Johannes Werlin (composer)

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Johannes Werlin (* 8. June 1620 in Oettingen / ream; † interlocutory 11. October and 12. November 1675 in Lindau ) was a German composer of the Baroque .

Life

Johannes Werlin came from a German locksmith family . His father Johann Werrle was a journeyman locksmith, as was his father Wolf Wörlen. His father's brothers were court butchers and court locksmiths, which resulted in a good relationship with the count's court in Oettingen. Little is known about his mother Margarethe Lipp. She died when Werlin was ten years old. From this marriage there were eight children. Werlin's father married his second wife Katharina Kuchmayr in 1630, with whom he had two more children.

Only a few facts about Werlin's life have been documented. An important source for Werlin's biography is the Lindau school and preacher history , which was created in 1739 by the Lindau evangelical preacher Bonaventura Riesch and continued until around 1800.

According to this history, Werlin came to Lindau in 1636 . He was employed at the city's Latin School as a “provisional”, the lowest-ranking of a total of four teachers. In 1641 he was promoted to cantor and succeeded the incumbent cantor Conrad Oehler. Werlin was now third among teachers. He was a class teacher of sorts and taught music. His music lessons consisted of vocal training , choral singing and music theory basics. In his work as a class teacher, he should “instruct his subordinate boys and disciples in writing everything diligently so that they are used to writing good Latin and German writing, who also work on Sundays, Fiery and other ordinary days, help guide disciples to churches behave in accordance with the school rules. "

In history there is no mention of a musical leadership role in worship or of composing tasks . In return for his work, he receives a house and two guilders a week in coins, a quarter of a grain of Lindawer, item half a load of wine in autumn, apart from the Innsel and other best wine, twelve gulden for wood.

Werlin himself provided further biographical information in his preface to his first (surviving) printed composition, the Irondiae . In this preface he thanks the mayor and council of the imperial city of Lindau for the appointment as a teacher in the Latin school, as the city leaders support the musical training of their employed musician.

From 1654 on, the history of Riesch was ranked second in the ranking of teachers after the headmaster of the school. In 1675 he resigned from school and died shortly afterwards in Lindau's Heilig-Geist-Spital, according to the Lindau council minutes between October 11th and November 22nd, 1675. These minutes also show that he was married.

Musical creation

The Lindau school and preacher history shows that Werlin had written 1200 pieces by 1665. As a work title, he only names Melismata sacra and the Irenodiae , but not the Psalmodiae Novae , which suggests that Bonaventura Riesch had no other printed works.

"Irenodiae"

In 1643/1644 Werlin brought out a first collection of sacred compositions under the title Irenodiae or Friedensgesäng [e] . (The long, complete title can also be found in the facsimile .) The collection, which consists of 31 pieces, was printed in Ulm by Balthasar Kühn in 1643/1644 and published by Johann Görlin. The Irenodiae (Greek "peace songs ") are war complaints from the Thirty Years' War , which follow the type of small spiritual concert . The collection was republished in 2012 in the Monuments of Tonkunst in Bavaria .

Emergence

In the foreword to the collection, Werlin explains the function of the work in detail. He justifies and justifies the peculiarity of the chants and their underlying texts with the war situation and explains their function and intention: He asks for the long-awaited peace in the still ongoing, difficult battles of the Thirty Years War, which is expressed in the lyrics many times becomes. The title page states that they are “to avert the plagues of war, to give paternal return of the so often desired“ golden ”peace, to increase devotion and to cheer up the heart in a salutary and Christian way."

Work shape

Werlin himself states in the title of his Irenodiae that these are "sacred concerts". A very clear lamentation and supplication character emerges from the chants, which is accompanied by the exclamations "Oh" and "O". The title and line-up of the individual pieces are:

Title / number occupation
1. O Grimm the Most High Cantus I, Cantus II
2. Oh Lord, let's get relief Cantus, altus
3. Dear God, we ask you Cantus, tenor
4. Oh gracious God Cantus, baritone
5. Holy God we ask you Cantus, bassus
6. Valid God we ask you Altus, tenor
7. Oh God! The sword is devastated Altus, Bassus
8. Starcker God, we ask you Tenor, tenor
9. Oh Lord! Where are you so long? Tenor, bass
10. Eternal God we ask you Bassus, Bassus
11. O God of peace Cantus I, Cantus II, Cantus III
12. O God of peace Cantus I, Cantus II, tenor
13. O you some returners Cantus, alto, tenor
14. O lover of peace Cantus, tenor I, tenor II
15. Oh Lord! Lift up your face Cantus I, Cantus II, Bassus
16. O God! Leave us your word Cantus, tenor, bass
17. O Lord Zebaoth! Steer the wars Altus, tenor, bass
18. O King of Peace Tenor I, Tenor II, Tenor III
19. O faithful God Tenor I, Tenor II, Bassus
20. Oh Lord, give peace and quiet Bassus I, Bassus II, Bassus III
21. Oh Lord, think about it Cantus I, Cantus II, Cantus III, Cantus IV
22. O Lord! Leave your inheritance Cantus I, Cantus II, Cantus III, tenor
23. Oh Lord! Just be us once Cantus I, Cantus II, tenor
24. Oh Lord! You have this burden of war on us Cantus I, Cantus II, tenor, bassus
25. O du Hertzog deß Peace Cantus, alto, tenor, bass
26. Oh Lord! Give Fried Cantus, tenor I, tenor II, bassus
27. Oh dear God! Look at it Tenor I, Tenor II, Tenor III, Tenor IV
28. O God of peace be with us Altus, tenor I, tenor II, bass
29. Oh Lord! The whole country Tenor I, Tenor II, Bassus I, Bassus II
30. May God now be with us Tenor I, Tenor II, Bassus I, Bassus II
31. Oh that the linden tree stands firm Cantus I, Cantus II, Bassus I, Bassus II

