A Moment of Bach

St. John Passion: "O große Lieb" chorale (BWV 245.3)

"For me, Bach is the greatest of preachers. His cantatas and Passions tune the soul to a state in which we can grasp the truth and oneness of things, and rise above everything that is paltry, everything that divides us." -- Charles-Marie Widor, from the Preface to the biography J. S. Bach by Albert Schweitzer

We all know that Bach is a technical wizard.  Counterpoint might be what he's best known for.  But if you want to convince someone of Bach's power as a spiritual storyteller, go to the chorales in the cantatas and Passions.   There you will find pieces like this, "O große Lieb" (O great love), where in four lines of text, Bach's harmonies perfectly paint the mood of each line of text, sometimes laser-targeted down to the very note.  

"O große Lieb" from St John Passion, Netherlands Bach Society, Jos van Veldhoven, conductor

Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (BWV 61) aria: "Öffne dich"

At the beginning of our podcast seasons, we always look at a new part of BWV 61. This week Christian chooses what may be the most pure, unassuming aria of total soul transcendence. The aria "Öffne dich" is the 'heart' of this regal Advent cantata, and offers an opposite effect of the other parts while we hear a plead (from us) to our own heart: "Open yourself, my whole heart; Jesus comes and enters."

A simple cello bass line and organ accompaniment frame a floating, unpinned rhythm and subtle, elegant soprano ornamentation. But the music opens and shines from the heavens in transcendent peace at "O wie selig werd ich sein!" -- the cello enters a blissful flow as "O how blessed will I be!"

This episode's featured aria as performed by the Netherlands Bach Society
Zsuzsi Tóth, soprano

BachCantataTexts.org annotated translation of BWV 61

BWV 106 Gottes Zeit in concert THIS SUNDAY in Orange, California - free concert directed by Alex - info here

Great Fantasia and Fugue (BWV 542)

Welcome to season 5 of A Moment of Bach!

We kick off the season with a suggestion from Charles Raasch -- the Great Fantasia and Fugue.  Does Bach know where he's going with this one?  Of course he does, but, it's still fun to get lost in the music.  Come with us as we wander into the complex harmonies, built mostly on fully-diminished dissonances, until Bach finally leads us home to a supremely sonorous G major ending.

Great Fantasia and Fugue (BWV 542) performed by Leo Van Doeselaar for the Netherlands Bach Society

Give to the Netherlands Bach Society -- help them finish All of Bach!

PATREON -- a new opportunity to donate to A Moment of Bach -- always optional, always appreciated! 

 

BACHTOBERFEST: BWV 80 (Ein Feste Burg) with Eric Clausen

Our fourth season was the best year yet for our downloads. Thank you for your listenership! And we still welcome your listener "moments" of Bach as ideas for future episodes. 

For this season closer, we invite Reverend Eric Clausen, a Lutheran pastor, to help us unpack the background of BWV 80 (A Mighty Fortress Is Our God). The bold and powerful text of the source hymn comes directly from Martin Luther. Bach's cantata incorporates the four hymn stanzas plus poetry by Salomon Franck. Two aMoB listeners suggested moments from BWV 80; we discuss the specific moment requested for the second movement. 

PATREON for A Moment of Bach - always optional, always appreciated.

Huge thanks as always to the Netherlands Bach Society for allowing us to use their audio examples on our podcast.

BWV 80 Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, as performed by Netherlands Bach Society under the leadership of Shunske Sato, Artistic Director

Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott (BWV 80): alto/tenor duet

Martin Luther, J.S. Bach, and Reformation Sunday -- this most Lutheran of all cantatas is our subject for today.  "Ein feste Burg" was the battle-cry of the Reformation: "A mighty fortress is our God!"  Bach's cantata weaves in all 4 stanzas of Luther's strong hymn.

We marvel at movement 1 with its "dizzyingly complex counterpoint" (as Richard Atkinson puts it in his video).  This is one of the maybe 2 or 3 most complex opening chorale fantasias in all of Bach's cantata ouevre, and that's a high bar to clear!  But then we zoom in on a more tender moment, the end of the alto/tenor duet in movement 7: "[the heart] will finally be crowned, when it slays death". Here, the bass line drags down in twisting chromatic motion, the tempo slows, and Bach resists the urge to return to an "A" section of text, instead closing the movement with a short instrumental coda.

