Bridgewater Review

Volume 1 | Issue 1 Article 11

May-1982 Cultural Commentary: Bach Cantatas, Old Music, New Recordings Vahe Marganian Bridgewater State College

Recommended Citation Marganian, Vahe (1982). Cultural Commentary: Bach Cantatas, Old Music, New Recordings. Bridgewater Review, 1(1), 16. Available at: http://vc.bridgew.edu/br_rev/vol1/iss1/11

This item is available as part of Virtual Commons, the open-access institutional repository of Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, Massachusetts. ------Quebec ...continued Bach Cantatas North: French-Canadian Immigrant vs. Trade Unionism in Fall River, Old Music, New Recordings Massachusetts", at an Assumption College conference on Les Petits Canadas de la Nouvelle Angleterre, held Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) notes by the trumpets. on March 14, 1982. Professor Silvia occupies a special place in Western In addition to the 170 church cantatas, documented the reasons for the culture through his numerous immigrant's willingness to work for compositions of exquisite vocal and 20 of Bach's secular cantatas were discovered and analyzed by scholars. substandard wages and the consequent instrumental music. His works hold great Bach produced these on such special weakened effectiveness of trade unionism universal appeal since they contain most in Fall River mills. He noted the role of of the elements which please the ear and occasions as birthdays and coronations, the Franco Roman Catholic clergy in stimulate the intellect; melody, harmony, upon the request of friends, town mayors, encouraging passivity toward labor reform symmetry, counterpoint, and color. The and dukes. Here the music is more matters that affected francophone breadth of these works is truly vivacious and bears such titles as newcomers. remarkable: from the "simple" clavichord "Coffee" (praising its virtues ...), (piano) inventions intended to instruct "Shepard", and "Wedding". Appearing at the same conference was some of his twenty children to the All of Bach's cantatas have been BSC alumnus Ronald Petrin (Class of recorded by several labels. In fulfilling 1972) who is currently finishing doctoral monumental B-Minor Mass and St. Matthew Passion involving full orchestra, current standards of performance, they research at Clark University. Petrin is use modern instruments and female exploring political party affiliations of double chorus and children's choir. Between these extremes lie numerous voices for solo and choir parts. Many of French Canadians in Fall River, Holyoke, works for solo instrument organ, sonatas, the leading artists of the recording world Worcester, New Bedford, and Lawrence. and concertos for instruments, motets, have performed these cantatas, such as His paper included findings on French masses, passions and cantatas for voices. Ely Ameling, Janet Baker, Dietrich Canadian involvement in local and state Fischer - Dieskau and Kurt Equiluz, government and was entitled "Culture, The vast majority of his cantatas were under renowned conductors and with Community, and Politics: French composed for specific Sundays in the great ensembles. However, there is an Canadians in Massachusetts, 1889-1915." Lutheran Church calendar, involving outstanding collection of all of Bach's Christmas, Easter, Feast Days, etc. The cantatas under the Telefunken label, The activities of faculty and alumni in church cantata employed a small the field of Canadian Studies demonstrate using original instruments and the same "orchestra" of strings, brass, and wind number of vocal participants used in the continuing improvement of our skills instruments, and percussion. It was and the reputation that we foster in the Bach's time. This monumental task of customary then to interchange score lines recording 20 volumes started in 1972 and academic marketplace. Our involvement for various instruments so that singers in professional responsibilities provides ended in 1980, under the musical could sing instrumental parts and vice­ ample justification for the Canadian directions of Gustav Leonhardt and versa. For the vocal sections, Bach government's willingness to engage in Nikolaus Harnoncourt with the scored for solo soprano, alto, tenor, bass, academic ties with BSe. Our students will Concentus Musicus of Vienna. Each and for choir. find a rewarding experience in the studies volume (price: $20) contains several in Quebec, and our francophone guests A typical cantata opens with a chorus recordings of cantatas with the following will add another international dimension and orchestra stating the major biblical addenda: a complete score (reduced in to our campus life. text clearly and forcefully. A recitative size), complete texts in German, English (narrative) follows the chorus, the and French, a history of each cantata and Stanley Hamilton baritone singing a rapid succession of a description of the original instruments. Associate Professor' works sustained by a few chords on the The combined results of scrupulous Foreign Language Department organ. Next arias or ariosos (usually solo) scholarship, outstanding soloists, and are sung, offering melodic lines and boys voices, and superb accoustical technical challenges to both vocalists and engineering give predictably superlative accompanists alike. Bach typically ended interpretations. The total price of $500 for his cantatas with a Choral, a serene, such a treasure is well worth the melodic "hymn" for all performing forces, sacrifices one undertakes occasionally. occasionally accompanied by the Bach cantatas are quite frequently congregation during the service. performed during ordinary concerts, Bach As any great musician, Bach created a festivals, and on special Sundays in the perfect interplay between text and music. church calendar. A few cathedrals in His pictoral themes depict such images as Europe quite regularly offer cantata cycles waves, clouds, laughter, sorrow, terror, annually, one cantata per Sunday. Fortun­ devil, angels, serpents, etc., with the ately, one need not go to Europe to proper use of fast moving strings, attend such performances. We are melancholy celloes, cheerful flutes, fortunate to be living in Massachusetts, terrifying timpani and organ, forceful where the Bach Cantata Cycle is superbly trumpets and other evocative performed on Sundays by the Emmanuel combinations. Certainly one of the most Church Choir on Newbury Street in graphic of these is No. 80, titled "Ein feste Boston. Should a trip to Emmanuel be Burg ist unser Gott" ("A Mighty Fortress inconvenient, you may hear a Bach is our God") with its tumult expressed by cantata every Sunday shortly after 8:00 repeated fast notes by the strings and by a.m., on WGBH/89.8 F.M. heavy use of brass and timpani. Another cantata employs correspondence of ten virgins, with dramatic syncopated 16