Credo from B Minor Mass by J.S. Bach
Lying awake for a while in the middle of the night, I was wondering what motet I should feature this morning. A lot of possibilities went through my fevered imagination, but then somehow out of the night the 'Credo' of Bach's B Minor Mass appeared to me like a much-loved friend come for a visit. I considered it for a moment, and thought, 'Oh my, that's it!', and fell joyously back to sleep.
Many if not most of you know the piece and/or have sung it. I don't think you all will be unwilling to revisit it. And for those of you who haven't had the blessing of singing or hearing the piece, you've got a real treat in store.
Many movements of the B Minor Mass are so-called parodies of earlier works of Bach. As opposed to modern usage, the term here simply refers to reworking and adapting a preëxisting work for a new purpose, usually also (in Bach's case) setting a new text. And while he was at it, Bach often made considerable changes as he adapted, including altering such elements as orchestration, key, voicing, tempo and more.
But this movement is different: It was written afresh for its text. We know this because one of the chant intonations for first line of the Credo--'Credo in unum Deum'--is embedded in just about every bar of the piece in long notes: Sol--Mi--Fa--Mi--Re--Sol--La. (Some of you acute people will notice that the 4th and 5th notes are exchanged as compared to the usual version of the intonation; this is because Bach used a regional variation of the tune.)
Sing it a bunch--get to know it--it won't take long, it's only seven notes. Then listen to the recording, available here, and groove on the festive interweaving of the five voice parts on the theme and various counter-subjects. It's like a party in the sky!
Then look at the attached score and check out the entire texture. In addition to the voice parts, you'll notice that there is a continuous walking-bass part which serves as foundation and grounding-rod for all the action. And you'll also notice those two violin parts: They are entirely independent, and play their own versions of the subject and its counter-subjects, dancing freely with and above the vocal parts.
What a texture! What sonic delight! What a combination of joy and solidity! It's like those Renaissance paintings of angels playing the music of heaven--only we actually get to hear the sounds they make.
And for a special treat, keep playing the video (linked above) when you get to the end. You'll hear one of the most exciting segues in the entire repertoire. The 'Credo', in A Major, naturally ends on an A chord. The 'Patrem omnipotentem', in D Major, does not begin on D, but rather on its dominant: A Major. So the entire 'Credo' ends up feeling like a magnificent extended V chord which explodes with awesome enthusiasm into the
'Patrem' fugue.
If you keep listening, you'll notice that Bach reserves his trumpets for a big finish. He brings Trumpet 1 in first, to provide a fifth subject for the second exposition of the fugue; and then, finally, brings the entire trumpet-and-drum contingent in to spearhead a thrilling coda which just takes your breath away.
The Patrem, by the way, is a parody. It is a thorough reworking and adaptation of the opening movement of Cantata 171, 'Gott, wie dein Name, so ist auch dein Ruhm'. And yet (this is Bach, after all) it seems utterly at home in the B Minor Mass.
Here's a video performance of the piece you might enjoy. Solo voices and violins are used for the Credo, giving it a more ethereal spirit, and making for an even more explosive effect when the choir enters at the beginning of the 'Patrem'. Plus its fun to be able to watch the music-making!
Lying awake for a while in the middle of the night, I was wondering what motet I should feature this morning. A lot of possibilities went through my fevered imagination, but then somehow out of the night the 'Credo' of Bach's B Minor Mass appeared to me like a much-loved friend come for a visit. I considered it for a moment, and thought, 'Oh my, that's it!', and fell joyously back to sleep.
Many if not most of you know the piece and/or have sung it. I don't think you all will be unwilling to revisit it. And for those of you who haven't had the blessing of singing or hearing the piece, you've got a real treat in store.
Many movements of the B Minor Mass are so-called parodies of earlier works of Bach. As opposed to modern usage, the term here simply refers to reworking and adapting a preëxisting work for a new purpose, usually also (in Bach's case) setting a new text. And while he was at it, Bach often made considerable changes as he adapted, including altering such elements as orchestration, key, voicing, tempo and more.
But this movement is different: It was written afresh for its text. We know this because one of the chant intonations for first line of the Credo--'Credo in unum Deum'--is embedded in just about every bar of the piece in long notes: Sol--Mi--Fa--Mi--Re--Sol--La. (Some of you acute people will notice that the 4th and 5th notes are exchanged as compared to the usual version of the intonation; this is because Bach used a regional variation of the tune.)
Sing it a bunch--get to know it--it won't take long, it's only seven notes. Then listen to the recording, available here, and groove on the festive interweaving of the five voice parts on the theme and various counter-subjects. It's like a party in the sky!
Then look at the attached score and check out the entire texture. In addition to the voice parts, you'll notice that there is a continuous walking-bass part which serves as foundation and grounding-rod for all the action. And you'll also notice those two violin parts: They are entirely independent, and play their own versions of the subject and its counter-subjects, dancing freely with and above the vocal parts.
What a texture! What sonic delight! What a combination of joy and solidity! It's like those Renaissance paintings of angels playing the music of heaven--only we actually get to hear the sounds they make.
And for a special treat, keep playing the video (linked above) when you get to the end. You'll hear one of the most exciting segues in the entire repertoire. The 'Credo', in A Major, naturally ends on an A chord. The 'Patrem omnipotentem', in D Major, does not begin on D, but rather on its dominant: A Major. So the entire 'Credo' ends up feeling like a magnificent extended V chord which explodes with awesome enthusiasm into the
'Patrem' fugue.
If you keep listening, you'll notice that Bach reserves his trumpets for a big finish. He brings Trumpet 1 in first, to provide a fifth subject for the second exposition of the fugue; and then, finally, brings the entire trumpet-and-drum contingent in to spearhead a thrilling coda which just takes your breath away.
The Patrem, by the way, is a parody. It is a thorough reworking and adaptation of the opening movement of Cantata 171, 'Gott, wie dein Name, so ist auch dein Ruhm'. And yet (this is Bach, after all) it seems utterly at home in the B Minor Mass.
Here's a video performance of the piece you might enjoy. Solo voices and violins are used for the Credo, giving it a more ethereal spirit, and making for an even more explosive effect when the choir enters at the beginning of the 'Patrem'. Plus its fun to be able to watch the music-making!