155 Days With Bach and Me

All Bach, All the Time…Everything Johann Composed

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Day Nineteen: Musikalisches Opfer (CD 1-19)

August 15th, 2011 · 1713, 1734, 1747, 1749, Bach at 28, Bach at 42, Bach at 62, Bach at 64, BWV 1072-1078, BWV 1079, Candy Thompson, CD 1-19, David Jansen, Deest, Floris Mijnders, Krijn Koetsveld, Marieke Schneemann, Musical Offering, Musikalisches Opfer, Netherlands Bach Ensemble, Three-Instrument Rule

Bach Edition 19Once again, I have to claim ignorance.

What’s a Musikalisches Opfer?

If that’s another way of saying Monstrous Instrument or Bane of Bill’s Existence then I completely understand.

For this CD begins with harpsichord. Solo. Played at a pace that makes a funeral procession seem hasty. Need I say more?

There’s an old joke about the ad agency called Batten Barton Durstine and Osborn (BBDO now). Jack Benny, on his radio program broadcast 11/21/48, quipped that the agency’s name “sounds like a trunk falling down stairs.”

I know what he meant. For I have heard the music of the harpsichord.

But all this harpsichord discord aside, let’s get back to my original question: What’s a Musikalisches Opfer?

Now I see. According to its entry on Wikipedia,

The Musical Offering (German title Musikalisches Opfer or Das Musikalische Opfer), BWV 1079, is a collection of canons and fugues and other pieces of music by Johann Sebastian Bach, all based on a single musical theme given to him by Frederick II of Prussia (Frederick the Great), to whom they are dedicated. The Ricercar a 6, a six-voice fugue which is the highpoint of the entire work, was put forward by the musicologist Charles Rosen as the most significant piano composition in history (partly because it is one of the first). This Ricercar is also occasionally called the Prussian Fugue, a name used by Bach himself.

The Musical Offering. Cool. I learned something new again today.

I also learned that 40 snippets of music, most of which [Read more →]

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Day Eighteen: Viola da Gamba Sonatas (CD 1-18)

August 14th, 2011 · 1708, 1720, 1721, Bach at 23, Bach at 35, Bach at 36, BWV 1027, BWV 1028, BWV 1029, BWV 894, CD 1-18, John Dornenburg, Malcom Proud, Viola da Gamba

Bach Edition 18Huh?

What’s a Viola da Gamba Sonata?

This is another example of why I enjoy taking these musical excursions. I learn something new every day.

According to a Wiki page, viola da Gamba is Italian for viol of leg:

A viol, usually much larger than the violin, played while seated and supported between the legs. The instrument was developed in Europe in the 1400s and used primarily in the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

So this is the kind of instrument that Morey Amsterdam (as comedy writer Buddy Sorrell) played on The Dick van Dyke Show.

Right about now, I’d welcome seeing Buddy Sorrell play this instrument. The music on today’s CD is [Read more →]

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Day Seventeen: Lute Works, Part Two (CD 1-17)

August 13th, 2011 · 1720, 1725, 1740, Bach at 35, Bach at 40, Bach at 55, BWV 1000, BWV 1006a, BWV 998, BWV 999, CD 1-17, Jakob Lindberg, Lute, Lute Works, Suite in E major Gavotte en rondeau

Bach Edition 17This CD is amazing. It, and the one preceding it, are wonders to behold. The Lute — especially as played with such feeling and precision as Jakob Lindberg demonstrates — is a marvelous instrument. It looks to be difficult to master. And it may be. But those who do scale its heights reward those who merely long to do so.

Today’s CD features another famous piece of music: Suite in E major (BWV 1006a), the third movement: “Gavotte en rondeau.”

You’ll know it when you hear it. Take a look:

See? I told you. Everyone’s heard this.

I’ll be enjoying this CD for many years to come. It features four compositions, all of which were magical. I very much enjoyed listening to them.

The compositions on today’s CD are:
BWV 998 — 1740 (Bach was 55)
BWV 999 — 1720 (Bach was 35)
BWV 1000 — 1725 (Bach was 40)
BWV 1006a — 1720 (Bach was 35)

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Day Sixteen: Lute Works (CD 1-16)

August 12th, 2011 · 1708, 1727, 1737, Bach at 23, Bach at 42, Bach at 52, BWV 995, BWV 996, BWV 997, CD 1-16, Jakob Lindberg, Lute, Lute Works, Michael Lowe

Bach Edition 16This is my favorite CD — Brandenburg Concerts notwithstanding — so far!

