Born: c1660 - Dresden, Germany
Died: September 11, 1699 - Meissen, Germany

Christian Andreas Schulze [Schultze, Schultz, Praetorius] was a German composer. He is first heard of in 1669, when on June 4, he was sent to the Kreuzschule in Dresden. From the winter term of 1675 he studied at Leipzig University. He applied unsuccessfully for the post of Kantor of the Annenkirche in Dresden, on October 9, 1677 and participated at the beginning of 1678 in operatic performances at Dresden. On the recommendation of the Saxon Elector Johann Georg II he was appointed Kantor of the municipal church and the municipal Lateinschule - the Franciscaneum - at Meissen on April 22, 1678, and he also became Kantor of the cathedral there. He held these positions for the rest of his life, though probably from economic motives he applied, unsuccessfully, for other posts as Kantor or teacher - in 1682 at Zittau, in 1694 and 1697 at his old school at Dresden and in 1699 at Freiberg.

The vast majority of Christian Andreas Schulze’s surviving works are sacred concertos for several voices - often tending towards the form of the cantata - or various kinds of early Protestant church cantata: cantatas on biblical or liturgical texts (concerto cantatas), chorale cantatas and those to mixed texts. They contain a good deal of fine writing, in the manner of small-scale sacred concertos, for one to three solo voices, including solo arias. There are no recitatives. From the musical point of view the Protestant chorale is of little importance in them: it is used as a cantus firmus in only four cantatas. Instruments play a prominent part. At the beginning of a work there is always a sinfonia or sonata, and in many cases arias are surrounded by ritornellos. Sometimes there are obbligato parts including typically instrumental figuration, as in the virtuoso violin solos in the cantatas Delectare in Domino and Schaffe in mir. Schulze’s very interesting Historia resurrectionis continued the tradition of such works leading from Scandello through Heinrich Schütz and Thomas Selle. It is the only extant work of this kind from the late 17^th century. The text is a compilation from the Gospels by Johann Bugenhagen that H. Schütz also used. The work is written in a vivid, dramatic style without employment of the liturgical Easter tone. The exordium (which has an introductory sonata), the chorus of the disciples and the final movement are concerto-like pieces in several parts. The part of the Evangelist consists of affective recitative, while the parts of Christ and the other soloists are in an aria-like or dramatic style.

To sum up, Christian Andreas Schulze’s works stem from the motet-like concertato style of 17^th-century German Protestant church music with its concern for the interpretation and expression of the text. They hold an honoured place in this tradition by virtue of their richness of form and expression, in which elements of psalmody, dialogue and quodlibet are found and in which the chiefly homophonic textures are enhanced by varied and colourful harmony often resembling that of Dietrich Buxtehude.

Works

Missa alla breve, 5vv, 2 cornetts, 2 vn, 2 va, bn, bc, F-Ssp
Historia resurrectionis Domini nostri Jesu Christi secundum quatuor evangelistas (Ger. Text), 1686, 6vv, chorus 5vv, 2 piffari, 2 vn, 2 va/trbn, vle/bn/b trbn, bc, D-Dlb
TeD, 5vv, 2 tpt, 2 vn, 3 trbn, bn/timp, bc, F-Ssp

Animae iustorum in manu Dei sunt, 3vv, 2 vn, bn, bc, D-Dlb
Delectare in Domino (Ps xxxvii), 1v, vn, 3 va, vle, bc, Dlb
Duo seraphim stabant, 5vv, chorus 5vv, 2 vn, 2 va, bn, 2 cornettinos, 3 trbn, bc, Dlb
Laetatus sum (Ps cxxii), 5vv, chorus 5vv, 2 vn, 3 va, 2 piffari, 3 trbn, bc, Dlb
Media vita in morte sumus, 2vv, 2 vn, bc, Dlb
Omnia flumina currunt ad mare, 2vv, 4 vn, bc, Dlb
Quum me pulsat, 3vv, 2 vn, bn, bc, Dlb
Tu Christe deficis, 2vv, 2 vn, bn, bc, Dlb
Veni Sancte Spiritus, 6vv, chorus 6vv, 2 piffari, 2 vn, 2 va, bn, timp, bc, F-Ssp

