch Jespersen, bass

Ars Nova Copenhagen

Concerto Copenhagen

Sirius Viols

Paul Hillier, direction

Produced by Chris Barstow for BBC Wales

Celebrating Yuletide, Heinrich Schutz-style

Landgrave Moritz of Hesse-Kassel did the world a great favour when he suggested to his 25-year-old second court organist Heinrich Schütz that he should head south to Venice and learn at the feet of the Italian master of sound in space, Giovanni Gabrieli - a period of study that left an indelible imprint on the German composer's musical style. Schütz's first Venetian sojourn, which began in 1609, was well-timed - Gabrieli was in poor health and had only three years to live. Two decades later, Schütz returned to a Venice where Monteverdi was now the musical kingpin, and found that things had changed a good deal since his previous visit. Once again, Schütz eagerly absorbed his new discoveries into his own musical language, with splendid results - among them his first set of Symphoniae Sacrae, published in Venice in 1629.

Jubilate Deo in chordis et organo, SWV 276 (Symphoniae Sacrae I, Op 6)

Tobias M䀀thger, Georg Poplutz, tenor

Felix Schwandtke, bass

Friederike Otto, Anna Schall, cornetti

Clemens Schlemmer, dulcian

Andreas Arend, theorbo

Matthias Müller, violone

Ludger R退my, organ

Hans-Christoph Rademann, conductor

Ride la primavera, SWV 7; Di marmo siete voi, SWV 17; Vasto mar, nel cui seno, SWV 19 (Italian Madrigals, Op 1)

Sette Voci

Armin Bereuter, violone

Julian Behr, chitarrone

Lorenzo Feder, harpsichord (organ)

Peter Kooij, director

Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren, SWV 41; Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen, SWV 29; Ich danke dem Herrn von ganzem Herzen, SWV 34 (Psalmen Davids, Op 2)

Cantus C怀lln

Concerto Palatino

Konrad Jungh䀀nel, director

Fili mi, Absalon, SWV 269 (Symphoniae Sacrae I, Op 6)

Sebastian Krause, Julian Nagel, Masafumi Sakamoto, Fernando Günther, trombone

In te, Domine, speravi, SWV 259

David Erler, countertenor

Margret Baumgartl, violin

Es steh Gott auf, SWV 356, (Symphoniae sacrae II, Op 10)

Capella Augustana

Matteo Messori, director

Produced by Chris Barstow for BBC Wales

We are in Venice, where Heinrich Schutz studies with Gabrieli and hobnobs with Monteverdi.

‘War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothin!' - a sentiment that anyone living in the German states during the 30-year period from 1618 to 1648 would have had no trouble relating to. What began as a little local difficulty at Hrad?any Castle in Prague - when Protestant rebels turfed the proposed new Catholic governors of Bohemia out of a third-storey window - gradually escalated into a politically driven, pan-European bloodbath in which, according to some estimates, the German states as a whole lost up to 30 percent of their population. All of this, of course, impacted hugely on musical life - court musical establishments were slimmed down; musicians were laid off, or went unpaid. You can hear the effect in Schütz's music. His Kleine geistliche Konzerte, from the late 1630s, have an economy of means that may have been necessitated by the austerity of the time but in Schütz's hands actually serve to intensify the music's emotional impact.

‘O, Herr, hilf', SWV 402 (Symphoniae Sacrae III)

Ulrike Hofbauer, Isabel Jantschek, soprano

Georg Poplutz, tenor

Dresdner Barockorchester

Hans-Christoph Rademann, director

Syncharma musicum, SWV 49

Maria Skiba, Heidi Maria Taubert, Dorothea Wagner, soprano

Tobias Hunger, Stephan G䀀hler, tenor

Cappella Sagittariana Dresden

Norbert Schuster, conductor

Da pacem, Domine', SWV 465

Cantus C怀lln

Musica Fiata

Konrad Jungh䀀nel, director

Veni, Sancte Spiritus, SWV 328

Isabel Schicketanz, Gerlinde S䀀mann, soprano

Georg Poplutz, Tobias M䀀thger, tenor

Matthias Müller, viola da gamba

Ludger R退my, organ and director

O süsser, o freundlicher Herr Jesu Christ, SWV 285

Erh怀re mich, wenn ich dich rufe, SWV 289

Dorothee Mields, soprano

Ulrike Hofbauer, soprano

Stefan Maass, theorbo

Ist Gott für uns, SWV 329

David Erler, alto

Tobias Berndt, bass

Ich bin eine rufende Stimme, SWV 383; Verleih uns Frieden gen䀀diglich, SWV 372; Das Wort ward Fleisch, SWV 385; Das ist je gewisslich wah, SWV 388 (Geistliche Chor-Music)

