Phil. 1:23/Dietrich Buxtehude/Emma Kirkby

[a mere housewife]

This is the sonata and cantata "Ich habe Lust abzuscheidan" by Dietrich Buxtehude, words are those of Phil 1:23: "My desire is to depart and be with Christ."

Here is some information on Buxtehude, from this website:

He was visited by G.F. Händel in 1703, Johann Mattheson, G.P. Telemann and by J.S. Bach. In 1705, Bach traveled 200 miles, on foot from Arnstadt to meet the pre-eminent Lübeck organist and hear him play. Bach did meet him and study for several months in 1705 and 1706. Both Händel and Bach wanted to follow Buxtehude at St. Mary's, but neither one wanted to marry his daughter as that was a condition for the position.

Having been born half a century after Heinrich Schütz , the "father of German musicians", and a little less than half a century before J.S. Bach , Dietrich Buxtehude was placed in the unique position of being a living link between the founder of Protestant Baroque music and its greatest master. The road leading from the Kapellmeister at the Dresden court to the organist of St. Mary's, Lübeck, and on to the cantor of the Thomasschule in Leipzig virtually signifies the progress of 17th century German music.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92ewCbXLS-Q"]YouTube - Buxtehude - Cantata: Ich habe lust abzusheidan (1)[/ame]