Dieterich Buxtehude (1637 – 1707) was a Danish
organist and composer of the Baroque period, whose
works are typical of the North German organ school. As
a composer who worked in various vocal and instrumental
idioms, Buxtehude's style greatly influenced other
composers, such as Johann Sebastian Bach and George
Frideric Handel. Buxtehude is considered one of the
most important composers of the 17th century. Although
more than 100 vocal compositions by Buxtehude survive,
very few of them were in...(+)
Dieterich Buxtehude (1637 – 1707) was a Danish
organist and composer of the Baroque period, whose
works are typical of the North German organ school. As
a composer who worked in various vocal and instrumental
idioms, Buxtehude's style greatly influenced other
composers, such as Johann Sebastian Bach and George
Frideric Handel. Buxtehude is considered one of the
most important composers of the 17th century. Although
more than 100 vocal compositions by Buxtehude survive,
very few of them were included in the important German
manuscript collections of the period, and until the
early twentieth century, Buxtehude was regarded
primarily as a keyboard composer. His surviving church
music is praised for its high musical qualities rather
than its progressive elements.
"Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist" (We now implore the
Holy Ghost) is a German Christian hymn. The first
stanza is a leise from the 13th century which alludes
to the Latin sequence Veni Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy
Spirit) for Pentecost. It was widely known, and aside
from its Pentecostal origin was also used as a
procession song and in sacred plays. The most prominent
form of today's hymn contains three further stanzas
written by the Protestant reformer Martin Luther. He
recommended the leise in his 1523 liturgy to be used
regularly in church services. The request to the Holy
Spirit for the right faith most of all ("um den rechten
Glauben allermeist") suited Luther's theology well. In
1524, possibly for Pentecost, he wrote the additional
stanzas. This version was first published in Wittenberg
the same year as part of Johann Walter's First
Wittenberg Hymnal. The song's themes of faith, love and
hope render it appropriate not only for Pentecost but
also for general occasions and funerals.
Luther's chorale is part of many hymnals, sung in
several Christian denominations and in translations. It
inspired vocal and organ music from the Renaissance to
contemporary by composers such as Michael Praetorius,
Dieterich Buxtehude and Johann Sebastian Bach.
Alternate versions of the hymn, employing the same
medieval first stanza, have appeared in Catholic
hymnals, first in 1537 by Michael Vehe, a Dominican
friar and theologian. His hymn was revised by Maria
Luise Thurmair and published in 1972, and is still part
of the 2013 Catholic hymnal Gotteslob.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nun_bitten_wir_den_Heili
gen_Geist).
Although originally written for Pipe Organ, I created
this Interpretation of the choral prelude "Nun bitten
wir den Heiligen Geist" (BuxWV 208) for String Quartet
(2 Violins, Viola & Cello).
SHEET MUSIC