Eccard: Sacred Songs

The CD cover is actually a little misleading. As well as the Leonardo portrait often said to be of a musician the only composer listed is Johannes Eccard, whereas four of the tracks are devoted to his pupil Johannes Stobaeus. Stobaeus, a generation older, was a new name for me. He was responsible for the publication of sixty-one hymns and ‘Festal songs’ some thirty and more years after his master’s death. His style is often more ornate, more reminiscent of Gabrieli especially in its instrumental ornamentation. This however is never over-intrusive. Listen to Gott einen hellen Wunderstern written, somewhat improbably, for the ‘Thanksgiving of the Augsburg Confession’ in 1630. I must also confess, because I am, what my son calls, a little sad, to have been wondering about Eccard. He was a pupil of Lassus by the way. I wondered whether any of his music would materialise during this, the quincentenary of his death - actually in January 2011. So at last some recognition has been made