Bach [by Lewis Saul]

Today, I’m here to talk about my favorite Bach ensemble — The Netherlands Bach Society and their “All of Bach” project — particularly Bach’s long-form works.

The St. Matthew Passion (2:44:31) is at the top of the list for me. 164 minutes may seem like a long time, but the music is so sublime, the time just flies by. At the bottom of the above link is another link that says “into the weeds with me,” which will take you to my first post here — 13 years ago — where I compare and contrast five different recordings of the Passion.

Equally demanding is the great Mass in B Minor (1:48:42).

 

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Less demanding are the 250 cantatas (index). They average 20-30 minutes in length, and demonstrate Bach’s consistently fabulous part-writing. The first 200 or so are sacred, and the rest secular (wedding, hunting — even tax collectors [#212]).

But today, I’ll speak of the magnificent Magnificat from 1733, a mere 28 minutes long. Click on the Luke links to see the English translation of each movement.

 

 

 

In 1723, after taking up his post as Thomaskantor in Leipzig, Bach set this text in 12 movements for Christmas in the key of E-Flat Major.

A decade later, Bach revised the work, dropping the Christmas hymns, altering or expanding some instrumentation, and changing the key to D Major for the trumpets — their natural key. The probable date for the first performance of this version was July 2, 1733, for the feast day of Visitation (although some scholars believe it wasn’t until the following Christmas). That year there had been a period of mourning (February to June) after the death of Augustus the Strong, during which no concerted music was allowed in the churches.

 

The choir is in five voices: SSATB.

 

The arch symmetry is magical:

• Mvmnts 1/2 & 11/12 in tonic
• Mvmnts 3 & 10 in relative minor
• Mvmnts 5 & 9 in major keys other than D
• Mvmnts 6 & 8 minor key
• Mvmnt 7 tonic

8. Deposuit potentes de sede et exaltavit humiles

Luke 1:52

 

Tenor aria accompanied by unisono violins and continuo only.

9. Esurientes implevit bonis et divites dimisit inanes

Luke 1:53

 

Alto aria, accompanied by two flutes and continuo. Stretch out your imagination and you can almost hear a jazz bass player, as the continuo plucks out notes in a steady on-the-beat rhythm! The flutes decorate the alto with compassionate word-painting (he has filled the hungry with good things) …

 

Here, Bach shows his mastery of composing just the right amount of orchestration — this is a trio for the two soprani and alto, accompanied only by an oboe and a continuo of only cello.

What is of primary interest here is the oboe part, which is a cantus firmus of Luther’s German translation of the Magnificat: Meine Seele erhebt den Herren (My soul exalts the Lord) — from the original plainchant in the Aeolian mode (today’s minor scale). Note how the chant starts on F-Sharp (dominant) and ends on B (tonic):

 

All five voices enter in a fugato from bottom to top. The complex part-writing is typical of Bach’s genius in weaving the main motif in and out of a flowing accompaniment that is musical perfection.

 

 

The complete ensemble concludes the work with a glorious fugato and then — changing to a 3/4 meter, the second part of the text (Sicut erat …) repeats material from the opening movement.