Motet Notes
Johann Hermann Schein: "Das ist mir lieb" (Psalm 116)
Johann Hermann Schein's taut and fleet Psalm 116 could not be more different
than the majestic, mystical setting of the same text by Heinrich Schuetz
(November 8). Schein's fascination with the Italian madrigal styl e is
nowhere more evident. The text it dispatched with remarkable brevity rushing
form one text painting marvel to the next. Sometimes, he shows remarkable
restraint in his affective display; at other times, the writing is unabashedly
graphic. (Listen for the 'teardrops' and 'sliding feet', for example)!
It’s astonishing that Schein never spent any time in Italy, given his
total mastery and assimilation of the style.
©Michael Beattie