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Portrait of Heinrich Schütz

Heinrich Schütz

Renaissance · 1585–1672

Heinrich Schütz carried Italian ideas north. Born in 1585 in Köstritz, in central Germany, he was sent to Venice as a young man to study with Giovanni Gabrieli and came home with the newest Italian ways of writing for voices. For most of his long life he directed the music at the Elector of Saxony's court in Dresden.

That job placed him in the middle of the Thirty Years' War, which gutted the court's finances and often left him writing for whatever few musicians remained. Most of his surviving work is sacred music in German, built to carry the meaning of the words as directly as possible. The Musikalische Exequien, funeral music commissioned by a nobleman who had planned his own burial service down to the texts, is among the most personal of these.

Start there, with the Musikalische Exequien. His St. Matthew Passion, written in his eighties for unaccompanied voices, shows the spare style of his old age.

60 works in the catalog. Log what you listen to with Opus, the classical music journal for iPhone.

Vocal

  • Musikalische Exequien, for double chorus and continuo, SWV 279-281
  • St. Matthew Passion for 2 sopranos, alto, 3 tenors, 2 basses and chorus, SWV 479
  • 12 Geistliche Gesange, SWV 420-431, op. 13
  • Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt, SWV 380
  • Anderer Theil kleiner geistlichen Concerten, SWV 306-340, op. 9
  • Bringt her dem Herrn, for mezzo and continuo, SWV 283
  • Cantate Domino, for double choir, SWV 463
  • Cantiones Sacrae, 41 motets for 2 sopranos, alto, bass and continuo, SWV 53-93, op. 4
  • Das ist je gewißlich wahr, for 2 sopranos, alto, 2 tenors, bass and continuo, SWV 277
  • Das ist mir lieb for 2 sopranos, alto, tenor and bass, SWV 51
  • Das Wort ward Fleisch, for chorus, SWV 385
  • Der Schwanengesang, for double chorus and continuo, SWV482-494
  • Die Geburt unsers Herren Jesu Christi, for chorus, soloists, and orchestra, SWV435
  • Die Himmel erzählen, for 2 sopranos, alto, 2 tenors, bass and continuo, SWV 386
  • Die mit Tränen säen, for 2 sopranos, alto, tenor, bass and continuo, SWV 378
  • Die sieben Worte Jesu Christi am Kreuz, for soprano, alto, 2 tenors, bass, continuo and 5 instruments, SWV 478
  • Die sieben Wortte unsers lieben Erlösers und Seeligmachers Jesu Christi, for soloists, 5 instruments and continuo, SWV478
  • Ein Kind ist uns geboren, for chorus
  • Erbarm dich mein, o Herre Gott, for chorus and continuo, SWV 148
  • Erbarm Dich mein, O Herre Gott, for soprano, 4 violes, violone and continuo, SWV 447
  • Erster Theil kleiner geistlichen Concerten, SWV 282-305, op. 8
  • Geistliche Chormusik, 29 motets for voices and continuo, SWV 369-397, op. 11
  • Grimmaige Gruft, so hast du dann, for soprano and continuo, SWV 52
  • Gutes and Barmherzigkeit werden mir folgen, for soprano, alto, tenor and continuo, SWV 95
  • Herr, mein Gebet erhör in Gnad, for chorus and continuo, SWV 248
  • Herr, nun lässest du deinen Diener, SWV 432
  • Herr, nun lässest du deinen Diener, SWV 433
  • Herr, straf mich nicht in deinem Zorn, for chorus and continuo, SWV135
  • Heute ist Christus geboren, SWV 439
  • Hodie Christus natus est, for 2 sopranos, alto, 2 tenors, bass and continuo, SWV 456
  • Hör mein Gebet und lass zu dir, for chorus and continuo, SWV 200
  • Ich bin die Auferstehung und das Leben, for double chorus, SWV 464
  • Ich danke dem Herrn
  • Ich hab mein Sach Gott heimgestellt, for 2 sopranos, alto, tenor, bass and continuo, SWV 94
  • Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jezu Christ
  • Ich weiss, dass mein Erloser lebt, SWV 393
  • Il primo libro de madrigali, for 4-5 voices, SWV1-19, op. 1
  • Königs und Propheten Davids hundert und neunzehender Psalm, for double chorus and continuo, SWV 482-500
  • Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele, for double choir, SWV 39
  • Magnificat anima mea, for soloists, 2 violins, 3 trombones, chorus and continuo, SWV 468
  • Meine Seele erhebt den Herren, SWV 426
  • Musicalische Exequien…dess…Herrn Heinrichen dess Jüngern und Eltisten Reussen, for double chorus and continuo, op. 7
  • O bone Jesu, fili Mariae, for 2 sopranos, 2 altos, tenor, bass, 2 violins, 4 viols and continuo, SWV 471
  • O Herr Hilf, O Herr lass wohl gelingen
  • O Lieber, Herre Gott, SWV287
  • O meine Seel, warum bist du betrübet, for soprano, alto, tenor and bass, SWV 419
  • O süsser, o freundlicher
  • Psalmen Davids sampt etlichen Moteten und Concerten, for double chorus and continuo, SWV 22-47, op. 2
  • Quid Commisisti, SWV 56
  • Rorate coeli desuper
  • St. John Passion for soprano, 3 tenors, 2 basses and chorus, SWV 481
  • Symphoniae Sacrae, Book 1, 20 motets for soloists, instruments and continuo, SWV 257-276, op. 6
  • Symphoniae Sacrae, Book 2, 27 motets for voices, instruments and continuo, SWV 341-368, op. 10
  • Symphoniarum sacrarum tertia pars, motets SWV398-419, op. 12
  • Veni, Sancte Spiritus, for soloists, basson, 2 cornets, 3 trombones, violin, flute, violone and continuo, SWV 475
  • Veni rogo in cor meum, for 3 sopranos, tenor and continuo, SWV 83
  • Was hast du verwirket?, for alto and continuo, SWV 307
  • Wie nun, ihr Herren, seid ihr stumm, for chorus and continuo, SWV 155
  • Wohl dene, die da leben, for chorus and continuo, SWV 217-224
  • Wohl denen die da wandeln

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