A Moment of Bach

After witnessing Christ's death, we experience a frozen scene -- an aria -- which is a space for reflection that Bach so often gives us in his cantatas and passions. But this time we also experience some harsh tonal whiplash as first we hear Christ's head falling in death, then a dancing, hopeful aria. This aria with interspersed chorale is filled with questions, and the positivity of one final answer. Bach produces an innovative and complex "theological counterpoint" of the bass aria's poetry with the simultaneous chorale text. The answer is a confident affirmative; the bass holds a moment and then nods "ja." And so, our question "can I inherit the kingdom of heaven? Is this the redemption of the world?" is answered: as Christ lowered his head in death, he silently bowed his head "yes." Aria "Mein teurer heiland" with chorale "Jesu, der du warest tot" as performed by Drew Santini and the Netherlands bach Society

"It is finished." This falling melody, sung by Christ at the moment of His death, is followed by the pivotal alto aria "Es ist vollbracht". We explore the musical texture, the dramatic contrasts, the foreshadowing of the "vivace" middle section, and the way that silence can speak louder than words or music. We also uncover a truth about the word "finished" in this biblical passage. "Es ist vollbracht" as performed by Marine Fribourg (alto), Meineke van der Velden (viola da gamba solo) for the Netherlands Bach Society Link to the devotional book Alex mentioned at the end of the episode. Thank you to listener and friend Marcia Biang for this book recommendation!

Why, at number 25 of 30 variations mostly in sunny G major, is here one of the most profoundly sad things he ever wrote? This one gets at something deep. He certainly knew suffering; was it his personal experience? Bach's full range of expressions is at play in the Goldberg Variations, here including sorrow. Dubbed the "Black Pearl" by keyboardist Wanda Landowska, the long and wandering variation retains its structure, yet takes us to such lonely and desolate places. The Goldberg Variations (var. 25) as played by Jean Rondeau for the Netherlands Bach Society

"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

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

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!

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

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".

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

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

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

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

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

In his early twenties Bach produced this compact, delightful cantata, likely for a wedding. The text of the duet is still applicable in a religious school community: The Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your children. Bach saves a special effect for the last two measures, where a modern technique is used: from highest of highs to the lowest note of the cello, a single line is passed across the string instruments. We discuss Christian's recent programming of this cantata on Aug. 25, 2024 for a service honoring school faculty and beginning a school year. "Der Herr segne euch" duet by Netherlands Bach Society

Bach proves his mastery of the Baroque concerto here, as in the Brandenburgs -- except this time, we don't have the original music! We do have a harpsichord concerto as well as an organ concerto version of the first movement (which is actually from a cantata)... but we do not have the violin concerto version, which scholars assume must exist. The reason for this assumption is that this music is suited exceptionally well for the violin, and so, this reconstruction was made. The first six bars of this piece are some of the most dynamic in Baroque music -- if you ever hear someone complain that classical music is "boring", hand them some good headphones and turn this one on! Violin Concerto in D minor - the main recording we talk about on this episode: Netherlands Bach Society, led by Shunske Sato Another recording of the same piece by Netherlands Bach Society, led by Shunske Sato Cantata "Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal" (BWV 146) (featuring the source music for this concerto)

"I shall sing of the wonders of Jesus." The trumpet reflects the text purely before the singer begins. The oboes and violins join in and play off the trumpet, each finishing each other's musical lines. You probably know this cantata for its most famous movement -- two verses of what we would call in English "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." But there is much more brilliance to be explored in this cantata. Bass aria "Ich will von Jesu Wundern singen" as performed by the Netherlands Bach Society Cantata Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (BWV 147), entire

A hidden gem, a fully-formed masterpiece from a young Bach, a cantata unburdened by his later fascination with Italian-style recitative and da capo arias: it is the incomparable Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit. We look at this cantata for a third time (see season 1 episode 8 for the sonatina, and season 3 episode 15 for the soprano solo ending moment). Near the end of the cantata, we are placed in the viewpoint of the criminal on the cross, who receives forgiveness by Christ and is told "today, you will be with me in Paradise". Bach weaves in a Luther hymn about departing this earth peacefully... and at a critical moment, the Christ solo ends and the hymn is all that's left, with the words "gentle and quiet". The Netherlands Bach Society interpretation of this moment is unique and powerful -- they let the moment breathe. Performance of BWV 106 "Gottes Zeit" by the Netherlands Bach Society, led by Jos van Veldhoven or, skip ahead to "Heute wirst du mit mir im Paradies sein"

The famous C minor fugue near the beginning of the Well-Tempered Clavier expresses the emotions of sadness, loneliness, and melancholy, according to harpsichordist Masato Suzuki. Suzuki provides a sensitive performance with attention to articulate detail in the fugue subject. This, naturally, leads Christian and Alex into a comparison with race cars. But, more straightforwardly, this fugue is part of the large journey that is the whole two books of preludes and fugues. The first prelude is a walk in the garden; its fugue is a hopeful step forward. But the following prelude in C minor is intrepid and fearless, boldly marching out the door. So, this fugue is when we finally run onto the road, with all of the uneasiness this entails. Explore with us how these first four parts of the WTC work together, what a countersubject (or even a second countersubject) is, and how this fugue embodies the very word root of "fugue" (to fly, flee). Fugue in C minor as played by Masato Suzuki for the Netherlands Bach Society Playlist with the entire Well-Tempered Clavier

Vivid and subtle, this cantata follows the spiritual journey of the soprano soloist who carries the weight of sin on her shoulders. The journey is one from darkness into light, and our moment, sent in by listener Dave, comes at the cathartic middle movement, where hope is found in patience. Soprano Julia Doyle delivers a heartfelt rendition of this stirring cantata, one of Bach's most openly emotional. We discuss how Bach's choice to make this a solo cantata is a masterstroke in itself, and we talk about how thrilling it is when Bach (and other artists/creators, even video game developers!) allow their works to be driven by the story and characters of the text, rather than trying to force the work into a predetermined structure. The music is subservient to the emotional journey that is the heart of the text. This, we think, is what gives Bach's cantatas and passions their magic. Aria "Tief gebückt" from this cantata, Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut (BWV 199), as performed by Julia Doyle and the Netherlands Bach Society Companion video by the Netherlands Bach Society: interview with soprano Julia Doyle

On the last note of Mozart's "Kyrie eleison" in his requiem, he chooses a stark and intense open fifth instead of a triad. What happens when a composer finishes...not correctly? Is this allowed? When using old melodies which start and end on scale degree 3 (relative to major), Bach adapts this old Phrygian mode to his idiom, but this does create an unexpected ending. Even more surprising is the wild hellish chromaticism of the final passage leading up to the Phrygian ending of this "Kyrie" setting. Even by Bach's own standard, this chromatic passage goes beyond. Leo van Doeselaar plays BWV 671 (the focus of this episode and the text on the Holy Ghost) for the Netherlands Bach Society BWV 669 (text on God the Father) BWV 670 (text on Christ the Son) Mozart Requiem II. Kyrie (excerpt): Public Domain recording