Christus, Der Ist Mein Leben

Chorale settings form a central part of Telemann’s œuvre. His 1754 setting of the church hymn Christus, der ist mein Leben, based on Melchoir Vulpius’ melody from the Hamburg Hymnal, is especially well-suited to display his mastery in depicting thewords of the chorale. The so-called “Ausfüllungsbass” (a vocal bass added to the principal bass in tutti passages) was probably necessitated by the acoustical properties of Hamburg’s churches. This is the first Urtext edition of this highly successful chorale setting which is based on Georg Philipp Telemann Musical Works. The score contains a realisation of the continuo part.