Heinrich Albert's Pumpkin
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Heinrich Albert’s Pumpkin Hut Dorothee Mields Hathor Consort Romina Lischka 1 Programme Ensemble English text German text French text Poetry Imprint Heinrich Albert’s Pumpkin Hut Heinrich Albert’s Pumpkin Hut Fighting the Horrors of the Thirty Years’ War with Music, Poetry and Friendship Mit Freundschaft, Musik und Poesie gegen die Grauen des Dreissigjährigen Krieges Avec amitié, musique et poésie contre les atrocités de la guerre de Trente Ans I War 1 Samuel Scheidt (1587–1654) Galliard Battaglia à 5, SSWV 59 3:47 2 Heinrich Schütz (1585–1672) Es steh Gott auf, SWV 356 5:59 3 Samuel Scheidt Paduan Dolorosa à 4, SSWV 42 6:06 4 Johann Hildebrand (1614–1684) Der V. Kriegs-Angst-Seufft zer 2:03 5 Samuel Scheidt Courant Dolorosa à 4, SSWV 47 2:12 II Longing for Peace in the Face of Mortality — Heinrich Albert’s Pumpkin Garden in Königsberg Heinrich Albert (1604–1651) from: Musicalische Kürbs-Hütte 6 i Mit der Zeit ich kommen bin 1:05 7 iv Mensch, ich kann es leichtlich gläuben 0:26 8 vi Sieh mich an und denke dran 1:12 9 ix Die Zeit und wir vergehn 0:40 10 x Ich und meine Blätter wissen 0:52 11 Johann Bach (1604–1673) Unser Leben ist ein Schatten 6:06 ^menu III A Fragile Truce 12 Heinrich Schütz Siehe, wie fein und lieblich ist’s (Prima pars), SWV 48 4:27 13 Heinrich Albert Jetzund liebet 1:01 14 Andreas Hammerschmidt (1611–1675) from Suite a 5 in d: Gagliard 0:57 15 Heinrich Albert Auf und springet 0:51 16 Andreas Hammerschmidt from Suite a 5 in d: Sarabande 0:21 17 Heinrich Albert In seiner Liebsten Armen 0:33 18 Andreas Hammerschmidt from Suite a 5 in C: Gagliard 0:42 19 Andreas Hammerschmidt from Suite a 5 in C: Ballet 0:48 20 Heinrich Albert Mein liebstes Seelchen, lasst uns leben 2:23 21 Johann Nauwach (c. 1595–1630) Jetzund kömmt die Nacht herbei 2:36 IV Fear, Want, Death, Destruction — Consequences of War 22 Heinrich Albert Ich steh in Angst und Pein (instrumental) 2:18 23 Heinrich Albert Das Leid ist hier 0:55 24 J. H. Schein (1586–1630) Ruh-Begräbniss der kleinen Kinderlein 3:22 25 Samuel Scheidt Paduan à 4, SSWV 43 3:51 V Germany Cries Out for Peace 26 Samuel Scheidt Canzon à 4 Cornetto, SSWV 56 3:45 27 Heinrich Schütz Verleih uns Frieden gnädiglich, SWV 354 3:53 28 Samuel Scheidt Canzon à 5 ad imitationem Bergamasca Anglica, SSWV 64 4:43 29 Heinrich Albert Lobet Gott in seinem Heiligtum 1:19 30 Michael Jakobi (1618–1663) Jauchzendes Friedensbeschlusslied 1:13 VI Conclusion 31 Johann Hermann Schein Lehre uns bedenken 5:03 6 ^menu Hathor consort Romina Lischka treble viol & artisic direction Sophie Gent violin Lambert Colson cornetto Liam Fennelly alto viol Elizabeth Rumsey tenor viol Th omas Baeté bass viol Irene Klein consort bass Giovanna Pessi harp Reitze Smits organ www.hathor-consort.eu Dorothee Mields soprano www.kdschmid.de/kuenstler-detail/dorothee-mields-576 7 ^menu Heinrich Albert’s Musical Pumpkin for cutting-edge creativity inside the sanctuary Hut and the Königsberg circle of city, as it was spared direct involvement in the poets war and its immediate effects, and so became a haven for refugees. As strange and unpromising In 1630, Kaliningrad was Prussian Königs- a source of inspiration as something called the berg; the Pregolya, which runs through it, was Pumpkin Hut may seem, the topoi and motifs the river Pregel. In the same year, the composer which drove Baroque art could hardly have been Heinrich Albert, Königsberg’s organist, planted brought together more closely or in a more preg- an ornamental and kitchen garden on the river’s nant atmosphere than in such a place. Lomse Island, and built an arched bower to sup- port his pumpkins – the Pumpkin Hut. Albert’s When Albert lost his garden to the city au- garden idyll became a favourite meeting place thorities in 1641, his closest friend, Simon Dach, for his circle of illustrious friends, including was moved to write a sweeping philosophical Simon Dach, Johann Stobaeus, Valentin Thilo poem in alexandrines, which was both broadly the Younger and Georg Weissel. The inspiration universalising and profoundly personal. The the group drew from its surroundings, where they combination embodies the true relevance of met for discussion, music-making, poetry, and what was, on the face of it, an unimportant scrap readings of their work, led the garden to acquire of building land with a silly name, a relevance an increasing reputation: Martin Opitz, the father which extended far beyond its owners or visitors of German poetry (thus paving the way for Ger- to the history of musical and literary creativity in man Baroque song) patronised it on his visit to the whole Baltic region and further afi eld. The