The Well-Tempered Ear
The Madison Bach Musicians host a virtual online Baroque Tour starting this Saturday, April 24, and lasting through May 8
Leave a Comment
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
The Ear has received the following notice from Trevor Stephenson, the founder and artistic director of the Madison Bach Musicians (MBM), who will debut their season-closing concert live and online this coming Saturday night, April 24:
Stephenson (below) writes:
Since travel has been so very limited during the pandemic, Madison Bach Musicians is elated to conclude its 2020-21 season with a musical journey through both space and time, and invites you to join us from the intimacy and safety of your own home.
A Baroque Tour is a musical travelogue of instrumental masterworks from 17th- and 18th-century Europe. Luminaries like Handel, Vivaldi, Purcell and Buxtehude are in the mix on this program with their brilliant though lesser-known contemporaries such as Louis-Gabriel Guillemain (below top), Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Andrea Falconieri (below bottom) and Francisco Jose de Castro.
A Baroque Tour will explore the glorious sonic landscapes of Italy, Spain, France, England and Germany.
Our ensemble for this program consists of five strings plus harpsichord, and we are thrilled that baroque bassoon virtuoso Marc Vallon (below, in a photo by James Gill), who teaches at the UW-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music, will join us for Vivaldi’s exuberant Bassoon Concerto in B-Flat Major. (You can hear the opening movement in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
A Baroque Tour will be broadcast via live-streaming from the acoustically spectacular sanctuary of Grace Episcopal Church on this Saturday evening, April 24. (Rebroadcasts will be available on demand through May 8.)
Tickets are $15 and available online at: https://madison-bach-musicians.square.site/product/a-baroque-tour-april-24-2021-livestream-on-demand-until-may-8/57?cs=true&cst=custom
If you wish to purchase tickets through the mail, use this downloadable form: https://madisonbachmusicians.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/MBM-2020-21-Live-Stream-Ticket-Form-A-Baroque-Tour.pdf
Here is the schedule for the concert and related events:
From 7:30-8 p.m., in a pre-concert lecture, MBM artistic director Trevor Stephenson will discuss the composers, the repertoire and the historical instruments.
The performance will run from 8 p.m. until approximately 9:15 p.m.
The evening will then conclude with a live Question-and-Answer session with the musicians who will be socially distanced on the concert platform.
Listeners should submit their questions—in advance or during the broadcast—via email to Karen Rebholz at madisonbachmusicians.manager@gmail.com.
THE MUSICIANS are:
Marc Vallon – baroque bassoon soloist
Kangwon Kim (below) – baroque violin
Emily Dupere – baroque violin
Micah Behr – baroque viola and baroque guitar
Martha Vallon – baroque cello and viola da gamba
James Waldo – baroque cello (and tambourine)
Trevor Stephenson – harpsichord
THE PROGRAM is:
HANDEL – Sonata in A major for Violin and Continuo, HWV 361
CHARPENTIER – Concerto for Four Viols, H 545
PURCELL – Trio Sonata in C major, Z 795
VIVALDI – Bassoon Concerto in B-flat major, RV 503
GUILLEMAIN – Sonata in A minor for Two Violins, Op. 5, No.1
BUXTEHUDE – Trio Sonata in G major, BuxWV 271
DE CASTRO – Trio Sonata in C major, Op. 1, No. 6
FALCONIERI – La Folia (Folías de España)
Here is a link to some brief biographies and interesting facts about these remarkable composers: https://madisonbachmusicians.org/april-24-a-baroque-tour-a-livestream-event/
Tags: #AndreaFalconieri, #AntonioVivaldi, #ArtisticDirector, #BaroqueBassoon, #BaroqueContinuo, #BaroqueMusic, #BassoonConcerto, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChamberMusic, #ChristianChurch, #CoronavirusPandemic, #DietrichBuxtehude, #EmailAddress, #EmilyDupere, #EnglishComposer, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FranciscoJosedeCastro, #Frenchcomposer, #GeorgeFridericHandel, #GermanComposer, #GermanComposers, #GraceEpiscopalChurch, #HarpsichordContinuo, #HenryPurcell, #HistoricallyInformedPerformancePractices, #HomeWebsite, #InstrumentalMusic, #italianComposer, #JacobStockinger, #JamesWaldo, #JohannSebastaianBach, #KangwonKim, #KeyboardMusic, #LaFolia, #LiveStreaming, #Louis-GabrielGuillemain, #MadisonBachMusicians, #Marc-AntoineCharpentier, #MarcVallon, #MarthaVallon, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MicahBehr, #Musicfaculty, #OnlineConcert, #PeriodInstruments, #Pre-concertLecture, #RelatedEvent, #SaturdayNight, #SocialDistance, #SpanishComposer, #StringMusic, #TheEar, #TheUW, #TrevorStephenson, #TrioSonata, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #VioladaGamba, #VirtualConcert, #WoodwindInstruments, #YouTubevideo, acoustics, Andrea