An atypical Christmas
Cantata 63, for Christmas Day, dates from Bach’s Weimar period, although he reused it at least a couple of times during his tenure in Leipzig with minor modifications. What is strange about this cantata? For starters, its instrumentation. 4 trumpets, timpani, 3 oboes and bassoon, strings, 4-part choir and basso continuo. This is too much […]
Finding his voice
Although never conceived as a set, the seven keyboard Toccatas from Bach’s early years (probably from the Weimar period) are frequently grouped together. They don’t include pedal parts, so they are usually performed on the harpsichord, although they are also suitable for the organ manuals. They are characterized by several sections of different character and […]
RIP Rector Ernesti
In times of Bach, the motet had lost its role as a focal point for religious services, replaced by the cantata. In spite of this, Bach composed a few motets for special occasions, using the somewhat archaic form but, true to style, imbibing it with his unparalleled craft. “Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf” (BWV […]