Pamela Dellal, mezzo soprano
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Motet Notes
Johann Hermann Schein: "Nu danket alle Gott"
Johann Hermann Schein's Israels Brünnlein (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
“Nu danket alle Gott.” The text is from Ben Sirach or Ecclesiasticus
50:22-24. 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. The only exception to this is charming antiphonal setting
of “Ergebe uns ein fröhliches Herz” (that He might give us a joyful
heart). The motet concludes with an expansive mellisma-like treatment
of the text “so lange wir leben” (as long as we live).
© Ryan Turner