Falconieri, Antonio Vivaldi, April, April Fool, Artistic director, Arts, audience, Bach, Baroque, bassoon concerto, biography, blog, brief, brilliant, Britain, Broadcast, Buxtehude, Castro, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, Charpentier, Christian, church, Classical music, composer, Concert, concerto, conclude, contemporary, continuo, coronavirus, cost, demand, Dietrich Buxtehude, downloadable, Dupere, Early music, elate, email, Emily Dupere, England, English, evening, event, exuberant, Facebook, Facebook post, Facebook posting, fact, Falconieri, form, forward, founder, Francisco Jose de Castro, French, George Frideric Handel, German, Germany, glorious, Grace Episcopal Church, Guillemain, guitar, Handel, harpsichord, help, Henry Purcell, historically informed performance practices, Home, home website, instrumental, intimacy, invite, Italian, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, James Walso, Johann Sebastian Bach, journey, Kangwon Kim, Keyboard, keyboard music, La Folia, landscape, like, limited, link, livestream, Louis-Gabriel Guillemain, luminary, Madison, Madison Bach Musicians, mail, Marc Vallon, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Martha Vallon, masterpiece, MBM, Mead Witter School of Music, Micah Behr, mix, Music, music faculty, musical, Musician, notice, online, pandemic, performer, period instruments, post, posting, pre-concert lecture, professor, Purcell, Q&A, question-and-answer, related, remarkable, repertoire, repertory, safety, sanctuary, Saturday, Season, session, share, social distance, Sonata, sonic, space, Spain, Spanish, spectacular, string, string music, tag, tambourine, The Ear, thrill, ticket, time, tour, travel, travelogue, Trevor Stephenson, trio, trio sonata, UK, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW, video, Viol, Viola, viola da gamba, Violin, violinist, virtual, virtuoso, Vivaldi, Website, Wisconsin, woodwind, write, YouTube
The 10th annual Baroque Holiday Concert by the Madison Bach Musicians is next Saturday night and will be virtual and online
Leave a Comment
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
On this coming Saturday night, Dec. 12, the Madison Bach Musicians will present their 10th annual Baroque Holiday Concert (below is a photo of a previous year’s holiday concert).
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s one-hour concert will be a virtual web event.
The program features Baroque masterworks by Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Philipp Telemann, Arcangelo Corelli, Joseph Dall’Abaco, Jean Daniel Braun and Marc-Antoine Charpentier. It was recorded Dec. 1-6 in several acoustically superior venues.
Links to the MBM holiday program can be purchased at $15 per household at https://madisonbachmusicians.org. Patrons purchasing the link can view the program the evening of Dec. 12 and anytime afterward through Friday, Dec. 26.
Festivities begin at 7:30 p.m. with MBM director Trevor Stephenson’s 30-minute pre-concert lecture about the repertoire, the composers and the period instruments.
At 8 p.m., viewers will see the 60-minute, high-definition video of the concert portion of the program, followed by a 30-minute Zoom Q&A session with the musicians from their homes. Questions for the Zoom session should be submitted by email to MBM manager Karen Rebholz at madisonbachmusicians.manager@gmail.com.
The concert begins with a selection of nine pieces from the Schemelli Songbook. Georg Schemelli collaborated with Johann Sebastian Bach (below, 1685-1750) in assembling this magnificent collection of spiritual songs, published in Leipzig in 1736. Bach provided most of the bass lines and wonderful harmonizations.
Grammy Award-winning soprano Estelí Gomez and harpsichordist Trevor Stephenson (both below) perform this set in the beautiful chapel at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis.
