BaL 4.12.21 - The music of Heinrich Schütz

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Two expressions need some untangling (1) the word 'obbligato', used for instruments doubling voice parts, and (2) Schutz being a 'forerunner' of Bach.
Discuss!

1. Obligato does seem to wrong here, according to general usage.
2. I think this is a good way of looking at it, influencing German choral style, leading to the work of the later composer.

[ardcarp]

Schutz (as far as I know) was not influenced by 'Lutheran' chorales, whereas Praetorius, another 'forerunner' was. Bach was never far away from them.

'Obbligato' is related the word 'obligatory', and is an integral instrumental part for instance to an aria, eg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMQ_OaxSYGM

Not the same as doubling voice-parts.

Other opinions welcome......

[RichardB]

influencing German choral style, leading to the work of the later composer.

This needs a little unpacking though. Firstly: what is German choral style? Bach's is very much founded on the chorale, the more elaborate "chorale prelude" style, and counterpoint that follows a tonal harmonic scheme, whereas Schütz took no interest in the chorale and his counterpoint is principally modal (giving his music often a somewhat archaic quality even for its time). Also, as I said in my previous post, I don't know how helpful it is to think of any composer's work as "leading to" another composer's work. For Schütz, his style required no further development and was already a kind of synthesis and summation (in a comparable way to that in which way Bach's was many decades later), in his case of the "prima" and "seconda prattica" which he experienced directly from Gabrieli and Monteverdi respectively in his two extended visits to Italy. (One of his Psalms of David quotes directly from a madrigal by Gabrieli).

edit: I see I wasn't quick enough and ardcarp got in before me with the chorales!