This volume concludes the arrangements of the de-tempore songs in the Kaleidoscope series, i.e. the songs that belong to the church year or can be assigned to its individual stages. However, as in the previous volumes, individual melodies already point beyond the church year, insofar as they can be assigned to other song texts that have no direct reference to the church year.
One of the basic principles of the series is that one author arranges a hymn in its entirety. This booklet makes two exceptions to this rule. Firstly, as with "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern" in issue 3, the editor shares the arrangements of ",Wachet auf', ruft uns die Stimme" - the second hymn by Philipp Nicolai in the Protestant hymnal - with his colleague Markus Epp. On the other hand, the hymn "Schmückt das Fest mit Maien" is even divided among three authors, namely the church musicians who have held the office of regional church music director in the various phases of our regional church in direct succession since 1972: Helmut Barbe, Christian Schlicke and the editor. This is to be understood as a reverence to a long tradition of composing for church services in the regional church, in which the three persons mentioned also participate, and to which further elements are added through this series.
This booklet is dedicated to the memory of Christian Schlicke, who had a decisive influence on church music in the former Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg for many years and continued to support its further development in his retirement. The publisher is very grateful that Christian Schlicke was able to complete the corrections to his movements in the last days of his life at the end of June 2023, thus leaving a final musical legacy to posterity.
Berlin, Easter 2024,
Prof Dr Gunter Kennel, Regional Church Music Director
