Dietrich Buxtehude is probably most familiar to modern
classical music audiences as the man who inspired the
young Johann Sebastian Bach to make a lengthy
pilgrimage to Lubeck, Buxtehude's place of employment
and residence for most of his life, just to hear
Buxtehude play the organ. But Buxtehude was a major
figure among German Baroque composers in his own right.
Though we do not have copies of much of the work that
most impressed his contemporaries, Buxtehude
nonetheless left behind a body of v...(+)
Dietrich Buxtehude is probably most familiar to modern
classical music audiences as the man who inspired the
young Johann Sebastian Bach to make a lengthy
pilgrimage to Lubeck, Buxtehude's place of employment
and residence for most of his life, just to hear
Buxtehude play the organ. But Buxtehude was a major
figure among German Baroque composers in his own right.
Though we do not have copies of much of the work that
most impressed his contemporaries, Buxtehude
nonetheless left behind a body of vocal and
instrumental music which is distinguished by its
contrapuntal skill, devotional atmosphere, and raw
intensity. He helped develop the form of the church
cantata, later perfected by Bach, and he was just as
famous a virtuoso on the organ.
This is another one of Buxtehude's chorale preludes
with the embellished chorale melody appearing in the
soprano. The chorale text is about the ten
commandments. The first verse reads as follows, "Man if
you want to lead a blessed life and remain with God
eternally, you should keep the ten commandments that
were given us by God." After this introductory first
verse the remaining three verses summarize the ten
commandments listing them one by one. Buxtehude's
setting of the chorale is particularly curious due to a
repeated gesture involving a chromatic inflection with
a G raised to a G sharp, ornamenting what was simply a
G in the chorale melody.
SHEET MUSIC