Stölzel: Ein Lämmlein geht und trägt die Schuld

Featuring

Veronika Winter
Franz Vitzthum
Markus Brutscher
Martin Schicketanz
Hermann Max
Rheinische Kantorei

Das Kleine Konzert
Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel

Did you know?

1/7

Composition History

Stölzel often compiled the texts for his compositions himself, including the Passion oratorio "Ein Lämmlein geht und trägt die Schuld", which was one of his first major works in Gotha.

Performer Biography

Hermann Max, the conductor, founded the ensembles Rheinische Kantorei and Das Kleine Konzert, and their approximately 70 CD recordings have received numerous awards, including the Grand Prix du Disque and Echo Klassik.

Cultural Impact

Johann Sebastian Bach later used an aria from Stölzel's Passion oratorio, "Dein Kreuz, o Bräutgam meiner Seelen," as the basis for his own aria "Bekennen will ich seinen Namen," BWV 200.

Compositional Technique

Stölzel's Passion oratorio uses the "praesens historicum" (historic present) for the Evangelist's narrative, making the events more immediate to the listener, and features allegorical figures like the "Faithful Soul" and "Christian Church."

Composer Biography

Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel, born in 1690, became court Kapellmeister in Gotha in 1719, holding the rank of "Secretarius" for many years.

Historical Context

Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel became a member of the "Corresponding Society of Musical Sciences" in 1739, eight years before Johann Sebastian Bach joined as its 14th member.

Composition History

Johann Sebastian Bach performed Stölzel's Passion oratorio "Ein Lämmlein geht und trägt die Schuld" on Good Friday 1734, after no Passion music had been performed the previous year due to state mourning.