From the sanctuary of Grace Episcopal Church, on the Capitol Square in downtown Madison, baroque cellist James Waldo (below) will perform Bach’s magisterial Solo Cello Suite No. 4 in E-flat major.
UW-Madison Mead Witter School of Music bassoon faculty member Marc Vallon (below top, in a photo by James Gill) and esteemed baroque cellist Martha Vallon (below bottom) team up in the Collins Recital Hall of the UW”s Hamel Music Center for a Duo Sonata by Jean Daniel Braun (1703-1738).
Marc will also play a solo bassoon transcription of two Fantasias, originally for solo flute, by Telemann (1681-1767). Martha will perform the meditative Capriccio no. 4 in D minor by Dall’Abaco (1710-1805).
The program concludes at The Crossing in Madison with MBM concertmaster violinist Kangwon Kim (below top), violist Micah Behr (below bottom) and cellist James Waldo joining in a medley of holiday favorites.
They include Greensleeves variations over a ground (repeated bass line); three movements from Christmas Music for Instruments by Charpentier (1643-1704); the Adagio from the Christmas Concerto Op. 6, No. 8 by Corelli (1653-1713), which you can hear in the YouTube video at the bottom; and two beloved carols — Lo How a Rose and Sussex Carol – in arrangements by Micah Behr.
MBM wishes to thank Geneva Campus Church for their collaboration in filming this portion of the program as a contribution to their weekly services.
Tags: #AppletonWisconsin, #ArcangeloCorelli, #BaroqueBassoon, #BaroqueCello, #BaroqueFlute, #BaroqueMusic, #Baroquesinging, #BaroqueViola, #BaroqueViolin, #BassLines, #BassoonMusic, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CapitolSquare, #ChamberMusic, #ChristianChurch, #ChristmasCarol, #ChristmasConcerto, #ChristmasMusic, #CityofMadison, #ClassicalMusician, #CollinsRecitalHall, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #DuoSonata, #EstelíGomez, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #GenevaCampusChurch, #GeorgPhilippTelemann, #GeorgSchemelli, #GraceEpiscopalChurch, #GrammyAward, #HamelMusicCenter, #HighDefinition, #HistoricallyInformedPerformancePractices, #HolidayConcert, #HolidayFavorites, #HomeWebsite, #JacobStockinger, #James Waldo, #JeanDanielBraun, #JesusChrist, #JohannSebastianBach, #JosephDell'Abaco, #KangwonKim, #KarenRebholz, #LawrenceUniversity, #LeipzigGermany, #LoHowaRose, #MadisonBachMusicians, #MadisonWisconsin, #Marc-AntoineCharpentier, #MarcVallon, #MarthaVallon, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MicahBehr, #Musicfaculty, #OnlineConcert, #PeriodInstruments, #Pre-concertLecture, #RecordedMusic, #SocialDistance, #SociallyDistanced, #SoloCelloSuite, #SpecialCollection, #SpiritualMusic, #SussexCarol, #TheCrossing, #TheEar, #ThemeAndVariations, #TheUW, #TrevorStephenson, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #VirtualConcert, #VocalMusic, #YouTubevideo, #ZoomMeeting, acoustics, Appleton, Arcangelo Corelli, Arts, assemble, assembling, audience, Bach, Baroque, Baroque cello, Baroque music, bass, bass lines, Bassoon, blog, Braun, Campus, Capitol Square, Capriccio, Carol, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, chapel, Charpentier, Christ, Christian, Christian church, Christmas, church, Classical music, classical musician, classicalmusic, collaborate, collection, Collins Recital Hall, composer, Concert, concertmaster, concerto, conclude, contribution, Corelli, coronavirus, December, director, downtown, duo sonata, Early music, earlymusic, Estelí Gomez, evening, event, Facebook, Facebook post, Facebook posting, Fantasia, festivities, film, filming, flute, forward, Geneva Campus Church, Georg Philipp Telemann, George Schemelli, Grace Episcopal Church, Grammy Award, Greensleeves, ground, Hamel Music Center, harmonization, harpsichord, harpsichordist, High definition, historically informed performance practices, holiday concert, holiday favorites, Home, home website, hour, Jacob Stockinger, Jean Daniel Braun, Jesus, Johann Sebastian Bach, Joseph Dall'Abaco, Kangwoo Kim, Karen Rebholz, Lawrence University, Leipzig, like, link, Lo How a Rose, Madison, Madison Bach Musicians, magisterial, magnificent, Marc Vallon, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Martha Vallon, mask, Masterworks, Mead Witter School of Music, meditative, medley, Micah