Music From 18th Century Prague

Precious few countries can boast of a Christmas repertoire as ample and colourful as that possessed by the Czech Republic.

The Baroque era imbued the texts of songs with enchanting, tender poetics - with awestruck yet perplexed shepherds enthusing about the beautiful infant Jesus. Later on, a growing number of formally more complex pieces (pastorales) were written, most of them taking the form of arias or duets with instrumental accompaniment. A notable composer in this respect was Josef Antonin Sehling.

Although still anchored in the Baroque world, he paved the way for the accession of a new musical style. He studied in Vienna and subsequently worked in Prague as a member of Count Vaclav Morzin's renowned orchestra and as second violin at Saint Vitus Cathedral, although standing in as Kapellmeister over the long term (an interesting parallel can be drawn with Zelenka, the 'counter-bassist' at the court orchestra in Dresden).

Sehling was Kapellmeister of several Prague churches, including the Church of Our Lady under the Chain, where the present world premiere recording was made. The album features pieces intended for the period from Advent to Epiphany.

Sehling's music contains the magic of Michna's songs yet concurrently opens upon a world familiar from Ryba's Christmas Mass.

Fux:
 Sonata pastorale a tre, K397

Sehling:
 Aria per Adventu Domini 'Donner und Hagel'
 Aria per ogni festivita 'Vos stellae preclarae'
 Mottetto per la Nativita di Nostro Signore 'Deponite metum'
 Mottetto per la Nativita di Nostro Signore 'Dormi nate, mi mellite'
 Offertorium de Sanctis Tribus Regis 'Ecce magi veniunt'
 Pastorella 'Dormi tenellule'
 Pastorella 'Eja laeti properemus'
 Pastorella 'Eja surgite pastores'
 Pastorella 'Non sic cervus ad fluentem'
 Rorate Primo
 Rorate Secondo
 Vis ingens est favori