Posts Tagged ‘ Bach – Motets ’

Of all Bach's motets Komm, Jesu, komm! BWV229 is the one most steeped in the tradition of the Thomasschule and Thomaskirche in Leipzig. Its text is a paraphrase of John 14, verse 6 ('I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me') written by the former Thomaner, teacher at the Thomasschule and Leipziger poet Paul Thymich that was set by Bach's predecessor as Thomaskantor Johann Schelle, for the funeral of Leibnitz's mentor the German philosopher and Leipzig University professor and Rector of the Nikolai- und Thomasschule zu Leipzig Jakob Thomasius ¹ which was held on 14 September 1684. Bach would have been thoroughly aware of all of this when he when he wrote his own setting of the first and last (verses I and XI) of Thymich's hymn.

Click here to listen to the music and read the rest of the posting ...

The two movement eight-part motet "Fürchte dich nicht BWV 228" (Fear Not) for double chorus (SATB+SATB) is perhaps the earliest composed by Bach. Some writers say that it dates from Bach's time in Leipzig, that he composed it in 1726 for the funeral service of the wife of a Leipzig official, Stadthauptniann Winkler, on 4 February 1726. I'm far from convinced that this is the case. First because they adduce no real evidence in support of their contention and secondly because the stylistic resemblances between "Fürchte dich nicht BWV 228" and "Ich lasse dich nicht" (BWV Anh. 159)" are so very pronounced. Moreover it's closely related in style to the motets composed by the earlier members of his family to the extent that it has exactly the same formal scheme as Johann Michael Bach's (1648–94) eight part setting of "Fürchtet euch nicht"  a work with which Johann Sebastian would have been thoroughly familiar from his work assembling the archive of his family’s compositions.

Click here to listen to the music and read the rest of the posting ...