J.S. Bach: Bist Du Bei Mir

J.S. Bach: Bist Du Bei Mir

I’m surveying some of my favorite Bach this week. I won’t be able to make a dent in the 250 surviving Cantatas, Oratorios, Masses, or Passions, alas. It’s true that most of Bach’s vocal output is liturgical. There are exceptions:  The Coffee Cantata, the Hunt Cantata,...
J. S. Bach:  Goldberg Variations

J. S. Bach: Goldberg Variations

I’ve been drawn closer and closer to Bach lately. Maybe he’s the only antidote I have to our perilous and uncertain times. Yesterday was “Bist Du bei Mir”. And the day before “Schlummert Ein”. To follow, I was drawn to the Goldberg...
J. S. Bach:  Bist Du Bei Mir

J. S. Bach: Bist Du Bei Mir

Today’s Song of the Day features one of my all-time favorites, again by J.S.Bach. I’ve been re-reading John Eliot Gardiner’s Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven with much pleasure. Do yourself a favor and read it. This is from Anna Magdalena’s...
J. S. Bach:  Schlummert Ein

J. S. Bach: Schlummert Ein

J.S. Bach is still the guiding light for most of us who have studied and practice classical music. He created a kind of purity that I think married humanity with the loftiest concept of God. I personally find Bach is enough, without religion. And when Lorraine Hunt...