Andreas Hammerschmidt (1611-1675), born in Bohemia but spent much of his adulthood in Freiberg and Zittau, was a renowned organist and a prolific composer of sacred music. This interesting new release from Vox Luminis and Lionel Meunier includes a well-chosen selection from his output.
The pieces collected here show Hammerschmidt’s experimenting with different compositional styles, with changes in sizes of ensemble and polyphonic writing. In the more festive works, trumpets are used to double some of the vocal lines, and on others, one can clearly sense Italian Baroque influence. Meunier doesn’t stick with one-voice-per-part for all works, but rather expands the choir size when he feels it contributes to the music’s effectiveness. This works very well, as it maintains the human warmth of the music while allowing us to clearly hear the middle voices and continuo playing.
Those who have heard Vox Luminis’ recording of Schütz and Buxtehude will recognize their unmistakable trademarks: warm and round soprano voices, which manage to penetrate without overwhelming the middle voices, lovely blend with the accompanying instrument and a soft but deep bass. The blend is exemplary in the tracks which incorporate 6 voices (tracks 1,3 and 5) but are no less impressive in works that include dialogues between two groups, (6, 15 and others). One also has to recognize the discrete way the instrumentalists and continuo group support the singers, making the sound-image fuller.
The booklet states that musicologists that research music in 17th Century Germany tend to concentrate on the three big “S’s”: Shütz, Scheidt and Schein. It may be due to the fact that Hammerschmidt’s harmonic language can be limited at times, and he is certainly not as innovative as some of his more renowned contemporaries. That being said, I’ve found it fascinating to encounter chorale tunes that were used on church cantatas by Bach and other composers, and follow the way Hammerschmidt incorporates these in his own musical ideas. Overall, another winning performance by Vox Luminis and Lionel Meunier, well recorded and presented too.
“Ach Jesus Stirbt” – Sacred music by Andreas Hammerschmidt
Vox Luminis
Clematis
Lionel Meunier – Bass, Conductor
Ricercar / Outhere Music, CD RIC 418
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