One of the most mysterious works ascribed to Knüpfer is the chorale cantata
Wenn mein Stündlein vorhanden ist (‘When my hour has come to leave’). In its musical substance, the piece is based upon a dialogue cantata by Johann Rosenmüller; however, with the exception of the introductory sinfonia and the concluding chorale, this was drastically changed in its formal character and structure. Should the present arrangement really be Knüpfer’s—the records in the Grimma collection leave few doubts about this—it is a precious proof for Knüpfer’s acquisition of the famous, harmonically rich, sonorous and even sensuous compositional style developed by Rosenmüller, which introduced a new era to the central German music of the middle of the seventeenth century.
from notes by Peter Wollny © 2000
English: Viola Scheffel
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