Dieterich Buxtehude Membra Jesu nostri - Atlanta Baroque Orchestra

The Atlanta Baroque Orchestra
John Hsu, Artistic Director & Conductor
Dieterich Buxtehude
1637–1707
Membra Jesu nostri
Daniel Pyle
Resident Director
Sunday 11 March 2007
3:00 p.m.
Peachtree Road United Methodist Church
3180 Peachtree Road NW
Atlanta, Georgia

DIETERICH BUXTEHUDE
1637–1707
Sonata in G
for two violins, viola da gamba, and basso continuo
MEMBRA JESU NOSTRI
BuxWV 75
I
Ad pedes
.
II
Ad genua
III
Ad manus
IV
Ad latus
intermission
Præludium in G minor, BuxWV 163
for organ manualiter
Sonata in A minor, opus 1 no. 3
for violin, viola da gamba, and basso continuo
V
Ad pectus
VI
Ad cor
VII
Ad faciem
Leila Lazenby, soprano I Bruce Sellers, tenor
Judith Overcash Mohr, soprano II Brent Davis, bass
Holly McCarren, alto
Violin Viola da gamba Violone
Gesa Kordes Brent Wissick Joshua Lee
Martha Perry Martha Bishop
Eckhart Richter Organ
Susan Patterson Daniel Pyle
Joshua Lee

I. AD PEDES II. AD GENUA
TO HIS FEET TO HIS K NEES
Soprano I & II, Alto, Tenor, Bass Soprano I & II, Alto, Tenor, Bass
Ecce super montes pedes Ad ubera portabimini,
Behold, on the mountain the feet You shall be carried upon her hip,
evangelizantis et annuntiantis pacem. et super genua blandicentur vobis.
of him who brings the good news, and proclaims peace. And dandled upon her knee. (Isaiah LXVI:12)
(Nahum II: 1)
Tenor
Soprano I Salve, Jesu, rex sanctorum,
Salve mundi salutare, Hail, Jesus, king of saints,
Hail, savior of the world,
spes votiva peccatorum,
salve, salve Jesu care! thou welcome hope of sinners,
Hail, beloved Jesus!
crucis lignum tanquam reus,
Cruci tuae me aptare from the wood of the cross like a convict
I would like to hang with you on your cross.
pendens homo verus Deus,
vellem vere, tu scis quare, the man hanging, yet true God,
Truly you know why;
caducis nutans genitus!
da mihi tui copiam. bending with doomed knees!
give me your strength.
Alto
Soprano II Quid sum tibi responsurus,
Clavos pedum, plagas duras How should to you respond,
The nails in your feet, the hard strokes
actu vilis, corde durus?
et tam graves impressuras feeble in action, hard in heart?
and the severe weals —
Quid rependam amatori,
circumplector cum affectu, How shall I repay your love,
full of emotion I embrace them,
qui elegit pro me mori,
tuo pavens in aspectu, thou who dost choose to die for me,
full of anxiety at the sight of you,
ne dupla morte morerer?
tuorum memor vulnerum. So that I might not suffer a twofold death?
bearing your wounds in my memory.
Soprano I & II, Bass
Bass Ut te queram ment para,
Dulcis Jesu, pie Deus, That I shall seek with you a pure spirit,
Sweet Jesus, merciful God,
sit haec mea prima cura,
ad te clamo, licet reus, may this be my chief concern;
I call out to you, though I be guilty;
non est labor nec gravabor,
praebe mihi te benignum, it is neither a labor nor a burden,
In your mercy show yourself to me,
sed sanabor et mundabor,
ne repellas me indignum but a healing and a cleansing
do not reject me as unworthy
cum te complexus fuero.
de tuis sanctis pedibus. When I embrace you.
from your holy feet.
(Ad ubera portabimini repetatur)
(Ecce super montes repetatur)

