SKU: CA.4012991
ISBN 9790007171834. Language: German.
Mendelssohn composed his first oratorio Paulus under the impression of his own revival of J. S. Bach's St. Matthew Passion in 1829. He integrated chorale settings into St. Paul, for which he was accused by his contemporaries of making a stylistic break, using an element unsuitable to church music. In spite of these reservations, during Mendelssohn's lifetime St. Paul was one of his most popular works, which received numerous performances throughout Europe. Robert Schuman praised the inextinguishable color of the instrumentation and the brilliant play with all the forms of composition. He described it as a jewel of the present.. Score available separately - see item CA.4012900.
SKU: CA.3115019
ISBN 9790007136819. Key: B minor. Language: German/English.
The cantata Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich (O my Lord, I long for thee) BWV 150 is one of the earliest cantatas from Bach's Muhlhausen period. Its authenticity was long disputed, partly because of the stylistic characteristics of this early work, but also because the cantata only survives in sources dating from the period after Bach's death. However, in recent years a hidden dedication to Conrad Meckbach, a member of the Muhlhausen town council and patron of Bach, has been deciphered: the initial letters of the free poetry reveal the acrostic Doctor Conrad Meckbach (in the 18th century spelling), revealing a link to the city of Muhlhausen and almost certainly confirming Bach's authorship of the cantata. The occasion of the composition of the work is still unknown. The small instrumental scoring for just two violins, bassoon, and continuo, plus the fact that only the soprano is given a solo movement, suggest a performance with modest resources. Score and parts available separately - see item CA.3115000.
SKU: CA.3114605
ISBN 9790007112479. Key: D minor. Language: German/English.
It is evident from the sources that the cantata was written for the 3rd Sunday after Easter. The text, the identity of whose author is unknown, is based on the comparison between sadness and joy prescribed in the Gospel for that Sunday. This cantata has survived only in copies made after 1750, but undoubtedly the cantata dates from Bachs's years in Leipzig. Score available separately - see item CA.3114600.