Chorale Wednesdays
Each week, Sonoma Bach's Music Director Robert Worth will choose one of our favorite Bach Chorales, each a brilliant miniature of Bach's astonishing craft, for us all to learn at our own pace. Your mission (should you choose to accept it) is to learn to sing your part and then join your voice with the voices and instruments of the professional recording. We will provide the score and translations, a midi practice track, and a professional recording, all listed below.
Each week, Sonoma Bach's Music Director Robert Worth will choose one of our favorite Bach Chorales, each a brilliant miniature of Bach's astonishing craft, for us all to learn at our own pace. Your mission (should you choose to accept it) is to learn to sing your part and then join your voice with the voices and instruments of the professional recording. We will provide the score and translations, a midi practice track, and a professional recording, all listed below.
In 1582, in Greifswald, northern Germany, the 'Piae cantiones' were published. The songbook documented a rich singing tradition at the cathedral of Turku, across the Baltic Sea in southern Finland. Many of the songs were centuries old.
In the 'Piae cantiones', we find many wonderful, well-loved songs and carols, including 'In dulci jubilo' and 'Resonet in laudibus', and even the tune of 'Good King Wenceslas'. We also find others, not so well-known, but wonderful in their own right. One of these is 'Dies est laetitiae', a Christmas song, probably dating back to the 14th or 15th century.
Martin Luther made a German translation of the lyrics, entitled 'Der Tag, der ist so Freudenreich', which later was turned into yet another song, called 'Ein Kindelein so löbelich'. Both of these chorales were popular in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, and served as the basis for many compositions. Today, we'll trace the thread of some of these;
you can find all the materials here in this Dropbox link.
First, as noted above, there is the joyous song as it appears in the 'Piae cantiones'. Then I've provided a wonderful 4-part arrangement by the famous composer, Anonymous. The piece was published by Georg Rhau (one of Bach's predecessors as Thomascantor in Leipzig) in 1544, and may have been by Rhau himself. In it, the noble tune appears in long-notes in the soprano, accompanied by active, cavorting voices beneath.
Michael Praetorius' version is for two treble voices, and is one of his patented tour de force settings which wrings every bit of joy and good will out of the tune.
Bach set the song several times. First, we have BWV 294, one of the many chorales which are not attached to a larger work, but may well have belonged to lost cantatas or oratorio.
And finally, I'm providing score and a great recording (by the blind organist Helmut Walcha) of Bach's organ prelude on the song, from his 'Orgelbüchlein'. As with so many of these little preludes, Bach surrounds the melody with a motive--here very joyful--which repeats and transposes and frolics around throughout the piece.
This is a lot of joy, but somehow I think we can all use a dose right about this time!
In the 'Piae cantiones', we find many wonderful, well-loved songs and carols, including 'In dulci jubilo' and 'Resonet in laudibus', and even the tune of 'Good King Wenceslas'. We also find others, not so well-known, but wonderful in their own right. One of these is 'Dies est laetitiae', a Christmas song, probably dating back to the 14th or 15th century.
Martin Luther made a German translation of the lyrics, entitled 'Der Tag, der ist so Freudenreich', which later was turned into yet another song, called 'Ein Kindelein so löbelich'. Both of these chorales were popular in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, and served as the basis for many compositions. Today, we'll trace the thread of some of these;
you can find all the materials here in this Dropbox link.
First, as noted above, there is the joyous song as it appears in the 'Piae cantiones'. Then I've provided a wonderful 4-part arrangement by the famous composer, Anonymous. The piece was published by Georg Rhau (one of Bach's predecessors as Thomascantor in Leipzig) in 1544, and may have been by Rhau himself. In it, the noble tune appears in long-notes in the soprano, accompanied by active, cavorting voices beneath.
Michael Praetorius' version is for two treble voices, and is one of his patented tour de force settings which wrings every bit of joy and good will out of the tune.
Bach set the song several times. First, we have BWV 294, one of the many chorales which are not attached to a larger work, but may well have belonged to lost cantatas or oratorio.
And finally, I'm providing score and a great recording (by the blind organist Helmut Walcha) of Bach's organ prelude on the song, from his 'Orgelbüchlein'. As with so many of these little preludes, Bach surrounds the melody with a motive--here very joyful--which repeats and transposes and frolics around throughout the piece.
This is a lot of joy, but somehow I think we can all use a dose right about this time!
Archive
click below for learning materials
click below for learning materials