musica Dei donum
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Dieterich BUXTEHUDE (1637 - 1707): Membra Jesu Nostri
Opella Musica
Dir: Gregor Meyer
rec: Jan 22 - 24, 2021, Dresden-Hosterwitz, Maria am Wasser
CPO - 555 458-2 (© 2023) (64'10")
Liner-notes: E/D; lyrics - translations: E/D
Cover, track-list & booklet
Scores
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Fürwahr, er trug unsere Krankheit (BuxWV 31);
Membra Jesu Nostri (BuxWV 75)
Isabel Schicketanz, Heidi Maria Taubert, soprano;
Susanne Langner, contralto;
Tobias Hunger, tenor;
Friedemann Klos, bass
Birgit Schnurpfeil, Yumiko Tsubaki, violin;
Gertrud Ohse, Benjamin Dressler, viola da gamba;
Tillmann Steinhöfel, violone;
Eva-Maria Horn, dulcian;
Michael Dücker, lute;
Gregor Meyer, organ
The cantata cycle Membra Jesu Nostri is a most remarkable work. Its text is something one wouldn't expect to be set to music by a composer of Lutheran orientation. It is based on Rhythmica Oratio, a collection of hymns which address the parts of the body of Christ hanging on the cross. This collection was attributed to the medieval mystic Bernard de Clairvaux (1091-1153), but today is generally thought to have been written by the Cistercian monk Arnulf de Louvain (c1200-1250). The fact that these mystic texts were used by a Lutheran composer can be explained by the fact that Martin Luther held Bernard de Clairvaux in high esteem. The Lutheran theologian Johann Arndt (1555-1621) played a crucial role in the spreading of Bernard's mysticism in the world of Lutheranism. He also translated the Rhythmica Oratio into German. During the 17th century this aspect of Lutheran thinking was enforced by the rise of pietism, which was in favour of making way for subjective sentiments of fervour, compassion and emotion.
Peter Uehling, in his liner-notes, creates a strong difference between the treatment of Jesus' Passion in this work and the way it is treated in Bach's Passions. "Meditation and contemplation in the face of the cross are no longer necessarily familiar to us after the
all-suppressing success of Bach's Passions for over a century. For Bach imprints on us a certain theological view of the events: his Passions declare the listener to be the "cause of all such plagues", the sinner who has just been saved from damnation and who, as an entrained observer of the drama of salvation history, is entitled to nothing but humility and gratitude. Thus morally destroyed, as it were, he remains at an absolute, insurmountable distance from his Saviour. Earlier Passion music, on the other hand, proceeded less excitedly by placing the accent on contemplation of the events, and Buxtehude also calls for contemplation in "Membra Jesu Nostri" -
contemplation not of a story, however, but of the body in which the story has inscribed itself."
This is little more than a construction. The texts of Buxtehude's work are not fundamentally different from the content of Bach's Passions. Look at the first cantata, Ad pedes. The third aria says: "Sweet Jesus, merciful God I cry to You, in my guilt show me your grace, turn me not unworthy away from your sacred feet." In the second cantata, Ad genua, the second aria is equally clear: "What answer shall I give you, vile as I am in deed, hard in my heart? How shall I repay your love, who chose to die for me lest I die the second death?"
That does not mean that there are no differences, but these have much to do with the purpose for which the different works were written. Bach's Passions are liturgical works, emphasizing the message of the Gospel and the sermon of the day. We don't know exactly for which occasion Buxtehude composed his Membra Jesu Nostri. The use of a Latin text and in particular its mystic character makes it rather unlikely that it was ever performed as part of the liturgy or even in public concerts in Lübeck, which was dominated by orthodox Lutheranism. Many compositions by Buxtehude have come down to us thanks to Gustav Düben, who was Kapellmeister at the Swedish court in Stockholm. Buxtehude also dedicated this work to him, and it seems likely that it was performed there under Düben's direction. A performance at the court in Stockholm seems a realistic possibility.
