Dietrich Buxtehude held the prestigious position of organist at the Marienkirche in Lübeck during the second half of the 17th century and was a well-known composer, performer, and teacher. Many young German musicians came to hear his concerts and to study his music. In October of 1705, a young Johann Sebastian Bach arranged a four-week leave from his post in Arnstadt to travel to Lübeck and study with Buxtehude. He apparently traveled almost 300 miles on foot and, as documented in the proceedings of the Arnstadt Consistory, actually remained away from his post through January, an absence that was not popular with his employer. The journeyman or wanderer period was an important period for a young musician such as Bach, who, in the days before widely available printed and recorded music, had no real opportunities to study without going in person. At this point in his training, Bach had exhausted the resources closer to him in central Germany, and he sought out a person whose music and reputation were important to him. The timing of the visit was probably intended to coincide with Buxtehude's famous Abendmusiken or evening concerts, held during the late fall and into the Christmas season. These were sacred concerts performed following the afternoon service at the Marienkirche, for which Buxtehude most probably contributed many of his own compositions.

Our concert presents three cantatas from these two masters. The cantata form as it developed in northern Germany became a significant part of the Lutheran church service. It supported the religious tradition of the Reformation that emphasized the individual's relationship to God and the importance of Biblical texts. Cycles of cantatas were written to provide appropriate music throughout the liturgical year. The cantata often combined the more dramatic aspects of Baroque music — the recitative, aria, and arioso — with the uniquely German hymns or chorales, an important part of the Lutheran tradition.

Buxtehude's Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott is an earlier style of cantata, consisting of four verses from the chorale "Nimm von uns." Buxtehude took verses from this chorale and created a series of variations followed by an "Amen" coda. The chorale melody may be more familiar to us as "Vater im Himmelreich," probably written by Martin Luther for a text that is a paraphrase of the Lord's prayer. Buxtehude's work is scored for two violins, two violas, violone, and continuo. It begins with a short sinfonia; the four verses follow, each as separate segments. The original intention may have been a performance that alternated between chorus and soloists.

The Klaglied (BuxWv76b) is a moving lament composed by Buxtehude for the funeral of his father, Johannes Buxtehude. The elder Buxtehude, an organist in the Danish city of Helsingør, was the musician from whom Buxtehude first learned his craft. In 1673, Johannes moved south to Lübeck to live with his son. Upon his death the following year at the age of 72, the funeral service was held in the Marienkirche. Buxtehude also wrote the poetry for this work.

The two Bach cantatas are more typical of the later cantata form that included dramatic recitatives, arias, ariosi, and choral sections. Der Herr denket an uns is an early Bach cantata, probably written for a wedding, possibly Bach's own in 1707, or that of Johann Lorenz Stauber, the family friend who performed Bach's wedding. The text is verses from Psalm 115, which acknowledge and request blessings. The work consists of an instrumental sinfonia and two choruses separated by a soprano aria and a tenor and bass duet. The first chorus is an energetic and sprightly rendering of the text "Der Herr denket an uns." It combines an opening contrapuntal section with a four-part canon on the text "Er segnet das Haus Israel" and ends with a short repeat of the opening material. The soprano aria that follows is a beautiful rendering of the text "Er segnet, die den Herrn fürchten," accompanied by continuo and solo violin. The final chorus is a homophonic treatment of "Ihr seid die Gesegneten des Herrn" followed by a short fugal "Amen."

Bach's position at St. Thomas' in Leipzig included overseeing music at four churches on a regular basis. The liturgical year in Leipzig required cantatas for 58 different church services, and Bach apparently wrote five entire cantata cycle settings, of which approximately 200 individual cantatas have survived. Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot was composed in Leipzig for the first Sunday in the Trinity season of the Christian year, late spring, on a text from Isaiah and Hebrews. The work begins with an instrumental sinfonia followed by a lengthy and masterful chorus divided into two major parts. The first is a weightier section on the text "Brich dem Hungrigen," (Give bread to the hungry...), which includes a short fugue in the center. The tempo then changes to triple time as the text and the music emphasize the positive and hopeful message "Als dann wird dein Licht," (Then shall thy light break forth...). This segment begins with a lively fugue and alternates fugal with more homophonic sections. The several arias and recitatives that follow include the lovely soprano aria "Höchster, was ich habe," accompanied by recorders. The cantata concludes with a four-part chorale, Selig sind, die aus Erbarmen.

~ Barbara Davidson