Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her: Weihnachstkonzerte aus Leipzig (Live)
10/16/2020, 15 Tracks, 1:07:16
Featuring
Ekkehard Abele
Franz Vitzthum
Hanna Zumsande
Monika Mauch
Peter Gortner
Sebastian Hübner
Karlsruhe Church of Christ Chorus
L'Arpa festante
Johann Schelle
Sebastian Knüpfer
Johann Kuhnau
Did you know?
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Composer Biography
Johann Schelle, another composer featured, began his musical career at age seven as a treble singer in the Dresden Hofkapelle under the direction of Heinrich Schütz.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The chorale 'Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her' by Martin Luther, with its 15 verses, serves as a common thread throughout this album's program.
Compositional Technique
Johann Schelle's 'Actus Musicus auff Weyh-Nachten' uses three instrumental groups—trumpets with timpani, cornets with trombones, and strings—to create a festive character.
Compositional Technique
Schelle's 'Actus Musicus auff Weyh-Nachten' sets 14 of the 15 verses of Luther's chorale 'Vom Himmel hoch' in varied arrangements, omitting only the 12th verse which lacks Christmas connection.
Composition History
The composers featured on this album, Sebastian Knüpfer, Johann Schelle, and Johann Kuhnau, were all Cantors of St. Thomas in Leipzig and predecessors of J.S. Bach.
Recording & Production
This album is a live recording of a concert held on December 22, 2019, at Christuskirche Karlsruhe.
Composer Biography
Johann Kuhnau, one of the composers on this album, was considered a polymath, learned in theology, jurisprudence, rhetoric, poetry, foreign languages, and music.