I’ve always loved the sound of Classical guitar. The Lute is related, and sounds much like the Classical guitar. (Only it has a lot more strings. A. Lot. More.)

Today’s CD is Lute Works performed by Jakob Lindberg, a brilliant player. The instrument he’s using, according to the CD sleeve, is a “13-course Baroque Lute by Michael Lowe, Oxford 1981.” I suppose that means Michael Lowe built it in 1981. Or does it mean he bought it then? For that matter, who is Michael Lowe? Ah, research must be undertaken.

Research was undertook. And now I know who Michael Lowe is. From Jakob Linderg’s web site comes this, which is a picture and description of the lute Jakob plays on this CD. And, from a luthier’s web site, comes this well-written history of the Lute, along with a mention of the fact that Michael Lowe is one of the few modern-day Lute makers.

Here’s a BBC report about Michael Lowe:

I learned something today, which is why I do this. Ars longa, vita brevis, man.

Plus, while I was listening to today’s music, I corresponded with a good friend of mine in New Zealand who told me he also enjoys experiencing Classical music. We shared mutual admiration for the great composers. It was good to learn more about him and his love for both life and music. The world needs more people like that in it.

This was a delightful CD. It even features another of the world’s most familiar pieces of Classical music — the fifth movement (“Bourree”) from Suite in E minor, BWV 996. Everyone who plays guitar has likely tried his/her hand at that one. Next to Paul McCartney’s “Blackbird,” this piece by Bach is as ubiquitous as “Smoke on the Water” or “Stairway to Heaven.”

The compositions on today’s CDs are:
BWV 995 — 1727 (Bach was 42)
BWV 996 — 1708 (Bach was 23)
BWV 997 — 1737 (Bach was 52)

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Day Fifteen: Flute Sonatas (CD 1-15)

August 11th, 2011 · 1717, 1718, 1735, 1741, Bach at 32, Bach at 33, Bach at 56, BWV 1013, BWV 1033, BWV 1034, BWV 1035, Flute, Flute Sonatas, Harpsichord, Jordi Savall, Stephen Preston, Trevor Pinnock, Viola

Bach Edition 15Now this is music I can dig!

Today’s CD — Flute Sonatas, part two — adds a third instrument to the mix, and that (to borrow from Robert Frost) has made all the difference.

Flute and harpsichord, alone (which is what yesterday’s CD offered), was like Red Bull with a shot of bourbon in it. Or, to use the more colloquial, oil and water. One instrument soothed, the other jarred.

But, oh!, what a difference a day makes.

The combination of flute, harpsichord, and viola offers the perfect blend of sounds. The soothing flute, the jarring harpsichord, and a third element — more soothe than jar, which tips the overall sound toward the pleasant and listenable. I like this music.

Not that Bach needs my opinion. He didn’t when he was alive. And even less so now that he’s been dead for nearly three centuries.

But if he were here (or, since I’m not really into zombies, if I were there back in his day), I’d tell him, [Read more →]

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Day Fourteen: Flute Sonatas (CD 1-14)

August 10th, 2011 · 1717, 1730, Autobiography of a Yogi, Bach at 32, Bach at 45, BWV 1030, BWV 1031, BWV 1032, CD 1-14, Flute, Flute Sonatas, Harpsichord, Paramahansa Yogananda, Stephen Preston, Trevor Pinnock

Bach Edition 14I love being up and out before the sun rises. Sitting here at Panera Bread (my usual spot for these music-every-day listening adventures) affords me an entertaining window on the world.

For example, sitting across from me is an elderly gentleman with a Pistons NBA World Champions 1989 ball cap perched askew on his head. He’s reading the book Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. His lips move as he reads. Occasionally, he underlines passages.

I struck up a conversation with him. (I could tell you his name. But I won’t. Just call him the Yogi Man.) He said he’s read the book six times. And, in his private life, he sits in meditation. I could imagine such a thing if this were Portland. Or L.A. But Grand Rapids — Church Central?

Fascinating.

Back to Bach. As I listen, I continue to observe people from all walks of life. (Speaking of walks [Read more →]

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Day Thirteen: Cello Suites 2-4-6 (CD 1-13)

August 9th, 2011 · 1720, Bach at 35, BWV 1008, BWV 1010, BWV 1012, CD 1-13, Cello Suites 2-4-6, David Starkweather, Enrico Caruso, Jenny Lind, Josephine van Lier, Pablo Casals

Bach Edition 13I love reading reviews on Amazon. Some are to be taken extremely seriously. Some are so incoherent that they’d be laughable if they were meant to be a joke.

