Description
The Christmas story has inspired countless composers over the centuries; the mystery surrounding the birth, the stable, the angels and the shepherds all form a vivid scene that has been depicted musically in a huge variety of ways, sometimes in exuberant fashion, with trumpets and timpani -- think of Bach's Christmas Oratorio -- and sometimes, as on this recording, in an intimate and hushed setting. Most of the works on this recording are by composers from the German tradition before J.S. Bach, of which Dieterich Buxtehude (1637-1707) is the best-known. Another important figure is Michael Praetorius (1571-1621), a figurehead of Lutheran church music; the nine volumes that make up his Musae Sioniae contain motets for two to sixteen voices, all of which are ingeniously woven polyphonic works based on Lutheran chorale melodies. This technique was later also used by Bach in his chorale cantatas. One example is Nun komm der Heiden Heiland, a chorale Luther wrote for the first Sunday in Advent; its melody is based on the Gregorian chant Veni redemptor gentium ("Come, saviour of the nations") from Roman Catholic tradition. The chorale has seven stanzas and is one of Luther's best-known hymns.
