Michael: Complete Wind Chamber Music

The complete wind chamber music of David Moritz Michael (1751–1827) is contained in the sixteen multi-movement works in this volume. The scores are based on manuscript sources and have been edited by Nola Reed Knouse, who has been director of research of programs for the Moravian Music Foundation since 1992. Scorings for the works (as with the familiar Harmoniemusik) begin with paired clarinets, horns, and one or two bassoon parts, and to this basic ensemble a single trumpet or flute is sometimes added. Michael trained as a bandsman in Westphalia before he joined the Moravian Church and moved to the USA, where he spent most of life teaching in and composing music for various Moravian settlements in Pennsylvania. As Knouse notes in her introductory essay, Moravian music in general is noteworthy because of its craftsmanship, musicality, and sincere portrayal of spiritual values, and these works are representative of this standard. Written for capable amateurs, these works generally avoid virtuosic display, but they are never simplistic or condescending.