Concerts of Cantatas, Bach Festivals, Conferences
Discussions - Part 2

Continue from Part 1

Bach at One: NYC

Douglas Cowling wrote (June 24, 2011):
A trip to NYC this week was enriched by a superb period performance of Cantata BWV 191, "Gloria in Excelsis" and Cantata BWV 147, "Herz und Mund" by the Trinity Choir and Trinity Baroque Orchestra under the direction of Julian Wachner in St. Paul's Chapel. It was a personal delight, after playing and singing "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring" literally hundreds of times in my life, to hear it as Bach wrote it -- and enlivened by a real gigue tempo!

St. Paul's Chapel is a superb 18^th century church and, with its glossy white blossoming pillars, not unlike St. Nicholai in Leipzig. Like Bach's churches, St. Paul's has galleries all around the sides and from the upper gallery where I was sitting I could directly see the organ and west gallery. Alas, in true modern fashion, the choir and orchestra were in front of the altar on the ground floor.

The program notes by the conductor are well worth a read: www.trinitywallstreet.org/files/calendar/pdfs/110519Choir_Program1.pdf

Wachner makes a provocative case for Bach not as the "inaugurator" of modern music (1700-1900) but as the "culminator" of previous centuries. He points to three recent discoveries:

1) the Cavlov Bible which established Bach as the traditional Lutheran

2) the OVPP research of Joshua Rifkin

And

3) the tuning hypotheses of fellow lister, Brad Lehmann"

"And, perhaps most fascinating from a performer¹s point of view<BRADLEY Lehman¹s recent deciphering of the ³squiggle² on the original cover of Das Wohltemperierte Klavier provided the solution to Bach¹s handling of the tuning ³wolf² or ³comma² that exists in pure tuning systems, thus debunking the myth that Bach created ³equal² temperament. Bach¹s tuning system, although individual and specific to Bach, was no different in methodology than all of his colleagues and predecessors, all of whom were collectively attempting to provide a solution to a fully useable 12-note keyboard that could realize the entire circle of fifths."

Ed Myskowski wrote (June 26, 2011):
Douglas Cowling wrote:
< A trip to NYC this week was enriched by a superb period performance of Cantata 191, "Gloria in Excelsis" and Cantata 146, "Herz und Mund" by the Trinity Choir and Trinity Baroque Orchestra under the direction of Julian Wachner in St. Paul's Chapel. >
Thanks for the report. I wish we had more commentary on concerts, from both performers and audience. Regular writers warmly appreciated.

DC:
< 2) the OVPP research of Joshua Rifkin >
EM:
An interesting point. Sigiswald Kuijken would likely agree, given his coupling of an OVPP performance of JSB, with a full choir performance of CPEBach from the following generation.

DC:
< 3) the tuning hypotheses of fellow lister, Brad Lehman >
EM:
Quite a controversial topic, which I wandered into unawares a few years ago. Plenty of informative reading, fiery rhetoric, and useful links avaialble via BCW archives.

BNUK

Julian Mincham wrote (August 15, 2011):
I hope that somesubscribers may be interested in the following.

I have justreturned from Edinburgh (Scotland) having attended the 5th meetingof the BNUK (Bach Network UK) dialogue conference. This is an established Bachresearch group which meets every year for the presentation and discussion ofpapers related to Bachian music, ideas and circumstances. It is a trulyinternational event; this year there were delegates from Canada, USA, UK,France, Germany, Poland and Scandinavia.

The core of the group consists of such luminaries as John Butt, Ruth Tatlow, Robin Leaver,Richard Jones (who spent 5 years translating Dürr into English), Yo Tomita andthe chair, Peter Smaill is well known on these lists. (Christoph Wolff usuallyattends but was unable to on this occasion). As well as the presentation ofpapers, visits were arranged (with informative talks) to the Scottish NationalLibrary and Edinburgh University where, on the final evening a banquet wasgraced by a prelude consisting of a performance of BWV 173a (led from the harpsichordby John Butt and worth revisiting since it contains one of the few virtuoso bassoon obbligato solos) and an after dinner speech by John Elliot Gardiner.

Of the several papers presented, one I found particularly interesting was about Chopin’suses of, and attitude to Bach. The discovery of a set of the 48 annotated forteaching purposes and several letters (in which his playing of a number of thepreludes and fugues from memory and his use of them in his teaching) reveal newand fascination lights. Scholars are increasingly applying themselves tomatters of Bach performance and transmission in the C 19 aided by documents nowemerging from the former eastern bloc.

There are two routes which should be of interest to Bach scholars from around the world.Firstly, the papers which are published are all peer reviewed and those from theprevious meetings can be accessed by anyone through the BNUK website (thosefrom the 2011 meeting will be available later this year). Secondly, this is anevent which scholars may wish to attend in the future, either as presenters ofpapers or as participants in the dialogue discussions and allied occasions.Next year it is planned to hold the conference in Southampton UK and the following year in Warsaw, Poland.

Simply go to the website to keep yourselfinformed and to access the journal articles.

Bach Cantatas in Oxford (UK)

John Garside wrote (August 29, 2011):
To anyone who lives nearby or is visiting Oxford, Oxfordshire, may I heartily recommend a series of concerts of some cantatas. Many are over but there are still four to go.

