The bicinia by Michael Praetorius still witnesses the "old" style of severely ruled counterpoint (stylus antiquus), whereas the new style (stylus modernus) - based on the same rules - allows a novel kind of freedom to express the meaning of words and affects. Above the Basso continuo, consisting of a bassline and chords, the solo voice(s) unfold. In the "stylus phantasticus", to which the sonatas by Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi Mealli, Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber von Bibern, Dietrich Buxtehude und Johann Michael Kühnel belong, this is realized in an extremely free, improvisatory way.

With our choice of instruments and temperament, and the way we handled the challenges of notation, we tried to fulfill the historical standards in order to emphasize the works' special character as much as possible. For some people gut strings may still sound unfamiliar, but the divergence from today's listening habits offers the chance to enter new musical worlds.

The music presented here has a special connection to speech and communication: In the bicinia by Praetorius, composed both for singing and playing, two voices of equal rank have a "conversation" over a choral: They alternate, imitate each other, propagate words aforesaid, consort with each other, but also face each other with controversial statements - like two partners in a good dialogue. At a first glance it might surprise that this is possible without spoken words. Nevertheless it uses the same means: Interplay of stressed and unstressed "syllables" in a certain meter, alternating pitch of the voice, deliberate periods of rest, change of volume or pace of play. Thus the music itself becomes an autonomous language.

In Buxtehude's trio sonata and Pandolfi's violin sonata such means of expression can be observed clearly: rests, sudden ruptures of sections, which leave the subsequent completely undetermined, opening and closing motifs and repetitions. Repetition plays a special role in the sonatas by Schmelzer and Kühnel: The repetitive bassline forms a basic structure which gives room to the novel freedom the solo instrument enjoys. They sound like written-out improvisations. Thus the steady form allows fantasy to develop (stylus phantasticus). Also in Biber's sonata we find such improvisatory sections. They alternate with dance forms (passacaglia and gavotte). In the severe, slow introduction all voices move chromatically in half-steps. Still today this appears audacious. A specific feature of this sonata is: The highest string of the violin, normally tuned to "E" has to be tuned down a whole step to "D". (The retuning process is not part of the album).Without the aforementioned means of expression, which also constitute the base of language, the music would be a senseless sequence of tones. Only through the creation of musical gestures the tones gain some sense, an expression and meaning - otherwise they would be "meaningless" like letters failing to form a word, words failing to form a sentence.

Each of us used these means of expression with his or her own instrument (violin, gamba or harpsichord) to create meaningful musical gestures, ultimately yielding a successful interplay in the ensemble. To this end however it is indispensable to listen to each other, to pick up on the others' expressions, to interpret, comprehend them and finally to respond to them. Only then music results in a special form of communication.

1. Puer Natus In Bethlehem Bicinia (Michael Praetorius)
2. Sonata Tertia (Sonatae unarum fidium) for violin and Bc (Johann Heinrich Schmelzer)
3. In Dulci Jubilo Bicinia (Michael Praetorius)
4. Sonata VI Op1 for violin viola de gamba and harpsichord (Dietrich Buxtehude)
5. Ein Kindelein So Lvbelich Bicinia (Michael Praetorius)
6. Sonata Herr Jesu Christ Du Hvchstes Gut for viola da gamba and Bc (August Kuhnel))
7. Vom Himmel Hoch Da Komm Ich Her Bicinia (Michael Praetorius)
8. La Biancuccia Op4 for violin and Bc (Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi Mealli)
9. Wachet Auf Ruft Uns Die Stimme Bicinia (Michael Praetorius)
10. Sonata VI (Sonatae Violino Solo) for violin and Bc (Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber)
11. Nun Komm Der Heiden Heiland Bicinia (Michael Praetorius)
12. Wie Schvn Leuchtet Der Morgenstern Bicinia (Michael Praetorius)

Listen to: the entire album.

Release date: 4/7/2012
Commusicare lives in Vienna Austria

Tagged as: Classical, Renaissance, Baroque, Instrumental, Composer: August Kuhnel, Composer: Dietrich Buxtehude, Composer: Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi Mealli, Composer: Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber von Bibern, Composer: Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, Composer: Michael Praetorius, Harpsichord, Violin

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