ADVENT III – Bach Day

The first sentence of the entry on Johann Sebastian Bach in Bakers Biographical Dictionary of Music and Musicians, written by the late Nicolas Slonimsky with his entertaining tone of breezy, articulate accuracy, pretty much says it all:

“…Bach, Johann Sebastian, supreme arbiter and lawgiver of music, a master comparable in greatness of stature with Aristotle in philosophy and Leonardo da Vinci in art…”

And later on, in the body of the article:

“…Yet despite the grandeur of the phenomenon on Bach, he was not an isolated figure dwelling in the splendor of his genius apart from the zeitgeist, the spirit of his time. Just as Aristotle was not only an abstract philosopher but also an educator [Alexander the Great was his pupil], just as Leonardo da Vinci was not only a painter of portraits but also a practical man of useful inventions, so Bach was a mentor to young students, a master organist and instructor who spent his life within the confines of his native Thuringia as a teacher and composer of works designed for immediate performance.”

The cantata, BWV 6 2, ‘Nun Komm, der Heiden Heiland,’ is just such a commonplace expression of the weekly rhythm of the liturgy. Composed in Leipzig in 1724, for the First Sunday of Advent in that year, this cantata is scored for SATB soloists and choir, strings, oboes, Corno [horn – omitted in this performance] and continuo. And so this piece marks the beginning of a new Liturgical Year, having the celebratory, joyous feel one might expect from such an ‘overture…’

Here’s the play-by-play:

Movement 1
A simple, splendid ‘Chorale Fantasy,” featuring the Hymn tune in long notes in both soprano and orchestral bass. Listen for the extended ‘concertato’ sections, between the choral statements – the ‘tossing around’ of musical material between oboes and strings…

Movement 2
A lilting tenor solo with oboes , viola and continuo… Note the easy-going sense of wonder…

Movement 3
A quick, brusque recitative which serves and a lead-in to:

Movement 4
A blistering, bravura bass solo with strings in unison – a texture lean and muscular…

Movement 5
Another quick recitative, in duet, which spills in to the final triumphant statement of:

Movement 6
The hymn. Simple, straightforward – one verse – but power-packed with chromatic, moving lines. This is more of a musical exclamation point: in 100-point type, in an elaborate, decorative font…

Note: The Introit, the opening movement from BWV 49, is a little foretaste of Ars Lyrica Houston’s ‘Bachanalia,’ the festive New Years’ Eve concert at 9:00pm at the hobby Center, Matthew Dirst conducting. Make plans now to join us for this Houston tradition! Tickets available at www.arslyricahouston.org

-Keith Weber