Bach Collegium Japan

Masaaki Suzuki, conductor

Danket dem Herren, denn er ist freundlich, SWV 45 (Psalmen Davids, Op 2)

Concerto Palatino

Produced by Chris Barstow for BBC Wales

Heinrich Schutz is swept up in the convulsions of the Thirty Years' War

Donald Macleod delves into the early life of the great German composer Heinrich Schütz, when the boy's musical talents were discovered by an aristocrat. Macleod follows Schütz on his journey to being offered a prominent position at the Court in Dresden, as well as a dream come true when Schütz goes to study with Gabrieli in Venice.

Wohl denen, die ohne Wandel leben, SWV 482

La Capella Ducale

Musica Fiata

Roland Wilson, director

Tugend ist der beste Freund, SWV 442

Dorothee Mields, soprano

Isabel Schicketanz, soprano

Margaret Baumhartl, violin

Wolfgang von Kessinger, violin

Andreas Arend, theorbo

Matthias Müller, viola da gamba

Beate Rölleke, chamber organ

Hans-Christoph Rademann, director

O primavera, SWV 1

O dolcezze amarissime, SWV 2

Ride la primavera, SWV 7

Miriam Allan, soprano

Hannah Morrison, soprano

Mathilde Ortscheidt, mezzo-soprano

Sean Clayton, tenor

Jonathan Sells, bass-baritone

Les Arts Florissants

Paul Agnew, director

Wohl dem der ein tugendsam Weib hat, SWV 20

Cantus Cölln

Knabenchor Hannover

Zion spricht, der Herr hat mich verlassen, SWV 46

Alleluja, lobet den Herrn, SWV 38

Aurore Bucher, soprano

Andrea Brown, soprano

Rolf Ehlers, countertenor

Beat Duddeck, countertenor

Michael Feyfar, tenor

Nils Giebelhausen tenor

Ekkehard Abele, baritone

Benoit Arnould, baritone

La Chapelle Rhenane

Benoit Haller, dorector

En novus Elysiis, SWV 49 (Syncharma Musicum)

Maria Skiba, soprano

Heidi Maria Taubert, soprano

Dorothea Wagner, soprano

David Erler, alto

Tobias Hunger, tenor

Stephan Gähler, tenor

Ingolf Seidel, baritone

Clemens Heidrich, bass

Matthias Lutze, bass

Cappella Sagittariana Dresden

Norbert Schuster, director

Donald Macleod delves into the early life of the great German composer Heinrich Sch\u00fctz.

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Donald Macleod sees Schütz endure the death of his wife, after only six years of marriage, and explores the music he composed to mark her parting. Schütz makes the difficult decision to send his two daughters away to live with their grandmother, but he's also able to find inspiration and joy when he embarks on a new tour of Italy.

Ich heb mein Augen sehnlich auf, SWV 226 (Becker Psalter)

Dresdner Kammerchor

Dresdner Barockorchester

Hans-Christoph Rademann, director

Mit dem Amphion zwar mein Orgel und mein Harfe, SWV 501

Wolfram Lattke, tenor

Cappella Sagittariana Dresden

Norbert Schuster, director

Auferstehungshistorie, SWV 50 (excerpt)

Instrumenta Musica

The Sirius Viols

Fili mi, Absalon, SWV 269

Venite ad me, SWV 261

Benedicam Dominum in omni tempore, SWV 267

Monika Mauch, soprano

Markus Brutscher, tenor

Hans Jörg Mammel, tenor

Wolf Matthias Friedrich, bass

Musica Fiata

Roland Wilson, director

Ich hab mein Sach Gott heimgestellt, SWV 305

Weser-Renaissance Bremen

Manfred Cordes, director

Donald Macleod sees Sch\u00fctz endure tragedy at home and find inspiration in Italy.

