Search - Heinrich Schutz, Harry Christophers, The Sixteen Choir :: Schutz: Musikalische Exequien / Christophers, The Sixteen

Heinrich Schütz often is referred to as the "father of German music"--an influential predecessor of J.S. Bach. As the works on this disc show, Schütz's music had by the 1630s (the composer's "middle period") reached a high level of refinement while retaining an assured and accessible functionality. Schütz even indulged a Saxon prince's desire not to miss his own funeral music by setting the prince's chosen texts in advance of the aristocrat's death (Part I of Musikalische Exequien)--including parts for the prince himself to sing! This recording features works from Schütz's middle and late periods, all of which are for six-part or double choir. Although the music shows none of the complexity and elaborate ornamentation of the later Baroque, it is remarkable for its brilliant harmonic colors and skillfully woven vocal textures. The Sixteen's own voices are perfectly blended and balanced for this music, with some surprising and exceptional contributions from Simon Birchall and his fellow basses. --David Vernier