A Moment of Bach

Cello Suite no. 6: Allemande

Sergey Malov, who plays all six cello suites on his violoncello da spalla (shoulder cello), gives us the inspiration to look at the suites in a new way. They "transcend" the instrument itself, as by the last one, it's clear that you are meant to be using an instrument with a higher fifth string. The allemande of the sixth suite also transcends its simple dance roots and flows out of its bounds.

 

Thanks to listener H.G. for the suggestion of the Allemande moment. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbH3JYfRjOQ&t=265s

Bleib bei uns (BWV 6): opening chorus

Stay with us, for night is falling.

On this Easter Monday, we return to Bach's Easter Monday cantata Bleib bei uns ("Stay with us").  We talked about this cantata in Season 1, but here we can't help but return to the captivating opening chorus, which reminds us of the closing choruses of the St. Matthew and St. John Passions.  Ever the pictorial composer, Bach uses repeated notes to paint the picture of God's steadfastness -- how He stays with us.  The middle section brings us into a lively double (or is it triple...?) fugue, culminating in Alex's favorite moment, a quadruple-octave blast from the choir.

Bleib bei uns performed by the Netherlands Bach Society, Jos van Veldhoven, conductor.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LISTENERS: check out Alex's concert THIS SUNDAY in Orange, CA which features this very cantata, Bleib bei uns, as well as some other hymn and liturgy arrangements, all in the musical context of an evening prayer service. Details here.

 

St. Matthew Passion: three transitions

Sometimes the most meaningful moment is the in-between. After learning that one of them would betray Jesus, the disciples (Choir 1 in the St. Matthew Passion) all clamor to exclaim: "Lord, is it me?"

We pause. Christ doesn't answer immediately. We know the answer. Both choirs admit: "It is me whose sin binds you." This chorale response which follows the bible passage shows that the answer is more than just Judas.  

These pauses between are often profound, introspective, or even crushingly sad. The second moment in this episode is one of contrite pleading after the Erbarme Dich aria and before a penitent chorale. The third is the stark silence of the moment after Christ's death. 

For Bach the expert storyteller, these transitions have an essential power of their own.

 

Moment 1

Moment 2

Moment 3

Thank you listener Dave for inspiring the concept for this episode, and suggesting the second moment.

Special thanks to the Netherlands Bach Society for the use of the audio examples and links to video examples. 

Ich elender Mensch (BWV 48)

Sometimes things are hidden in plain sight. In today's cantata, if you look past the "main" music happening in the voices and string instruments, a hidden gem can be found in the form of a simple melody played on the trumpets and oboes.  This tune, though unassuming, actually answers the central question that is at the heart of the cantata text. 

 

Bach wrote over 200 cantatas; each one contains hidden treasures like this one. We explore how Bach uses his modern harmony as a tool to express divine beauty, and Alex shares a “wow” moment from a chorale movement within the cantata — one that stretches the limits of dissonance in order to express the text, which speaks of the sadness and pain of a life without Christ's love.

 

Netherlands Bach Society performance of BWV 48 "Ich elender Mensch", directed by Shunske Sato

 

Or, go straight to the chorale moment, here.

 

Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (BWV 61) chorale: ”Amen, amen!”

A 45-second masterpiece: the ecstatic joy bursts forth from this hurried chorale, begging Jesus, the Crown of Joy, to return. Amen, amen! 

 

The urgency becomes part of the musical structure; Bach doesn't even have time for the whole hymn stanza as he sets the mystical text from only the last bit of the last stanza of Philipp Nicolai's hymn Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright).  A brilliant high note and descent of the last phrase reminds us of "Joy to the World." And yet, while the first Advent is shown in the descending notes, the violins don't tarry as they carry us up and up to an unusually high G.

 

"Amen, amen!" chorale in BWV 61, Netherlands Bach Society

 

Text translation and commentary used by the Netherlands Bach Society and referenced in this episode are by bachcantatatexts.org (BWV 61) by Daniel R. Melamed and Michael Marissen

 

Bachstiftung (J. S. Bach Foundation) video recording of a particularly fast performance

The Art of Fugue (BWV 1080): Final (unfinished) fugue

The Requiem by Mozart, Schubert's unfinished symphony, the incomplete Beach Boys album Smile... ever since the biblical story of the Tower of Babel we humans have been fascinated by the idea of an unfinished work of art.  The reconstruction by Netherlands Bach Society of the ending of Bach's Art of Fugue gets us very close to what the master himself might have done, had his pen not stopped on the page.  Perhaps the idea of incompleteness itself is a comforting thought -- even Bach, who left us so much high-quality art, never completed this culminating masterwork... is anyone's life's work every truly complete?  Certainly Bach's legacy lives on despite this omission.  Even so, we can't help but wonder what his ending to this piece would have sounded like.

Netherlands Bach Society: The Art of Fugue (final movement; reconstruction of the ending by Kees van Houten and Leo van Doeselaar)

 

The Art of Fugue (BWV 1080): Contrapunctus I

After writing the Goldberg Variations, what was left to write? 

Welcome back to A Moment of Bach! We embark on our third season by celebrating the recent release of the Netherlands Bach Society's "Die Kunst der Fuge" -- a brilliant new arrangement of the towering masterwork. The expressive and unusual instrumentation makes this recording unlike any other.

 

Die Kunst der Fuge BWV 1080 by the Netherlands Bach Society, arr. Shunske Sato

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

Stefano Greco lecture including a new theory on the order of the parts of the Art of Fugue

BONUS: Jim Meredith, Sonos Handbell Ensemble director (BACHTOBERFEST bonus 2 of 2)

One more BACHTOBERFEST festivity: a conversation with a wonderful guest.

Does Bach's music work on modern instruments which were designed after his time? Our guest, conductor and composer James Meredith is the long-time Artistic Director of the top-tier Sonos Handbell Ensemble. Jim talks about his love of Bach, his avenue toward handbells as an instrument of high-level performance, and his own Bach transcriptions for the instrument. Before the interview, we answer a question about the “Little Fugue” in G major.

Sonos Handbell Ensemble

“Now Hear This” by Scott Yoo on PBS

Christian’s upcoming BWV 61 Cantata performance: Sunday, Dec. 11 at 3:00 here (free)

BONUS: Blooper reel Season 2 (BACHTOBERFEST bonus 1 of 2)

As promised, here are the silly bloopers that we both collected throughout this year! Stay tuned for one more bonus episode: the interview about Bach and the handbell ensemble with James Meredith, artistic director of Sonos. 

BACHTOBERFEST season closer and Quodlibet BWV 524

Thanks so much to our listeners for being a part of our second season!

On this second BACHTOBERFEST, we answer questions and read some great stories from listeners.  We also listen to the hilarious "Quodlibet", a piece that seems too silly for Bach, but it is indeed by the master himself, and gives us a glimpse of his sense of humor.  We also try a couple of beers, including a German Hefeweizen shandy.

Listeners -- you've helped spread the word -- last year we were at 10,000 episode downloads; now we are over 55,000.  Thank you!!

We'll drop a blooper reel for Season 2 soon, as well as a bonus interview with composer and conductor Jim Meredith.

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

Artwork by Syndey LaCom

Musical examples provided by the Netherlands Bach Society

Quodlibet -- Netherlands Bach Society (the humorous operetta / joke piece by Bach we listen to in this episode)