6. O sacred head
"Hymnal: A Worship Book" #252
Tune: Hans L. Hassler, "Lustgarten neuer Deutscher Gesang", 1601
Arr. by Nathan Bontrager

Daryl: oboe, soprano sax
Frances: violin
Nathan: cello, percussion

Hans Leo Hassler composed the secular tune that we now associate with “O Sacred Head”, thanks to Johann Sebastian Bach’s harmonization, around 1600. This melody has appeared in countless instrumental and vocal works, both sacred and secular, since that time and remains a mainstay in most Christian denominations. In our version, we wanted to see how truly robust this tune is by transforming it into a Balkan-inspired rhapsody borrowing from Klezmer and Bulgarian folk music.