Behr, movement, Music, music faculty, online, pandemic, patrons, perform, period instruments, photo, piece, pieces, play, portion, post, posting, pre-concert, previous, professor, program, publish, published, purchase, Q&A, question-and-answer, questions, recorded, recorded music, sanctuary, services, set, share, Singing, social distance, socially distanced, solo, solo cello suite, Sonata, song, songbook, soprano, spiritual, submit, Superior, Sussex Carol, tag, technology, Telemann, The Crossing, The Ear, theme and variations, tickets, transcription, Trevor Stephenson, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW, UW-Madison, venues, view, viewer, Viola, Violin, violinist, virtual, vocal music, web, Website, weekly, Wisconsin, wonderful, year, YouTube, Zoom
Classical music: Madison Bach Musicians will hold their sixth annual summer workshops on baroque music online July 28-31. Registration ends July 26
Leave a Comment
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
The Ear has received the following announcement to post from the Madison Bach Musicians – who are known for their authentic interpretations with period instruments and historically informed performance practices:
|
|
|
Here is a preview video on YouTube video:
Tags: #18thCentury, #BaroqueCello, #BaroqueContinuo, #BaroqueOrnamentation, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChamberMusic, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FacultyMember, #HistoricallyInformedPerformancePractices, #HomeWebsite, #InPerson, #InstrumentalMusic, #JacobStockinger, #Jason Moy, #JasonMoy, #JohannSebastianBach, #KangwonKim, #LisetteKielson, #MadisonBachMusicians, #MarthaVallon, #MicahBehr, #MusicalInterpretation, #PeriodInstruments, #Pre-concertLecture, #SarahEdgar, #SignUp, #TheEar, #TrevorStephenson, #YouTubevideo, 18th century, announcement, annual, articulation, Arts, audience, authentic, Bach, Baroque, basics, blog, bow, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, class, Classical music, compare, composer, continuo, coronavirus, curiosity, dance, deadline, description, digital, early, Early music, Facebook, faculty, forward, fugue, Greensleeves, ground, group, help, historically informed performance practices, home website, in person, indulge, influence, instrumental music, instrumentalists, interaction, interpretation, J.S. Bach, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Kangwoo Kim, known, lessons, like, link, Lisette Kielson, Madison, Madison Bach Musicians, Martha Vallon, MBM, Micah Behr, Music, number, online, ornamentation, pandemic, performance, period instruments, person, play, post, posting, pre-concert, preview, private, recording, registration, reinvent, response, safe, Sarah Edgar, share, sign-up, silence, Sonata, Sound, Student, summer, symphony, tag, talk, Teacher, The Ear, Trevor Stephenson, United States, use, Violin, violinist, virtual, Wisconsin, workshop, YouTube, Zoom
Classical music: FREE Just Bach concerts start again this Wednesday at noon. Bach Around the Clock has almost filled performing slots
Leave a Comment
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
ALERT: Bach Around the Clock, a daylong celebration of the birthday of Johann Sebastian Bach with performances by professional and amateur musicians, will take place on Saturday, March 28, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 1833 Regent Street, in Madison. The festival schedule of performers is almost full, but a few spaces are still available. Please contact BATC soon if you are thinking about performing.
By Jacob Stockinger
The Just Bach series of FREE monthly noontime concerts (below) will start again this week on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at noon at Luther Memorial Church, 1021 University Avenue.
It is free and open to the public, with a goodwill offering collected. Food and beverages for lunch are allowed.
Singers for the concert are: Sarah Brailey, soprano; Lindsey Meekhof, mezzo-soprano; James Mauk, tenor; and UW-Madison professor Paul Rowe, bass-baritone (below, in a photo by Michael R. Anderson).
The period-instrument players are: Brian Ellingboe, bassoon; Marika Fischer Hoyt, violin 1; Thalia Coombs, violin 2; Micah Behr, viola; Anton TenWolde, cello; and Mark Brampton Smith, organ.