I also love discovering rare, hard-to-find music. Today’s music certainly qualifies. You’ll see why in a moment.

One of the reviews that fall into the former category is one from Mr. Get Real, who wrote — in great detail — about Pablo Casals’ performance of Bach’s Cello Suites, answering the question “Which version is better — the remastered edition issued by EMI? Or the edition issued by Opus Kura?”

The issue at stake is the quality of the recording, not the performances. Pablo Casals (1876-1973), by all accounts one of the greatest cellists of all time, recorded Bach’s Cello Suites between 1936 and 1939. The music was pressed on 78 rpm vinyl records, from which the CDs in question were made.

For the record, Mr. Get Real prefers the Opus Kura edition hands down.

Whichever edition you get, expect [Read more →]

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Day Twelve: Cello Suites 1-3-5 (CD 1-12)

August 8th, 2011 · 1720, Bach at 35, Bass Guitar, BWV 1007, BWV 1009, BWV 1011, CD 1-12, Cello Suites 1-3-5, Classical Guitar, Jaap Ter Linden, Martin Motnik, Segovia

Bach Edition 12There’s a world of difference between these Cello Suites and the previous two CDs of Violin solos. Although both are stringed instruments, for some weird reason my ears can take — even completely enjoy — listening to the cello play for an hour or two…whereas the solo violin left me cold after the first half hour or so.

Go figure.

Maybe it helps that the first composition (“Suite No. 1 in G major,” BWV 1007) is a famous piece of music I’ve heard often as part of a movie soundtrack, usually during times of transition or to indicate a particularly introspective moment in a character’s life.

For no particular reason, I like looking at the sheet music for Classical compositions. I can’t read music, although I know generally what’s going on. I just like to see lots of black dotes on a page and know that somebody can play them. Makes me smile. So, [Read more →]

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Day Eleven: Sonate E Partite II (CD 1-11)

August 7th, 2011 · 1735, Bach at 35, BWV 1004, BWV 1005, BWV 1006, Gavotte & Rondeau, Mark Lubotsky, Partita No. 3 in E major, Sonate E Partite II, Violins, Yngwie Malmsteen

Bach Edition 11I really don’t have anything different to say about these compositions, which are sonatas and partitas for solo violin, from what I wrote yesterday.

I can say that of the three pieces on this CD, my favorite is Partita No. 3 in E major (BWV 1006). It begins (“Preludio”) with a bouncy, clever movement that immediately draws me in. It sounds like the visual equivalent of watching a ballet dancer pirouette.

The third movement (“Gavotte & Rondeau”) is a famous melody, very baroque. Very Bach. Take a look:

It’s likely everyone has heard that piece of music before, but didn’t know what it was called.

The fifth movement (“Bourree”) from Partita No. 3 in E major is also very nice. Snappy.

There’s not enough variation between yesterday’s CD and today’s for my tastes. It’s like listening to Swedish heavy-metal guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen shred for two hours straight.

Not my cup o’ tea.

These are the compositions on today’s CD (all performed by the gifted Mark Lubotsky):
BWV 1004 – 1720
BWV 1005 – 1720
BWV 1006 – 1720
Bach was 35 when he composed all of the above.

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Day 10: Sonate E Partite (CD 1-10)

August 6th, 2011 · 1720, Bach at 35, BWV 1001, BWV 1002, BWV 1003, CD 1-10, Mark Lubotsky, Partita, Sonate E Partite I, Violins, Yngwie Malmsteen

Bach Edition 10I’ll bet violinists love this stuff.

Compositions for solo violin give musicians a chance to shine.

And shine. And shine.

There’s a Swedish heavy-metal guitarist named Yngwie Malmsteen who plays like the soloist (Mark Lubotsky) does on this CD — fast, bobbing and weaving, flowing in and around a melody, with so many notes that his sheet music must be black with them.

Here’s what I mean:

These solo violin compositions are the equivalent of Yngwie’s shredding — especially Sonate No. 3 in C major (BWV 1005). Lubotsky, a jaw-dropping musician whose mastery of the instrument is truly remarkable (here’s his entry on Wikipedia) turns in an Yngwie-like performance on [Read more →]

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