Heinrich Schütz's Symphoniae Sacrae II were published in 1647, a time when central Europe was still deeply affected by the 29-year-long war, alongside other conflicts like the English Civil War.
Composition History
Schütz dedicated the Symphoniae Sacrae II to the Danish Crown Prince, associating the 27 works with his successful years in Copenhagen (1633-35 and 1642-44).
Composer's Artistic Vision
At the very center of the 27 sophisticated pieces in Symphoniae Sacrae II stands a simple and powerful wish: 'Verleih uns Frieden' (Grant us peace), reflecting a reaction to the world's upheavals.
Composition History
Some works in Symphoniae Sacrae II have earlier versions dating back to the 1630s, showing Schütz's long-term project of cultural transfer from Italy to Germany.
Critical Reception
Schütz was acclaimed as the 'parens nostrae musicae modernae' (father of our modern music) for his role in introducing Italian music to Germany, with 'modern' referring to the Italian style.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The Symphoniae Sacrae II represent Schütz's monumental achievement of merging techniques of the Italian avant-garde with central German traditions, particularly adapting Italian musical 'grammar' to Lutheran German texts.
Compositional Technique
In the work 'Es steh Gott auf' (SWV 356), Schütz directly quotes and expands upon two works by Monteverdi, Armato il cor and Zefiro torna, demonstrating a technique he called 'aemulatio' or competitive imitation.
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Schütz: Symphoniae sacrae II, Op. 10
Heinrich Schütz: Symphoniae sacrae, Op. 6, SWV 257-276 (Hans Grüß)
Georg Philipp Telemann: Auf Christenheit! - Frankfurter Festmusiken 1716