The concerts are divided into 10 movements of two, three and four voices each with basso continuo . The figured bass works partly as a chordal support without participating in the imitating events of the singing voices. In the two-part pieces in which a bass is occupied (Nos. 5, 7, 9), the figured bass goes colla parte with the bass part. However, it does without tone repetitions and fast movements, which means that it retains the character of the chord support. In the movements for two basses (No. 10) he follows the lower voice when the voices cross. In three-part pieces the figured bass goes colla parte with the lowest male voice and also follows crossed voices, at times also an octave lower. The procedure of the colla parte leadership from the lowest male voice continues identically in the four-part pieces. With this technique, Werlin followed the common practice of his time. This is also found widely in Heinrich Schütz .

The singing voices, which are polyphonic over long stretches , rarely combine to form homophonic passages, whereby the following functions are recognizable: On the one hand, right at the beginning (No. 7, 24, 27, 29) the invocations "Oh God" etc. are set homophonically, followed of a suspiratio (pause). In the course of the sentence, further text segments can be found highlighted by homophony and partly also by changing the meter: “Bring us back rest” (No. 2, bar 13/14), “Let us hear your gracious word” (No. 15, bar 15 f., 20 f). Werlin uses coloratura on the one hand to visualize in the sine of the rhetorical-musical hypotyposis figures: "consume", "inverted", "scattered" (No. 7, T. 6, 10, 27, 33), "Laugh" (No. 23 , T. 23 f.), “Freud” (No. 13, T. 40–42; No. 17, T. 21 f, 25 f). In the words “Unruh” (No. 29, bars 4, 6, 10) and “Schrecke” (No. 25, T. 32 f), the sixteenth-note coloratura are antithetical to the following “silent” or “sleep” before “With significantly longer note values ​​in halves. Furthermore, they function to emphasize important words such as “gracious”, “pain”, “forever” etc. Finally, sometimes in combination with the other functions, they produce a kind of closing stretta : “helped” (No. 1), “ revenues". Also pitch increases, which are called in the figure theory Climax or Gradatio, Werlin uses, for example in No. 25 with the words "And when you hear us, not help, not save" in a gradual upward movement and later with "until you hear us, and help, and save ”gradually turned downwards.

Werlin's use of the pauses is also remarkable : a distinction must be made here as to whether it concerns only one part, all voices or also the figured bass, in which case there is a general rest. As already mentioned, it comes after the homophonic exclamations "O" or "Oh". It appears similarly in the form of the suspiratio throughout the collection after such proclamations in the individual voices. As a general pause it appears after the word “still” (No. 1, bars 22, 30), as well as after “Ein Ende hat” (No. 9, bar 49).

The following keys can be identified in relation to the closing bass note in the B -flat used as the only general accidental: G-Mixolydian, D-Dorian, F major, D minor, E-Phrygian, C major, G-Dorian. The church-modal keys are, as is typical of the time, closely approximated to their neighboring major and minor keys through alterations. A key plan on which the collection is based cannot be identified.

In terms of harmony, Werlin remains much simpler than some of his contemporaries, e.g. B. the small sacred concerts by Heinrich Schütz. Musical visualizations as well as the action force Italian laments that add up to the texts of Irenodiae had offered, can be found only very reluctant Werlin.

"Melismata sacra"

After the Irenodiae , Werlin brought out another collection of works with the title Melismata sacra in the same year 1644 . There are 30 compositions with sacred Latin text, 10 for two voices, 8 for three voices, 8 for four voices and 4 for five voices, each with basso continuo. In contrast to "Irenodiae", there are frequent repetitions of voice combinations. 9 of the 10 two-part pieces for “2 Cant. Vel Tenor ”, of the 8 four-part pieces 4 are for“ Cant. Old. Tenor bass ”.

