The Adelaide Cantata Band will be presenting Buxtehude’s cantata cycle Membra Jesu Nostri, BuxWV 75, (roughly translated as ‘The Seven Wounds of Christ on the Cross’) within the context of a special Holy Saturday service, 16 April, 3pm at Pilgrim.
Buxtehude dedicated the work to his friend Gustav Düben, Director of Music to the King of Sweden. The image is of the last page of the manuscript sent by Buxtehude. It is written in tablature form, in which notes are represented by letters, a form which Buxtehude was quite familiar with. If it leaves you scratching your head, you’re not the only one: Düben had it transcribed into standard notation so it could be sung and played by his musicians!
The manuscript concludes with a formula which Bach himself often adopted when committing his compositions to paper: soli Deo gloria (to God alone be glory).
This performance by the Adelaide Cantata Band is generously supported by Arts SA. Free of charge. Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1327730867639186
Source: imslp.org, provided by the Universitetsbibliotek, Uppsala.
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