Choral Passion (Distler)

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The Choral Passion , op. 7, is a sacred choral work by the German composer and church musician Hugo Distler . It dates from 1932 and was premiered on March 29, 1933 in Berlin with the Bach Choir under the direction of Wolfgang Riemann. Shortly afterwards, the Christmas story by Distler was created. The performance of the Choral Passion lasts around 55 minutes. The cast (five-part mixed choir / SSATB) is purely vocal , similar to Heinrich Schütz's passions .

structure

The passion follows the seven stanzas of the chant: "Jesus, I want to consider your passion now".

I. The Passion first part: The move-in
II. The Passion second part: Judas and the Pharisee Council
III. The Passion third part: The Lord's Supper
IV. The Passion fourth part: Gethsemane
V. The Passion fifth part: Caiaphas
VI. The Passion sixth part: Pilate
VII. The last part of the Passion: Golgotha

background

After 1920, the works of Heinrich Schütz were rediscovered and maintained. The young singing movement in particular turned away from late-romantic music-making and looked for new baroque and liturgical settings that were performed a cappella . The chorale passion in particular is shaped by these models.

The annual performance of the St. Matthew Passion by Heinrich Schütz on Good Friday also made a big impression on Hugo Distler in Lübeck .

Hugo Distler writes: "The idea of ​​a presentation of the Passion story in contemporary garb, but in the spirit of the old a-cappella Passion, which Schütz brought to glorious perfection haunted language: it was this thought that prompted the creation of the present a cappella passion ".

The choirs of the people have a dramatic urgency, "which was not achieved again in this directness in Distler's work," observes Willi Gundlach . Distler himself speaks of "inexorable objectivity and gruesome brevity".

"A work of fascinating cohesion and compelling dramatic design, which is one of the most convincing works of the then young music movement."

- Willi Gundlach

output

  • Hugo Distler: Choral Passion: opus 7; for 5-part mixed choir a cappella and two cantors (Evangelist, Jesus); according to the four Gospels of the Holy Scriptures. Vocal score. 18th edition. Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel 2009, ISMN 979-0-006-40407-0 (BA 633)

literature

  • Hans Joachim Moser: Protestant church music in Germany . Carl Merseburger, Berlin / Darmstadt 1954
  • Werner Oehlmann: Reclam's choir leader . 2nd Edition. Philipp Reclam jun., Stuttgart 1976, ISBN 3-15-010017-8

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Text: Sigmund von Birken 1633; Music: Melchior Vulpius 1609, EG 88
  2. ^ Hugo Distler, epilogue to his score, Kassel 1932
  3. ↑ Willi Gundlach, introductory text to the CD Choral Passion Op.7 , Hugo Distler, with the Chamber Choir of the University of Dortmund (CTH 2185)
  4. ^ Hugo Distler, epilogue to his score, Kassel 1932