SKU: CA.3116412

ISBN 9790007209032. Text language: German/English.

This six-movement cantata was performed for the first time on 26 August 1725 in Leipzig. The text was written by Bach's Weimar cantata poet Salomon Franck and had been published earlier in 1715 in his collection Evangelisches Andachts-Opffer. Here, Bach bases his work around the form of the Weimar cantatas which take their texts from Franck's printed collection (BWV 132, 152, 161-163, 165): movements 1-5 are performed by vocal soloists, whilst only the final chorus is given to the chorus. The key concepts of the text are Barmherzigkeit [compassion], Erbarmen [mercy] and wahre Christenliebe [true Christian love]; the chamber music arrangement of the cantata corresponds with this. The two arias for tenor and alto, and the duet for soprano and bass do not contain da capo sections, but repeat the entire text in a condensed form. The instruments do not contrast as a rule, but are treated as a string group (movements 1, 4), duetting (movement 3), and as full unison (movement 5). What is remarkable in all three movements is the thematic linking of the instrumental ritornello parts with the vocal parts through which Bach achieves a kind of unity of form. Score and part available separately - see item CA.3116400.

SKU: CA.3116411

ISBN 9790007209025. Text language: German/English.

This six-movement cantata was performed for the first time on 26 August 1725 in Leipzig. The text was written by Bach's Weimar cantata poet Salomon Franck and had been published earlier in 1715 in his collection Evangelisches Andachts-Opffer. Here, Bach bases his work around the form of the Weimar cantatas which take their texts from Franck's printed collection (BWV 132, 152, 161-163, 165): movements 1-5 are performed by vocal soloists, whilst only the final chorus is given to the chorus. The key concepts of the text are Barmherzigkeit [compassion], Erbarmen [mercy] and wahre Christenliebe [true Christian love]; the chamber music arrangement of the cantata corresponds with this. The two arias for tenor and alto, and the duet for soprano and bass do not contain da capo sections, but repeat the entire text in a condensed form. The instruments do not contrast as a rule, but are treated as a string group (movements 1, 4), duetting (movement 3), and as full unison (movement 5). What is remarkable in all three movements is the thematic linking of the instrumental ritornello parts with the vocal parts through which Bach achieves a kind of unity of form. Score and part available separately - see item CA.3116400.

SKU: TM.02861SET

Duet with Katherine and Villon. Key of F. 2 copies P/C/vocal score in set.

SKU: BA.BA04025-01

ISBN 9790006443222. 33 x 26 cm inches. Text Language: English.

Handelâ??s â??Semeleâ?, which premiered in February 1744, is based on an adapted version of William Congreveâ??s opera libretto titled â??The Story of Semeleâ?, originally published in 1706. However, neither Handel nor his librettist referred to â??Semeleâ? as an opera or an oratorio, which, according to the understanding at the time, would have required a biblical and/or Christian subject matter. Contemporary audiences also disagreed on the genre. The problematic classification as an oratorio has persisted into the present day, likely due to the edition labeled as such by Chrysander. The â??Halle Handel Editionâ? (HHA) distances itself from this classification and, considering the available sources, refrains from assigning a genre label.

Congreve deviates from the mythological source multiple times in order to create tensions among the characters. The desired marriage between Semele and Athamas, whom she does not love, is an addition by Congreve to provoke the envy of her sister Ino, who desires Athamas herself. Therefore, Ino sees her own advantage in Semeleâ??s abduction by Jupiter. While Jupiterâ??s wife Juno decides to destroy Semele out of jealousy for his relationship with her, Jupiter brings Ino to his palace to console Semele. The vengeful Juno takes advantage of Inoâ??s presence and transforms into her likeness, persuading Semele to carry out a plan that later proves fatal. In the end, Ino emerges as the winner, as she is able to convince their father, Cadmus, to marry her to Athamas. The appearance of Apollo in the final scene to announce that Semeleâ??s immortal son Bacchus was saved from her ashes provides little consolation. However, this twist allows the drama to conclude with exuberant joy and a magnificent final chorus after the tragic scenes in the third act, culminating in the death of the protagonist.

