Discuss the output and significance of the composer Heinrich Schutz, considering aspects such as his influences, dissemination of Italian style, and use of musical rhetoric.
Heinrich Schutz was a significant composer in the output of German music in the 17th Century. Italian composers such as Gabrieli and Monteverdi influenced his work on his visits to Italy bringing a dissemination of Italian style to his German work. Yet, he kept a German style where musical rhetoric impacted the results of music as he brought the significance of the text through the music. We can see how these elements impacted the output of his works including the Passions, the Chor-Music, the Kleungeistiche Concerte ad significantly the Psalmens Davids and the last book of Symphonies.
Schutz bound German and Italian music; he used…show more content… It can be argued that Gabrieli influenced Schutz through the style of Grandi. Schutz was thought to have been attracted to Grandi’s style of music. He had a great passion for Grandi’s use of small-scale sacred music. For example, an association can be seen between Schutz’s symphonaiae sacrae III of 1650, especially the “O Jesu Sues” motet, and Grandi’s Lilia convalium from Motetti con sinfonie. Yet, Schutz music was more contrapuntal than Grandi’s music. Both Grandi and Schutz faced the financial struggles that were brought about by the European 30 Year War that forced both composers to use fewer musicians and smaller choirs. This impact can be seen in the simplicity of Schutz’s Kleinegeistiche Concerte of 1636. This scriptural concerte uses no instruments beyond a continuo and only needs a small number of singers. Its simple technical line emphasises that it did not require professional musicians. Therefore, Schutz output of music was affected by Grandi but increasingly, they were both impacted by the lack of resources during the 30 year war resulting in simpler