Motet notes - Schütz

Heinrich Schütz'"Herr wie lang?" is a fascinating experiment. Published in the composer's 65th year, the work begins in chaos in, by then, rather old-fashioned recitative style, very much like some of the Italian works that he studied in his youth. The whole piece's trajectory is about a journey to poise and organization. It is a most fascinating reading of the 13th Psalm. The darkness of the low obbligato instruments give the work its murky density.