Handelâ??s autograph score shows significant deviations from and numerous revisions of the original version premiered. All surviving early versions, the musical movements deleted before the premiere, and the version of the December 1744, are given in the appendix to the HHA.

SKU: MN.56-0108

UPC: 688670221255. English, Latin. Psalms 142; Jeremiah 3:48, 52, 56.

Invictus: A Passion addresses one of the world’s most powerful stories through the lens of the modern world. The texts, written or inspired by women, describe not only human suffering and persecution but also the human capacity for love and humility in the face of tyranny. Composer Howard Goodall is uniquely suited to bring these texts to life with music of emotional clarity and sweeping force. This excerpt is scored for soprano solo, SATB choir and piano. This fourth movement of the larger work is inspired by the extraordinary story of Irena Sendler née Krzyżanowska, a Polish nurse and head of Żegota, the Polish Council to Aid Jews in the Second World War, whose personal interventions saved the lives of approximately 2,500 Jewish children in the Warsaw Ghetto, smuggling them to safety, acts of humanitarian bravery that eventually caused her arrest and torture by the Gestapo. She is honoured as Righteous Amongst the Nations at Yad Vashem, Jerusalem. The Latin texts of this movement are taken from the Book of Lamentations (“My eye hath run down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people. My enemies have chased me and caught me like a bird, without cause…”) and from Psalm 142, the Old Testament being the meeting-point of Sendler’s Catholicism and the Jewish tradition of those whose lives she saved. Duration 6:19.

SKU: CA.9700314

ISBN 9790007238780. Language: Latin.

Following his death, Pergolesi's last larger composition, the Stabat Mater of 1736, immediately became one of the most popular sacred works of the late baroque-early classical era. Numerous publications made this icon of Italian sacred music known throughout Europe. It was arranged by, among others, J. S. Bach (Tilge, Hochster, meine Sunden, BWV 1083), J. A. Hiller and Abbe Vogler. The most popular arrangement was the one made around 1800 for the Vienna Court Kapelle, in which Antonio Salieri, Franz Xaver Sussmayr and I. X. Ritter von Seyfried added woodwind instruments and obbligato trombones to the string accompaniment. In addition the 2-part texture of the upper voices in the original was arranged for 4 parts with obbligato soli. It was only in this opulent, sonorous version, which Otto Nicolai and three composer colleagues offered to 19th century Viennese music lovers. The piece is of medium difficulty. In the Viennese version it is a rarity that offers an enrichment to the repertoire for choirs wishing to discover something new. Score and part available separately - see item CA.9700300.

SKU: CA.3710514

ISBN 9790007214371. Language: German. Text: Buschmann, Ernst August. Text: Ernst August Buschmann.

After the Passions-Cantate ,,Ein Lammlein geht und tragt die Schuld of 1775, the Christmas Oratorio is the second major vocal work by Homilius to appear in print during his lifetime. With an unusually large instrumental contingent, Homilius set the, at that time, much beloved pastoral theme of the shepherds in a most sophisticated manner. Each movement presents a clearly differentiated, atmospheric scene, distinct from all the other movements. This applies to the varied pastoral music, as well as to the representation of the mighty God by an angel, whose entrance is accompanied by trumpets and timpani. Score and part available separately - see item CA.3710500.

SKU: TM.07668SET

1. The Dance (Sonnenbicht), 2. False Love (Wamberg), 3. Lullaby (In Hammersbach), 4. Aspiration (By Sanct Anton), 5. On the Alm (Hoch Alp), 6. The Marksmen (By Murnau). Score only contains movements 2, 4, and 5. Can use the score to #01953 for movements 1, 3, and 6, but there are some differences between that score and these parts. #01953 score does not contain vocals.