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Sacred Works This recording comprises the complete sacred works by Matthias Weckmann. Two of the most important collections of music from that period — the famous Düben collection in Uppsala and the Bokemeyer collection in Berlin — are amongst the libraries that possess the autographs of these cantatas, although the only known autograph manuscripts by Weckmann that have been preserved are in the Ratsbücherei in Lüneburg. These manuscripts are dated 1663 and contain four cantatas that are particularly striking both in their quality and in the high level of emotion that they contain; these are the cantatas Weine nicht, Zion spricht, Herr, wenn ich nur dich habe and Wie liegt die Stadt so wüste. It is, however, remarkable that these pieces allow us to discern not just the stylistic unity of the composer’s work but also to appreciate the variety of genres in which he wrote. Anyone who listens to this recording will certainly be struck by several very modern aspects of the harmonic language. Weckmann uses chords that were greatly daring for his time and a chromatic language that gives great tension to his writing. He goes so far with his effects that he marked NB (Nota Bene) on the score in several places to point out to the musicians that the dissonance thus marked is a conscious effect, even if it might seem outside the normal rules of harmony. We have observed the order of the pieces as they appear in their sole and possibly autograph manuscript. The four works from the Lüneburg library seem to form a real cycle of cantatas, although the term cantata is not strictly correct. Weckmann was