STOCKHOLM EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL: Membra Jesu Nostri
Membra Jesu Nostri
Buxtehude composed the cantata cycle Membra Jesus Nostri, seven consecutive cantatas under the same BuxWV number in 1680 as a gift and gesture to his "noble friend," as he writes in the dedication, Gustav Düben, the royal kapellmeister in Stockholm. The full title of the work is "Membra Jesu nostri patiantis sanctissima" – "The Holy Limbs of Our Suffering Jesus," and it is a sacred tribute to the crucified body of the Savior, addressing its individual parts, from the feet to the crown of the head –ad pedes, ad genua, ad manus, ad latus, ad pectus, ad cor, ad faciem (feet, knees, hands, side, chest, heart, and face).
It is a major work in Buxtehude's vocal music and has been called the first evangelical (Lutheran) oratorio. The Latin text is taken from a series of medieval poems by unknown poets and is divided into seven extensive sections under the heading Rhytmica oratio (or with the title from the first stanza Salve mundi salutare – Hail, savior of the world). The seven-part structure follows the form of Rhytmica oratio, and in addition to being dedicated to the body of Christ, each of the seven cantatas begins with a Bible verse related to the section of the poem in question.
Buxtehude makes it clear that the sixth cantata, ad cor, “for the heart,” is also the heart of the work itself by replacing violins and violones with five violas da gamba, an instrument associated with strong emotions—sorrow, pain, and parting from life. The cantata’s biblical text is taken from Song of Solomon 4:9: “You have wounded my heart, my sister, my bride.” It is one of Buxtehude’s most moving works, and MON why an unknown hand has noted on the title page of the sixth cantata “for Easter or for any time.”
(from “Buxtehude,” Karl Aage Ramussen, Multivers 2023)
Concerto Copenhagen's performance of Buxtehude's "Membra Jesu Nostri" marks the opening of the Stockholm Early Music Festival 2024.
Membra Jesu Nostri
Buxtehude composed the cantata cycle Membra Jesus Nostri, seven consecutive cantatas under the same BuxWV number in 1680 as a gift and gesture to his "noble friend," as he writes in the dedication, Gustav Düben, the royal kapellmeister in Stockholm. The full title of the work is "Membra Jesu nostri patiantis sanctissima" – "The Holy Limbs of Our Suffering Jesus," and it is a sacred tribute to the crucified body of the Savior, addressing its individual parts, from the feet to the crown of the head –ad pedes, ad genua, ad manus, ad latus, ad pectus, ad cor, ad faciem (feet, knees, hands, side, chest, heart, and face).
It is a major work in Buxtehude's vocal music and has been called the first evangelical (Lutheran) oratorio. The Latin text is taken from a series of medieval poems by unknown poets and is divided into seven extensive sections under the heading Rhytmica oratio (or with the title from the first stanza Salve mundi salutare – Hail, savior of the world). The seven-part structure follows the form of Rhytmica oratio, and in addition to being dedicated to the body of Christ, each of the seven cantatas begins with a Bible verse related to the section of the poem in question.
Buxtehude makes it clear that the sixth cantata, ad cor, “for the heart,” is also the heart of the work itself by replacing violins and violones with five violas da gamba, an instrument associated with strong emotions—sorrow, pain, and parting from life. The cantata’s biblical text is taken from Song of Solomon 4:9: “You have wounded my heart, my sister, my bride.” It is one of Buxtehude’s most moving works, and MON why an unknown hand has noted on the title page of the sixth cantata “for Easter or for any time.”
(from “Buxtehude,” Karl Aage Ramussen, Multivers 2023)
Concerto Copenhagen's performance of Buxtehude's "Membra Jesu Nostri" marks the opening of the Stockholm Early Music Festival 2024.
PROGRAM
Dietrich Buxtehude: Membra Jesu Nostri (BuxWV 75)
(1637-1707) 1. Ad Pedes 2. Ad Genua 3. Ad Manus 4. Ad latus 5. Ad pectus 6. Ad cor 7. Ad faciem
CONCERTS
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