Motet: Schütz' rollicking, joyous setting of words from Psalm 103 is an interesting combination of Gabrieli's polychoral manner with a more intimate, expressive Monteverdi style for the solos. Although only a few years past his student years, Schütz was by this time already an inovative master combining the two national styles that he had mastered in Italy.

Cantata: Bach Cantata BWV 137 has such an appealing, even popular, sound to it that its mastery can be missed by the careless listener. The opening chorus with its jaunty rhythms and appealing accompaniment to the familiar hymn tune is one of the most vivid of Bach's choruses with trumpets and drums. Cantata BWV 137 is one of Bach's later experiments with using chorale texts verbatim as his working libretto. The second verse appears in the alto voice with a warm and sparkling violin obbligato. This movement was one of the six cantata movements that Bach arranged for organ and published as the so-called Schübler Chorales. After two jolly and up-tempo movements, the soprano-bass duet with obbligato oboes is slow and dreamy, a perfect reading of the more intimate 3rd verse. The 4th verse regains the energy of the first movements with its dazzling cello figurations and tenor melismas. Here the minor mode is used but the trumpet playing the chorale manages to stay in the major key. The final harmonization of the chorale uses the full instrumental complement to bring the piece to a stunning close.

©Craig Smith

Translation for this Cantata