Jesu meine Freude ⬩ Collegium 1704

During the Baroque period, Germany was a part of Europe where the influences of Catholic and Lutheran cultures mixed very intensively. This intermingling of southern European Catholic emotionality and Nordic rationality was remarkably reflected in the incredible diversity of musical language that flourished in the German cultural area. Just as J. S. Bach adopted Italian influences in his work, so too, on the other hand, did J. D. Zelenka reflect features of the German tradition in his music. The vocal music of these greats is the best example of this mixed style.