Remember when ... St. Norbert & UWGB performed the St. John Passion, J. S. Bach?
I have to say that it was on of those first choral works for me that really helped grow as a singer. The second last Chorus, Ruht wohl, No. 67, is perhaps one of my favorite pieces ever. It means, Rest well. It's a lullaby to Jesus as he is laid in his tomb. It has long sweeping lines and the melody is haunting. It's in c minor and Bach does something truly astounding musically with the violin melody in measures 8 - 11 (this theme repeats often throughout). The melody is haunting because Bach goes from the tonic to the V and then rips open the iv chord (iv with a lowered 6th), like one of the wounds of Christ, and then slowly back down using vii and vii diminished.
The point of this whole complicated musical explanation is that from a theoretical standpoint it takes hours to truly understand how Bach put together what is really something quite whimsical. My question is whether or not Bach was truly conscious of how he put together this melody, or whether or not it was just such a talent and strength of his that it just sort of happened naturally and logically as he moved along on the keyboard.
Even if from a theoretical standpoint, Bach consciously understood the nuts and bolts behind his melody, then it is an even greater testimony to his strengths, both as a person and a musician. Bach created a melody that sticks with me because he realized that you can't lay Christ to rest with just anything, it has to sound like the heavens from which it came.
I have to say that it was on of those first choral works for me that really helped grow as a singer. The second last Chorus, Ruht wohl, No. 67, is perhaps one of my favorite pieces ever. It means, Rest well. It's a lullaby to Jesus as he is laid in his tomb. It has long sweeping lines and the melody is haunting. It's in c minor and Bach does something truly astounding musically with the violin melody in measures 8 - 11 (this theme repeats often throughout). The melody is haunting because Bach goes from the tonic to the V and then rips open the iv chord (iv with a lowered 6th), like one of the wounds of Christ, and then slowly back down using vii and vii diminished.
The point of this whole complicated musical explanation is that from a theoretical standpoint it takes hours to truly understand how Bach put together what is really something quite whimsical. My question is whether or not Bach was truly conscious of how he put together this melody, or whether or not it was just such a talent and strength of his that it just sort of happened naturally and logically as he moved along on the keyboard.
Even if from a theoretical standpoint, Bach consciously understood the nuts and bolts behind his melody, then it is an even greater testimony to his strengths, both as a person and a musician. Bach created a melody that sticks with me because he realized that you can't lay Christ to rest with just anything, it has to sound like the heavens from which it came.
1 comment:
Its funny because I remember seeing this performance and was absolutely amazed. I instantly set out to analyze those very movements where Bach seems to be at his finest. I too wonder whether Bach really was so theoretical in his writing or whether it was shear genius which allowed him to write the most haunting and yet very musical movements.
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