Weds 6th March - Magdalen College, Oxford

[ardcarp]

Not CE next week, but:

Live from the Chapel of Magdalen College, Oxford as part of 'Baroque Spring'- a month long season of baroque music and culture.

A sequence of words and music for Lent featuring cantatas from Buxtehude's 'Membra Jesu Nostri' (BuxWV 75)
and the organ chorale prelude on 'Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder' (BuxWV 178).

With The Revd Dr Michael Piret (Dean of Divinity)
Players from The Orchestra of The Sixteen
Daniel Hyde (Informator Choristarum)
Thomas Allery (Assistant Organist)
David Gerrard (Organ Scholar)

(...and don't worry folks. I am acting in my official capacity as deputy poster-up to Draco.)

[ardcarp]

Reminder...today 3.30

[DracoM]

Good. fresh, bold, open sound in all parts, some tricky stuff to negotiate particularly for the trebs, and quite a long sing too. Good to hear so distinctive a choral sound at Magdalen.
Interesting programme of readings

[Anna]

I really enjoyed this as well, thought it was excellent, I was glad to hear Buxtehude, the readings were great and overall, it was really a refreshing change from a normal CE (if I am allowed to say that!)

[DracoM]

You certainly are entitled!!
I'm not generally a baroque fan, but the Buxtehude was inventive, well-sung, and liturgically contextualised.

[MrGongGong]

liturgically contextualised.

Careful now
I get in trouble for using one of those words !

Unusually for me I caught part of this while trying to navigate the nether regions of Birmingham
and loved the Buxtehude

[decantor]

.........it was really a refreshing change from a normal CE (if I am allowed to say that!)

Normally, I would write three dense paragraphs refuting such a possibility. As it happens, I have to agree - a well contrived sequence ably delivered on all fronts.

[doversoul1]

It’s very rare that we hear Buxtehude's cantata performed live. Perhaps I shouldn’t listen to a service as a concert but I thought this performance was absolutely beautiful.

[ardcarp]

while trying to navigate the nether regions of Birmingham

Would that be Asston or Edgbarseton?

[ardcarp]

I'm listening now and am delighted by the sound of the choir....trebles singing in a freely expressive style, a bit like their neighbours down the road. How very different from their sound only a few years ago.

I have not come across these Membra Jesu Nostri cantatas before. It is a very Catholic thing to venerate parts of Jesus' crucified body, and indeed they are Latin settings. Can anyone shed light on how this squares with Buxtehude's (presumably) Lutheran Church employment?

[Nick Armstrong]

I really enjoyed this as well, thought it was excellent, I was glad to hear Buxtehude, the readings were great and overall, it was really a refreshing change from a normal CE (if I am allowed to say that!)

Thanks Anna and others. I planned to listen to this at the weekend - your comments mean that I shall try doubly-hard not to forget!

[Petrushka]

Thanks Anna and others. I planned to listen to this at the weekend - your comments mean that I shall try doubly-hard not to forget!

Same here. Recorded for Sunday listening and my appetite is duly whetted.

[Vile Consort]

Buxtehude is a Top Man.

Just imagine if it had been Bach's works that had been burned, and not Buxtehude's (the pastor declaring that "there's nothing so old as old music").

[Op. XXXIX]

Highly enjoyable, particularly as I'm not so familiar with Buxtehude outside of the organ music.

I have not come across these Membra Jesu Nostri cantatas before. It is a very Catholic thing to venerate parts of Jesus' crucified body, and indeed they are Latin settings. Can anyone shed light on how this squares with Buxtehude's (presumably) Lutheran Church employment?

Anyone? I was wondering about this myself.

[Anna]

I have not come across these Membra Jesu Nostri cantatas before. It is a very Catholic thing to venerate parts of Jesus' crucified body, and indeed they are Latin settings. Can anyone shed light on how this squares with Buxtehude's (presumably) Lutheran Church employment?

I'd be interested to know as well. So far the internet has not been very useful, wiki says This work is known as the first Lutheran oratorio. The main text are stanzas from the Medieval hymn Salve mundi salutare – also known as the Rhythmica oratio – a poem formerly ascribed to Bernard of Clairvaux, but now thought more likely to have been written by Medieval poet Arnulf of Leuven (died 1250)
Further searches (using various combinations of words) have not yielded anything as yet, but I'm sure there must be someone here knowledgeable about Buxtehude and/or Lutherans! Although as you say, it's generally perceived to be a Catholic thing to venerate parts of Christ's crucified body - on Good Friday Anglican Churches have the service of Veneration of the Cross where Christ's body on the Cross is taken around to the congregation to be touched, or kissed. (Not quite the same as motets to various parts but a variation on a theme I guess and not confined to Catholics?)