Something for a Friday: All of Bach

[Roehre]

I was going to suggest that the experience of the organist who played Friday's organ sonata might count as evidence that the music demanded technique that the organ could not quite meet, and therefore modifications had to be made, eg in the pedal part.

That's another argument indeed - but that might (just might....) also be caused by using another instrument as the one for which the original chamber work was transcribed/transposed

[Padraig]

It seems so inadequate just to say this is brilliant even though sometimes that's all I can come up with.
Was just thinking we need a Roehre or a vinteuil or a ferney to weigh in with their thoughts,and lo and behold.....I wonder if Jayne Lee Wilson visits this thread ?

At least, ER, it is a start to say it's brilliant. I know exactly what that feeling of inadequacy is. Perhaps prompts from others can help to fill out the gaps in our thoughts.
I neglected to say myself that I found the Organ Sonata totally absorbing, as I generally do with all of Bach, and there are so many and varied examples of his manner of speaking.

[EdgeleyRob]

Thank you Roehre for posts 117 and 121.

[EdgeleyRob]

Evening JSBers.

Fughetta super Wir glauben all an einen Gott, BWV 681.

Blink and you miss it,teeny weeny bit of Clavier Ubung 3.

Learned a couple more musical terms too,pedaliter and manualiter.

http://www.qub.ac.uk/~tomita/essay/cu3.html

[Roehre]

Evening JSBers.

Fughetta super Wir glauben all an einen Gott, BWV 681.

Blink and you miss it,teeny weeny bit of Clavier Ubung 3.

Learned a couple more musical terms too,pedaliter and manualiter.

http://www.qub.ac.uk/~tomita/essay/cu3.html

ER, now you must be able to use your hands and your feet then

[EdgeleyRob]

ER, now you must be able to use your hands and your feet then

Seriously Roehre,I can't believe it's taken me so long to discover Bach,but I'm so glad I have.

[Padraig]

BWV 681.
At first I missed the pedal, especially after listening to BWV 680 where the pedal had a reassuring part. But after a few hearings I came to enjoy the precision of this miniature fugue, with its sudden and dramatic interrupted cadence and the prolonged coda-like ending, so typical, to my ear and understanding, of many of Bach's compositions.
I have always managed to listen to Bach without dwelling too much, or at all, on his texts, but I often wonder if that is a help or a hindrance. In the same way, and with the same hesitation, I don't dwell on the texts of Palestrina's masses.

[Roehre]

BWV 681.
At first I missed the pedal, especially after listening to BWV 680 where the pedal had a reassuring part. But after a few hearings I came to enjoy the precision of this miniature fugue, with its sudden and dramatic interrupted cadence and the prolonged coda-like ending, so typical, to my ear and understanding, of many of Bach's compositions.
I have always managed to listen to Bach without dwelling too much, or at all, on his texts, but I often wonder if that is a help or a hindrance. In the same way, and with the same hesitation, I don't dwell on the texts of Palestrina's masses.

BWV681 is quintessentially JSBach - exactly as you describe.

Texts in Bach are very helpful where both the Passions [of which the "story-lines" follow the Gospel] and the Cantatas [based on libretti related to the ecclesiastical calender] are concerned.
Though it is perfectly well possible to enjoy the cantatas musically without knowing any of the words set, I personally found it revelatory to know what was sung.

However, I think [own experience here] that knowing the work musically well before turning to the texts is beneficial. This applies certainly to both the "special occasion" cantatas [ these were composed and used outside the ecclesiastical calendar, e.g. for Weddings (BWV 195-197), Funerals (BWV 106, 157, 198), Installations of new Councillors (BWV 29, 69, 71, 119, 120, 193) etc] and the secular cantatas [BWV 200-220], these latter coming as near as Bach got to composing an opera.

On the other hand I am not sure whether it really helps to know the words of the chorales for which JSBach composed preludes, or which he set separately. Many of them you'll get to know anyway, as all church cantatas comprise at least one.

Listening to some cantatas of which you might know the music otherwise (Bach in recycling mood, that is) gives you a clue regarding the relation between the quoted "purely" instrumental work and the cantata with the added meaning of the words set to the melodies.

[Padraig]

Thank you, Roehre, for all of #128. Your classification of the cantatas is useful to someone, like me, who has no background in them, sacred or secular. I come across them mainly by chance, though I have acquired some recordings over the years. This AoB project, however, has introduced some discipline into my listening, and the way the cantatas are presented has been educational for me and I find I am making time to listen to them more carefully.

[EdgeleyRob]

A big thank you from me too Roehre,a most interesting and enlightening post as always.

However, I think [own experience here] that knowing the work musically well before turning to the texts is beneficial

That's the way I'm going about it.

[EdgeleyRob]

From 'Das wohltemperierte Klavier I' (BWV 852) Prelude and Fugue in E-flat Major.

More familiar stuff for me,but more usually on a piano.
A revelation to hear it on a harpsichord,played on a quite beautiful instrument too.
Interesting to hear about the 2 fugues therein,and that the preludes could almost be classed as studies.
Expert comment would be more than welcome folks.

More in depth info on the WTK here,a bit beyond me some of it,but a good read nevertheless http://www.bachwelltemperedclavier.org/

[kernelbogey]

From 'Das wohltemperierte Klavier I' (BWV 852) Prelude and Fugue in E-flat Major.

More familiar stuff for me,but more usually on a piano.
A revelation to hear it on a harpsichord,played on a quite beautiful instrument too.
Interesting to hear about the 2 fugues therein,and that the preludes could almost be classed as studies.
Expert comment would be more than welcome folks[....]

I can't get this to load - anyone else having problems?

(BTW there are a few other films from The Forty-eight, at the beginning of the project - beautifully done.)

[EdgeleyRob]

I can't get this to load - anyone else having problems?

(BTW there are a few other films from The Forty-eight, at the beginning of the project - beautifully done.)

No problems here kb.

[kernelbogey]

I can't get this to load - anyone else having problems?

(BTW there are a few other films from The Forty-eight, at the beginning of the project - beautifully done.)

I did manage to hear the music, but couldn't get the talk by the artist to load. I'll try again later today.

I'm relieved to have a bit of the Forty-eight again after weeks of Cantatas and organ works. I love the way the keyboard works have been filmed in the musicians' houses. The instruments are so beautiful....

Rob, I also came late to Bach. When first discovering 'classical' music as a teenager, I wholly identified Johann Sebastian with cantatas sung by choirs with wobbly female voices - couldn't stand 'em! Only in the last 6 -7 years have I discovered the joys of The Well-Tempered Clavier*, the French and English Suites and above all the magnificent Goldberg Variations. I unfortunately missed taking up my seat two years ago at Mahan Esfahani's recital of them at St George's Bristol because of illness: happily my son managed to capture the programme for me off air, and his performance has been significant in shaping my pleasure at the harpsichord version of this work - without detracting from its performance on the piano.

*We have Book I, Nos 1, 6, 7, 12, 13 & 14 on All of Bach (see the bottom of the 'see all the numbers' list).

[Padraig]

Nice to get a chance to listen again to the 48, and of course to learn things you didn't know. Funny how in the previous number the organist talked about a harpsichord writing style,, while in the prelude of No 7 the harpsichordist lamented the lack of a pedal for the final cadence. The piano does have a sustaining pedal used to great effect here, which is one more reason why on the whole I prefer hearing the piano to the harpsichord.
I hope kb you have managed to listen to the talk on the piece - most helpful.