Dietrich Buxtehude (c1637 – 1707)

Donald Macleod explores the life and works of legendary organist
and composer Dietrich Buxtehude.


Buxtehude was a musical star in his own time, whom Johann
Sebastian Bach walked almost 300 miles just to meet and learn
from. Yet, the facts of Buxtehude’s own story are far from
straight forward. Doubts remain over so many details in the
composer’s life. We can’t even be sure when or where he was born,
leading to three different countries claiming him as their own,
and for a musician who perhaps above all was famed for his organ
music, it is remarkable that not one single organ piece by him
was published in his lifetime. In this Composer of the Week
series, Donald Macleod pieces together what we do know about
Buxtehude, the pre-eminant European composer before Bach, and
finds a multifaceted personality and ground-breaking musician who
worked his way across Europe via three different churches
dedicated to St Mary, and who – once he settled in Lubeck - acted
as a kind of centre of gravity for other musicians of his age.


Music Featured:


Praeludium in G minor, BuxWV149 Benedicam Dominum, BuxWV 113
Chaconne in E minor, BuxWV 160 Aperite mihi portas justitiae,
BuxWV 7 Sonata in B flat major, BuxWV273 Chorale Prelude 'Ein
feste Burg ist unser Gott', BuxWV 184 Att du, Jesu, will mig
hora, BuxWV 8; Herren var Gud, BuxWV 40 Prelude in A minor, BuxWV
153; War Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit, BuxWV 222 Klinget fur
Freuden, BuxWV 119 Gott, hilf mir, BuxWV 34 Canzona in C major,
BuxWV 166 Harpsichord suite in G major, BuxWV 240 Mein Gemut
erfreut sich, BuxWV 72 O frohliche Stunden, o herrlicher Tag,
BuxWV 120 Klag-Lied of seven strophes, "MuB der Tod denn auch
ent- binden’, BuxWV 76 Wacht! Euch zum streit, 'Das jüngste
Gericht' – Act II Aria “Weg mit allen irdischen Schatz” Membra
Jesu Nostri, BuxWV 75 - Ad Facium "Illustra faciem tuam" Chorale
“Nun lob meine Seele den Herren”, BuxWV 213 Wie Wird erneuert,
wie wird erfreuet, BuxWV 110 (Incl. Trumpets!!) Auf, Saiten,
auf!, BuxWV 115 Wacht! Euch zum streit, 'Das jüngste Gericht'
Schwinget euch himmelan, BuxWV 96 Trio Sonata for violin, viola
da gamba, and harpsichord in E minor, BuxWV 258 (Op. 1, No. 7)
Drei schone Dinge sind, BuxWV 19 La Capricciosa - 32 variations
in G major, BuxWV.250 for keyboard Divertissons nous aujourd’hui,
BuxWV 124 Herr, wenn ich nur dich hab, BuxWV 38 Prelude in E
minor, BuxWV142


Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Sam Phillips


For full track listings, including artist and recording details,
and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after
broadcast) head to the series page for Dietrich Buxtehude
(c1637-1707) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001bcfc


And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve
featured on Composer of the Week here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z