The concert will open with the Toccata and Fugue in F Major, BWV 540, performed by organist Mark Brampton Smith (below).
Just Bach co-founder, UW graduate student and acclaimed soprano Sarah Brailey (below) will lead the chorale sing-along, a beloved audience-participation feature of the programs.
The concert closes with Cantata 155 ‘Mein Gott, wie lang,’ ach lange?’ (My God, how long, ah, how long?). You can hear the title aria in the YouTube video at the bottom.
Says co-founder and baroque violist-violinist Marika Fischer Hoyt (below): “It is a beautiful five-movement work about enduring the darkness of hard times and emerging once more into the light.
“The four vocal soloists shine in the first four movements (including an alto-tenor duet featuring a lovely bassoon obbligato part), and the Cantata concludes with a Chorale in which all take part.
Other Just Bach concerts this spring, all Wednesdays at noon, are: Feb. 19, March 25, April 15 and May 20.
Future programs will be announced at: https://justbach.org
Tags: #AmateurMusician, #AntonTenWolde, #BachAroundtheClock, #BachCantata, #BaroqueCello, #BaroqueMusic, #BaroqueViola, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrianEllingboe, #ChamberMusic, #ChoralMusic, #ChristianChurch, #ClassicaMusic, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #HardTimes, #JacobStockinger, #JamesMauk, #JohannSebastianBach, #JustBach, #LindseyMeekhof, #LutherMemorialChurch, #MarikaFischerHoyt, #MarkBramptonSmith, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #Mezzo-sopranoSinger, #MicahBehr, #OrganFugue, #OrganToccata, #PaulRowe, #PeriodInstrument, #ProfessionalMusician, #SarahBrailey, #SopranoSinger, #St.Andrew'sEpiscopalChurch, #TenorSinger, #ThaliaCoombs, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #VocalMusic, #YouTubevideo, amateur, Anton TenWolde, aria, Arts, audience, Bach, Bach Around the Clock, Baroque, Baroque music, bass-baritone, Bassoon, BATC, beautiful, beverage, birthday, blog, Brian Ellingboe, BWV, Cantata, Cello, Chamber music, choral music, Chorale, Christian, church, Classical music, co-founder, composer, Concert, counterpoint, darkness, duet, Early music, eat, emerge, endure, Episcopal, Facebook, feature, food, forward, free, free will, fugue, God, hard times, instrumentalist, Jacob Stockinger, James Mauk, Johann Sebastian Bach, Just Bach, light, like, Lindsey Meekhof, link, lunch, Luther Memorial Church, Lutheran, Madison, Marika Fischer Hoyt, Mark Brampton Smith, Mead Witter School of Music, Mezzo-soprano, Micah Behr, monthly, movement, Music, Musician, noon, noontime, obbligato, offering, Orchestra, organ, part, participation, Paul Rowe, performer, period-instrument, player, post, posting, professional, program, public, reschedule, Sarah Brailey, schedule, semester, share, sing-along, singer, soloist, soprano, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, tag, tenor, Thalia Coombs, The Ear, title, toccata, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW, UW-Madison, Viola, Violin, vocal music, Wisconsin, YouTube
Classical music: The Madison Bach Musicians will perform its ninth annual Baroque Holiday Concert this coming Saturday night
Leave a Comment
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
On this coming Saturday night, Dec. 7, the Madison Bach Musicians will present its ninth annual Baroque Holiday Concert (below, in 2014, in a photo by Kent Sweitzer).
The concert, using period instruments and historically informed performance practices, is again at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 1609 University Ave., near Camp Randall Stadium. A pre-concert lecture by MBM founder and director Trevor Stephenson is at 7:15 p.m. followed by the concert at 8 p.m.
Advance-sale tickets are $35 at Orange Tree Imports and the Willy St. Co-op (East and West). Online advance-sale tickets are available at https://madisonbachmusicians.org. Tickets at the door at $38 for general admission and $35 for seniors. Student Rush tickets are $10 at the door and go on sale 30 minutes before the lecture.
The program features masterworks by Bach, Handel, Purcell and Torelli which, in their appealing Baroque way, explore the fusion of celebration, reflection and ultimate renewal often felt as the year’s end approaches.