III. AD MANUS IV. AD LATUS
TO HIS H ANDS TO HIS SIDE
Soprano I & II, Alto, Tenor, Bass Soprano I & II, Alto, Tenor, Bass
Quid sunt plagae istae Surge, amica mea, speciosa mea, et veni,
What are these wounds Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away
In medio manuum tuarum? colomba mea in foraminius petrae,
in the middle of thy hands? (Zacharias XIII:6) my dove in the cleft of the rock,
Soprano I in caverna maceriae.
Salve Jesu, pastor bone, in the hidden place of the cliff. (Song of Songs II: 13–14)
Hail, Jesus, good shepherd,
Soprano I
fatigatus in agone, Salve latus salvatoris,
exhausted from your death-agony, Hail, side of the savior,
qui per lignum es distractus in quo latet mel dulcoris,
who by the wood is tormented in which lies hidden the sweetness of honey,
et ad lignum es compactus in quo patet vis amoris,
and to the wood is fastened in which is revealed the power of love,
expansis sanctis manibus. ex quo scatet fons cruoris,
by your out-stretched holy hands. out of which flows the spring of your blood,
Soprano II qui corda lavat sordida.
Manus sanctae, vos amplector which washes clean the filthy heart.
Holy hands, I embrace you
Alto, Tenor, Bass
et gemendo condelector, Ecce tibi appropinquo,
and, lamenting, I delight in you, Behold, I draw near to thee;
grates ago plagis tantis, parce, Jesu, si delinquo.
I give thanks for the terrible wounds spare me, Jesus, if I fall short.
clavis duris, guttis sanctis, Verecunda quidem fronte,
for the hard nails, for the holy blood-drops With shame marked indeed on my face,
dans lacrimas cum osculis. ad te tamen veni sponte
with my kisses while you weep. to you nevertheless I come unbidden
Alto, Tenor, & Bass scrutari tua vulnera.
In cruore tuo lotum to study thy wounds.
By thy streaming blood washed,
Soprano II
me commendo tibi totum, Hora mortis meus flatus
I entrust myself wholly unto thee; At the hour of death may my breath
tuae sanctae manus istae intret, Jesu, tuum latus,
May these holy hands of thine enter your side, Jesus;
me defendant, Jesu Christe, hinc expitans in te vadat,
defend me, Jesus Christ, when expiring, may it rush into thee
extremis in periculis. ne hunc leo trux invadat,
In the final hour of trial. lest it be attacked by the savage lion,
(Quid sunt plagæ repetatur) sed apud te permaneat.
but with thee remain forever.
(Surge, amica mea repetatur)

V. AD PECTUS fac electis me apponi,
TO HIS BREAST make me to be set among the chosen,
Alto, Tenor, Bass vas dives, Deus omnium.
Sicut modo geniti infantes rationabiles, O precious vessel, O God of all.
In the same manner as newborn babes, sensible
(Sicut modo geniti repetatur)
et sine dolo concupiscite,
and without guile, long for spiritual milk, VI. AD COR
TO HIS H EART
ut in eo creascatis in salutem.
so that you may grow into salvation. Soprano I, Soprano II, Bass
Vulnerasti cor meum,
Si tamen gustastis, You have ravished my heart,
For thus indeed have you tasted it,
soror mea, sponsa.
quoniam dulcis est dominus. My sister, my bride. (Song of Songs IV: 9)
Because of the kindness of the Lord. (I Peter II: 2–3)
Soprano I
Alto Summi regis cor, aveto,
Salve, salus mea, Deus, Heart of the highest king, I greet you,
Hail, God my salvation,
te saluto corde laeto,
Jesu dulcis, amor meus, you I salute with joyous heart,
sweet Jesus, my beloved;
te complecti me delectat
salve, pectus reverendum, embracing you delights me
hail, breast worthy of reverence,
et hoc meum cor affectat,
cum tremore contingendum, and this my heart strives for,
with trembling had to be touched,
ut ad te loquar animes.
amoris domicilium. that you inspire me to speak to you.
of love the dwelling-place.
Soprano II
Tenor Per medullam cordis mei,
Pectus mihi confer mundum, Through the marrow of my heart,
Give to me a clean heart,
peccatoris atque rei,
ardens, pium, gemebundum, of a sinner and an offender,
ardent, pious, full of sighs,
tuus amor transferatur,
voluntatem abnegatam, may thy love be conveyed
a will which denies itself,
quo cor tuum rapiatur,
tibi semper conformatam, to me by whom thy heart was ravaged,
to thee always conforming,
languens amoris vulnere.
juncta virtutum copia. exhausted by the wounds of love.
filled with virtues.
Bass
Bass Viva cordis voce clamo,
Ave, verum templum Dei, With the living voice of my own heart I call,
Hail! true temple of God,
dulce cor, te namque amo,
precor miserere mei, sweet heart, for I love thee,
I pray thee, have mercy on me,
ad cor meum inclinare,
tu totius arca boni, to incline toward my heart,
thou that art the shrine of all that is good,
ut se possit applicare
so that it can nestle,

