Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745) was a Czech baroque composer, whose music wa… Read Full Bio ↴Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745) was a Czech baroque composer, whose music was adventurous and noted for its great harmonic invention and mastery of counterpoint.
Zelenka was born in 1679 in Louňovice pod Blaníkem, Czechia, and received his early musical training from his father who was a schoolmaster and organist in Louňovice pod Blaníkem. It is thought that his early formal training was at a Jesuit college. After working in the service of Baron Hartig, imperial governor of Prague, Zelenka moved in 1710 to Dresden where he played the violone (double-bass viol) in the court orchestra. His musical studies continued in Vienna and Venice between 1715 and 1716. He returned to Dresden around 1719 as assistant to Kappelmeister Johann David Heinichen. Despite taking on many of the Kappelmeister's duties during Heinichen's years of ill health and eventual death, Zelenka was denied the prestigious post he aspired to. He spent his last ten years in the lesser post of "church music composer" at the court, dying in Dresden in 1745. Many of his surviving manuscripts are for sacred works.
Zelenka was born in 1679 in Louňovice pod Blaníkem, Czechia, and received his early musical training from his father who was a schoolmaster and organist in Louňovice pod Blaníkem. It is thought that his early formal training was at a Jesuit college. After working in the service of Baron Hartig, imperial governor of Prague, Zelenka moved in 1710 to Dresden where he played the violone (double-bass viol) in the court orchestra. His musical studies continued in Vienna and Venice between 1715 and 1716. He returned to Dresden around 1719 as assistant to Kappelmeister Johann David Heinichen. Despite taking on many of the Kappelmeister's duties during Heinichen's years of ill health and eventual death, Zelenka was denied the prestigious post he aspired to. He spent his last ten years in the lesser post of "church music composer" at the court, dying in Dresden in 1745. Many of his surviving manuscripts are for sacred works.
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
36. Chorus. Vivace
Jan Dismas Zelenka Lyrics
No lyrics text found for this track.
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
@TheOneAndOnlyZelenkaGuru
Other Works for Holy Week (Z. 53-63) > https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBbL1YJd7_Wou6fX0pxDit1tfkQmi8cDr
@SilvioNobre
Thanks!
@TheOneAndOnlyZelenkaGuru
The autograph score to Jan Dismas Zelenka's largest and most significant work, the oratorio "Gesù al Calvario". In English "Jesus at Calvary", ZWV 62, of almost 2 hours in length of extremely refined, complex music featuring beautiful and extremely ornamented, intricate melodies with lots of chromaticism and special effects, such as rapid quadruple stopping.
This is Zelenka at his most operatic. He takes Late Baroque opera and converts it into a powerful sacred art form, giving musical voice to the five figures at John's Calvary scene. Unlike most oratorios of the Passion (particularly the protestant ones), it is not a translation of what is in the Gospel, but it is a loose interpretation of the thoughts of those present; their experience of the Crucifixion. They mourn in harmony or cry with fierce passion. Their contrasting positions are reflected musically: John's brashness in not understanding Jesus' suffering over the sins of the guilty; Mary Magdalen's anger at the people for their ingratitude; the soothing repentance together with Maria Cleofe; the Virgin Mary's despair over her son. The oratorio is dramatically cloven in two by the Crucifixion chorus which is stark and vehement. Altogether, Zelenka gives us a powerful human drama.
@isaacburgess9608
2:48 this whole passage is exquisite!
@victorheredia7185
The goat!!😮😮
@jmchord
One of my favorite works of Zelenka
@BohemianBaroque
0:22