As I was holidaying in the vicinity and visited the main shopping area I came across St Michael's at the North Gate. It was advertising Bach cantatas on a Sunday afternoon with FREE admission, AND a free cream tea to follow. For the non English that means tea and scones.

My wife and I attended the concert, BWV 105 (Herr, gehe nicht ins gericht), on the 21st and were roundly satisfied. Just SATB and no choir, so OVPP for the Chorus and Chorale and only an organist to accompany. My first hearing of live OVPP. What a revelation!

The four singers had good to excellent voices and the organist was accomplished enough to get away with it, although I did miss the oboe in the soprano aria Wie zittern und wanken.

Of utmost delight, to add to the already fine concert, was the opportunity to discuss Bach with the soprano, the tenor and conductor. Nuances of interpretation and pronunciation e.g.should the Rs be rolled Italian operatic style or pronounced in the German guttural way? (My wife is German and a mezzo-soprano.)

So engrossed did we become that we almost missed the tea! Just half a scone left and a hastily brewed cup of tea.

You should, of course, consider a serious donation to the church for such a free concert.

The most interesting part I've held until last. Preceding the Cantata was Anglican Protestant choral evensong, then the Cantata, then a hymn and final blessing. Putting it all firmly into a religious setting. Whether Christianity is your thing or not, it was an interesting experience in so many ways.

You may find details here: http://www.smng.org.uk/Bach_Cantatas.htm

If you attend I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

OT: NYC Trinity Church 9/11 concerts

William L. Hoffman wrote (September 2, 2011):
After performing at eucharistic services on Sunday, the Trinity Choir, conducted by Mr. Wachner, will sing two alternating programs of Bach cantatas (BWV 131 and BWV 106) and motets at 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday (September 5-8) at St. Paul's Chapel. Trinity is also releasing a recording of the complete motets.

On Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Trinity Church the Episcopal parish's youth cwill give the first performance of "Trinity Requiem" by Robert Moran. On Thursday at 8 the Chiara String Quartet plays Richard Danielpour's Quartet No. 6 ("Addio)" and Robert Sirota's "Triptych."

Those concerts lead up to a marathon on Friday: 10 concerts at Trinity and St. Paul's, culminating in an evening performance of combined forces titled "Remember to Love" at Trinity that will include the last three movements of Brahms's "German Requiem," Bernstein's "Chichester Psalms," the "Dona Nobis Pacem" movement from Bach's Mass in B minor (BWV 232), the Fauré Requiem and pieces by Duruflé, Randall Thompson, Marjorie Merryman, Lukas Foss and Anthony Furnivall. The violinist Gil Shaham will lend star power, along with the singers Anthony Roth Costanzo, Angela Meade, Jolle Greenleaf, Luca Pisaroni and Dashon Burton.

8/31 NY Times on-line

White Light Festival: Passio-Compassio - J.S. Bach and Sufi Mysticism

Douglas Cowling wrote (October 2, 2011):
The Cantor of Leipzig and Whirling Dervishes from Istanbul ...

Sat, Nov 19, 2011, 7:30 pm

Ensemble Sarband
Modern String Quartet
Vocanima Köln
Whirling dervishes from Istanbul
Vladimir Ivanoff, music director

Western and Middle Eastern musicians come together with the music of Bach in the closing performance of this year's White Light Festival. Ensemble Sarband, a group long dedicated to musically bridging East and West, joins a choir, saxophonists and a string quartet in Arabic and jazz arrangements of Bach¹s Passions, combining them with early Christian chant. This extraordinary cultural cooperation is framed by the meditative dance ritual of Sufi whirling dervishes from Turkey¹s Mevlevi Order. Art transcends hate: passio becomes compassio.
http://www.whitelightfestival.org/index.php/white-light-2011-passio-compassio

St. Matthew Passion in Birmingham - invitation

Michael Cox wrote (November 2, 2011):
CONCERT INVITATION

To any who are able to visit Birmingham, UK, next March, here is an invitation:

The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Thomanerchor under Biller are performing the St. Matthew Passion in Birmingham in March 2012.

Details here: http://www.thsh.co.uk/view/leipzig-gewandhaus-orchestra-thomanerchor

The line-up is almost exactly the same as in the performance I heard at the Bachfest in Leipzig in 2009. The two main differences are that then the orchestra was Concerto Köln on "authentic" instruments, and that this time there is a male counter tenor rather than female alto.

I have already booked up tickets for myself and my wife. I wondered whether any of you Bach fans might like to meet up for coffee or a meal before or after the performance to exchange notes, as it were.

