Schütz consciously chose the 119th Psalm as his last major work to express his personal faith, as Protestant theologians Martin Luther and Johannes Bugenhagen considered it a summary of the entire Bible.
Composition History
Schütz's setting of the 119th Psalm was likely never performed in the 17th century due to a lack of obvious liturgical use.
Interpretation
The performers, Musica Fiata and La Capella Ducale, used Schütz's techniques from his 1619 Psalmen Davids to reconstruct additional instrumental choirs for this recording, creating a magnificent and colorful sound.
Compositional Technique
The 119th Psalm is divided into twenty-two parts based on the Hebrew alphabet, which Schütz structured into eleven motets, each with two 16-verse stanzas and a doxology.
Composer's Artistic Vision
In his final work, Schütz consciously returned to an antiquated style, reminiscent of his earlier Psalmen Davids, after having composed many psalms in a more modern style.
Composition History
Heinrich Schütz, the composer, was over 80 years old when he wrote his last major work, the setting of the 119th Psalm.
Performer Biography
Roland Wilson, the leader of Musica Fiata and La Capella Ducale, is known for his research in performance practice and his ability to reconstruct fragmentarily transmitted works by 17th-century composers.
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