A Moment of Bach

Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf (BWV 226)

An outlier of a piece in an outlier of a category -- Bach didn't write very many motets compared to his other types of works, and this is the only one which is fully scored for choirs throughout AND had specific instrument parts written which all double the choral parts.  It's also a double choir, which adds to the uniqueness -- 8 separate choral parts, each with an instrument doubling.  Alex's favorite moment involves a jumpy syncopation, which is set up by one of Bach's favorite motifs, the "sighing" motif.  This little dessert of a piece is so sweet and light and fun, it might surprise you to hear that it was written for a funeral!

Performance of this motet by the Netherlands Bach Society, conducted by Stephan MacLeod

Brandenburg Concerto No. 5: movement 3

In our final episode in the miniseries on Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, we use the wonderfully resplendent recording of the last movement by the Netherlands Bach Society to explore three key moments. The music is a festive jig with an aggressively happy character. The twists and turns are rapid and numerous.

 

Recording link

Brandenburg Concerto No. 5: movement 2

In the middle episode of our Brandenburg 5 series, we explore the ponderous and affectionate-sounding second movement, scored for an intimate trio of violin, flute, and harpsichord.  The harpsichord again takes a role of heightened importance, though it's more subtle here than it was in the first movement.  And here, in Alex's favorite passage, another lone C-natural inspires our performers to make a creative choice: to hang on to a certain, special moment, for just a little longer.  

Watch the video of Brandenburg 5, mvt.2, artfully staged by the Netherlands Bach Society

 

Brandenburg Concerto No. 5: movement 1

Welcome to our traditional yearly miniseries, where we take moments from the three movements of one of the six beloved Brandenburg Concerti. In this first of three episodes, we look at the grand, gallant opening movement. We explore the exuberant refrain theme (ritornello), and the wild and bizarre harpsichord solo. We also follow and hunt for a rogue C natural through this piece where we expected C sharps. 

The moment for today comes just before one ritornello, when the Netherlands Bach Society ensemble chooses to take some extra time before building back to it. 

 

Performance (with special thanks to the Netherlands Bach Society for permission to use this audio in our podcast)

 

Three beautiful melodies in 12/8

It's almost unfair to other composers that Bach was not only the greatest fugue writer to ever live, but he also was... maybe one of the very best melodic writers to ever live?  And he wrote... (checks notes)... HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of absolutely perfect melodies, like it was no big deal? Come on, Bach.  Leave some for the rest of us.

Today Alex brings us three of the most beautiful instrumental intro melodies from arias.  These are all in 12/8 time, a meter that lends itself to peaceful, lilting beauty.   And, Alex connects Bach and "Texas hold 'em" poker, somehow.

Opening aria from BWV 170 Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust (alto solo cantata), Netherlands Bach Society, Jos Van Veldhoven, dir.

"Et misericordia" alto/tenor aria from BWV 243 Magnificat, Netherlands Bach Society, Jos Van Veldhoven, dir.

Soprano/oboe aria from BWV 21 Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis, Netherlands Bach Society, Shunske Sato, dir.

An interesting dissertation by Kayoung Lee, about Bach's use of 12/8 meter: The Role of the 12/8 Time Signature in J. S. Bach's Sacred Vocal Music

Mass in F major: Qui tollis

A host of wonderful surprises are in store for the listener of the lesser-known mass in F major. Bach's giant mass in B minor overshadows all of his other Latin choral works, but we should not miss out on this one. Christian and Alex take a listener suggestion from Riley for this week's episode where we explore the pained pleading of the interweaving oboe and soprano in the movement "Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis" (Who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us). We hear a powerful paragraph from Schweitzer's writing on the religiosity of Bach, even if we laugh a bit about how extravagant and inflated it is. 

 

As performed by the Netherlands Bach Society

 

Recording of Concerto in Bb major for bassoon and orchestra (K. 191): Arthur Grossman, bassoon; U.S. Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra, Ling Tung, conductor. Bordeaux, France, 1956; The Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet archive

Prelude no. 15 in G major (Well-Tempered Clavier Book 2)

Today we talk about clever twists, whether in music or in stories, and how these twists can be delightful in their subversion of our expectations -- when done well.  In this less-than-famous little prelude from the famous compilation The Well-Tempered Clavier, Bach uses deceptive cadences to add flavor to the music without sacrificing the form, in such a way that the music feels inevitable.

Prelude No. 15 from WTC Book 2, performed on harpsichord by Christine Schornsheim for the Netherlands Bach Society

Thanks as always to Netherlands Bach Society for the use of their excellent recordings as our musical examples!

Excerpt from Mozart's Symphony no. 40 in G minor, mvt.4, from Das Orchester Tsumugi, Fukuoka, Japan; public domain recording (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0)

 

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.