Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BuxWV 101 - Dietrich Buxtehude (1637--1707)

Sacred Cantata BuxWV 101
This work is scored for alto, tenor, bass, two violins, and continuo. It is one of two cantatas by Buxtehude that use the chorale Wachet auf ruft uns die Stimme as a source for both text and melody in the work. The chorale is from 1599 by Philipp Nicolai, and it is one of the more popular Lutheran chorales for the Advent season. The text of the chorale makes reference to the parable of the 10 virgins a story in which 10 women are waiting for the arrival of the bridegroom for a wedding. Five of the women run out of oil in their lamps and while they are fetching oil for their lamps the bridegroom comes and they are left out of the celebration, while those who were better prepared went in to the wedding feast. This parable was understood by Lutherans as a tale of caution told by Jesus urging Christians to be prepared for his second coming, and saw the bridegroom as a symbol of the returning Jesus. During the advent season Lutherans both celebrated the approaching anniversary of Jesus birth, and remembered the efforts that people made for the coming of Jesus, but also used the season to remind the faithful to be ready and prepared for Jesus to come again.

As this work was intended for performance during the Advent season, it I possible that the work may have been performed at Buxtehude's famous concert series, the "Abendmusiken" which ran during the Advent season every year at his church, St Mary's in Lübeck. The concert series was so highly esteemed that it often attracted visitors from far away to hear the concerts. Bach made a trek from Thüringen to Lübeck, (several hundred miles) just to hear the concerts.

As is the case in BuxWV 100 Buxtehude sets all three verses of the chorale. Sometimes he retains the melody of the chorale in some way or another, and other times he drops it completely. Often he uses phrases from the chorale as a subject for imitation creating fugal polyphonic textures. However when the chorale melody appears in this work it is almost always disguised by some sort of ornamentation. Often the ornamentation Buxtehude applies to the melody relates directly to the meaning of the text of the chorale. For instance the words "make yourselves ready" are set with snappy rhythms, and the words "jump for joy" are set with excited bouncy rhythms.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Buxtehude
• orchestra
• worship
• baroque
• religion
• inspirational
• classical music

[Hasselfelde]

@GeorgeM1949

I have treasured this recording for many years! One of my first Oratorio records!:-)

So I can certainly tell you who the performers are!:

Altus: Friedreich Melzer( actually a ''normal tenor'' with great falsetto. I met him personally in ''Die Staufener Musikwochen'' in Germany. 1973.)

Tenor: Johannes Hoefflin

Bass: Wilhelm Pommerien ( Who I was always trying to imitate when I was in my late teens;-)

Westfälische Kantorei

Südw. Deutsch. Kammerorch.

Cond. Wilhelm Ehmann.

[ebroenroen]

Wonderful!



[GeorgeM1949]

Indeed a wonderful performance of a far too infrequently heard work. Sadly the performers are not credited. Does anyone know who they are?

[handyman109]

An excellent rendition - very enjoyable.