BACH at Advent and Christmas
The Composer at work in Advent and at Christmas
For our 21st Bachfest last month we considered Bach’s life as a working composer, busily providing and preparing for his weekly commitments to the church and the town. The performances of the Goldbergs, Violin Sonatas, study of the Mass in B minor and the presentation of two cantatas both composed for a given Sunday for example, enabled us to reflect on Bach’s working life, its variety and environment.
For our seasonal weblog to end the year we continue the theme and, like many Directors of Music today, we find Bach probably working ‘flat-out’ at whichever court or church he was employed, even though he was not required to provide quite so much music for church services in Advent. “Phew! that gives me a bit of time to prepare for the Christmas services” could have been his private mid-December thoughts, although outwardly as a good Lutheran, he would have been expected to join the congregation in the full spirit of the Advent season.
Offerings for the season
Inspite of less music being required for the weekly services, Bach provided no less than four cantatas for Advent - BWV 36, 61, 62 for Advent Sunday and BWV 132 for the fourth Sunday in Advent. He gave full vent to his creative powers when providing what became over the years a substantial collection of cantatas for the busy Christmas and New Year church celebrations. Equal creative vigour is applied to the provision of the set of six cantatas each for a particular day over the festive season, his Christmas Oratorio BWV 248, composed for the appropriate seasonal services in 1734/1735. Whichever, cantatas or oratorio, here we find Bach at his most inventive and running the gamut of human emotions and sentiments through his music, from the majesty and splendour to be found in Cantata BWV 63 and Part 1 of the Christmas Oratorio for Christmas Day to his musical evocation of the Wise Men on camels journeying to present their gifts to the Christ-child in the manger, as depicted in the opening of BWV 65, and the joyous setting of the Passion chorale that ends Part six of the Christmas Oratorio, both these composed for Epiphany - his use of the Passion Chorale a portent of things to come perhaps?
Full details of all the Cantatas composed for Christmas and New Year plus the Christmas Oratorio can be found by using our Database. Why not make your selection and immerse yourself in the music this Christmas season.
Details of Bach concerts near you can be found by using the following websites: www.concert-diary.com and www.bachtrack.com
A very Happy Christmas from us all in LBS
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