Melchior Franck: Melodiae Sacrae 1607

Featuring

Christoph Dittmar
Anna Kellnhofer
Karin Gyllenhammar
Julia Hebecker
Stefan Kunath
Mirko Ludwig

Benjamin Glaubitz
Carsten Krüger
Guillaume Olry
Mathis Koch
Capella Thuringia
Cantus Thuringia
Melchior Franck

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Composer Biography

Franck received his musical education in Augsburg, a significant music center, studying under Hans Leo Hassler, who brought the 'Italian polychoral style' and 'Venetian School' sophistication to Germany.

Compositional Technique

Michael Praetorius, a contemporary of Franck, detailed in his treatise Syntagma Musicum how court ensembles mixed vocal and instrumental musicians, including violins, viols, cornetts, and trombones, to exploit dynamic and expressive possibilities.

Composer Biography

Melchior Franck, born in 1579, is considered an outstanding German composer of the early 17th century, whose life and work were shaped by the political and religious tensions leading up to the Thirty Years' War.

Composition History

The collection Melodiae Sacrae, comprising 35 motets from 1606/07, showcases Franck's masterful command of polyphony and his ability to express liturgical texts with spiritual depth and harmonic complexity.

Interpretation

The performers on this album use 'High Chamber Pitch' (a=465Hz) and transpose motets written in 'Chiavette notation' down by a fourth, following historical performance practices.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Franck's personal style combines influences from the 'Italian School' and the 'Netherlandish Style' of composers like Orlando di Lasso, known for complex polyphony, resulting in clear structures, harmonic sophistication, and detailed text declamation.

Composition History

From 1603 until his death in 1639, Franck served as 'Saxon-Coburg Chapel Master' for Duke Johann Casimir of Saxe-Coburg in Coburg, where he was responsible for music at church services and secular festivities.