As with the Irenodiae , the texts belong to the area of ​​lamentation, misery and sinfulness . Without addressing the war directly, the emergency situation can be clearly felt. Many "O" calls underline this situation. The texts of the Melismata sacra are close to Catholic piety, which is also indicated by the preface in Latin. The way of composing is similar to that of “Irondiae”: in the vocal parts in a mottled style imitating on the foundation of the basso continuo.

"Threnodiae Heiderianae"

As funeral music for the Lindau municipal syndicus Dr. In 1647 Daniel Heider composed a two-part motet for four voices in the imitative style of the 16th century with the title Threnodiae Heiderianae . In the first part of the composition, the deceased and his achievements are praised in German. The second part is a request to God in Latin. The work was printed together with other articles on the deceased in 1648 at Balthasar Kühn in Ulm.

"Psalmodiae Novae"

In 1648 Werlin brought out another collection of sacred music with the title Psalmodiae Novae . The work was published by Johann Görlin in Ulm and printed by Balthasar Kühn. These are 20 arrangements of well-known evangelical chorales in the order of the church year .

The odd numbered pieces have a different shape than the even numbered ones. In the pieces with odd numbers, the two-part vowel movement imitates the individual chorale lines before the lower part augments the cantus firmus . The two violin parts fit into the vocal setting as fourth and fifth parts with freely designed choral motifs.

In the pieces with the even numbers there is no singled out cantus firmus; all three vocal parts imitate the individual chorale lines. Here the violin parts also create interludes from motifs from the individual preceding or following chorale lines. The work with independent instrumental parts, which appeared for the first time in this work, is a further step for Werlin in the direction of compositional modernity.

literature

  • Walter Blankenburg, SL:  Werlin, Johannes. In: Ludwig Finscher (Hrsg.): The music in past and present . Second edition, personal section, volume 17 (Vina - Zykan). Bärenreiter / Metzler, Kassel et al. 2007, ISBN 978-3-7618-1137-5 , Sp. 786–787 ( online edition , subscription required for full access)
  • Stefan Hanheide: Johannes Werlin: Irenodiae (1643). In: ders .: Musical war complaints from the Thirty Years War. In: Klaus Bußmann, Heinz Schilling: 1648: War and Peace in Europe. Münster 1998. Vol. 2, pp. 439-447. ( online )

Web links

References and comments

  1. ↑ Stefan Hanheide (ed.): Friedensgesänge 1628–1651. Music for the Thirty Years War. Works by Johannes Werlin, Sigmund Theophil Staden , Melchior Franck and Andreas Berger . Wiesbaden / Leipzig / Paris 2012, p. XI.
  2. ↑ Bonaventura Riesch: Lindauische school and preacher history. Manuscript. 1739. Stadtarchiv Lindau, signature: StaLi: Lit. 16. The indication “1759” in the MGG Werlin article has to be corrected.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Stefan Hanheide (ed.): Friedensgesänge 1628–1651. Music for the Thirty Years War. Works by Johannes Werlin, Sigmund Theophil Staden, Melchior Franck and Andreas Berger. Wiesbaden / Leipzig / Paris 2012, p. XVIII.
  4. ↑ Stefan Hanheide (ed.): Friedensgesänge 1628–1651. Music for the Thirty Years War. Works by Johannes Werlin, Sigmund Theophil Staden, Melchior Franck and Andreas Berger. Wiesbaden / Leipzig / Paris 2012, p. XIV.
  5. ↑ a b c Stefan Hanheide (ed.): Friedensgesänge 1628–1651. Music for the Thirty Years War. Works by Johannes Werlin, Sigmund Theophil Staden, Melchior Franck and Andreas Berger. Wiesbaden / Leipzig / Paris 2012, p. XIII.
  6. ↑ a b c Stefan Hanheide (ed.): Friedensgesänge 1628–1651. Music for the Thirty Years War. Works by Johannes Werlin, Sigmund Theophil Staden, Melchior Franck and Andreas Berger. Wiesbaden / Leipzig / Paris 2012, p. XVI.
  7. ↑ Dietrich Bartels: Handbook of musical figure theory. Laaber 1985.
  8. ↑ Stefan Hanheide (ed.): Friedensgesänge 1628–1651. Music for the Thirty Years War. Works by Johannes Werlin, Sigmund Theophil Staden, Melchior Franck and Andreas Berger. Wiesbaden / Leipzig / Paris 2012, p. XII.
  9. ↑ Cf. Dagmar Schnell: In lucem edidit. German sheet music printing in the first half of the 17th century as a communication medium. Shown in the prefaces. Osnabrück 2003, p. 156.
  10. ↑ See RISM , Series A1, individual prints before 1800, Volume 9, Kassel 1981, W 802.
personal data
SURNAME Werlin, Johannes
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Werlin, Johann; Werlinus, Johannes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German composer
DATE OF BIRTH June 8, 1620
PLACE OF BIRTH Oettingen
DATE OF DEATH between October 11, 1675 and November 12, 1675
Place of death Lindau