American Bach Society - Rochester NY - Sept 27-30, 2012

William L. Hoffman wrote (November 15, 2011):
Bach's "German Mass"

William L. Hoffman wrote:
<< The Schemelli Songbook published in Leipzig in 1735 ... included the five extended four-part chorale settings of Luther's <Deutsche Messe> (vernacular German Mass": "Kyrie Gott Vater in Ewigkeit" (Mercy, God Father in eternity) in e-G, BWV 371; Allein Gott in der Hoh sei Her (Alone God in the highest be glory) in G Major, BWV 260); "Wir Glauben all an einem Gott" (We all believe in one God) in D Major, BWV 437; "Sanctus" (Holy) in F Major, BWV 325; and "O Lamm Gottes unschuldig" (O Lamb of God unstained) also in F Major, BWV 401. >
Douglas Cowling wrote:
< Is there any scholarly speculation that these might be settings used at weekday masses or by Choir II on Sundays and feast days? It would be interesting if they were shown to be Bach's "German Mass." >
I am rereading Robin Leaver's chapter on the "The <Deutsche Messe> From Luther to Bach" (<Luther's Liturgical Music>) and Günther Stiller's <Bach & Liturgical Life in Leipzig> (Leaver editor). I have found almost no commentary on Bach's settings, except that they are found together at the end of <Bach for All Seasons> hymnbook (Augsburg Fortress, Minneapolis, 1999), along with the <Dona Nobis Pacem" from the Mass in B Minor (instead of Bach's setting, BWV 126/6, of Luther's vernacular version, "Verlieh uns Frieden). I'll also check Charles S. Terry's notes to the settings in his translation volume of the collective chorales, BWV 253-438, not available on line.

Bach scholarship has centered on Terry and Leaver as well as the Friedrich Blume response circle, the Internationale Arbeitsgesamschaft Fuer Bachforschung. It seems that there is still much to learn about all the liturgical music Bach was involved with in Leipzig, as well as a deeper understanding of the implications and applications for a truly well-ordered church music, including the pietists' private devotional books, beyond the "Schemelli Songbook," and "The Organ Chorales: Template and Pillar of a `Well-Ordered Church Music'," the title of my proposed paper for the American Bach Society biannual meeting, Rochester NY, next September 27-30.

Douglas Cowling wrote (November 15, 2011):
William L. Hoffman wrote:
< It seems that there is still much to learn about all the liturgical music Bach was involved with in Leipzig, as well as a deeper understanding of the implications and applications for a truly well-ordered church music, including the pietists' private devotional books, beyond the "Schemelli Songbook," and "The Organ Chorales: Template and Pillar of a `Well-Ordered Church Music'," the title of my proposed paper for the American Bach Society biannual meeting, Rochester NY, next September 27-30. >
Rochester? I'll be there!

I'm curious to know if you're going to attempt to link specific cantatas with the chorale preludes which may have introduced their performance.

It would be very interesting to look at Bach's complete week and see how the chorales fit into weddings, catechisms, penitential services, and the like. The scholarly focus on Sunday doesn't capture the cathedral-like schedule of daily services for which Bach had responsibility. Even just identifying the repetoire would be valuable.

Evan Cortens wrote (November 15, 2011):
William L. Hoffman wrote:
<< It seems that there is still much to learn about all the liturgical music Bach was involved with in Leipzig, as well as a deeper understanding of the implications and applications for a truly well-ordered church music, including the pietists' private devotional books, beyond the "Schemelli Songbook," and "The Organ Chorales: Template and Pillar of a `Well-Ordered Church Music'," the title of my proposed paper for the American Bach Society biannual meeting, Rochester NY, next September 27-30. >>
Douglas Cowling wrote:
< Rochester? I'll be there! >
For those interested, here are the full details on the conference:
http://www.americanbachsociety.org/Meetings/Rochester/Rochester%20call%20for%20papers.html
It's going to be a great one, and I too plan to be in attendance.

Peter Smaill wrote (November 15, 2011):
[To Douglas Cowling] As a member of ABS and an attendee at their excellent Madison-Wisconsin conference last year, I'll be coming to this and warmly encourage other participants in the BCW to roll up as well..

BCW: Bach Festivals & Cantata Series

Aryeh Oron wrote (November 30, 2011):
Over 190 Bach Festivals & Cantata Series are presented on the BCW.
http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Festival/index.htm
I have just added thknown dates of Bach Festivals around the world in 2012:
http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Concerts/Event-2012.htm
Festivals, which have not yet published their dates for 2012, are listed at the bottom of the page.
Any additions/corrections/updates would be most welcome.

Understanding Bach 6 - BNUK

Aryeh Oron wrote (December 8, 2011):
Peter Smaill informed me that BNUK has just published the key papers from our Fifth Dialogue Meeting, Musselburgh-Edinburgh, August 2011.

Of patricular interest on the vocal side we had Rieinhard Strohm's review of the influence of the only known surviving hymnbook from Bach's library, the 1531 Hymnbook of the Bohemian Brotherhood by Michael Weisse. It is usually kept in Glasgow University Library.This had on display at Edinburgh.
http://www.bachnetwork.co.uk/ub6-2011.html
Linked from: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Festival/Festival-BNUK.htm

Douglas Cowling wrote (December 9, 2011):
Aryeh Oron wrote:
< Of patricular interest on the vocal side we had Rieinhard Strohm's review of the influence of the only known surviving hymnbook from Bach's library, the 1531 Hymnbook of the Bohemian Brotherhood by Michael Weisse. >
This is a fascinating article which shows Bach's interest in variant chorale tunes. A nice follow up to our speculation about Bach's use of chorale especially in the Orgelbüchlein.

Julian Mincham wrote (December 9, 2011):
[To Aryeh Oron] Unfortunately the presently published papers do not include the paper on Chopin and Bach (presented at this conference) andwhich I mentioned on list recently, but I am hopeful that we might see it in the near future as several people have expressed an interest.

