2023 marks 300 years since Bach moved to Leipzig for the post of Thomaskantor and music director. Let us likewise celebrate the 300 years which have passed since his first christmas in Leipzig.
This brilliant choral piece by Bach, a Sanctus not well-known, had it’s first performance on Christmas Day in 1723. The congregation could also enjoy his original Christmas version of the Magnificat (in E major), as well as his cantata Christen, ätzet diesen Tag. Wish I was there…
A very merry and healthy Christmas and a happy new year I wish to all visitors of this site !
Enjoy the vocal works of Bach online with Bachipedia !
Johann Sebastian Bach always has a lot to offer in the realm of music. And this is certainly the case when it comes to Christmas. Actually in Leipzig at his time, music was silent during Advent – but that meant more time to prepare for the busy Christmas days. In an earlier post, I dealt with his first Christmas in Leipzig, in the year 1723.
In below playlist, I have collected some movements from his Christmas cantatas and the Christmas Oratorio (the latter being in fact 6 separate cantatas).
Rick Beato discusses here what makes Bach so great !
Johann Christoph Bach was a German composer of the Baroque period. He was born at Arnstadt, the son of Heinrich Bach, Johann Sebastian Bach’s great uncle, hence he was Johann Sebastian’s first cousin once removed. He was also the uncle of Maria Barbara Bach, J. S. Bach’s first wife.
Within the Bach family, Johann Christoph was highly respected as a profoundcomposer. In J. S. Bach’s obituary notice of 1754 he is mentioned expressly as one who was as good at inventing beautiful thoughts as he was at expressing words. He composed, to the extent that current taste permitted, in a galant and cantabile style, uncommonly full-textured … On the organ and the keyboard he never played with fewer than five independent parts. J. S. Bach performed some of his motets and vocal concertos in Leipzig.
This motet for 5 voices was included in the so-called Altbachisches Archiv (old-Bachian archive), a collection of 17th-century vocal music, most of which was written by members of the Bach family. The collection was founded by the father of Johann Sebastian Bach. After the death of Johann Sebastian the collection was passed on to his son Carl Philipp Emanuel. The original manuscripts were lost during the Second World War, only to be rediscovered in Ukraine in 1999 (through the efforts of musicologist Christoff Wolff), after which they in 2001 were returned to the Sing-Akademie in Berlin.
See a presentation of a Bach autograph score preserved in Copenhagen !
Johann Michael Bach was a German composer belonging to the generation before Johann Sebastian Bach. He was the brother of Johann Sebastian’s uncle and also the father of his first wife Maria Barbara. Especially in the chorale motet, the vocal form to which he almost exclusively devoted himself, he composed works of real significance. His convincing treatment of spoken declamation is particularly notable.
This motet for double choir (the manuscript is now lost) was included in the so-called “Altbachisches Archiv” (old-Bachian archive), a collection of 17th-century vocal music, most of which was written by members of the Bach family. The collection was founded by the father of Johann Sebastian Bach. After the death of Johann Sebastian the collection was passed on to his son Carl Philipp Emanuel, who named it “Altbachisches Archiv”. The original manuscripts were lost during the Second World War, only to be rediscovered in Ukraine in 1999 (through the efforts of musicologist Christoff Wolff), after which they in 2001 were returned to the Sing-Akademie in Berlin.
See a presentation of a Bach autograph score preserved in Copenhagen !
Bach probably composed the cantata DU WAHRER GOTT UND DAVIDS SOHN (BWV 23) in Köthen between 1717 and 1723, but it was revised to be included as Bach’s second test piece (with “Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe”, BWV 22) for the position of Thomaskantor in Leipzig. The work was performed there on 7 February 1723 (after the sermon), and performed again on 20 February 1724.
The chorale was probably not part of the Köthen cantata, but is a surviving part of an otherwise lost passion written by Bach in Weimar. One can understand why Bach wanted to perform this impressive piece during his audition !
The chorale also concluded his 1725 revision of the St. John Passion.
If you like Bach (which I assume since you are here 😊), you may like Scarlatti as well? Both were born in the same miraculous year of 1685, which also saw the birth of George Frideric Handel.
Domenico Scarlatti was born in Italy but spent the bulk of his career in Portugal and Spain. Today he is mostly know from his more than 500 short keyboard pieces named sonatas. Most are single movements, normally in two sections. Scarlatti triumphed over the heavy Baroque style with his characterful themes, natural cantabile melodies, and dance-like movements. He is certainly one of music history’s great keyboard composers, and an early keyboard virtuoso as well.
I have made a number of videos combining the recording of a sonata with the score. Click here for the full playlist.
You may have a personal favourite among the sonatas which I haven’t done yet? I can do that – check out this page!
Bach’s cantata “Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen” (They will all come forth out of Sheba) written for Epiphany 1724 (6 January) contains one of his most fabulous introductory choruses. The horns call all the people together to praise the newborn, not just the 3 kings. The piece has an oriental spicy sound that smells of cardamom, nutmeg and candles !
The cantata concluded his first Christmas season as Thomaskantor in Leipzig which had been celebrated with five cantatas, four of them new compositions, the Magnificat and a new Sanctus (ref. my previous post).
Enjoy the vocal works of Bach online with Bachipedia !
This brilliant choral piece by Bach, a “Sanctus” not well-known, had it’s first performance on Christmas Day in 1723, which was Bach’s first year as St. Thomas cantor and musical director in Leipzig. During the same service, the congregation could hear Bach’s original Christmas version of his Magnificat, as well as his cantata ‘Christen, ätzet diesen Tag’. Wish I was there…
A very merry and healthy Christmas and a happy new year I wish to all visitors of this site !
Enjoy the vocal works of Bach online with Bachipedia !
Well, in the context of the church year, as today is the First Sunday of Advent !
2 December 1714 saw the performance in Weimar of Bach’s cantata “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland” (BWV 61), a master work of his youth. The chorale was the most important hymn for Advent through centuries, the text being paraphrased by Martin Luther from Latin – Bach used it on several occasions.
BWV 61 opens with a splendid chorale fantasy in the style of a French overture, a musical form pioneered by Jean-Baptiste Lully at the French court. It is famous for it’s slow introduction with dotted rhythm, followed by a lively movement in fugato style.
As a follow up on the theme of Bach and Frederick the Great, I have just uploaded this documentary with English (and German) subtitles.
Michael Maul, German musicologist and artistic director of the Bach Festival in Leipzig, grabs his violin and visits Sanssouci Castle in Potsdam, elaborating on the visit of the two.
[ The video is no longer available on YouTube ]
Link to the Bach Festival in Leipzig. The next festival is scheduled for June next year, hopefully this will turn into reality, time will tell…
Enjoy the vocal works of Bach online with Bachipedia !
