C.P.E. Bach and the sentimental style: Musical tastes began to change as early as the 1730s, favoring the so-called Empfindsam (“sentimental”) style, which placed a premium on authentic (i.e. not stylized) feelings, naturalness, and simplicity. This becomes especially clear when we look at Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s oratorio passions.
A Monument of Sacred Music: The work is dedicated to Anton Ritter Imhof von Geißlinghof, an important supporter of Bruckner’s in the Office of the Court Chamberlain. In a letter to the dedicatee, Bruckner emphasized that he had taken “the greatest trouble” in composing the mass. In the early biographies of Bruckner, reference is made to his spiritual inspirations in an anecdotal way.
Church music by Italian opera composers of the 19th century: While opera was clearly at the heart of music in Italy – it was the only way to achieve national renown – church music was certainly more present in the daily lives of the people. Most churches maintained choirs and orchestras, performing pieces written by professional church music directors, who also raised the next generation of musicians and composers.
Any jubilee, whether a birthday or the anniversary of someone’s death or even a premiere, is always a great opportunity to spotlight a particular work. We asked around at Carus to find out what our colleagues would like to play and sing in their choirs in the coming years. Perhaps you can borrow one or two of their ideas!
A previously unknown manuscript in the Puccini Archive in Torre del Lago was identified as the autograph score of the Preludio a Orchestra – and it turned out to be complete! The fourteen missing measures have been copied from this source, so that the complete Preludio can now be performed in its original form.
In the case of Ravel’s composition L’Aurore (Carus 10.407), submitted in 1905, the poet was Édouard Guinand, an author who had already provided the text for the cantata L’Enfant prodigue in 1884, with which Claude Debussy won first prize. L’Aurore describes an idyllic view of nature at sunrise and celebrates the sun almost as a deity for its beneficial influence on nature and mankind.
There’s a lot to discover when you start exploring the origins of the famous parodies in the Christmas Oratorio. The second important “quarry” which the composer mined for the Christmas Oratorio was the cantata Herkules auf dem Scheidewege (Hercules at the Crossroads) – a “dramma per musica”.
Some choral works are not long enough for a full concert on their own, but they invite pairings with other compositions and they can be ideal for rounding off a concert program. We present our Carus suggestions for your repertoire.
A work of timeless beauty: We interviewed editor Andreas Gies, who introduces us to the world of Mascagni’s Messa di Gloria and reveals why it deserves our full attention.
Based on three fascinating cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach, chief editor Dr. Uwe Wolf shows how musicologists and performers bring lost or incomplete masterpieces back to life through careful reconstructions.
