Album Notes

The hymn “Vater unser im Himmelreich” (The Lord’s Prayer) was adored by Lutheran listeners and composers alike. Many early baroque sacred compositions were based on it, and the soaring melody and text from The Lord’s Prayer continue to inspire us today. Michael Altenburg was a successful choir director and composer with more than a dozen publications still extant. Distinctive among these works are his intradas, which nestle traditional Lutheran chorale tunes within a vigorous web of instrumental lines. On this recording, Altenburg’s verses surround an instrumental harmonization of the same melody by his well-known contemporary, Samuel Scheidt. Arranged from his monumental “Tabulatura nova,” “Vater unser im Himmelreich” is placed in the center of a contrapuntal texture in which every line celebrates the meaning of The Lord’s Prayer.