Theile's Passion setting of the Gospel of St. Matthew was performed on Good Friday 1673, two days before his official appointment as court chapel master to Duke Christian Albrecht von Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorf.
Composer Biography
Theile contributed three early works to Germany's first public opera house, the Gänsemarkt Opera House in Hamburg, though their music is no longer extant.
Performer Biography
The Hamburger Ratsmusik, an ensemble with a 500-year history, was revived in 1991 by gambist Simone Eckert and has received multiple awards, including the Echo Klassik prize.
Composer Biography
Theile was esteemed as a "father of the contrapuntists" by the following generation of German composers and died in his native Naumburg at almost 78 years old.
Composer Biography
Johann Theile, born in 1646, was a law student and accomplished gambist who received instruction from Heinrich Schütz, a renowned composer.
Compositional Technique
Theile's Musicalisches Kunstbuch, a collection of canon, sonata, and Mass movements, probably compiled in 1691, influenced later composers like Johann Sebastian Bach.
Performer Biography
Dorothee Mields, a soprano on this recording, is known for her unique timbre and touching interpretations of 17th and 18th-century music, with a constantly expanding discography of award-winning recordings.
