Scumann Missa Sacra

At the Collegiate Church in Stuttgart, the largest regional church in Württemberg (South Germany), and burial site of the Dukes of Württemberg, who lived in the neighbouring castle, a new organist was appointed in 1652: Philipp Friedrich Böddecker (1607-1683). His Sacra Partitura, a collection of eight motets and two sonatas, was printed in Strasbourg in 1651, when his negotiation with the church council had already begun. These compositions might have been decisive for Böddeckers appointment, particularly as the composer dedicated the collection to the Dukes musical sister, Duchess Sibylla. The music is composed in typical concertante style, but influenced by Italian monody and Monteverdis seconda pratica.

This is an excellent and bargan-priced collection of mainly late Schumann, none of which is frequently encountered in the concert hall. With some of the pieces this is with good reason: in the Requiem, and especially the Mass, Schumann's genius flickers barely at all - clearly his heart wasn't in religious music, and the result is dull and worthy, at least by his usual standards. Much better are the delightful secular oratorios, Der Rose Pilgerfahrt and Paradies und die Peri, both of which breathe the sweet springlike air of Romanticism which for most listeners is the true Schumann.

Ludwig Daser’s life and work encompassed both Catholic and Lutheran courts, at Munich and Stuttgart respectively. Cinquecento’s programme—which, besides the substantial Missa Pater noster, includes a selection of Latin motets and German chorale settings—illustrates a variety of styles and genres from both, offering a welcome introduction to this lesser-known master from the sixteenth century.

In questo celebre saggio Titus Burckhardt passa in rassegna il modo in cui l’arte di cinque grandi culture religiose (cristianesimo, induismo, islamismo, buddismo e taoismo) esprime i fondamenti del sacro. La tesi del libro è che qualunque religione attraverso l’arte trasmette il simbolo di un’ascesa: dalla bellezza del mondo all’unità divina. Partendo dalla considerazione che un simbolo non è un semplice segno convenzionale ma “è” ciò che esprime, l’autore arriva ad affermare che l’arte sacra ha sempre carattere simbolico: essa infatti consente di trasfigurare il mondo, chiarendone l’intima unità spirituale, senza dover “spiegare” esplicitamente e razionalmente il principio di organizzazione. Qual è il carattere specifico dell’arte sacra? La conclusione dell’autore è che l’essenza dell’arte sacra non sta nel tema religioso dei soggetti, bensì in un modo speciale di elaborare le forme, qualunque sia il soggetto rappresentato.