Pamela Dellal, mezzo soprano
uncommon intelligence, imagination and textual
awareness... |
 |
|---|
- Home
- Resume
- Concerts
- Reviews
- Discography
- Audio Links
- Repertoire
- Teaching
- Photos
- Endicott Players
- Favella Lyrica
- Translations, Essays, and Original Works
Motet Notes
Johann Hermann Schein: "Lehre uns bedenken"
(Israelsbrünnlein 1623)
Johann Hermann Schein's Israelsbrünnlein (Fountains of Israel), published
in the year 1623 and dedicated to the Leipzig city government, is designated
as a set of sacred madrigals for five voices and continuo. The printed
music indicated further that they were composed "in a special graceful
Italian madrigal manner." From this set of 27 short settings of
psalms and other lyrical passages from the Bible, comes today’s motet
“Lehre uns bedenken.” The text is from Psalm 90, 12-14, the appointed psalm for the day in the Revised Common Lectionary. Scored for
five voices, Schein cleverly uses the alto voice in a dual role – both
as the lowest female voice, but also the highest male voice. The Italian
manner in which Schein sets the text is, for the most part, that of
early Monteverdi, giving distinct text painting to each phrase. Notice
the rising motive on “fülle uns früh” (fill us in the morning) that
necessitates the cascading motive on “mit seiner Gnade” (with your grace).
The motet concludes with an extended melisma on the text “unser leben
lang” (all our lives long).
© Ryan Turner