​by Rebecca Cochran
 
The first time I recall hearing a work by J.S. Bach was in high school. (I’m a flutist.) We had a guest conductor that day and he brought in a piece for our wind ensemble to sight-read. It was an arrangement of Bach’s Fugue in E-flat, the St. Anne’s Fugue.

​This is how I begin my classical story.

Hear Part I of my interview on American Public Media as to why Bach is my favorite composer.

by Rebecca Cochran
 
I just ran across a post from 2009 by Fenwick Smith, former Boston Symphony Orchestra flutist and long-time professor of flute at New England Conservatory. The post is titled, Bach’s Partita for Flute Alone: The Dilemma.
 
In this short post, Smith discusses how the opening movement of Bach’s Partita presents a quandary to the flutist. Just imagine: the year was 1717 and Bach was writing his first piece for the newly invented transverse flute, rather than the recorder. Bach ambitiously opens the Partita with an Allemande, writing 18 measures of continuous sixteenth notes before providing the first pause for a breath. Smith then goes on to explain how we flutists, as we study the architecture and logic of Bach’s music, can eventually learn how to manage our breathing without disrupting the flow of the piece –- no mean feat, I might add!
 
This post reminded me of one of my earliest lessons on the Partita with my teacher and mentor, Louis Moyse, whose editions of the complete Bach Sonatas for flute, including the Partita, are published by Schirmer. My “strategy” consisted of choosing to leave out a note or two as a way to make concessions for the challenges in breathing. I recalled Louis approving of this technique in earlier lessons as I studied works by other composers.
 
During this particular lesson, however, Louis stopped me mid-phrase and let me know, in no uncertain terms, that my strategy of leaving out an occasional sixteenth note would not suffice for the Partita. To this day, I remember his exact words:
 
“One note by Bach is more important than all of the other notes by all the other composers combined!”

by Rebecca Cochran
 
Bach’s Cantata 151, specifically the opening aria, Süßer Trost, mein Jesus kömmt, scored for soprano, strings and flute, is one of my all-time favorites. Bach was a master in writing an independent line for flute or other obbligato instrument in his cantatas. Somehow, this technique nearly always causes me to “melt” with joy, whether I’m the lucky player or simply listening.
 
This cantata is one of the first recordings I encountered in which my longtime mentor and teacher, flutist Louis Moyse was featured, along with soprano, Charlene Peterson. Their rendering of Cantata 151 is beautifully intimate and heart-felt, from the opening lullaby, to the contrasting center section laden with triplets of joy, and then, back again to the lullaby. Unfortunately, their recording is not commercially available today.
 
I love knowing that Bach penned so many obbligato lines for us fortunate flutists. It is wonderful to be considered “indispensible,” musically or otherwise.
 
The free sheet music for this aria can be accessed here via 8notes.com.