Aber deine Toten werden leben, 8vv, bc, D-Dlb (inc.)
Ach Gott und Herr, wie gross und schwer, 7vv, chorus 6vv, 2 vn, va, bn, 4 trbn, bc, F-Ssp
Als der Tag der Pfingsten erfüllet war, 3vv, vn, cornett, trbn, bn, bc, D-Dlb (inc.)
Als der Tag der Pfingsten erfüllet war, 4vv, 4 vn, bc, Dlb
Also heilig ist der Tag, 10vv, 2 vn, 2 va, bn, 2 cornetts, 3 trbn, bc, Dlb
Bessre dich Jerusalem, 5vv, 4 insts, bc, Bsb
Das Blut Jesu Christi, 2vv, 3 insts, bc, Bsb
Das ist meine Freude, 3vv, 6 insts, bc, Bsb
Das Wort ward Fleisch, 6vv, chorus 6vv, 2 vn, 3 va, 2 ob, bn, bc, LUC
Der Gott Abraham, 5vv, chorus 5vv, 2 vn, 2 va, bn, 2 cornettinos, 3 trbn, bc, F-Ssp
Der Tod ist verschlungen in den Sieg, 1v, chorus 5vv, 2 ob, 2 t insts, bn, bc, D-MG
Es sei denn, dass jemand geboren werde, 5vv, chorus 5vv, 2 vn, 2 va, bn, bc, F
Habt nicht lieb die Welt, 6vv, chorus 6vv, 2 vn, 2 va, bn, bc, F
Herr Jesu Christ, du hِchstes Gut, 5vv, chorus 5vv, 2 vn, 2 va, bn, bc, F-Ssp
Heut triumphieret Gottes Sohn, 1v, 2 vn, 2 va, bn, 2 cornettinos, 2 trbn, vle, bc, D-Dlb
Ich schreie mit meiner Stimme zu Gott (Ps lxxvii), 5vv, 2 vn, 2 va, bn, bc, F-Ssp
Kommt all’ herzu, ihr Engelein, 2vv, 2 vn, bc, D-Dlb
Meine Lieben und Freunde stehen gegen mir, 5vv, 2 vn, 2 va, bn/vle, bc, Dlb
Schaffe in mir, Gott, 1v, 2 vn, bn, bc, LUC (inc.)
Seid bِse ihr Völker, 5vv, chorus 8vv, 2 vn, 2 va, bn, 2 piffari, 3 trbn, timp, bc, Dlb
Siehe, eine Jungfrau, 1v, 2 vn, bc, LUC (inc.)
Singet um einander, 5vv, chorus 5vv, 2 vn, 2 va, bn, bc, Bsb
So wahr ich lebe, 5vv, chorus 5vv, 5 insts, bc, F (inc.)
Warum sollt’ich mich denn grämen, 5vv, chorus 5vv, 2 vn, 2 va, bn, bc, F-Ssp
Was du tust, so bedenke das Ende, 5vv, chorus 5vv, 2 vn, 2 va, bn, bc, D-Dlb (inc.)
Wer mich liebet, 5vv, chorus 5vv, 2 vn, 2 va, bn, bc, F
Wie der Hirsch schreiet, 1v, 4 insts, bc, Bsb

Lost Works:
Magnificat, 2vv, 2 vn, vle, bc; 5 concs., 1–10vv, 2–10 insts, bc: cited in 1696 inventory of the Michaelisschule, Lüneburg
18 works, 1–10vv, 3–10 insts, bc: cited in inventory c1680–90, Fürstenschule, Grimma
1 work, 9vv/insts; cited in 1718 inventory, Ulrichskirche, Halle
1 concerto, 1v, 2 vn, 3 va, bc, cited in Gerber
3 occasional secular works, 1683–95, texts in Dla, authenticity doubtful

Source: Grove Music Online, © Oxford University Press 2006, acc. 5/24/06 (Author: Peter Krause)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (December 2005); Thomas Braatz (May 2006)

Use of Chorale Melodies in his works

Title

Chorale Melody

Year

Ach Gott und Herr Cantata for 7 vocal solists and a ripieni chorus of 6 voices, 2 violins, viola, bassoon, 4 trombones, bc

Ach Gott und Herr

Herr Jesu Christ, du höchstes Gut Cantata for SSATB soloists and ripieni, 2 violins, 2 violas, bassoon and bc

Herr Jesu Christ, du höchstes Gut

Links to other Sites

Bibliography

EitnerQ | GerberNL | WaltherML
M. Seiffert : ‘Die Chorbibliothek der St. Michaelisschule in Lüneburg’, SIMG , ix (1907-8), 593-621
E. Noack : ‘Die Bibliothek der Michaeliskirche zu Erfurt’, AMw , vii (1925), 65-116
W. Serauky : Musikgeschichte der Stadt Halle : music examples and notes to ii/1 (Halle and Berlin, 1940/R 1970), 70ff
F. Krummacher: ‘Zur Sammlung Jacobi der ehemaligen Fürstenschule Grimma’, Mf, xvi (1963), 324-47
B. Baselt: ‘ Actus musicus und Historie um 1700 in Mitteldeutschland’, GfMKB: Leipzig 1966 , 230-37
J. Schlichte : Thematischer Katalog der kirchlichen Musikhandschriften de17. und 18. Jahrhunderts in der Stadt- und Universitنtsbibliothek Frankfurt am Main (Frankfurt, 1979)
D.P. James : The German Church Music of Christian Andreas Schulze (1660–1699) (diss., U. of Southern California, 1988)
G. Konradt: ‘ Die Instrumentalbegleitung in Historienkompositionen der Schützzeit’, Schütz Jb , xix (1997) 21-36