A Moment of Bach

Brandenburg Concerto No. 6: movement 3

This delightful jig closes out our miniseries on Brandenburg 6.  Here we speak about the third movement's jumpy beats. and how these rhythmic anticipations give the whole piece a bouncy energy.  Bach, the expert violist among so many other things, gives the two viola parts the most intricate material, playing off each other and passing along the musical line.  Yet, in the ritornellos, he always doubles them, allowing for a rich, sweet viola tone to dominate in this delightful musical treat.

Netherlands Bach Society performs Brandenburg 6 (skip to 3rd movement); Shunske Sato, artistic director

Brandenburg Concerto No. 6: movement 2

Welcome back to our yearly miniseries on the Brandenburg Concertos of J. S. Bach! This is part two of three. Today we look at the languid and luscious slow movement of Brandenburg Concerto No. 6.

Music is (often) a setup of expectations, and then the satisfying fulfillment of those expectations OR the clever subversion of those expectations. Bach is especially good at this principle. We focus first on the unusual written-out cello part, separate from the basso continuo, creating a new entity but bound to the bass still (heterophony). Then we look at Christian's two moments, both of expectation and then subversion.

Brandenburg 6 - movement 2 - Netherlands Bach Society

Brandenburg Concerto No. 6: movement 1

Welcome to our yearly miniseries on the Brandenburg Concertos of J. S. Bach!  Here we jump into Brandenburg 6, delighting in the weirdness that results when Bach decides to omit violins, preferring a dark, low sound of violas, violas de gamba, cello, and violone.  This brings us to some more examples across Bach's oeuvre, as well as some others by Brahms, Bruce Broughton, and John Williams.  As any creative person knows, setting limitations for yourself -- "no violins", for example -- is actually a good strategy for stimulating creativity, and results in a more unique creative output.  How fortunate for us, then, that Bach seems to agree.

Brandenburg 6 - movement 1 - Netherlands Bach Society

Other pieces that were used as audio examples:

BWV 18 (cantata with 4 violas and no violins) - Netherlands Bach Society

BWV 80 (Ein feste burg), middle movement (unison chorale) - Netherlands Bach Society

Brahms - A German Requiem - movement 1: University of Chicago Orchestra, University Choir, Motet Choir, Members of the Rockefeller Chapel Choir, James Kallembach, conductor (recording used under Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives 3.0 license) - refer to the first entry on this IMSLP page

Other pieces that we talked about, but did not play as examples:

Bruce Broughton - score from Tombstone (1993) - Gunfight at the O. K. Corral (4 bassoons can be heard in the first minute of this scene)

John Williams - score from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) - Hogwarts Forever (French horn quartet) (can be heard from 0:00 - 1:50)

Goldberg Variations: 7 (canary jig) (part 2)

Today we return to the 7th of the Goldberg Variations, the "Canary Jig." We discuss that peculiar name, and then we get into some smaller moments. Soaring flares up the keyboard, surprising altered tones, and crunchy grace notes are all over. Pushing forward into the ending, a high note leads us to the finish. We discuss why the contour of the hands makes this ending so satisfying.

Goldberg var. no. 7 as performed by Jean Rondeau for the Netherlands Bach Society

Du Hirte Israel, höre (BWV 104): bass aria

Just after Good Shepherd Sunday, we settle in to this comforting pastorale.  Not the famous opening movement -- no, this is another beautiful sicilienne-type dance, a bass aria, in which Bach gives a masterclass on melodic writing in just 5 seconds of music.  Melodic shape, sequence, pedal point, and effective parallel motion in triads -- these are all showcased in the first few measures.  Then, Alex points out his favorite moment, in the B section of the aria: a long note sung by the bass soloist.

Du Hirte Israel, höre performed by the Netherlands Bach Society (this link takes you straight to the bass aria "Beglückte Herde"

Goldberg Variations: 7 (canary jig) (part 1)

In our second look at the monumental Goldberg Variations, Christian selects the beginning of the sprightly and innocent "gigue" (jig), a particular dance set here for an interplay between two hands. The jaunty rhythm of the dance is rather uneven; this leads us into a discussion about how music is naturally not even in this way (and when it is, it's too square). We discuss the Goldberg bass line which underpins the whole sequence of 30 variations and discover how it works with this one also. 

In two weeks, Christian will return to this variation and get more into the weeds with particular notes.

Goldberg var. no. 7 as performed by Jean Rondeau for the Netherlands Bach Society

Chorale: Ich steh an deiner Krippen hier (BWV 469)

Just as the three wise men brought their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the young Christ, so also this trio brings their soprano voice, viola da gamba, and theorbo (a lute variant) as musical gifts.... and we, the listeners, are the ones who are lucky enough to receive these gifts.  Here we discover the plain serenity of this original hymn tune by Bach, set to simple accompaniment, and paired with a tender Christmas text by the venerated hymnist Paul Gerhardt.

Performance of "Ich steh an deiner Krippen hier" (BWV 469) by Viola Blache, Mieneke van der Velden, and Mike Fentross for the Netherlands Bach Society

Speaking of gifts -- we must, as always, thank the Netherlands Bach Society and the evergreen gift they provide for the world, the All of Bach project.  They are working to complete a full set of high-quality recordings of Bach's complete oeuvre, along with video for each piece.  This is a staggering amount of music.  These are the recordings we have used on this podcast since its inception.  Thanks again to the Netherlands Bach Society for granting permission to use these excellent recordings.

Mass in B minor: Sanctus ("Pleni sunt coeli...")

The Mass in B minor is a well which never runs dry; we return to it year after year, and this time to celebrate Easter Monday we jump into the splendid "Sanctus" section. Christian uses the fugue subject on the text "Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria ejus" (heaven and earth are full of thy glory) to describe one of the best text paintings in history. This blossoming motif doesn't just leap to heaven and fall to earth; it then covers over and under both of them with the glory (gloria) of God. 

 

"Pleni sunt coeli..." fugue section of the "Sanctus," Mass in B minor as performed by the Netherlands Bach Society

St. Matthew Passion: "O Mensch, bewein" chorale fantasia (mvt. 29)

Here we do a full "Bach-n-talk" runthrough of the famous "O Mensch, bewein" chorale fantasia which ends the first half of the St. Matthew Passion, which happens to end on Alex's favorite moment.  Join us as we unpack a moment of mode mixture here, at the choir's closing cadence.  The borrowed minor modality gives the necessary spice to give a more complex flavor to the otherwise light and airy music.  But don't be fooled, listener, into thinking the woodwind parts are all just fluff.  They carry a darker undertone in the meaning of this music.  Remember: the flute's not cute.

"O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß" from St. Matthew Passion performed by the Netherlands Bach Society

Different version of "O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß" as mentioned in this episode; from the 1725 revision of St. John Passion, also performed by Netherlands Bach Society

VIVALDI — L'inverno (Winter), RV 297: I. Allegro non molto

Welcome to a moment of something different for once! 

We take a momentary diversion from our regular programming to give you a "moment of Vivaldi."

In Shunske Sato and the Netherlands Bach Society's rendition of Vivaldi's "Winter" of the "Four Seasons," Sato stuns with innovative solo violin timbres which embody the icy cold themes of the season. We don't normally hear such sounds when we hear baroque music whatsoever!

Christian focuses on one Vivaldi moment - a simple low trill, but when rendered with an extreme "sul ponticello" bowing (near the bridge), cold and dry harmonic overtones are heard instead.

 

"Winter" from the Four Seasons, Netherlands Bach Society