BACH CANTATA IN FINLAND

Michael Cox wrote (December 14, 2011):
"Ich habe genug". Arttu Kataja and the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra in Espoo, Finland.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpYVDRUpM5w [Part 1/3]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5TcXiFV-FU [Part 2/3]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zodv-8-10aY [Part 3/3]

I attended this concert, but am in no other way connected with the performers or the video.

Do you know the Concerts Schedule of Cantatas in Japan?

Nagamiya Tutomu wrote (September 2, 2012):
I hope this will appear in the Bach Cantatas Website too: http://www.kantate.info/cantata_japan_e.htm

Julian Mincham wrote (September 2, 2012):
[To Nagamiya Tutomu] I won't be able to attend any of these concerts but it it not great to see so much Bach performed, and presumably enjoyed, in a country with a very different musical tradition.

I wonder why Bach is so popular in Japan? Is he more popular there than other European composers such as Beethoven and Mozart? Does Japan have an openess to art forms from European cultures that is, perhaps, not as reciprocated in the Western world?

I read some years ago that the books of one of my favourite comic writers, PG Wodehouse were also very popular in Japan. I would not have thought his very precise and balanced English prose would have translated well and I wondered if they were read in English or in translations.

I never found out!

American Bach Society

Douglas Cowling wrote (October 1, 2012):
Just back from a splendid three days at the American Bach Society meeting at the Eastman School of Music under the title of "Bach and the Organ". It was a star-studded event with all the big names: Wolff, Leaver, Stauffer, Melamed, Schuleberg, and many more. The conference was co-sponsored by the Eastman at Rochester Organ Inititative so organ professionals were a strong component of the assembly. At one point, David Schulenberg announced that he had removed traditional but spurious ornaments from his new edition of the Fugue in E Minor, and there were audible sighs from the organists in the audience!

It was a pleasant opportunity to meet some of our friends here on this site Will Hoffman and Peter Smail (sorry I didn't stay for the closing banquet, Peter: I wanted to beat the rain driving back). And I discovered that Ruth Tatlow lurks from time to time.

There were exceptional papers which were closely related to issues which have been discussed here. Leaver described a chorale-book with melodies and figured basses which gave practical insight into the way Bach taught his students to accompany hymns. Woolf proposed that many of the concerto movements which open cantatas may have been the original form of the music and pointed to the organ concertos which Bach performed in Dresden. It's remarkable how often Dresden is mentioned in modern Bach scholarship.

The closing gala concert touched on a number of topics that recur on this list.

The concert was held in a local church where a real 18^th century north German organ had been installed in a specially-built gallery. All of the performers were in the gallery, and the audience had the unusual authentic experience of hearing the music from behind and above them. I was amused by some of the complaints from sound me, "We can't see the performers!". Wagner wasn't the first to use the invisible orchestra. In general the sound was well-focused and projected much better than if the performers had been at the front of the church. A closed circuit TV screen at the front allowed us to see the performers in the gallery.

It was a rare opportunity to hear a big colourful organ in cantata performances, and the works chosen all featured organ obligato movements. During the conference, many of the speakers disparaged the modern use of portative organs quite sarcastically. Dirst's paper on continuo practice in the Passions came out foursquare for the regular use of the harpsichord and lute/theorobo in the sacred works. Both were used in the concert.

I loved the range of sounds available on this historic organ, although in the final analysis, I thought that the instrument was too big for the building and there were some dicey balance problems. However, it was astonishing to hear the cantata chorales played with a full plenum and 32' pedal. No box of whistles here.

Boston Early Music players joined with the Eastman Collegium Musicum which gave us a pretty big wind band: 4-3-2-2-1. I would have prefered to hear the Boston players OVPP if only to avoid some of the scrappy playing and ensemble. The SATB choir was 3-2-3-3 and, joined by the four soloists, lined the rail of the gallery as seen in so many Baroque engravings.

The program was particularly interesting to hear a putative Bach organ concerto:

Bach: Vergnügte Ruh, BWV 170
Concerto for Organ in D Major, BWV 1054

Cantatas by Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel (1690 ­ 1749):
Sind wir aber mit Christo gestorben
Das Volk so im Finstern wandelt
Stimmt an mit vollen Chören

But the Stölzel cantatas were a real treat and were being heard for the first time since the 18^th century. I particularly enjoyed the opening chorus "Das Volk so im Finstern wandelt" which contrasted a solemn adagio section for the "people that walked in darkness" with allegro trumpet fanfares for "have seen a great Light". These cantata choruses were primarily homophonic in texture with only limited counterpoint. "Stimmt an" reminded me of "Gott ist mein König" In fact, this cantata was more like a motet by Johann Ludwig Bach with succeeding duets set off with short choral interjections. Beautifully constructed but very, very different from Sebastian Bach.

William L. Hoffman wrote (October 1, 2012):
[To Douglas Cowling] Thank you for a fine account, Doug. I stayed Sunday and had Breakfast at the ABS Business meetwith Ruth, and met and talked with Peter and Robin Leaver. The next ABS biennial meeting will be May 2014 at Kenyon College near Columbus OH, theme "Bach and Sons." Robin is working on a B-Minor Mass Essay book at Cambridge Univ. Press with Yo Tomita (Bach Symposium) who is turning over the Bach Bibliography to the Leipzig Bach Archive that is furthering the Digital Bach Project.

