Voces Suaves – Come to My Garden – German Early Baroque Lovesongs (2018) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

The main composers presented here are Johann Hermann Schein and Melchior Franck, the essential representatives of early German baroque. Schein and Franck were almost exact contemporaries of each other, and developed their respective careers not fifty leagues apart – Coburg for Franck, Leipzig for Schein, who was, remember, a predecessor of Bach’s in the role of Cantor of Saint Thomas – but it seems they never met. It must be said that during the 30 Years’ War, journeys were not undertaken lightly, and people were much more concerned with not getting gutted, infected with the plague, or killed by starvation than they were with taking day-trips from town to town. It’s also startling that so many works have survived to the present day, including in particular the Hohelied Salomos from 1608 – the “Song of Solomon” by Franck, and Schein’s collection of Musica boscareggia dating from 1621/28 and the Diletti pastorali of 1628, including several love motets, presented here by Jörg-Andreas Bötticher’s instrumental and vocal ensemble Voces suaves. By way of historical reference point, we also here two pieces by Palestrina – after all, the German baroque was greatly influenced by the Italian madrigal – performed in their instrumental version as ornamented by two famous cornettists of the time, Luigi Zenobi and Antonio Bassiano, who have left us many examples of the art of musical variation and ornamentation as they practised it.

Tracklist:
1-01. Jorg-Andreas Botticher – Toccata per Organo (Improvisation) (00:48)
1-02. Jorg-Andreas Botticher, Voces Suaves – Das Hohelied Salomos: Steh auf, meine Freundin (04:36)
1-03. Jorg-Andreas Botticher, Voces Suaves – Das Hohelied Salomos: Siehe meine Freundin (03:48)
1-04. Jorg-Andreas Botticher, Voces Suaves – Das Hohelied Salomos: Wie schon und lieblich (03:28)
1-05. Jorg-Andreas Botticher, Voces Suaves – Das Hohelied Salomos: Mein Freund komme in seinen Garten (02:43)
1-06. Jorg-Andreas Botticher, Plamena Nikitassova, Matthias Muller, Ori Harmelin – Tota pulchra es (04:38)
1-07. Jorg-Andreas Botticher, Voces Suaves – O Filli, schon und subtil (04:33)
1-08. Jorg-Andreas Botticher, Voces Suaves – Amor heut triumphieret (03:27)
1-09. Jorg-Andreas Botticher, Voces Suaves – O brennende Augelein (04:13)
1-10. Jorg-Andreas Botticher, Voces Suaves – O seidene Harelein (04:28)
1-11. Jorg-Andreas Botticher, Voces Suaves – O Sternenaugelein (03:55)
1-12. Jorg-Andreas Botticher, Plamena Nikitassova, Matthias Muller, William Dongois, Ori Harmelin – Passameza (05:57)
1-13. Jorg-Andreas Botticher, Voces Suaves – In Filli schonen Augelein (02:38)
1-14. Jorg-Andreas Botticher, Voces Suaves – Cupido blind, das Venuskind (02:55)
1-15. Jorg-Andreas Botticher, Voces Suaves – O Amarilli zart (03:58)
1-16. Jorg-Andreas Botticher, William Dongois, Ori Harmelin – Pulchra es amica mea (03:57)
1-17. Jorg-Andreas Botticher, Voces Suaves – Das Hohelied Salomos: Wo ist denn dein Freund hingegangen (02:50)
1-18. Jorg-Andreas Botticher, Voces Suaves – Das Hohelied Salomos: Ich sucht des Nachts in meinem Bett (02:18)
1-19. Jorg-Andreas Botticher, Voces Suaves – Das Hohelied Salomos: Fahet uns die Fuchse (01:59)
1-20. Jorg-Andreas Botticher – Canzona per Cembalo (Improvisation) (00:33)
1-21. Jorg-Andreas Botticher, Voces Suaves – Das Hohelied Salomos: Setze mich wie ein Siegel auf dein Herz (02:06)