A Moment of Bach

English Suite No. 1 in A major: Sarabande

Join us as we uncover the complexity under the surface of the seemingly simple music of Bach's English Suite in A major.

The harpsichord is an elegant yet austere instrument.  It has only a fraction of the power and versatility of a pipe organ, and none of the soft/loud sensitivity of the piano, yet, it is elegant in its simplicity.  We remark on how the harpsichordist seems to activate the very core of this music in her interpretation, adding ornamentation and stretching time.  She proves here that the harpsichord can be wonderfully expressive.

Netherlands Bach Society video of the Sarabande from English Suite No. 1, played by Aline Zylberajch: https://youtu.be/GihzDys7Qpg?t=978

 

Der Herr denket an uns (BWV 196): fugue (Er segnet...)

What is counterpoint? What’s a fugue, and why is that musical structure so tied to the idea of Bach’s work? The answer lies not only in the most towering and imposing works of fugue, but also the most simple and graceful. This early wedding cantata features a small moment of fugue so sublimely perfect that it seems like it must have always existed. As it flows along like an inevitable river, each of its parts begin separately but go through an identical natural progression of musical material as all the others. The words point to a blessing upon a newly formed family. 

https://youtu.be/YNjAHgMMsFs?t=140

https://www.bachvereniging.nl/en/bwv/bwv-196/

Hey! Are you still reading this episode description? Do you want to try and listen for each subject entry in the fugue? This fugue is perfect for it. From the beginning to the end of the fugue, the subject entries are in this order: 

• Soprano (solo; NBS uses soloists for the first batch of subject entries!)
• Alto soloist
• Tenor soloist
• Bass soloist
• Violin 2
• Violin 1
• Cello (in a rare case for Baroque music, this cello is separate from the main bass part)
• Alto singers WITH viola 
• Soprano singers with violin 2
• Bass singers with cello and other bass instruments
• Tenor singers with viola
• Soprano singers with violin 2
• By the time that last entry ends, everything from the fugue turns into concluding material until the end. 

You could also try sticking with ANY entry through all four (!) of its chunks of musical material (subject and following three “countersubjects”) up until near the end when they leave the pattern to start concluding the music. It’s worth a few repeated listenings. Try it!

• The fugue subject is the simple falling melody on the words "Er segnet das Haus Israel."
• Countersubject 1 begins with fast notes and has the words "er segnet das Haus Aron."
• Countersubject 2 is the most active, filled with all fast notes on mostly just the word "segnet."
• Countersubject 3 is a simple rising melody to complement the subject. Its text is "...das Haus Aron, das Haus Aron."

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (with Eric Clausen)

Our first guest episode!  We chat about one of the greatest and most enduring pieces of music ever written, "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring."  Eric Clausen, a Lutheran pastor and Alex and Christian's brother-in-law, shares his perspective on church music and how this piece became so meaningful for him.  We talk about Bach's life as a church musician, how these cantata texts can have more in common with contemporary praise music than "traditional" hymns, and music's enduring power to enrich the soul.

Thanks to Eric for his guest appearance on A Moment of Bach! Check out his podcast, "The Faithful Forebearers" here: http://faithfulforebearers.com/

Cantata "Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben" (BWV 147) performed by the Netherlands Bach Society: https://youtu.be/h97JE4--p84

Or, go straight to movement 10: https://youtu.be/h97JE4--p84?t=1633

O ewiges Feuer, o Ursprung der Liebe (BWV 34): aria opening

The orchestra is full of countless sound combinations. In Bach's time, the orchestra was smaller and these new expressions mostly hadn't yet been explored. But in the "Wohl euch" aria from the Pentecost cantata O ewiges Feuer, o Ursprung der Liebe, Bach experimented with a new language in tone color with violins and flutes. The Pentecost story of the cantata is a sort of reverse Tower of Babel; apostles were given a gift of the Spirit's fire and could suddenly communicate in many languages. Bach, a Protestant, took advantage of writing the church's vocal music in the people's language of German rather than the obtuse Latin of traditions past. Similarly, his orchestration -- way ahead of its time -- points to a new way of "speaking" to us musically.

https://youtu.be/-QA-Tc8Vw80?t=475
www.amomentofbach.com
www.bachvereniging.nl/en

St. Matthew Passion: "Gebt mir meinen Jesum wieder!" aria (mvt. 42)

You will be humming this one for days!  Even if you didn't know of this particular aria before hearing this episode of A Moment of Bach, it's impossible not to be charmed by this sprightly tune on a first listen.  But there is also some fury and swift anger in the music -- the words are "Give me my Jesus back!" and they are shouted at the soldiers who have arrested Jesus on the night of His betrayal. 

"Gebt mir" aria (Sayuri Yamagata, violin; Sebastian Noack, bass): https://youtu.be/ZwVW1ttVhuQ?t=5722

Chorale: Christus, der ist mein Leben

Let's call this one "How to Break a Chorale."

A Bach chorale is a pure, simple expression of a hymn tune. Sometimes it contains complex harmony, but the harmony is always in support of a song that the people knew, and the texture is simple and chordal. This is why today's moment feels like a bolt of lightning from the blue! It's a chorale for a few seconds...before it stretches apart at the seams. Four separate, strange tones tear the fabric of the chorale at the word "death." The chorale reemerges happily and hopefully.

 

Chorale: https://youtu.be/5hFwikTsYs0

Brandenburg Concerto No. 3: movement 3

It's our third and last episode of the Brandenburg 3 miniseries.  The last movement of Brandenburg 3 is full of nonstop excitement and rhythmic drive.  Come with us as we talk about the complexity (and simplicity!) of the rhythmic layers, and the way that inverted chords breathe fresh life into the music, and the moment -- the moment we both picked -- Bach's own viola solo.

Netherlands Bach Society performing the third movement of Brandenburg Concerto No. 3; Shunske Sato, artistic leader: https://youtu.be/qr0f6t2UbOo?t=370

Thank you for listening to A Moment of Bach!

Brandenburg Concerto No. 3: movement 2

For our second installment in the Brandenburg Concerto 3 miniseries, Christian describes the whole 20-second middle movement: chord 1, chord 2. Well...no, that isn't the whole story. We will uncover much more than meets the eye in this shortest of all Bach movements. It's an automatic "moment" -- no cutting or zooming in necessary. 

 

Brandenburg 3 mvt. 2: https://youtu.be/qr0f6t2UbOo?t=350

Brandenburg Concerto No. 3: movement 1

Welcome to our miniseries on Brandenburg Concerto No. 3!  In this first episode, we will talk about the first movement.

Bach's Brandenburg Concertos are considered by many to be the pinnacle of instrumental Baroque music.  Come and join us as we explore why.

Alex's "moment of Bach" comes near the end of the first movement, when the music gets a little low and scary, and the cellos play some heavy metal music. Well, it sounds pretty metal!

Stay tuned for the next two episodes in this miniseries, as we continue to marvel at Bach's creativity, and the elegance of his musical construction. The Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 is truly one of the greats.  The Netherlands Bach Society performance of this piece is a great way to spend 11 minutes of your free time: https://youtu.be/qr0f6t2UbOo

Artwork for "A Moment of Bach" by Sydney LaCom

Du Hirte Israel, höre (BWV 104): opening

Don't you just "know" when someone has put good work into a product just from your first experience with it? We think this is why Bach never feels lazy. While Bach excels at portraying a shepherd's pasture with music, we hear how some contemporary examples from film and TV are so much more widely varied in quality. Bach's musical pasture is so idyllic that we can use it to de-stress from our modern lives!

Cantata BWV 104: https://youtu.be/eZaL8XakQLo

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