Gregor Joseph Werner Vol. I: Salve Reginas | Pastorellas Expressiveness, drama and Alpine joie de vivre: Haydn’s predecessor Gregor Joseph Werner

We seem to be in the middle of a true Werner revival. Gregor Joseph Werner is little more than a footnote in music history books, where he is almost exclusively treated as Haydn’s predecessor in the position of Kapellmeister of the Esterházy family. As far as his activities as a composer are concerned, his Musicalischer Instrumental-Calender is virtually the only piece from his oeuvre that is relatively well-known and is available in several recordings. That is one of the few instrumental works of his pen that have come down to us. Most of his instrumental output has been lost. The largest part of his extant oeuvre – around 420 works – consists of sacred vocal music, including about 70 masses, three Requiems, four settings of the Te Deum, 18 oratorios on German texts and a large number of liturgical works. In recent times several recordings of his oeuvre have been released, such as his oratorio Der Gute Hirt, directed by György Vashegyi (Accent, 2020). Recently Christophe Rousset directed a performance of his oratorio Job. It is to be hoped that this work is going to be released in the near future.

Werner started his career as an organist of the Stift Melk; he lived for some years in Vienna, and it is generally assumed that he may have been a pupil of Johann Joseph Fux. However, Lajos Rovatkay, who has studied Werner for a long time, believes that it was rather Antonio Caldara, who was Werner’s teacher. “Some harmonic-expressive characteristics, initially perceived as being typically ‘Viennese’, which then turn out to be genuinely Venetian in Caldara’s music, are raised to another level in Werner’s music.” In 1728 Werner was appointed Kapellmeister at the Esterházy court. In his incumbent years he brought the chapel to a high standard, and there is no reason to consider him a rather mediocre composer and to neglect him. It is unlikely that the Esterházy’s would have appointed him as Kapellmeister if he would not have been a very good musician. It may be his negative attitude to Haydn which has damaged his reputation. In 1761 the latter was appointed as vice-Kapellmeister who was mainly responsible for the writing of instrumental music, whereas Werner concentrated on the composition of sacred music. It didn’t take long until Werner accused Haydn of neglecting his duties and being responsible for the decrease of the chapel’s standard. It was probably mainly his resentment against the modern style of his time which caused the conflict between the two men. It didn’t prevent Haydn from holding Werner in high esteem, though. In 1804 he published six fugues by Werner which were taken from his oratorios and which he scored for string quartet (recorded complete by Ars Antiqua Austria; Challenge Classics, 2012).

The present disc brings together specimens from two categories in Werner’s oeuvre. He composed around twenty Pastorellas for performance at Christmas Eve in the chapel of the Esterháza palace. They are scored for organ and strings. With these pieces he linked up with a tradition in Austria; Rovatkay mentions here Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (who worked in Innsbruck) and Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (who was in the service of the court in Vienna). They are in three movements, modelled after the Venetian concerto, best-known from the oeuvre of Vivaldi. Rovatkay notes the folkloristic elements in these pieces, which may be hard to recognize for those who are not familiar with this kind of music. One may be inclined to consider these pieces as a kind of ‘light’ music, but that would be a mistake. These are substantial pieces, and some include quite some expression. The Pastorella with the addition ‘Eisenstadt‘ is particularly good example. The Pastorella III/298 is a special case: it comprises only two movements, although the first is divided into two sections (tempo ordinario – largo). The second movement is a fugue. It is the only one of those performed here without a concertante organ part.

The second category from Werner’s oeuvre that is included here is the Salve Regina. It is one of the most frequently-set texts in the history of Western music. The reason is that it belongs to the core of the Roman Catholic liturgy. It is one of the four Marian antiphons which are sung at different seasons in the liturgical calender. The Salve Regina is sung from Trinity Sunday to Advent. It is not quite clear who the author is, but it seems to have its origin in the circles of the Cistercians. In Italy composers mostly set it for soprano solo with strings. Werner composed around sixty Salve Reginas, and the six settings that were selected for the present disc show the different ways he approached this text.

The two first settings performed here (III/104 and 127), for instance, are very different. The former is rather short (3:26), the latter more than twice as long (7:08). The vocal scoring is the same: SATB. The former has four sections: the two opening verses (Salve Regina, Ad te clamamus) are taken together; the latter is divided into five sections. In the former setting the second verse – “Ad te clamamus, exules filiae Evae, ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes in hac lacrimarum valle” – is full of expression through the use of marked dissonances. In the word “suspiramus” the syllables are separated by short pauses. The second setting opens with a unisono of soprano and alto in plainchant with organ. The second verse is much more restrained in expression. The third verse – “Eia ergo” – has the form of an aria for tenor. The last verse – “O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo Maria” – is very concise in the first setting and much more extended in the second. The Salve Regina with the addition ‘Eisenstadt‘ is a solo for soprano, very much in the Italian tradition. The first and third sections include much coloratura. “Ad te clamamus” is set to a rising figure. The Salve Regina III/130 is the longest in the programme, and is divided into seven sections. It opens with an aria for alto (not soprano, as the track-list has it). The third section – “Ad te clamamus” – is an aria for bass in a wide range. In the fifth section the tenor is accompanied by strings, which now and then play pizzicato. The Salve Regina III/121 opens with a section for four voices, but the soprano is singled out here through virtuosic coloratura. The closing section – “O clemens” – is largely homophonic, and includes passages in which the two pairs of voices (SA/TB) sing in unison.

