Der Thomanerchor Leipzig: Sacred Motets

UPC: 640 217

Product Details:

• Label: Cantate – 640 217
• Format: Vinyl LP (12″, 33 ⅓ RPM, stereo)
• Country: Germany
• Genre: Classical / Choral
• Language: Latin (“Alta Trinità beata”), German (“Timor et tremor,” “Pater noster,” etc.)
• Booklet: Includes detailed German-text descriptions for each motet; no multilingual translations

Product Features

• Choir: Der Thomanerchor Leipzig
• Choir Master: Günther Ramin

• Composers:

  • Unknown 15th-century Italian Master (track A1)
  • Giovanni Gabrieli (A2)
  • Jacobus Handl-Gallus (A3)
  • Zoltán Kodály (B1)
  • Wilhelm Weismann (B2)
• Release Series: GÜNTHER-RAMIN-GEDENKPLATTE (tribute record)
• Sleeve: Standard cardstock sleeve with extensive German liner notes on each piece’s history and musical structure

Overview

This LP gathers five significant sacred motets performed by the Leipzig Thomanerchor under the esteemed Günther Ramin. Side A opens with the luminous “Alta Trinità beata,” a 15th-century Graduale for Trinity Sunday whose anonymous composer crafts meditative simplicity through fourfold refrains. Next, Gabrieli’s late-Renaissance motet “Timor et tremor” unfolds in six-part polyphony, contrasting upper and lower choirs to evoke early Baroque grandeur. Handl-Gallus’s “Pater noster” presents a German-texted setting of the Lord’s Prayer—often likened to a German Palestrina for its liturgical and artistic fusion. Side B shifts to 20th-century works: Kodály’s “Jesus und die Krämer,” a Gospel motet pulsing with folkloric vigor, and Weismann’s heartfelt “Der Herr ist mein Hirte” (Psalm 23), blending Romantic lyricism with ecclesiastical warmth. Ramin’s direction highlights Leipzig’s centuries-old choral tradition, making this Cantate release a landmark collector’s item for lovers of historic liturgical repertoire.

Track Listing

Side A

• A1 Alta Trinità beata (Anonymous Italian Master, 15th century)
• A2 Timor et tremor (Giovanni Gabrieli, 1557–1612)
• A3 Pater noster (Jacobus Handl-Gallus, 1550–1591)

Side B

• B1 Jesus und die Krämer (Zoltán Kodály, born 1882)
• B2 Der Herr ist mein Hirte (Wilhelm Weismann, born 1900)

Key Credits

• Choir: Der Thomanerchor Leipzig
• Chorus Master: Günther Ramin
• Anonymous Composer: “Alta Trinità beata” (15th century Italian)
• Giovanni Gabrieli: “Timor et tremor” (late 16th century, Venice)
• Jacobus Handl-Gallus: “Pater noster” (late 16th century, Prague/Olomouc)
• Zoltán Kodály: “Jesus und die Krämer” (20th century Hungarian motet)
• Wilhelm Weismann: “Der Herr ist mein Hirte” (20th century German psalm setting)
• Liner Notes: German-language essays provided by Cantate series

BOX #153