MUSIC AT MARSH CHAPEL 10|11
Scott Allen Jarrett Music Director
Sunday, December 12, 2010 – 9:45A.M.
The Bach Experience
BWV 62: ‘Nunn komm, der Heiden Heiland’
Marsh Chapel Choir and Collegium
Scott Allen Jarrett, DMA, presenting
General Information - Composed in Leipzig in 1724 for the first Sunday in Advent - Scored for two oboes, horn, continuo and strings; solos for soprano, alto, tenor and bass - Though celebratory as the musical start of the church year, the cantata balances the joyful anticipation of Christ’s coming with reflective gravity as depicted in Luther’s chorale - The text is based wholly on Luther’s 1524 chorale, ‘Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland.’ While the outer movements are taken directly from Luther, movements 2-5 are adaptations of the verses two through seven by an unknown librettist. - Duration: about 22 minutes
Some helpful German words to know . . . Heiden heathen (nations) Heiland savior bewundert marvel höchste highest Beherrscher ruler Keuschheit purity nicht beflekket unblemished laufen to run streite struggle Schwachen the weak
See the morning’s bulletin for a complete translation of Cantata 62.
Some helpful music terms to know . . . Continuo – generally used in Baroque music to indicate the group of instruments who play the bass line, and thereby, establish harmony; usually includes the keyboard instrument (organ or harpsichord), and a combination of cello and bass, and sometimes bassoon. Da capo – literally means ‘from the head’ in Italian; in musical application this means to return to the beginning of the music. As a form (i.e. ‘da capo’ aria), it refers to a style in which a middle section, usually in a different tonal area or key, is followed by an restatement of the opening section: ABA. [The first movement of Cantata 34 is da capo in form, and the aria ‘Wohl euch, ihr auserwählten Seelen’ is in a modified da capo form.] Recitative – a style of singing in which the delivery is guided by the rhythm of regular speech; most often heard in opera and oratorio; recitatives may be either secco (dry) or accompagnato (accompanied). Both recitatives in today’s cantata are secco, meaning the singer is supported by continuo only. Famously, the St. Matthew Passion of Bach features both styles of recitative, but only the words of Jesus are set with strings in the accompagnato style, rendering the words of the Lord in a ‘halo’ of sound. BWV - an acronym for Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, or Bach Works Catalogue. The catalogue groups Bach’s compositions by genre (cantatas, BWV 1-224; other vocal works, BWV 225-524; organ works, BWV 525-771; etc.) and does not attempt to represent the chronology of composition. Different cataloguing systems are used for different composers: for example, the works of Mozart are assigned a Köchel (K) number which does reflect the chronology of composition. The Hoboken (Hob.) numbers assigned to Haydn’s works reflect both chronology and genre. Opus (op.) numbers usually reflect chronology of publication, not necessarily composition.
Scott Allen Jarrett, DMA is the Director of Music at Boston University’s Marsh Chapel. His appointment at the University includes lectureships in both the School of Theology in sacred music, and in the School of Music on the conducting faculty. As director of Music at Marsh Chapel, Dr. Jarrett oversees the rich musical life of the Chapel, including a music staff of associates, managers, Choral Scholars, and the Inner Strength Gospel Choir. Dr. Jarrett is the Music Director of Boston’s Back Bay Chorale and is on the conducting staff of the Charlotte Symphony (NC), where he is Music Director of the Oratorio Singers of Charlotte. Through these appointments, Dr. Jarrett regularly conducts the great masterworks of the choral/orchestral repertoire, with a particular focus on the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Having established the Marsh Chapel Bach Cantata Series, he has conducted more than 35 cantatas, and multiple performances of each of Bach's four major works (St John Passion, St Matthew Passion, Mass in B Minor, and the Christmas Oratorio). As a keyboardist, he was a frequent accompanist for the late Robert Shaw, and appears regularly as a continuo player with Miami-based Seraphic Fire. Dr. Jarrett served eight summers on the conducting staff at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute in the Berkshires. BUTI is part of the Tanglewood Music Center, the summer home of the Boston Symphony. BM, Furman University; MM, DMA, Boston University; Present position, 2004.
Highlights of the Marsh Chapel Choir’s 2010/2011 concert season:
Bach Cantatas 34, 62, and 171 as part of the 4th Annual Bach Cantata Series
Robert Schumann - Paradise and the Peri Saturday, November 6, 2010 – 7:30P.M. performed in observance of the 200th anniversary of Schumann’s birth
The 37th Annual Service of Lessons and Carols – Sunday, December 19 –11A.M.
Bach’s St Matthew Passion - Saturday, April 16 – 7:30P.M.
Buxtehude – Membra Jesu nostri – Good Friday, April 22, 2011 – Noon
Rev. Dr. Robert Allan Hill Dean and Chaplain of the University
Br. Lawrence A. Whitney, LC+ University Chaplain for Community Life
Ray Bouchard Director of Marsh Chapel
Scott Allen Jarrett, DMA Director of Music
Justin Thomas Blackwell, MM Associate Director of Music
Elizabeth Fomby Hall Director of Hospitality
Marsh Chapel 735 Commonwealth Avenue 617.353.3560 Boston, MA 02215 www.bu.edu/chapel