As a kind of bonus we get at the end of the programme the closing section of a larger-scale setting of the same text from 1729, for four voices and basso continuo. It is written in the stile antico, which was still often used in sacred music by Italian composers (Alessandro Scarlatti is a prominent example). That does not prevent Werner from producing a very expressive account of the closing phrase of this antiphon.

It makes much sense to bring together Pastorellas for Christmas Eve and Salve Reginas, as the Virgin Mary played an important role in Christmas celebrations in Catholic regions of Europe. For modern ears the Pastorellas don’t sound very ‘Christmassy’ and that makes this disc suitable for being played throughout the year. It is an impressive testimony of Werner’s skills as a composer, in the field of vocal as well as instrumental music. His case is served ideally by the performers here. Four outstanding singers bring his Salve Reginas to life and fully explore their expressive features. Lajos Rovatkay delivers excellent accounts of the organ parts in the Pastorellas. La festa musicale’s role is modest, but its playing is just what the repertoire needs. A second disc with music by Werner, which includes one of his Requiems, has already been released. I am looking forward to that one.

Gregor Joseph Werner (1691 – 1766) war Schüler des Vize-Hofkapellmeisters Antonio Caldara in Wien und wurde 1728 Hofkapellmeister in Eisenstadt bei Fürst Nicolaus Eszterházy. Werner, bekannt für seine kontrapunktischen Fähigkeiten, schrieb u.a. Oratorien, welche in der Karwoche in der Chorfrauenkirche am heiligen Grabe aufgeführt wurden, Kantaten, Messen, Vespern, Kirchensonaten sowie Klavier- und Orgelkonzerte für Eisenstadt als auch Opern. 1761 löste ihn Haydn bei den Opern, Schauspiel- und Kammerkonzerten in Schloss Eszterházy ab. Unter Werners 420 erhaltenen Kompositionen finden sich nur vier gedruckte Werke, zwei vergnügliche „Tafelstücke“, eine Sammlung von sechs Symphonien und der „Neue und sehr curios musicalische Instrumentalkalender“ (Augsburg 1748).

Aus dem großen Schatz der nur handschriftlich überlieferten Werke hat der Organist Lajos Rovatkay, ehemals Leiter des Studios für Alte Musik an der Hochschule Hannover und Gründer (1981) und Leiter des Barockorchesters „Capella Agostino Steffani“ (seit 1996 „Hannoversche Hofkapelle“), der sich schwerpunktmäßig mit Werner befasst hat, je sechs Salve Reginas und Pastorellas für diese CD eingespielt, die strenge Kontrapunktik eingebettet in volkstümliche Figuren in den weihnachtlichen vokalen Salve Reginas und instrumentalen Pastorellen hören lässt. Werners Musik bezaubert gerade auch durch die virtuosen Orgelsoli der Pastorellen, die Lajos Rovatkay klar zeichnend spielt, so dass die CD großes Hörvergnügen bereitet.

Das erprobte Vokalensemble Magdalena Harer, Johannes Euler, Georg Poplutz und Markus Flaig bringen die kurzen Sätze der Salve Reginas je eigen zum Leuchten. Die Eszterházys müssen berechtigt stolz gewesen sein auf ihren Hofkapellmeister, sollten sie gleich qualifizierte Sänger gehabt haben. Da Werners Werke bisher kaum gedruckt wurden, ist er unterrepräsentiert geblieben. Das sollte nicht so bleiben!

Joseph Haydn hat sechs Fugen seines Amtsvorgängers als Hofkapellmeister des Fürsten Esterhazy herausgegeben und mit der Widmung "Aus besonderer Achtung gegen diesen berühmten Meister" versehen, aber genutzt hat es dem 1693 in Ybbs an der Donau geborenen und 1766 in Eisenstadt verstorbenen Gregor Joseph Werner nicht: Im Gegensatz zu Haydn, den er gerne despektierlich als "Gsanglmacher" abkanzelte, hat Werner seinen Ruhm rasch eingebüßt, und wenn jetzt Lajos Rovatkay mit dem Ensemble La Festa musicale einige "Salve Regina"-Vertonungen sowie etliche jener Pastorellas herausbringt, die Werner für die Weihnachtszeit komponierte, dann kommt das heute der Exhumierung eines Vergessenen gleich.

Die Mühe hat sich allerdings gelohnt: Diese in Tempi, Dynamik, Artikulation und Klangfarben hochdifferenziert musizierte und gesungene Aufnahme wirft die Frage auf, warum man einen so ungewöhnlichen Komponisten aus dem Blick verlieren konnte (und ob es nicht lohnen würde, sich einmal auch seiner 50 Messen und 20 Oratorien anzunehmen).

