JOE TWIST’S ‘JUBILATE DEO’
20 May 2022
DULCIE HOLLAND’S ‘ALLELUIA’
21 May 2022
BACH'S 'LOBET DEN HERRN'
J.S. Bach (1685 – 1750)
Bach has a special place in Western music. The sheer genius of his compositional style and expressive gamut of his works has made him one of our most popular composers today. Bach was not really known as a composer during the Baroque period but more as an organist and teacher. As such, his music virtually faded into obscurity after his death but it is thanks to the composer Felix Mendelssohn who led the Bach revival in the 19th century (whose music we are also performing in our 'Sing Joyfully' concerts) that he has achieved legendary status.
Johann Sebastian Bach came from a long line of musicians. Indeed, he was very proud of this lineage and even completed a family genealogy in 1735, dating back to his great, great grandfather. Famously, most of Sebastian's surviving sons would also continue the family trade.
Bach wrote in virtually every Baroque genre, with the exception of opera. His compositions push beyond the ordinary in almost every respect, and his music is comparably more difficult than almost any of his contemporaries.
Put simply, Bach is one of the greatest composers to ever live. We were honoured to be able to perform in St. Thomas' Church in Leipzig where Bach was music director for 27 years. He is buried in the church, and performing his motet 'Jesu, meine Freude' by Bach's grave was an extremely significant part of our 2018 European tour. Since then, we haven't had many opportunities to perform Bach's music and build on that experience - until now!
'Loben den Herrn' fits into the genre of the motet - a sacred composition for church use. Unlike Bach's other surviving motets it is the only one scored for four voices (the others are mostly for double choir) and the only one not intended for a funeral. As such, the joyous nature of the piece fits really well into this program and has been a great opportunity to get back into Bach's music. It's been a challenge to prepare, but one we have enjoyed.
In actuality, it is quite possible that this motet is not by Bach at all. There is no surviving manuscript and the piece was not publicly known until the early 19th century. The publisher was one of Bach's successors as music director at St. Thomas', Johann Gottfried Schicht, who apparently had access to an original source. This source has not been able to be located however, so the genesis of the piece remains a mystery to this day.
The opening of the motet 'Lobet den Herrn' by Johann Sebastian Bach. Source: Mutopia Project.
This piece is largely contrapuntal - that is, many different threads come together to make a very detailed musical tapestry, which is typical of Bach's music. There are three sections, being the initial statement of the main theme across each of the four voices in turn, a second more homogenous section where all the parts sing at the same time, and the concluding 'Alleluia'. Bach was a master of counterpoint, making different melodies and lines come together to make a cohesive whole, and it is the way that the parts imitate each other and interact which make this piece impressive.
The tone of this piece is jubilant in nature and the text (translation below) is in German. Our singers will also be accompanied by a small organ to underpin the texture, as Bach's singers would also have been. Before coming to either our ‘Sing Joyfully’ concerts, you can listen to a recording of the piece below.
German: Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden, und preiset ihn, alle Völker! Denn seine Gnade und Wahrheit waltet über uns in Ewigkeit. Alleluja.
English: Praise the Lord, all heathens, and praise Him, all peoples! For his grace and truth prevail over us for all eternity. Hallelujah!
Sing Joyfully Concert Details
Saturday 19th August at Sacred Heart Cathedral Bendigo | Sunday 20th August at St. Patrick's Cathedral Melbourne
Also live-streamed on the Australian Digital Concert Hall platform. World-wide digital access, including 72-hour delayed viewing.
To learn more about the exciting concerts and events planned for 2023,
please see
www.australianboyschoir.com.au/concerts
Members of the Australian Boys Choir and The Vocal Consort onstage at Melbourne Recital Centre with Artistic Director Nicholas Dinopoulos, December 2022. Photo by Jane Kupsch.
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