An informative guide to composers' lives and their music.

[LISTEN NOW]

Donald Macleod follows Heinrich Schütz as he heads to Denmark to supervise the music for a Royal Wedding. The Thirty Years War continued to rage on, and Donald surveys the impact this had upon music making at the Dresden Court where Schütz was employed.

Erhöre mich, wenn dich ich rufe, SWV 289

Weser-Renaissance Bremen

Manfred Cordes, driected

O der grossen Wundertaten, SWV 278

RIAS Kammerchor

Capella de la Torre

Katharina Bäuml, director

Musikalische Exequien, SWV 279 (excerpt)

Vox Luminis

Lionel Meunier, director

Ich werde nicht sterben, SWV 346 (Symphoniarum sacrarum II)

Ich danke dir, Herr, SWV 347 (Symphoniarum sacrarum II)

David de Winter, tenor

Brook Street Band

Die mit Tränen säen, SWV 378 (Geistliche Chormusik)

Herr, auf dich traue ich, SWV 377 (Geistliche Chormusik)

Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, SWV 386 (Geistliche Chormusik)

Collegium Vocale Gent

Philippe Herreweghe, director

Donald Macleod follows Heinrich Sch\u00fctz as he heads to Denmark.

An informative guide to composers' lives and their music.

[LISTEN NOW]

Donald Macleod sees Heinrich Schütz faced with problems in Dresden, including the appointment of another man to share Schütz's role. Although the Thirty Years War had come to an end and peace was now in place, this was a time of turbulence for Schütz who became embroiled in a number of professional disputes.

Haus und Güter erbet man von Eltern, SWV 21

Cantus Cölln

Musica Fiata

Roland Wilson, director

Teutoniam dudum belli, SWV 338

Ricercar Consort

Philippe Pierlot, director

Was betrübst du dich, SWV 353 (Symphoniarum sacrarum II)

Zweierlei bitte ich, SWV 360 (Symphoniarum sacrarum II)

Marie Kuijken, soprano

Stephan Scherpe, tenor

Daniel Schreiber, tenor

La Petite Bande

Sigiswald Kuijken, director

Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, SWV 386

Unser Wandel ist im Himmel, SWV 390

Ich bin ein rechter Weinstock, SWV 389

Ensemble Polyharmonique

Juliane Laake, viola da gamba

Klaus Eichhorn, organ

Alexander Schneider, director

Seid barmherzig, SWV 409 (Symphoniarum sacrarum III)

Concerto Palatino

Konrad Junghänel, director

Herr, nun lässest du deinen Diener, SWV 432

Vox Luminis

Lionel Meunier, director

Donald Macleod sees Heinrich Sch\u00fctz faced with problems in Dresden.

An informative guide to composers' lives and their music.

[LISTEN NOW]

Donald Macleod explores the final years for the celebrated composer Heinrich Schütz, when he received a sudden windfall of a generous pension. Schütz had been asking to retire for some years from the Dresden Court, and when eventually allowed to, he continued to compose music including the completion of his Swansong, a setting of Psalm 119.

Schütz: Die Erde trinkt für sich, SWV 438

David Erler, countertenor

Tobias Mäthger, bass

Matthias Müller, viol

Beate Röllecke, organ

Hans-Christoph Rademann, director

Saul, Saul, was verfolgst du mich, SWV 415 (Symphoniarum sacrarum III)

Herr, wie lang willst du mein so gar vergessen, SWV 416 (Symphoniarum sacrarum III)

Kammerchor Stuttgart

Musica Fiata

Frieder Bernius, director

St Matthew Passion, SWV 479 (excerpt)

Julian Podger (Evangelist), tenor

Ars Nova Copenhagen

Paul Hillier, director

Vater Abraham, erbarme dich mein, SWV477

Dresdner Kammerchor and Musicians

Ich rufe von ganzem Herzen, SWV 491

Die Fürsten verfolgen mich ohn Ursach, SWV 492

Collegium Vocale Gent

Concerto Palatino

Philippe Herreweghe, director

Donald Macleod explores the final years for the celebrated composer Heinrich Sch\u00fctz.

An informative guide to composers' lives and their music.

[LISTEN NOW]