Zu Lebzeiten genoss Werner trotz des kirchenmusikalischen Schwerpunkts in seinem Schaffen vor allem wegen seiner humorvollen Werke große Popularität, darunter "Zwey neue und extralustige musikalische Tafel-Stücke" sowie der "Neue und sehr curios musikalische Instrumental-Kalender" der die einzelnen Monate musikalisch charakterisiert. Augenzwinkern spürt man aber auch, wenn in den Pastorellas volkstümlicher, oft derber Ton und die Künstlichkeit der Concerto-Form aufeinandertreffen. Diese stilistisch heterogenen Instrumentalwerke des übrigens ziemlich hochbegabten Kontrapunktikers als experimentell zu bezeichnen, ist fast noch untertrieben. Ihn zu entdecken, macht hier richtig Spaß.

Expressivität, Dramatik und alpenländische Lebensfreude: Das bislang verborgene Werk des Haydn-Vorgängers Gregor Joseph Werner steckt voller Kontraste. Die Kompositionen sind Epochen verbindende, klingende Juwelen, die ein neues Licht auf die Wiener Klassik werfen.

Mit der vorliegenden Aufnahme knüpft la festa musicale an den überragenden Erfolg seiner ersten Veröffentlichung mit Werken von Venturini (aud. 97.775) an und widmet sich erneut hochwertigem, aber unbekanntem Repertoire: Gregor Joseph Werner (1693 – 1766).

So wie in der Biologie Bindeglieder die evolutionäre Entwicklung belegen, kann auch in Gregor Joseph Werner ein Bindeglied zwischen Antonio Caldara und Joseph Haydn gesehen werden. Als Schüler von Caldara und Vorgänger von Joseph Haydn in Eisenstadt am Hofe der Esterhazys und vermutlich auch sein Inspirator in manchen Dingen war Gregor Joseph Werner fest in der kontrapunktischen Tradition seiner Vorgänger verankert und begründete mit seinem Stil zugleich den Weg zur Wiener Klassik. In diesem Umfeld wurde seine Bedeutung vergessen und ist neu zu beleuchten.

Da er für sein sakral musikalisches Schaffen bekannt ist, werden hier sechs seiner rund 60 Salve Regina Vertonungen sowie sechs instrumentale Pastorella Vertonungen vorgestellt. Eine Vertiefung in die immer wieder variierenden Muster und Gestaltungen erlauben die Lektüre des von Lajos Rovatkay, Spezialist für diesen Komponisten, informativ verfassten Textes und das Hören der CD.

Rovatkay ist als Organist bei den Pastorellas und allgemein als Dirigent die treibende Kraft bei dieser Einspielung. Unterstützt wird er vom Ensemble La festa musicale. Die Musiker pflegen einen unprätentiösen Spielstil, der die historisch informierte Spielart intensiv, aber nicht aufdringlich zu Gehör bringt. Eleganz und Feinheit stehen vor großer Geste. Dabei sind die technischen Anforderungen auch nicht zu unterschätzen, die souverän gelöst werden.

Abgerundet wird dieser akustische Blick auf Gregor Joseph Werner durch die vorzüglich besetzten Gesangsstimmen. Die oftmals kleinformatigen Sätze lassen keine große Zeit, damit die Gesangsstimmen sich groß entfalten können. Aber auch so wird deutlich, dass die Stimmen gut miteinander harmonieren und jeder seinen Part sauber artikulierend gestalten und alle ihre Stimme mit gestalterischen Mitteln führen. Ein Lapsus hat sich im Salve Regina III/130 eingeschlichen. Die ersten beiden Sätze werden nicht wie angegeben gesungen. Der Countertenor wars, nicht die Sopranistin.


Just as in biology links prove evolutionary development, a link between Antonio Caldara and Joseph Haydn can also be seen in Gregor Joseph Werner. As a pupil of Caldara and predecessor of Joseph Haydn in Eisenstadt at the court of the Esterhazys, and presumably also his inspirer in some respects, Gregor Joseph Werner was firmly anchored in the contrapuntal tradition of his predecessors and at the same time established with his style the path to Viennese Classicism. In this environment, his importance has been forgotten and needs to be re-examined.

Six of his approximately 60 Salve Regina settings are presented here, as well as six instrumental Pastorella settings. A more in-depth look at the ever-varying patterns and designs is made possible by reading the informative text written by Lajos Rovatkay, a specialist on this composer, and by listening to the CD.

Rovatkay, as organist in the Pastorellas and as conductor in general, is the driving force behind this recording. He is supported by the ensemble La festa musicale. The musicians maintain an unpretentious style of playing that brings the music intensely but not obtrusively to the ear. Elegance and subtlety take precedence over grand gesture. At the same time, the technical demands should not be underestimated, which are solved with aplomb.

This view of Gregor Joseph Werner is rounded off by the exquisitely cast singing voices. The often small-format movements do not allow much time for the singing voices to unfold in a big way. But even so, it is clear that the voices harmonize well with each other, each articulating his part cleanly and all leading their voices with creative means. A lapse has crept into the Salve Regina III/130. The first two movements are not sung as indicated. In reality, it is the countertenor, not the soprano.