Two recitative-aria sections in the oratorio were composed by Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I himself, reflecting his passion for music and normal practice.
Recording & Production
This recording was crowdfunded by 172 generous donors, to whom it is dedicated.
Composition History
This album features the first recording of Johann Heinrich Schmelzer's oratorio Le Memorie dolorose, which premiered in Vienna on Good Friday 1678.
Interpretation
The performers edited the libretto to remove two brief moments of anti-Jewish outcry, dissociating their performance from such prejudice.
Compositional Technique
The libretto for Le Memorie dolorose, by court poet Nicolo Minato, is structured around ten pairs of contrasting 'memories' for the Blessed Virgin, highlighting her grief.
Composer Biography
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, a highly valued violinist and composer at the Habsburg court in Vienna, became head chapelmaster to Emperor Leopold I before succumbing to the plague in Prague.
Historical Context
The oratorio Le Memorie dolorose belongs to a subgenre called sepolcri, performed in front of a constructed reproduction of Christ's Tomb in royal chapels as part of extreme Holy Week devotion at the Viennese court.
You might also enjoy...
Kreüsser: 6 Flute Quintettos, Op. 10
Couperin: Concert Rayoux
Couperin: Concerts royaux
Buxtehude: Sonates - Reinken: Hortus Musicus
Finger: Music for European Courts and Concerts
Cantica obsoleta
The Lully Effect
Playhouse Aires - 18th Century English Theatre Music
