''Die Sintflut'' (''The Flood''), Op. 97, is a

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...

(''Kantate'') for eight-part unaccompanied choir by

Willy Burkhard Willy Burkhard (17 April 1900 – 18 June 1955) was a Swiss composer and academic teacher, influential in both capacities. He taught music theory at the Berne Conservatory and the Zürich Conservatory. His works include an opera, oratorios, cantat ...

, on a German text based on the Biblical story of Noah and the flood, composed in 1954/55.

History, text and music

Burkhard composed the setting of Biblical text from the

Book of Genesis The Book of Genesis (from Greek ; Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁית ''Bəreʾšīt'', "In hebeginning") is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its first word, ( "In the beginning") ...

, 6:9–9:17, in German in 1954 and 1955 when he lived and taught in

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

. It was intended for the . The composition was to be his penultimate work. It was published by Bärenreiter, first in 1955 and last in 2003, then subtitled "Kantate nach dem Bericht aus dem ersten Buch Mose / für gemischten Chor a cappella" (Cantata after the record from the First Book of Moses / for mixed choir a cappella).

Text and music

Burkhard wrote the text following the Biblical account, slightly shortening it and inserting some repetitions. He was drawn to it as a story which fascinated him by both its general statement (''überpersönliche Aussage'') and language full of imagery but without fixed metre. He organized the work in five

movements Movement may refer to: Common uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Motion, commonly referred to as movement Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...

: * I Die Verderbtheit des Menschengeschlechts (The depravity of man) * II Die Berufung Noahs (The calling of Noah) * III Der Ausbruch der Sintflut (The outbreak of the Flood) * IV Der Sintflut Ende (The end of the Flood) * V Gottes Bund mit Noah und der Regenbogen (God's covenant with Noah, and the rainbow) The music uses several means of

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

singing, such as

homophony In music, homophony (;, Greek: ὁμόφωνος, ''homóphōnos'', from ὁμός, ''homós'', "same" and φωνή, ''phōnē'', "sound, tone") is a texture in which a primary part is supported by one or more additional strands that flesh ou ...

imitation Imitation (from Latin ''imitatio'', "a copying, imitation") is a behavior whereby an individual observes and replicates another's behavior. Imitation is also a form of that leads to the "development of traditions, and ultimately our culture. I ...

, and

recitative Recitative (, also known by its Italian name "''recitativo''" ()) is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repea ...

of the choir (''Chorrezitativ''). Burkhard followed the diction of the text by precise rhythmical notation. He used

word painting Word painting, also known as tone painting or text painting, is the musical technique of composing music that reflects the literal meaning of a song's lyrics or story elements in programmatic music. Historical development Tone painting of words ...

to depict the waters and the rainbow. The final movement is structured as a passacaglia on an ostinato bass, which is repeated seven times. The rainbow is depicted by harmony beginning in the lowest voice, rising in upward motifs to the highest, while the lower voices keep singing, and returning in downward motifs to the lowest while the upper voices fade out.

Performances and recordings

The Fifth International Congress of Church Music (''5. Internationaler Kongress für Kirchenmusik'') in Berne in 2015 programmed ''Die Sintflut'' as part of a vespers service, performed by the Berner Kantorei conducted by Johannes Günther. It was recorded by the Engadiner Kantorei conducted by

Martin Flämig Martin Flämig (19 August 1913, in Aue – 13 January 1998, in Dresden) was a German church musician, and the cantor of the Dresdner Kreuzchor from 1971 to 1991. Biography Martin Flämig studied since 1934 in Dresden with Alfred Stier and in Le ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sintflut, Die 1955 cantatas Noah's Ark in popular culture