The last weekend in July some members of St Michael’s Choir are visiting Wolfenbüttel and Braunschweig in Lower Saxony, Germany, just 20 miles or so North of the Harz Mountains, to sing and socialise.

We shall be singing 2 Concerts, one in Groß Denkte and the other in Braunschweig (Brunswick), and an evening Meditation and Sunday morning Service in Wolfenbüttel.  See Choir Tour Blog for photos and an account of our visit.

Friday/Freitag 24th July – Concert in the Kirche in Groß Denkte at 7pm/19Uhr.

Saturday/Samstag 25th July – Service of music and reflective readings in the Hauptkirche Beatae Mariae Virginis in Wolfenbüttel at 6pm/18Uhr.

Sunday/Sonntag 26th July – Service in the St Trinitatis Kirche in Wolfenbüttel at 10am.

Sunday/Sonntag 26th July -  Concert in the St Katharinen Kirche in Braunschweig at 5pm/17Uhr.

The Lutheran Marienkirche in Wolfenbüttel contains the tomb of Michael Praetorius (1571–1621), the greatest German composer of his time and contemporary of John Dowland and Orlando Gibbons.

The mathematician, philosopher and polymath Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716), contemporary of Sir Isaac Newton and co-inventor of Calculus, spent the 2nd half of his life based there in the influential Court of Hannover.

We thank soprano Sabrina Gröschel for organising this visit to her home town, and our host families for their hospitality.

To give a flavour of the breadth (and height, depth & length from 16th through 21st century) of the Choir’s repertoire, we plan to sing the following items over the weekend:-

Short Service Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis – Weelkes.   If ye love me, Verily verily, & O nata lux – Tallis.   Justorum animae – Byrd.   If Ye Be Risen Again – Gibbons.   Magnificat in G minor – Purcell.   O Lord Look Down From Heaven – Battishill.   Our Conversation is in Heaven – Gilbert.   Blessed be the God and Father – SSWesley.   Te Deum in B flat, Beati quorum via, & Coelos ascendit hodie – Stanford.   I Was Glad – Parry.   O Thou the Central Orb – Wood.   O Taste and See – Vaughan Williams.   E’en so, Lord Jesus – Manz.   The Lord bless you and keep you – Rutter.  Be Thou My Vision – Chilcott.   Ubi caritas – Mealor.