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by Rebecca Cochran
“Once I understood Bach’s music, I wanted to be a concert pianist. Bach made me dedicate my life to music, and it was that teacher who introduced me to his world.” — Nina Simone by Rebecca Cochran
On this day in 1847, Felix Mendelssohn passed away at the tender age of 38. We have Mendelssohn to thank for the revival of J. S. Bach’s music in Germany and, eventually, throughout Europe. Mendelssohn’s grandmother had given him a copy of the manuscript of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. Four years later, he arranged and conducted a performance of the work in Berlin. The rest, shall we say, (thankfully) is history. by Rebecca Cochran
I just chanced upon Classical FM’s Fast and Friendly Guide to Bach. It’s a short video on J.S. Bach and some of the defining moments of his life. The written biography within this link is well worth a read, too. Characterizing Bach as “music’s most sublime creative genius” is spot on! by Rebecca Cochran
In his Cantata BWV 66 Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen (Rejoice, you hearts), Bach treats us to two vocal duets! The fifth movement, scored for alto, tenor and virtuoso violin is one of my favorites. Enjoy this video recording featuring soloists Alex Potter, alto and Julius Pfeifer, tenor with the J.S. Bach Foundation and conductor, Rudolf Lutz. by Rebecca Cochran
Bach’s Pedal-Exercitium (BWV 598) is a short, complex work for organ pedals. With its fast passages and challenging articulations, the piece is considered a sort of exercise for the developing organist. The surviving manuscript is in the hand of Bach’s son, Carl Philipp Emanuel. It may simply be a piece that Carl Phillip jotted down as he was listening to his father improvise at the pedals. To add to the mystery, the manuscript does not include an ending. Recent research concludes that this fragment was not a work of J.S. Bach. |
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