Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679 – 1745), baptised Jan
Lukáš Zelenka was a Czech composer and musician of
the Baroque period. His music is admired for its
harmonic inventiveness and mastery of counterpoint. He
was raised in Central Bohemia, educated in Prague and
Vienna, and spent his professional life in Dresden. The
greatest success during his career was the performance
of the extensive composition Sub olea pacis et palma
virtutis in the presence of the Emperor Charles VI,
shortly after his corona...(+)
Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679 – 1745), baptised Jan
Lukáš Zelenka was a Czech composer and musician of
the Baroque period. His music is admired for its
harmonic inventiveness and mastery of counterpoint. He
was raised in Central Bohemia, educated in Prague and
Vienna, and spent his professional life in Dresden. The
greatest success during his career was the performance
of the extensive composition Sub olea pacis et palma
virtutis in the presence of the Emperor Charles VI,
shortly after his coronation as king of Bohemia in
1723.
Zelenka's pieces are characterized by a very daring
compositional structure with a highly spirited harmonic
invention and complex counterpoint. His works are often
virtuosic and difficult to perform, but always fresh
and surprising, with sudden turns of harmony. In
particular, his writing for bass instruments is far
more demanding than that of other composers of his era.
His instrumental works, the trio sonatas, capricci, and
concertos are exemplary models of his early style
(1710s –1720s). The six trio sonatas demand high
virtuosity and expressive sensitivity from performers.
As Zelenka was himself a violone player, he was known
to write fast-moving continuo parts with driving and
complicated rhythm.
Zelenka was aware of the music in different regions of
Europe. He wrote complex fugues, ornate operatic arias,
galant-style dances, baroque recitatives,
Palestrina-like chorales, and virtuosic concertos.
Zelenka's musical language is closest to Bach's,
especially in its richness of contrapuntal harmonies
and ingenious usage of fugal themes. Nevertheless,
Zelenka's language is idiosyncratic in its unexpected
harmonic twists, obsession with chromatic harmonies,
large usage of syncopated and tuplet figures, and
unusually long phrases full of varied musical ideas. He
is sometimes considered Bach's Catholic
counterpart.
Zelenka's music is influenced by Czech folk music. In
this respect, he continues the tradition of the
production of specific Czech national music initiated
by Adam Michna z Otradovic and brought to its
culmination by Bedřich Smetana and Antonín
Dvořák in the nineteenth century and Leoš
Janáček and Bohuslav Martinů in the
twentieth century.
In regard to his masses, Zelenka was not afraid to
challenge the established traditions of his time.
Furthermore, from his unorthodox, disjointed, and
"bizarre" sounding fugal subjects (such as the Kyrie
Eleison from ZWV 48) to his fiery orchestration, he
presents fresh interpretations of established
liturgical mass texts. The total number of Zelenka's
known and attributed opus-numbered works is 249. The
sacred vocal-instrumental music is at the center of his
compositions and include over 20 masses, four extensive
oratorios and requiems, two Magnificats and Te Deum
settings, 13 litanies, many psalms, hymns, and
antiphons. Zelenka also wrote a number of purely
instrumental works – six trio or quartet sonatas,
five capricci, one "Hipocondrie" and other concertos,
overtures and symphonies.
The most appreciated of Zelenka's sacred works are his
masses, above all his Missa Purificationis (ZWV 16, his
last mass to include brass instruments) and his final
five pieces (ZWV 17–21), commonly called "High Mass"
compositions, written between 1736 and 1741 and
considered as Zelenka's compositional peak. The last
three were also called "Missae ultimae" (Last
Masses).
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Dismas_Zelenka)
Although originally composed for Chorus (SATB), 2 Oboi,
2 Violini, Viola, Basso continuo, I created this
Arrangement of "Haec dies quam fecit Dominus; exultemus
et laetemur in ea. Alleluia" (This is the day which the
Lord hath made) for Winds (Flute, Oboe, English Horn,
French Horn & Bassoon) & Strings (2 Violins, Viola &
Cello).
SHEET MUSIC