Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 4.djvu/804

788 beyond Schütz's time, since it even appears in Vopelius' 'Leipziger Gesangbuch* of 1682. It may be seen in Schöberlein and Riegel's 'Schatz des liturgischen Chorgesangs' vol. ii. 619–647. (With regard to the authorship, compare O. Kade's remarks in the Vorwort to the Notenbeilagen to Ambros's Geschichte xlvi.). Schütz's Resurrection follows the line of Scandelli's, only whereas Scandelli's composition is purely vocal, that of Schütz is adapted to instrumental accompaniment. Both works begin with a setting (in Scandelli 5-part, in Schütz 6-part) of the words 'Die Auferstehung unsers Herrn Jesu Christi, wie uns die von den Evangelisten beschrieben wird,' and conclude with a setting (Scandelli 5-part, Schütz 8-part) of the words 'Gott sei Dank, der uns den Sieg gegeben hat,' etc. In Scandelli, the part of the Evangelist is altogether liturgical, but in Schütz, while it is mostly based on the liturgical melody, the more important passages have given to them a more characteristic and expressive form of declamation, which sometimes rises up to actual melody in the more modern sense of the term, and the Evangelist's part is accompanied throughout either by the organ or preferably by four Viole da Gamba, which are called upon at certain pauses in the narrative to execute appropriate runs or passages ('Zierliche und approprüte Läufe oder passaggi machen'). The words of other personages are set for two or more voices, according to their number, as for instance, the words of the three Maries as a trio, of the two angels as a duet, of the eleven disciples as a 6-part chorus, only that usually for single personages two parts are employed (as in Scandelli), though Schütz permits one of these parts to be taken, as he expresses it, instrumentaliter. This work of Schütz's is altogether remarkable, as being a highly successful endeavour to unite dramatic expressiveness with reverence for ecclesiastical tradition. The same spirit is shown in another form in his next work of importance, Cantiones Sacrae, for four voices with bass accompaniment for organ. The endeavour here is to unite the older form of the Motet with the newer form of the Concerto, and the Diatonic Church Modes with the use of Chromatic harmonies. In 1627 Johann Georg I. of Saxony wished to signalize the occasion of the marriage of his daughter to the Landgraf of Hesse- Darmstadt by giving the first performance of opera in Germany. The opera had just sprung into life in connexion with the new musical movement in Italy, as a supposed revival of the antique music-drama. Schutz was commissioned to procure from Italy Peri's opera 'Dafne.' The poet Opitz was set to the task of translating the Italian text by Rinuccini into German, and as it was found that Peri's music would not quite fit the new German words, Schütz had to adapt them to new music of his own. The opera 'Dafne,' as thus set by Schütz, was performed at Torgau on the 13th of April, 1627. Unfortunately the music of this first German opera has not been preserved, and, no further account of it has been given. It is probable however that Schütz did little else on this occasion than re-arrange Peri's music and add something in exactly the same style. In any case the result was not such as to induce Schütz to make any further attempts in music for the theatre, if we except another occasional piece, a Ballet written in 1638, the music of which appears also to be lost. In 1628, Schütz having lost his wife, found some comfort in his sorrow, as he tells us, by occupying himself with the task of composing melodies with simple 4-part harmony to a rhymed version of the Psalms by Dr. Cornelius Becker. This version by Becker was meant to be a Lutheran rival to an earlier Calvinistic version by Lobwasser based on the French Psalter of Marot and Beza, and adapted to the same melodies. Later on, Johann Georg II., with a view to the introduction of the Becker Psalter in place of Lobwasser's in the schools and churches of Saxony, urged Schütz to complete his composition of melodies for the work. The task was hardly congenial to our composer, as he himself confesses in the preface to the complete work when it appeared in 1661. Two further editions however of this Psalter, with Schütz's melodies, appeared in 1676 and 1712. Some of these melodies passed into later Cantionals, though none have ever taken the same place in general use or esteem that similar work by less eminent composers has done.

Correct p. 46 a, l. 4, etc. by the following:—Partly to distract himself from his great sorrow, partly to familiarize himself with the still newer development of music in Italy, with which the name of Claudio Monteverde is chiefly associated, Schütz set out on a second visit to Italy in 1629. He found musical taste in Venice greatly changed since the time of his first visit (1612), 'modern ears were being regaled with a new kind of sensation' ('recenti titillatione'). The new style consisted in the greater prominence given to solo singing, and to intensity of expression in solo singing, the freer use of dissonances, and greater richness and variety in instrumental accompaniment. In a series of works entitled Symphoniæ Sacræ, Schütz endeavoured to turn to account the new experiences he had gained, without however, like his new Italian models, turning his back upon his earlier polyphonic training. He never altogether forgot to unite the solidity of the old school with the piquancy of expression of the new. The first part of 'Symphoniæ Sacræ' appeared at Venice in 1629, and consists of twenty settings of Latin texts, chiefly from the Psalma and the Song of Songs. A second part of Symphoniæ Sacræ, with the sub-title 'Deutsche Concerten,' appeared at Dresden in 1657; a third part also at Dresden in 1650. The two later parts are settings of German Bible texts. They may be described as brief dramatic cantatas for various combinations of voices and instruments, and in virtue of them Schütz may be considered joint-founder with Carissimi of the Dramatic Oratorio. Winterfeld (Gabrieli, vol. iii. pp. 82, etc., also Evang. Kir. Gesang. ii. p. 315) singles out for special notice