Anthony Kozar wrote (October 1, 2012):
[To William L. Hoffman] Yes! Thank you very much for the conference report! I had hoped to go because of the proximity but it didn't work out. The meeting in 2014 will be even closer for me though :)

Regarding the "Wolff hypothesis", the keyboard concertos/cantata sinfonias is a topic that I have been wondering about quite a bit for the last two years. I have often thought it is much simpler to assume that the organ solo versions are the originals -- there is no stretch in imagining them being transferred to the harpsichord -- and I have wondered what the evidence for presuming a "common ancestor" is? Does anyone know more about this?

If I'm not mistaken, each single harpsichord concerto (1055 excepted) either corresponds to another concerto or has one or more movements that correspond to cantata movements. But there are no harpsichord concertos that have survived in all three forms. While this alone does not prove anything, with most of the harpsichord concerto movements being accounted for in a single other source, I wonder from where the conjectures for earlier source concertos come?

Thanks!

Kim Patrick Clow wrote (October 1, 2012):
Anthony Kozar wrote:
< to cantata movements. But there are no harpsichord concertos that have survived in all three forms. While this alone does not prove anything, with most of the harpsichord concerto movements being accounted for in a single other source, I wonder from where the conjectures for earlier source concertos come? >
I think some scholars base this on several factors, including the nature of the solo part, the sources themselves can give clues (was it copied from a previous source, etc).

For example: the Ouverture in B minor, BWV 1067 more than likely originated as a suite for solo violin based on errors in the performance parts and make sense when you consider the piece was originally in A minor and the mistakes are from on-the-fly transposing. The liner notes for this recording

Johann Sebastian Bach / The Early Ouvertures
Nova Stravaganza, Siegbert Rampe
http://www.mdg.de/cover/1131rc.jpg
goes into great detail explaining how they do this process.

Douglas Cowling wrote (October 1, 2012):
Anthony Kozar wrote:
< I have often thought it is much simpler to assume that the organ solo versions are the originals -- there is no stretch in imagining them being transferred to the harpsichord -- and I have wondered what the evidence for presuming a "common ancestor" is? Does anyone know more about this? >
I think Wolff must be working on a larger study of what is really a new genre, the "Bach Organ Concertos." He made much of the documentary account of Bach playing demonstration organ concertos in the Liebfrau church in Dresden. He also made much of the notion that the novelty of concerted organ movements being too secular clearly did not raise complaints with the conservative ecclesiastical and civic authorities in Leipzig.

Given the paucity of documentary evidence, I was surprised that there appeared to be general agreement about his hypothesis (at least no one leapt to their feet in opposition). It certainly made the progress of adaptations rational.

William L. Hoffman wrote (October 2, 2012):
[To Douglas Cowling] The genesis of the organ concerto goes back to c1707, with organ obbligatti in tutti textures of Bach cantatas in Muhlhausen and Handel oratorios and cantatas in Rome, possibly more than coincidental. Peter Williams in his opening ABS talk suggested that Bach scholars should look at the possibility that Bach visited the Hamburg opera when he was visiting Buxtehude in Luebeck in the winter of 1705-06 (when Handel presented "Almira" and Mattheson "Cleopatra."

Kim Patrick Clow wrote (October 2, 2012):
Douglas Cowling wrote:
< Wolff proposed that many of the concerto movements which open cantatas may have been the original form of the music and pointed to the organ concertos which Bach performed in Dresden. It's remarkable how often Dresden is mentioned in modern Bach scholarship. >
The thought of Bach playing organ concertos is tenuous, because Konzerte means both concerto and concert in German, so unless the documentation Wolff mentioned refers to instruments accompanying the organ I find the proposal highly unconvincing.

Evan Cortens wrote (October 2, 2012):
[To Kim Patrick Clow] The documentation mentioned by Christoph Wolff in his presentation was a report printed in the Hamburg Relations-Courier on September 27, 1725.

Here's the original, as quoted in the Bach-Dokumente:

[BDok2, no. 193] Nachdem neulich der Capell-Director aus Leipzig Mr. Bach anhero kommen, so ist selbiger von hiesigen Hoff- und Stadt-Virtuosen sehr wohl empfangen worden, welcher um seiner Geschicklichkeit und Kunst in der Music von ihnen allerseits sehr admiriret wird, wie er denn gestern und vorgestern in derselben Gegenwart auff dem neuen Orgel-Werck in der St. Sophien-Kirche in Proeludiis und diversen Concerten mit unterlauffender Doucen Instrumental-Music in allen Tonis über eine Stunde lang sich hören lassen.

And here's the translation from the New Bach Reader:

[NBR, no. 118] Dresden, 21 September 1725. When the Capell-Director from Leipzig, Mr. Bach, came here recently, he was very well received by the local virtuoso at the court and in the city since he is geatly admired by all of them for this musical adroitness and art. Yesterday and the day before, in the presence of the same, he performed for over an hour on the new organ in St. Sophia's Church preludes and various concertos, with all intervening soft instrumental music [Doucen Instrumental-Music] in all keys.

