Nun Lob, Mein Seel, Den Herren

Schein Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren

When we explore the life of Johann Hermann Schein (1586 - 1630), we are reminded of the living conditions people had to endure around 1600.  War, disease, and loss were part of everyday reality.  Schein’s first wife lost her life in childbirth and seven of his children died in infancy or early childhood.  In the final decade of his life, he was also a witness to the Thirty Years’ War.  Grief, suffering, and a profound awareness of life’s transience are reflected in many of his highly expressive compositions.

Schein was also a gifted poet and wrote the texts for many of his vocal works himself.  The importance he attached to the word is evident in the intense textual expression of his musical settings.  In this way, he combined the then-modern, expressive Italian style—which was gaining increasing attention in Germany at the time—with the German language and Protestant church music.  The transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque becomes particularly clear in the juxtaposition of the older polyphonic style and the newer concertato style.

Schein’s collected works have been published by Bärenreiter in ten volumes, several of which are divided into sub-volumes. The New Schein Edition was begun in 1963 and completed in 2012.

- Scored for Soprano solo (2), Basso continuo, Mixed choir (SATB)

- Format  19,0 x 27,0 cm