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Johann Abraham SCHMIKERER (SCHMIERER) (1661 - 1719): Musico-Instrumentalische Gemüths-Lust
L'arpa festante
Dir: Michael Behringer, Christoph Hesse
rec: May 27 - 19, 2021, Müllheim, Marrinskirche
CPO - 555 636-2 (© 2024) (83'27")
Liner-notes: E/D
Cover & track-list
Spotify
Partie I in a minor;
Partie II in C;
Partie III in e minor;
Partie IV in G;
Partie V in c minor;
Partie VI in A;
Partie VII in G
Christoph Hesse, Angelika Balzer, Peter Haarmann-Thiemann, Christine Rox, violin;
Johanna Weber, Ruth Ellner, violin, viola;
Michael Gusenbauer, Lothar Haass, viola;
Heidi Groeger, Christian Niedling, cello, bass violin;
Haralt Martens, violone;
Toshinori Ozaki, lute;
Michael Behringer, harpsichord
You are forgiven if you have never heard of a composer with the name Johann Abraham Schmikerer. The editors of New Grove did not know him either. Not that much is known about him anyway, and it seems that he was not even a professional composer. From what we know about his life, he never occupied a musical position after the years he sang as a Diskantist (soprano) at Augsburg Cathedral from 1673 to 1680. At that time the Kapellmeister was Johann Melchior Gletle. It is not that he did not want to become a professional musician: when Gletle died, in 1683, he applied for his position, but failed. At that time he studied law at Salzburg University, after two years of philosophy studies at the University of Dillingen. For most of his life he occupied the position of director of the Fugger Foundations, which had been founded in the 16th century.
His oeuvre is very small. The only collection of music that was known to have been written by him appeared in 1698 in Augsburg under the title Zodiaci Musici in XII. Partitas Balleticas, veluti sua Signa divisi Pars I. The composer was indicated only with the initials J.A.S. For some time they were thought to refer to Johann Speth, but the A was impossible to explain. The catalogue of the Lenten Fair of 1699 in Frankfurt revealed the true composer as it mentions Schmierers Zodiaci Musici in XII Partitas Balleticas pars prima. At the time the word partie (or partita) was a synonym of suite. This collection included twelve instrumental suites in French style.
In the second half of the 17th century many aristocrats in Germany were strongly impressed by the splendour of the French court under Louis XIV, especially since the palace at Versailles had become his residence. Part of that splendour was the music, for which Jean-Baptiste Lully was mainly responsible. These aristocrats wanted to have such music performed at their own court. They asked their Kapellmeister to compose in that style, and some of them went to Paris to listen and learn, such as Johann Sigismund Kusser and Johann Fischer. After their return they started to write suites in the style they had heard in France. They soon became known as Lullistes.
Some went so far as to divide the score into five different voices in the French style: dessus, haute-contre, taille, quinte and basse. In the course of the first half of the 18th century composers started to mix the French style with Italian influences. The ideal became the 'mixed taste'; examples are the orchestral suites by Bach, Telemann, Fasch and Graupner. The suites by Schmikerer are somewhere in the middle between these two stages of the genre.
The present disc does not include suites from the 1699 collection, but from the second volume. Until recently it was assumed to be lost. From 1712 a set of suites was known under the title of Musico-Instrumentalische Gemüths-Lust bestehend in sechs außerlösenen Parthyen mit vier Geigen, sampt dem Cembalo ad lybitum ... verfaßt von einem edlen Liebhaber diser Kunst (Musical-instrumental Soul's Delight consisting of six selected partias with four violins, including a harpsichord ad libitum ... written by a noble connoisseur of this art). The printer and the place of publication are not mentioned, but the preface refers to a first part, and as the title-pages of the two editions are very much alike, it has been concluded that this collection is the second volume of the Zodiaci Musici. It includes six suites in the same style, with an additional suite which is different in that it mixes French and Italian elements. That makes it all the more interesting, and confirms that Schmikerer is the link, so to speak, between the Lullistes and the representatives of the 'mixed taste'.
This is confirmed by the scoring. Whereas the suites by the likes of Kusser and Fischer - and Philipp Heinrich Erlebach and Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer - are in five parts, according to French tradition, Schmikerer's suites are in four parts. In the first volume the scoring refers to instruments with their Italian name: violino, violetta and viola, whereas for the bass part both violone and harpsichord (Cembalo). I have no access to the volume performed here, but it is very likely that their scoring is the same. The identity of the violetta is not entirely clear, as it can refer to various instruments, including the violin and the viola da gamba. The fact that it is the second part, and that Schmikerer makes a distinction between violetta and viola, this may well be a relic of the traditional division of the strings in the French opera orchestra. In the suites of later date, composers entirely left the model of the French orchestra.
The suites open with an overture, and here there is a difference between Schmikerer and the Lullistes as well as Bach and Telemann. Their ouvertures are in three sections: the slow opening section in dotted rhythm is followed by a fast section, and then the opening section is repeated. In Schmikerer's suites the first section is not repeated, and therefore the ouvertures are considerably shorter. Dotted rhythms also don't play such a major role. The ouvertures are followed by seven dances, in random order. All six suites include a menuet, for instance, but their place in the order of movements is various. In the Partie I in a minor it is in third position, in two other suites it is the penultimate movement. In four of the suites the ouverture is followed by an entrée. The dances are mostly well-known, such as allemande, courante, gigue and gavotte. Some are notable: two have the addition echo, which requires repeats of phrases played piano. The fifth movement of the Partie VI in A has the title chanson. I can't see any specific reason for that. The rhythm of the last movement of the Partie II in C suggests that the title Traquenard refers to the three-stroke in horse riding.
Performers have to decide how many players should be involved. The second volume does not give any clues about performance practice, but the first volume does, and it seems right to apply them to the second volume as well. Both include indications of solo and tutti, and that means that the suites should be performed with more than one instrument per part. However, that seems to be the ideal option. As composers were pragmatic and were interested in a wide dissemination of printed music, Schmikerer adds: "If necessary, a one-on-a-part instrumentation - that is to say, alla Camera - would also suffice." He further states: "It should be ensured in particular that the violin and violone are more strongly scored than the two middle voices - the violetta and viola. However, if the number of performers is so large that the two middle voices are also doubled, the violin part can be played by three or four, but always with one person more than the violone." He seems to have had a performance in mind with only strings. In France it was common practice to add, for instance, oboes playing colla parte with the violins, providing additional colour. The performers were probably right in avoiding that option.
In the Suite in G Schmikerer seems to move in the direction of the 'mixed taste'. It opens with a Praelude rather than an ouverture, which is in three sections: adagio - presto - adagio. The pathetic character of the adagio sections smell of Italy. The remaining movements have French titles again, but show the influence of the Italian style. Ironically, this suite is the only one which includes a chaconne, a fixed part of each orchestral suite in France.
One should not expect emotional depth in these suites. This is music for entertainment, as Schmikerer himself indicates. Both editions mention "comedies,
table musics, serenades, and such pleasant gatherings" as performance venues. And entertaining these suites certainly are. The performers are well aware of their character, and that makes their performances also highly entertaining. The playing is excellent, with rhythmic precision and flair. I was listening to this recording on a rainy day, and this was the perfect antidote. But this is music for all seasons. I am sure that you will return to this production regularly.
N.B. Schmikerer is just one of several variants of the composer's name. It was only after finishing this review that I noticed that the first six suites from the first volume have been recorded by the Ensemble Tourbillon under the direction of Petr Wagner, under the name of Schmierer. The review is here.
Johan van Veen (© 2025)