The Organ Works Of Dietrich Buxtehude 1637 1707 And Musical Rhetorical Analysis And Theory PDF Download

This research is an analysis of the ways in which the North German Lutheran composer Dietrich Buxtehude (ca. 1637-1707) incorporated affections and rhetoric into his sacred vocal works and specifically the Membra Jesu nostri (BuxWV75). The use of affections and rhetoric in the compositions of North German composers developed out of a tradition called musica poetica. Musica poetica flourished primarily because of three German Lutheran precepts: (1) the divine nature of music, (2) the ideas of affections and temperaments, and (3) the power of rhetorical devices in oration. This research uses these three precepts as the tools for analyzing Buxtehude's sacred vocal works, and specifically the cycle of cantatas entitled Membra Jesu nostri, in order to better comprehend the composer's creative process, his feelings about the text, and how to more accurately perform the music. This research shows that Buxtehude often composed using a palette of devices born out of a musica poetica tradition steeped in affections and rhetoric and that understanding this use of affections and rhetoric serves to illuminate how he composed, how he viewed the texts, and indicates elements of proper performance practice.