You'll note that the writer uses the (Germanized) Italian word "Concerten" rather than the purely Germanic "Konzerte" and that it specifically mentions the presence of instruments. The NBR translates "unterlauffender" as "all intervening", but it literally means "under-running."

Make of that what you will!

Kim Patrick Clow wrote (October 2, 2012):
Evan Cortens wrote:
< The documentation mentioned by Christoph Wolff in his presentation was a report printed in the Hamburg Relations-Courier on September 27, 1725.
You'll note that the writer uses the (Germanized) Italian word "Concerten" rather than the purely Germanic "Konzerte" and that it specifically mentions the presence of instruments. The NBR translates "unterlauffender" as "all intervening", but it literally means "under-running." >
Thanks so much for that. I hate being the spoil sport on this, but that report still doesn't state it was *Bach's* *concerted* organ concerto's that were performed. And while I fully admit I am no German expert, the report says "in the presence of", as in they [the instrumentalists ] sat listening.

I was curious what you thought of the Stölzel cantatas (if you attended the concert). I know Paul O'Dette was extremely impressed with the music, he was pretty enthusiastic about it being performed, and seemed excited about modern editions of the cantata cycles were being published.

Evan Cortens wrote (October 2, 2012):
Kim Patrick Clow wrote:
< Thanks so much for that. I hate being the spoil sport on this, but that report still doesn't state it was *Bach's* *concerted* organ concerto's that were performed. And while I fully admit I am no German expert, the report says "in the presence of", as in they [the instrumentalists ] sat listening. >
Personally, I'm undecidedon the whole thing. In Wolff's reading of this quote, however, he's referring to the end of the sentence, the bit that says (in my translation) that the organ concertos ["Concerten"] were accompanied by ["mit unterlauffender"] soft instrumental music ["Doucen Instrumental-Music"], not the bit referring to who was present at the concert. Indeed you're quite right to note that it doesn't say who wrote the concertos.

< I was curious what you thought of the Stölzel cantatas (if you attended the concert). I know Paul O'Dette was extremely impressed with the music, he was pretty enthusiastic about it being performed, and seemed excited about modern editions of the cantata cycles were being published. >
Indeed I was present for the Stölzel cantatas, and thought they were absolutely wonderful! According to Matthew Cron, who gave a paper at the conference and prepared the edition of the cantatas, there are 300-some cantatas Stölzel cantatas surviving, thanks to the preservation of copies in nearby Sondershausen. In Cron's dissertation, there is an appendix listing all the movements of eighteenth-century sacred vocal music he could find with obbligato organ. By my count, there are 37 pieces by Stölzel in there. While we're not likely to see an edition of all 300-ish cantatas anytime soon, hopefully we do see at least the 37 with obbligato organ!

Kim Patrick Clow wrote (October 2, 2012):
Evan Cortens wrote:
< Indeed I was present for the Stölzel cantatas, and thought they were absolutely wonderful! According to Matthew Cron, who gave a paper at the conference and prepared the edition of the cantatas, there are 300-some cantatas Stölzel cantatas surviving, thanks to the preservation of copies in nearby Sondershausen. >
According to Bert Siegmund, out of Stölzel 1,358 cantatas composed (twelve cycles), currently 1,215 survive, of those about half (605) survive with music materials. I think the 300 was referring to what survives in Sonderhausen, and leaving out what survived in Berlin, Gotha, and Hamburg, and to a much lesser extent in Brussels, Munich, and even Switzerland (?!).

< While we're not likely to see an edition of all 300-ish cantatas anytime soon, hopefully we do see at least the 37 with obbligato organ! >
Oh I hope so! Brian Clark is definitely committed to editing and publishing at least four of the cycles, including the one that Bach performed in Leipzig, great great music, and the cycle with the obbligato organ parts! I'm pretty sure Bach was influence by these cantata cycles with the organ obbligato parts, but that's for another E-mail ;) While I'm very envious of your being able to attend the concert, I'm thrilled you got to hear the music and had a good time. It's a such a rare treat to hear Stölzel in a concert, much less one with trumpets and timpani.

Many thanks to you and Doug providing information about the meetings and concerts.

Douglas Cowling wrote (October 2, 2012):
Kim Patrick Clow wrote:
< It's a such a rare treat to hear Stölzel in a concert, much less one with trumpets and timpani. >
And to hear Stölzel praised as the composer of "Bist Du Bei Mir"!

Anthony Kozar wrote (October 7, 2012):
Thanks to everyone who responded to my request for more information on the "organ concertos hypothesis" -- I found all of the replies to be informative. There are still lots of gaps and questions surrounding the issue for me but I suppose some of that is unavoidable and the rest I could resolve by tracking down the papers that discuss the various hypothesized origins for the harpsichord ctos.

I especially found the quotations from Bach-Dokumente and The New Bach Reader to be interesting, but as others have offered, rather ambiguous. Here are a few thoughts I had:

- If the "various concertos" were played on the organ alone, we also have Bach's concerto transcriptions for that instrument (plus testimony that he could play "concerted" music on the organ from the separate parts).

- I don't know enough about 18^th century terminology to know whether "Doucen Instrumental-Music" implies other instruments or whether it could refer just to the organ.

