Robert Führer (1807 - 1861) was born in Praha, he
became the Director of Music at the Dome in 1839 at the
age of 32. He was deemed to be most talented, but he
lived a most expensive style of life. To support this
extravagant lifestyle he sold a valuable Stradivarius
violin which was owned by the Dome. This fact was
discovered in 1843, when he was dismissed for the
crime. Without a church to call home he wandered
through several different towns and villages, but never
stayed in any one place for...(+)
Robert Führer (1807 - 1861) was born in Praha, he
became the Director of Music at the Dome in 1839 at the
age of 32. He was deemed to be most talented, but he
lived a most expensive style of life. To support this
extravagant lifestyle he sold a valuable Stradivarius
violin which was owned by the Dome. This fact was
discovered in 1843, when he was dismissed for the
crime. Without a church to call home he wandered
through several different towns and villages, but never
stayed in any one place for too long. During this
period he had to support himself from sales of his
church music compositions. Luckily this was successful
because his music was well loved. No other composer's
works enjoyed as widespread performance amongst the
choirs in South Germany and Austria. His musical style
varies from a composer such as Mozart, and is more in
keeping with that of an early Caecilian. His works were
often written for rural choirs, meaning that they were
not too musically demanding. In spite of this, larger
and more difficult works can be found in his
repertoire. Although his works were sometimes judged to
not have been "carefully" composed, he surely was a
talented and experienced composer, well loved by his
public, and had an innate sense for composing a
beautiful melodic line.
"Alma Redemptoris Mater" (Loving Mother of our Saviour)
is a Marian hymn, written in Latin hexameter, and one
of four seasonal liturgical Marian antiphons sung at
the end of the office of Compline (the other three
being Ave Regina cælorum, the Regina cœli and the
Salve Regina). Hermannus Contractus (also called Herman
the Cripple; 1013--1054) is said to have authored the
hymn based on the writings of Saints Fulgentius,
Epiphanius, and Irenaeus of Lyon. It is mentioned in
"The Prioress's Tale", one of Geoffrey Chaucer's
Canterbury Tales. Formerly it was recited at compline
only from the first Sunday in Advent until the Feast of
the Purification (2 February).
Although originally created for accompanied chorus, I
created this arrangement for Woodwind Quartet (Flute,
Oboe, Bb Clarinet & Bassoon) and String Quartet (2
Violins, Viola & Cello).