These considerations lead to the assumption that Buxtehude may have had a performance with one voice per part in mind, possibly with the addition of ripienists in the five-part sections. There can be little doubt, however, that the sections for three voices were intended for soloists. The Membra Jesu Nostri belongs among the most frequently-performed works for Passiontide and is well represented on disc. The various recordings are different in this respect, as some follow the one-voice-per-part practice, whereas others include ripienists; there are also several recordings with a choir. Opella Musica is an ensemble of soloists, and per consequence we have a performance with one voice per part here.
All seven cantatas have the same structure: they start with an instrumental sinfonia, which is followed by the dictum (a literal quotation from the Bible), set in the form of a concerto for three to five voices, and three arias for solo voices, supported by basso continuo, which are separated by instrumental ritornellos. At the end the dictum is repeated, except in the last cantata, which ends with an "Amen". The sixth cantata is a specific case: whereas in all the cantatas the instrumental ensemble consists of two violins and basso continuo, in this cantata the voices - here reduced to three - are supported by five viole da gamba and basso continuo. This different scoring indicates that this cantata, Ad cor (To the heart), is litterally the heart of this cycle. These cantatas were written as a cycle, as their keys show: the first is in C minor, the next in E flat, G minor, D minor, A minor and E minor and the last returns to C minor. And it can hardly be a coincidence that both the first aria of the first cantata and the last aria of the last cantata are scored for the tutti.
As there are so many recordings, where does this one stand? There are a few features which need to be mentioned. First, the tempi. This is one of the fastest recordings that I know. In this respect it is comparable with the one by Sigiswald Kuijken. In my review this was one of the factors I mentioned as disappointing and a reason why the performance was rather short on expression. The fast tempi are a problem here as well; this is not one of the most expressive recordings in my collection. This aspect is compensated to a certain extent by the dynamically differentiated singing and playing, something I sorely missed in Kuijken's performance.
A second feature concerns the sixth cantata. A look at the list of performers shows that only three players of the viola da gamba are involved (the violone is here a double bass viol). This means that the two upper parts are played on violins. That is no problem from a technical point of view, as these parts are within the range of the violin. However, Buxtehude did not require viols without a reason. I think that performers should stick to what the composer has indicated.
In recent years I have reviewed a number of recordings of this ensemble, especially the complete recording of the cantatas by Johann Kuhnau, which I was very happy about. I am slightly disappointed about this recording, in addition to what I have written above. There is not as much coherence between the voices as there was in previous recordings. That is due to the two sopranos, and especially Isabel Schicketanz. She has a very fine voice, but in recent recordings (and some live performances that I heard on the radio) a slight vibrato has crept in, and that is clearly noticeable here, both in her solos and in the tutti. It is not very large and certainly does not really damage the entire recording, but it is something which contributes to my lack of enthusiasm for this production.
Some recordings are confined to the Membra Jesu Nostri, others add another work. The latter is the case here; it is a bit odd that the liner-notes don't discuss or even mention the Passion cantata Fürwahr, er trug unsere Krankheit. It is a setting of two verses from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah (ch 53, vs 4-5), which since ancient times has been interpreted as referring to the Passion of Christ: "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." It is one of Buxtehude's most dramatic works. It is scored for five voices and five instruments (two violins, two viole da gamba and violone) with basso continuo. The piece opens with a solo for the bass, who sings the first two lines, which are repeated later. Pauses, chromaticism and tremolos in the lower strings are some of the devices Buxtehude uses to express the content of this work. Again, the performance is pretty fast: 9'35" vs 10'11" (Cantus Cölln) and 11'23" (Jos Van Immerseel). The latter two performances are more expressive than what we get here.
As one may understand, the recording discussed here is not my favourite version of this masterwork by Buxtehude. Cantus Cölln is one of myu favourite performances, and a more recent recording that is well worth being investigated is the one by the Luthers Bach Ensemble.
Johan van Veen (© 2025)