devoto tibi pectore. temet ipsum tunc ostende
devoted to thee, on thy breast. then show thyself to me
(Vulnerasti repetatur) in cruce salutifera.
upon the cross which brings salvation.
VII. AD FACIEM
TO HIS FACE Amen!
Soprano I, Soprano II, Alto, Tenor, Bass Program note
Illustra faciem tuam super servum tuum; Dieterich Buxtehude was the foremost musician in Germany during
Let thy face shine upon thy servant; his active career, and with this concert the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra
observes the 300 th anniversary of his death and the 370 th of his birth.
salvum me fac in misericordia tua. It is not known precisely when or even where he was born, but the
make me safe in thy mercy. best deduction from available evidence is that he was 70 when he
(Psalm XXXI:17) died in 1707 (and therefore born in 1637), and that he was born in the
city of Helsingør (the location of the castle in which Shakespeare set
Alto, Tenor, Bass his play Hamlet). The fact of his pre-eminence during his lifetime is
Salve, caput cruentatum, demonstrated by the fact that more of his music survives — perhaps
five or six times as much — as any of his contemporaries, more than
Hail! O head stained with blood, any other besides J. S. Bach. (In fact, Bach himself is responsible for
the preservation of a very large proportion of Buxtehude’s organ
totum spinis coronatum, music.)
all crowned with thorns,
In one important respect, Buxtehude’s career was a mirror-image of
conquassatum, vulneratum, Bach’s. In spite of the fact that he was an organist, Bach spent the
disfigured and covered with wounds, final and longest stage of his career as music-director for the churches
of Leipzig, composing music for his choirs and conducting them,
arundine verberatum, and doing some organ-playing on the side. Buxtehude, on the other
struck with a rod, hand, remained an organist for all his life, most especially at the
church of St. Mary in Lübeck, where he presided over the great
facie sputis illita. organ for 40 years, from 1668 until his death. In that capacity he
the face spat upon and soiled. played a great deal of organ music (improvised, as was the custom
of the time — any music which was written down and survives to us
Alto was copied out for the sake of his students, to play and to use as
Dum me mori est necesse, models for their own composing). The direction of the choir, how-
If for me to did must be, ever, was in the hands of another musician; indeed, the choir was so
far away from the organ (choir near the altar at the east end of one
noli mihi tunc deesse, of the largest church-buildings in Germany, and the organ high in a
do not be absent from me, gallery at the west end) that Buxtehude could have had nothing to
do with the choral parts of the liturgy. But there were several galleries
in tremenda mortis hora at the west end of the church, high and close to the organ, from
in the dreadful hour of death; vocal and instrumental soloists performed during Communion, and
it is for these circumstances that Buxtehude wrote the major por-
veni, Jesu, absque mora, tion of his cantatas.
come, Jesus, without delay,
All of his music — the organ works like the “præludium” on this
tuere me et libera! program, the chamber music, and the cantatas — are single-
protect me and set me free! movement compositions, but within each single movement there
are a variety of tempos, meters, and textures. In this regard,
Soprano I, Soprano II, Alto, Tenor, Bass Buxtehude’s music is much like the madrigals of Monteverdi and
Cum me jubes emigrare, Marenzio or the toccatas of Frexcobaldi and Froberger. It was not
When thou biddest me leave this world, until two generations later, the generation of Bach and Handel and
Vivaldi, that these various sections within the single movement be-
Jesu care, tunc appare, came expanded and separated into distinct movements.
dear Jesus, then appear
O amator amplectende,
O lover whom I would embrace
,

