History
Catate Sunday is a day of singing in the Lutheran Church. As this Sunday marks a culmination in the Easter joy, its theme of song and jubilation is one that reaches a new height second perhaps only to Easter itself. If you are familiar with the Church’s annual cycle, then you have certainly noticed the smaller cycles therein. Where there are feasts there are also preparatory fasts. When there is a celebration there is also anticipation. This comes through most noticeably with Christmas and Easter when the Advent and Lenten seasons, respectively, draw us into a time of preparation before jubilation.
One of the finer details and true gems of the liturgical cycle are the heightened days of anticipation. You may know them by the name of Gaudete Sunday in Advent and Laetare Sunday in Lent. The Easter season also has a day of heightened anticipation and joy looking forward to Ascension and Pentecost. Each is a special gift reminding us of the celebration to come. But here, Cantate is unique because it is already found within a festal season, giving us extra reason to sing!
Schütz’ Cantate Domino
As you might imagine, this Sunday has inspired many a Christian composers, not the least of which being J.S. Bach who composed BWV 166 Wo gehest du hin? for Cantate and Claudio Moneverdi who wrote the popular Cantate Domino. In addition to these, of special note this day is the Cantate Domino of Heinrich Schütz.
Heinrich Schütz is reputed today as one of the greatest composers prior to Bach and whose legacy persists as one of the greatest Lutheran composers. While he is not found on the Missouri Synod’s sanctoral calendar at this time, there is precedent for his commemoration alongside Bach on July 28th. While he is not on our sanctuary calendar, one day that his compositoin may receive a prominent place in the Church Year is on Cantate Sunday, the Sunday of singing.
Schütz’ Cantate Domino canticum novum can be heard here. To go along with this piece, consider also reading this poem for Cantate written by Kantor Steven Hoffman for the Luther Classical Coledge publication, Christian Culture. Finally, consider celebrating Cantate with a household hymn sing and open it up to those around you.
We wish you a most blessed Easter season as we draw closer to Ascension and Pentecost, and we hope that in addition to Praetorius for Jubilate, you also enjoy adding Heinrich Schütz’s jubilant and lively composition to your Lutheran music this Easter season!
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