BWV 80 Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, as performed by Netherlands Bach Society under the leadership of Shunske Sato, Artistic Director

Come see this very cantata, BWV 80, in Orange, California at a free concert put on by Alex's church music program!  October 20, 4pm, more details at this link.  Also on the program: a new arrangement of A Mighty Fortress, orchestral liturgical music, BWV 29 sinfonia, and "Dona nobis pacem" from Mass in B minor.

Translation of the text of BWV 80 from bachcantatatexts.org, which we mentioned in this episode

A great article about BWV 80 featured on the Bach Choir of Bethlehem's website

Dizzyingly Complex Counterpoint in BWV 80: video by Richard Atkinson which we mentioned in this episode

"In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel, a song that was referenced in this episode.  The last minute or so of the song features the dense instrumentation that Alex mentioned: 2 bassists, 2 drummers, etc. Also, here is a great episode of the podcast Strong Songs which breaks down "In Your Eyes".

Geist und Seele wird verwirret (BWV 35): first aria

The organ, a sacred sound, gets an unusual role in this cantata for solo voice. We hear the organ leaping all over with a virtuoso part against violins and oboes and the alto soloist. There is no better way to convey the rich concept of the "confused joy" of the believer who witnesses miracles. 

In this cantata, which took place during the Sunday where the story is read of Jesus healing the deaf and mute, Bach sets his poet's words: 

Spirit and soul become confused,
when they gaze on Thee, my God.
For the miracles they know,
And which the people tell with joy,
have made them deaf and mute.

 

Geist und Seele... from BWV 35, as performed by the Netherlands Bach Society

Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist (BWV 667) with Katrina Liao

Organist Katrina Liao joins us to talk about one of her favorites, this chorale prelude that is crackling with spiritual fire.  The off-beat bass at the beginning is a neat touch -- could Bach have meant to signify the Holy Spirit by focusing on the 3rd division of the beat? -- but, Katrina's favorite moment comes in the second verse, when the bass gets to carry the melody with a strong, reedy pedal sound.  Christian also points out a hidden "B-A-C-H" motif.

"Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist" organ chorale prelude (BWV 667) performed by Reitze Smits for the Netherlands Bach Society

Italian Concerto (BWV 971): second movement

Why do we play games?  Because they're fun?  Or is it because they give us a sense of structure and a clear goal, a refreshing contrast to our real lives, which are messy, unpredictable, and complicated?

In the same way, we listen to Bach to give a much-needed feeling of structure and clarity to our hectic, messy lives.  

But sometimes, he doesn't quite give us what we expect.  He breaks the patterns. And it's at those moments when we can catch a glimpse of the angels in the architecture.

Italian Concerto, BWV 971, second movement, as performed by Christine Schornsheim for the Netherlands Bach Society

"Wandering Flame", from the soundtrack to Final Fantasy X; this track is by the composer Masashi Hamauzu

Link to chapter 1 of "Travels in Hyperreality" by Umberto Eco; the discussion on Disneyland mainly takes place on pages 43-48 of this document

Fugue no. 4 in C# minor (Well-Tempered Clavier Book I)

An austere fugue subject here begins with a strange leap. To play this four-note opening on a keyboard is to outline a symmetrical structure, reminding us of the bare pillar that holds up the structure. Adorned on the structure are two faster, florid themes which enter later in this long piece. 

But our moment today is its ending -- a deceptive ending leads to a brief coda, but when it happens, its harmony strikes us with a surprising dissonance, feeling almost like the resolute major tonic triad that it wants to become. But a pesky A natural, the sixth scale degree, dashes this to pieces. 

 

Bertrand Cuiller plays the C# minor fugue (with prelude) for the Netherlands Bach Society

Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben (BWV 8): opening chorus

Today we bring you 24 repeated notes on the same pitch.  Can you think of any other Bach piece which features this special effect?  Certainly this is unique in the orchestrational context here: a high-pitched recorder, beeping out a digital-sounding alarm clock noise.  Or is it a bell ringing?  We explore what this all means -- because, of course, with Bach, it MEANS something.  

Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben (BWV 8) performed by the Netherlands Bach Society. Shunske Sato, conductor; Benny Aghassi, recorder solo