Embellish A Melody!
Bach Club ($1.000 +) Telemann Club ($100-249)
An anonymous donor Niels Brix Andersen
An anonymous donor John & Linda Austin
Cathy Callaway Adams Mr. & Mrs. Roger S. Austin
Dr. & Mrs. David Bright Mr. & Mrs. William H. Austin, Jr.
Dr. & Mrs. Peter DeWitt Daniel Baba
Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta Mr. & Mrs. Roy B. Bogue
Janie R. Hicks Patrick L. Boyle & Paula G. Ciembor
Martha J. R. Hsu Mr. & Mrs. A. C. Briley, Jr.
Douglas Leonard Stratton H. Bull
Mr. & Mrs. William E. Pearson III Susan K. Card
Daniel Pyle & Catherine Bull Dr. & Mrs. Robert M. Cates
Lois Z. Pyle Dr. & Mrs. M. Dwayne Collier
Dr. & Mrs. Eckhart Richter Dr. & Mrs. Jack R. Edgens
Donald E. Snyder Homer Edwards
Susan Wagner Drs. Thomas & Shauna Farmer
Larry Thorpe & Dr. Barbara Williams Dr. & Mrs. Peter G. Gilmer
Ms. Anne P. Halliwell
Handel Club ($500-999) Dymples E. Hammer
Donald N. Broughton & Susan L. Olson Dr. & Mrs. Daniel Hanks, Jr.
James E. Honkisz & Catherine A. Binns Dr. & Mrs. Bannester L. Harbin
Dr. & Mrs. William P. Marks, Jr. Dr. Buford G. Harbin
Dr. George Riordan & Karen Clarke Margaret T. Harbin
Rome Area Council for the Arts Mr. & Mrs. Allan R. Jones
Southeastern Historical Keyboard Society Virginia Ware Killorin
Dr. & Mrs. Joel D. Todino Hans & Christa Krause
George H. Lanier
Vivaldi Club ($250-499) Dr. & Mrs. Richard W. Leigh
Martha Bishop Mr. & Mrs. Gordon A. Leiter
Michael Clifford & Sandra Murray Mrs. Hugh T. Moore
Nancy Musselwhite G. R. and Caroline Nuckolls
Dr. Marie P. Griffith and Music Academy of Rome Shawn Pagliarini & Russell Williamson
Dr. & Mrs. David Halverson Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Pollard
Dr. Henry Kahn & Mary Gilmore--Kahn Mary Roth Riordan
Dr. Jerry McCormick — Certified Collision Specialists Dr. & Mrs. William H. Robison III
Dr. & Mrs. Ephraim R. McLean Dr. & Mrs. D. Michael Rogers
Mr. & Mrs. John L. Mortison Dr. & Mrs. Jim L. Rogers
Holly, Mark, Jack, & Sara Murphy Ann R. Rollins
Dr. & Mrs. Roderick Remoroza Dr. Jack Runninger
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas J. Thomas Michael & Cheri Schneider
Mr. & Mrs. Paul Timm-Brock Dr. & Mrs. Stuart A. Smith
Hans & JoAnn Schwantje
Mr. & Mrs. James H. Tuttle
Dr. & Mrs. Gary Voccio
The Atlanta Baroque Orchestra would like to thank the following persons and establishments
For contributing their time, talents, and energy in regard to the details of ABO concerts.
Atlanta Early Music Alliance (AEMA) William & Ute Marks
Janice Joyce & Chris Robinson Eckhart & Rosemary Richter
Nancy & Wayne Musselwhite Gisella Torresala & Sheraton Midtown Hotel
Janie Hicks Valerie Prebys Arsenault
Peter and Patricia DeWitt Sid & Linda Stapleton
Martha Bishop Susan Wagner
Peachtree Road United Methodist Church: Scott Atchison Linda Bernard & RyeType Design
Ephraim & Jane McLean Cathy Adams & The Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta
The ABO would also like to acknowledge the several thousand dollars worth of rehearsal time that has been graciously given to the
orchestra by its members. These concerts could not be given without their enthusiasm and support.

ABO Board of Directors
President: Eckhart Richter Ephraim McLean
Vice President: Cathy Adams William E. Pearson III
Vice President for Development: Janie Hicks John Lemley
Secretary: Susan Wagner Melanie Punter
Treasurer: Peter DeWitt Scott Atchison
Daniel Pyle, Resident Director
Hotel accommodation for The Atlanta Baroque Orchestra Support is also provided by
musicians is graciously provided by
Do Not Miss the final concert
of our 2006-07 Season!
Handel & Haydn
Handel: Concerti grossi from Op. 3 & Op. 6
Haydn: “Little Organ” Mass
With soprano Arietha Lockhart
Chamber Choir of Peachtree Road United Methodist Church
(Scott Atchison, Director)
Sunday 13 May 2007
Visit our web-site at
www.atlantabaroque.org