Issue 21 - Toward an understanding of Buxtehude
Dieterich Buxtehude's Fuga in C is one of those little gems in the organist's repertoire. It is often referred to as a Gigue Fugue because of its compound meter of 12/8 and contrapuntal nature (contrapuntal literally means note-against-note so that one or more voices are working independently rather in moving together in harmony). This short fugue is so merry and playful; it shines in the midst Buxtehude's other organ repertoire, the ornamented and serious chorale-preludes and the grand and severe praeludia.
Dieterich Buxtehude (1637-1707) is probably one of the greatest German Baroque composers to precede Johann Sebastian Bach. Born in Denmark, Buxtehude grew up in Helsingør and studied organ with his father, who was organist at St. Olai, still one of the largest churches in Denmark. While the first 10 working years of his life were spent at churches in Denmark, Buxtehude moved in 1668 to Germany to claim the organist post at St. Mary's in Lübeck, the most prestigious appointment in the country.
[Bookends] will focus on different things each time I play a work of Buxtehude's, for there is much to say about him. However, an interesting supposition is made about Buxtehude's life from the very work that the Cathedral Choir is singing this Sunday at 8:45, Buxtehude's opening concerto from the cantata Everything You Do. This is the one of his most dearly loved cantatas of today and of Buxtehude's time, for it is present in all three of the collections of manuscripts of his vocal music, thus showing its popularity.
Kerala J. Snyder, author of Dieterich Buxtehude: Organist in Lübeck writes of reasons for its popularity during Buxtehude's time and shows what insight into his life the cantata can offer:
"Alles was ihr tut (Everything You Do) offers no visions of heaven, no intimacy with Jesus, no distressed souls. In a straightforward musical style, almost completely homophonic in texture, it addresses itself to the concerns of the ordinary citizens in the workaday world... Buxtehude, himself, seems to have taken his place comfortably in Lübeck's society. On the one hand he ranked as the most respected musician in the city and had frequent dealings with its political and financial leaders. On the other, he was a member of the fourth class of this society, and the obsequious phrases in his letters and dedications indicate that he knew his place. The words from the chorale that he set [in a later movement of Everything You Do] may have articulated his own feelings as well:
"So I stretch out my hand, and undertake with joy the work
To which God has destined me in my vocation and class.
"The few words that others wrote about him during his lifetime and shortly afterwards add little to the picture of Buxtehude that is seen in [these] documentary sources. Much as we would like know further details concerning Buxtehude's life, they would be worth little if we did not have his music. And we do have his music..." The words of Kerala Snyder fascinate me... for all we have is the work of historians to pull together compositions, writings and related documents to create a picture of the master whose works we perform.
Click here for previous issues about Buxtehude.
(Image: Dieterich Buxtehude)