the city in 1638. Two years before, the poet Robert German language, which Opitz had elevated to Roberthin had founded a society for the artists a medium worthy of poetry which followed both who frequented the Pumkin Hut. Its membership Classical forms and its own natural rhythms, varied, but its focus was clear. Its chosen name, bears clear witness to the immediacy with which the Society of the Mortally Preoccuppied was the daily reality of living through the Thirty programmatic: the group’s aim was to engage Years’ War could be conveyed to those who read artistically with themes of life, death, and mortal- the poems and listened to the songs: ity, all unavoidably immediate at the time of the Thirty Years’ War, and paralleled in miniature Germany, how do I leave you? in Albrecht’s garden by the cycle of the seasons. Strangled of breath The Pumpkin Hut became a refuge and a space For thirty years, 8 and brought to self-infl icted death Heaven – compounded a sense, at all social levels, Through war and depredation: that they were living in the age of the Apocalypse. your famed liberty, Which was your very soul Heinrich Albert and Simon Dach chose and highest property, Königsberg as their refuge from war’s looming Must lie in chains now. dangers in 1627. Albert’s famous garden offered Though its fi erce heat has beentamed, visitors a bucolic refuge, far from fear, grief, and Fire’s fury slumbers in the quiet ash, ruined lives. The Pumpkin Hut was an almost new fl ames unimaginable luxury in the day-to-day reality of Waking as soon as war’s war: a refuge, an oasis of leisure in which to proc- wild frenzy is unleashed, ess experiences and impressions from the outside For once the sword is drawn, world. For its circle of patrons, growth and it rarely fi nds the sheath. decay – albeit of pumpkins – seemed an obvious O, could we but learn exemplar of the vanitas vanitatum theme which from others’ suffering, pervaded their surroundings. Indeed, the group A lesson that would surely found parallels in pumpkins for the themes which God’s salvation bring. refl ected the Baroque worldview in general: life and death, vanity and mortality, death and re- (Simon Dach, excerpt from Lament on the fi nal birth. The fact that Albert’s pleasure garden was demise and ruin of the Musical Pumpkin Hut and sited on ex-military land was almost too perfect a its Garden, 13 January 1641; published posthu- metaphor for what the Pumpkin Hut symbolised: mously.) fertile creativity, regeneration, and resilience, come what may. The ideas of this artistic circle Thirty years of European powers fi ghting were immortalised in Albert’s anthology of songs over religion, primacy and statehood on German and poetry, Musicalische Kürbs=Hütte (Musical soil upended rather than disrupted the function- Pumpkin Hut). In its preface, he describes the ing of social order for all portions of society. process of how the collection came to be written: Deaths went uncounted; plague, poverty, social ‘The aforementioned songs, however, came to be collapse and crimes of war all fed pure and unal- through the following circumstance: mindful of leviated suffering. For those already enduring my benefactors and friends, who honoured my Europe’s fi rst Great War, the additional burden small attempt to lay down a new garden, which of the Little Ice Age – seen as a punishment from was the subject of ridicule by many, with a visit, I 9 thought to give them the pleasure of writing their to take their listeners on an emotional journey, names, along with some verses, into the skin of and so to refl ect what people of that time found various gourds and pumpkins. When they saw moving in their daily lives and the effects of war. this, they were not so displeased by this brief and Performance choices allowed the (female) singer summery commemoration of their names that and instrumentalists to create musical tableaux they did not permit Roberthin to suggest that our depicting different stages in the war and in reac- society would be even more pleasant, and a future tion to it; the component pieces are extraordinary credit to the garden, if we could sing our verses for the way they frame Christian and philosophi- inside the Pumpkin Hut itself.’ (Heinrich Albert, cal approaches to hope, fear, peace-making – and ‘To the reader appreciative of the arts’; preface to occasionally wrestling with God – in popular The Musical Pumpkin Hut, which is a reminder of language. The instrumental dances and canzonas our fl eshly mortality, written and set for 3 voices by which make up the sinfonias frame the partsongs Heinrich Albert, 1641.) and motets, whose revolutionary combination of German lyrics and Italian technique, e.g.