- The report is in a newspaper. Many historical accounts that I've read of musical performances seem unreliable because the author is a layman and doesn't use the correct musical terminology. So personally, I would not trust that "preludes and various concertos" can be taken to mean anything other than "music". The part about playing "in all keys" is one clue that the author is possibly misusing terms.

*shrug*

I doubt we'll ever really know unless new manuscript sources are discovered.

Thanks again for the interesting discussion!

Bach Marathon

Douglas Cowling wrote (November 17, 2012):
Now here's a day of concerts! http://monteverdi.co.uk/bach-marathon/

Anthony Kozar wrote (November 17, 2012):
[To Douglas Cowling] The date "01.04.2013" looks ambiguous to those of us on the western side of the Atlantic but I assume they mean April 1, 2013.

Hopefully not an early April Fools' joke!!!

Ed Myskowski wrote (November 17, 2012):
[To Anthony Kozar] wrote:
< The date "01.04.2013" looks ambiguous to those of us on the western side of the Atlantic but I assume they mean April 1, 2013.
Hopefully not an early April Fools' joke!!!>
April 1 is correct, although it seems that any and every day is Fools Day at present.

Douglas Cowling wrote:
<< Now here's a day of concerts! http://monteverdi.co.uk/bach-marathon/ >>
How comforting to find Douglas sending notice of concerts led by JEG! Perhaps there is yet hope for Whirled Peas?

For those who have not yet had the opportunity to hear Robert Levin in concert performance, the Bach marathon may be worthy of attendance on that note alone.

American Bach Society, Biennial Meeting 2014

Teri Noel Towe wrote (February 11, 2013):
CFP: American Bach Society, Biennial Meeting 2014

Call for Papers

Biennial Meeting of the American Bach Society
Kenyon College (Gambier, Ohio)
May 1-4, 2014

The American Bach Society invites paper proposals for its upcoming meeting to be held at Kenyon College (Gambier, Ohio), May 1-4, 2014. The theme of the meeting will be “Johann Sebastian Bach and his Sons.” One of the focal points will be the celebration of the 300^th anniversary of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s birth (1714-1788).

Papers focusing on the conference topic will be given preference but submissions on any aspect of Bach studies will be considered.

Proposals (250 words) should be sent as an e-mail attachment by October 1, 2013, to the chair of the program committee: Markus Rathey (markus.rathey@yale.edu). The committee’s decisions will be announced by the middle of November 2013.

See the ABS website, www.americanbachsociety.org, for full details.

BCW: Major Bach Events 2013

Aryeh Oron wrote (February 13, 2013):
I have updated the page of Major Bach Events on the BCW, to include all the Bach Festivals, which have already published their planned dates for 2013.
http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Concerts/Event-2013.htm
The Main Page of all known Bach Festivals & Cantata Series around the world:
http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Festival/index.htm
All the relevant Festival pages on the BCW have been updated as well.
If you are awareof a major Bach event (Festival, Competition, Conference, etc.) missing from the above pages, please inform me.

Christian Mall wrote (February 13, 2013):
[To Aryeh Oron] Some little correction to the "Bachwoche Ansbach 2013":
- date: Aug 2-11, 2013

Thanks a lot!

Bach Network UK

Peter Smaill wrote (March 21, 2013):
I am delighted to announce that Bach Network UK have today published Understanding Bach 8 (UB 8) .

Amongst the subjects covered are a new analysis of Cantata BWV 10, based on the German Magnificat; and two reports on the discovery of the share registers of the Ursula Erbstollen silver mine in which Bach was an (ultimately unsuccessful) investor.

This online publication can be found at www.bachnetwork.co.uk together with details of BNUK's Dialogue Meeting to be held in Warsaw from July 3 -7.

I would be grateful if this could be posted to the BCW and look forward to feedback and participation from BCW members.

OT: Bach at the PROMS - London 2013

Chris Stanley wrote (April 19, 2013):
Prom 36: Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducts Bach
Fri 9 Aug 2013, 10.00pm, Royal Albert Hall
J. S. Bach - Easter Oratorio BWV 249 (38 mins)
J. S. Bach - Ascension Oratorio BWV 11 (32 mins)


Prom 74: Vienna Philharmonic
Fri 6 Sept 2013, 7.30pm, Royal Albert Hall
J. S. Bach - Cantata No. 29, 'Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir', BWV 29 (5 mins)
J. S. Bach - Chorale Prelude 'Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr', BWV 662 (8 mins)
J. S. Bach - Chorale Prelude 'Komm, Gott Schöpfer, heiliger Geist', BWV 667 (3 mins)
J. S. Bach - Chorale Prelude 'Vor deinem Thron tret' ich hiermit', BWV 668 (5 mins)
J. S. Bach - Prelude and Fugue in A minor 'The Great', BWV 543 (10 mins)
Anton Bruckner - Symphony No. 8 in C minor (1890 version, ed. Nowak) (85 mins)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on/2013/print-season

Bach Network UK

William L. Hoffman wrote (May 11, 2013):
Go on-line and check out "Schedule." Great topics/presenters, wonderful format for a community of scholars in trans-interpretive scholarship, including HIP.

From: Bach Network UK <info@bachnetwork.co.uk> [Add to Address Book]
To: info@bachnetwork.org
Subject: Sixth J. S. Bach Dialogue Meeting 2013
Date: May 11, 2013 10:38 AM
Dear Members of Bach Network UK

For those of you planning to attend the Sixth Bach Dialogue meeting, 3-7 July in Warsaw, this is a reminder to register before 1 June to catch the 'early bird' rate. We have an exciting programme designed to generate stimulating and effective discussion on cutting edge research and current concerns. Short descriptions and questions at the heart of the discussion topics can be read on the live links on the schedule. http://www.bach-dialogue-meeting.uw.edu.pl/

We look forward to welcoming you in the summer.

Convenor: Szymon Paczkowski
Co-convenors: Ruth Tatlow and Yo Tomita
On behalf of Bach Network UK

Tilford Bach Festival

R.J. Horrocks wrote (May 15, 2013):
There is a Festival with lots of Bach played on original instruments at Farnham and Tilford the weekend after next, 24-26 May. There is information on www.tilbach.org.uk. Looks very interesting for serious enthusiasts.

Bach Vespers - Toronto

Douglas Cowling wrote (December 16, 2013):
I braved the cold last night to attend the Bach Vespers at the Church of the Redeemer in Toronto. My counter-tenor son sang the alto solo, and I was pleased to see that they included Francis Browne's fine translation of "Schwingt Freudig" BWV 36 in the program. I arranged the congregational chorales for organ and orchestra - it's amazing how orchestral doubling lifts the collective singing. I wish we had more information about how Bach deployed his instrumentalists outside the non-concerted works.

BCW: Major Bach Events 2014

Aryeh Oron wrote (March 14, 2014):
I have updated the page of Major Bach Events on the BCW, to include all the Bach Festivals 2014: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Concerts/Event-2013.htm
The Main Page of all known Bach Festivals & Cantata Series around the world: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Festival/index.htm
All the relevant Festival pages on the BCW have been updated as well.

Recent additions to this section:
Bachfest Ankara (Bach Concert Series in Ankara, Turkey): http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Festival/Festival-Ankara.htm
CONCORA Bach Festival (New Bach Festival in CN, USA): http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Festival/Festival-CONCORA.htm
Bach Consort Nijkerk (Bach Cantata Series in the Netherlands): http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Festival/Festival-Nijkerk-Bach-Consort.htm
Bach:vokal (Bach Cantata Series in Stuttgart, Germany): http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Festival/Festival-Stuttgart-Bach-Vokal.htm

If you are aware of a major Bach event (Festival, Competition, Conference, etc.) missing from the above pages, please inform me.

David Couch wrote (March 15, 2014):
Aryeh Oron wrote:
< If you are aware of a major Bach event (Festival, Competition, Conference, etc.) missing from the above pages, please inform me. >
American Bach Soloists Festival & Academy: http://americanbach.org/sfbachfestival/index.html

Thanks!

Tilford Bach Festival 6-8 June near London

John Horrocks wrote (Mar 12, 2014):
You might be interested in the Tilford Bach Festival 6-8 June near Farnham and about 42 miles from London. The Festival is some 62 years old and uses only period instruments. On the Sunday Dame Emma Kirkby is performing in the B minor Mass Rifkin one voice per part version and also Cantata 172. There are also special concerts on the Friday and Saturday. They are held in the beautiful Tilford Church. Tilford village was also the second place where cricket was played and the old pub where the first cricketers played is still there.

Details are on: http://www.tilbach.org.uk/
and I would be very happy to help with any practical information for foreign visitors.

Aryeh Oron wrote (May 12, 2014):
[To John Horrocks] Tilford Bach Festival as well as all other known Bach Festivals & other major Bach events in 2014 are presented at: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Concerts/Event-2014.htm

John Horrocks wrote (May 12, 2014):
[To Aryeh Oron] Thanks Aryeh

Yours is a marvellous site!

I am just back from the Bachfest in Weimar, a great time, especially the B Minor mass in the Herderkirche.

Leipzig Bachfest 2015

Laurent Lehmann wrote (August 20, 2014):
I haven't posted much here, but I've been following your posts for years - fell in love with Bach when I was in University at the end of the '80s, and have been obsessed with his work ever since, but still not nearly musically literate enough to contribute much to your discussions.

Anyway. I've finally decided to go to Bachfest Leipzig next year, and I was wondering if those of you who've already been there had some tips to share to make this as pleasurable an experience as possible?

John Horrocks wrote (August 21, 2014):
[To Laurent Lehmann] I have been to the Bachfest once and visited Leipzig other times as well.

The main concerts are quite expensive and get book up so be sure to book in advance. But there are normally some free concerts and morning church services with integral cantatas as well, so it is notall expensive. About 3-4 years ago there was not much provision in the festival for non-German speakers so hopefully you speak a bit of German.

Here are some tips from my perspective:

- find a cheap bed and breakfast rather than an expensive hotel - much more interesting - can tell you where I stayed if you like
- hire a bike and cycle round, cycle a bit of the Elberadweg
- visit Wittenberg, Torgau, Halle and possibly Colditz - all reachable by rail
- if you travel by air via Berlin take time to visit Berlin as well
- public transport in both Leipzig and Berlin is absolutely excellent

Happy to discuss further if you think it will help

Continue on Part 3