MBM welcomes baroque trumpet virtuoso Kathryn Adduci (below), who will show how wonderfully vintage brass resounds in the magnificent Old World acoustics of the church.
Other performers are: Ariadne Lih, soprano (below); Lindsey Meekhof, alto; Ryan Townsend Strand, tenor; Michael Hawes, bass; Christine Hauptly Annin and Nathan Giglierano, violins; Micah Behr, viola; James Waldo, cello; and Trevor Stephenson, harpsichord.
Here are a couple of fun facts, provided by Stephenson, about each piece on the program.
Sound the Trumpet, by Henry Purcell (1659−1695, below)
1. This piece was composed in 1694, the year before Purcell died at the age of just 36. It is part of a birthday ode — Come Ye Sons of Art, Away! — for Queen Mary II of England, wife of King James II.
2. There is no trumpet in it at all, but the two voices implore the trumpet to play and they emulate trumpet-style writing with long, swelling notes mixed in with brilliant decorative flourishes.
Trumpet Concert in D major by Giuseppe Torelli (1658−1709, below)
1. Torelli was one of the most prolific trumpet composers of all time.
2. The baroque trumpet has no valves and is designed to play in one tonality at a time. Favorite baroque keys were D major and C major.
Comfort Ye and Every Valley from Messiah, by George Frideric Handel (1685−1759, below)
1. After the instrumental Overture to Messiah, this Recitative and Aria are the work’s first sung pieces.
2. Handel was 56 years old when he composed Messiah in 1741 in London; the work was premiered, however, in Dublin in 1742, much to the chagrin of Handel’s librettist Charles Jennens.
Cantata BWV 51, Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen (Exult in God in Every Land), by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685−1750, below)
1. Composed around 1730, this is one of the very few Bach cantatas requiring only one singer.
2. In Bach’s Leipzig church, where the work was probably first heard, the soloist would have been either a male falsettist (or castrato) or an exceptionally skilled boy soprano.
Contrapunctus XIX and Vor deinen Thron tret ich hiermit (Before Thy throne I stand), from The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080, by J.S. Bach
1. According to Bach’s son Carl Philipp Emanuel (CPE), this fugue is the last piece his father wrote — though scholars hotly contest this claim.
2. In measure 195, Bach’s own name appears suddenly as a musical motive: B (B-flat in the German scale) – A – C – H (B natural) and the fugue has no ending but simply trails off in measure 239.
Grosser Herr, o starker König (Great Lord, O Powerful King) from Christmas Oratorio,BWV 248, by J.S. Bach
1. It features dance-like melodic figures in dialogue between trumpet and solo bass voice. (Heard in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
2. Text celebrates the birth of the savior, which makes the powers of the Earth irrelevant.
Cantata BWV 196, Der Herr denket an uns (The Lord thinks of us),by J.S. Bach
1. With its textual focus on blessings (from Psalm 115), the work is likely a wedding cantata.
2. Written probably when Bach was only 22 years old, the work is absolutely perfect in its structure and easy concision; its high-energy but quiet final cadence has a curiously modern, neo-Classical charm that might have made Stravinsky smile.
Chorale: Wohl mir, dass ich Jesum habe (What joy for me that I have Jesus),from Cantata, BWV 147, Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life), by J.S. Bach
1. The famous opening figure in the strings is really just Bach’s ingenious obligato lead-in to a chorale tune that parishioners in his church would have instantly recognized.
2. This work has enjoyed tremendous popularity as “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” since it was arranged for one and then two pianos in 1926 and 1934 respectively by English pianist Myra Hess. It has since been arranged for myriad combinations of instruments and voices.
Tags: #AltoSinger, #AriadneLih, #ArtofFugue, #BachCantata, #BaroqueMusic, #BaroqueOratorio, #BassSinger, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BoySoprano, #BrassMusic, #CampRandall, #CampRandallStadium, #CarlPhilippEmanuelBach, #CharlesJennens, #CharlesJennins, #ChoralMusic, #ChristianChurch, #ChristianReligion, #ChristmasHoliday, #ChristmasOratorio, #CPEBach, #DublinIreland, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FirstCongregationalUnitedChurchofChrist, #FourSeasonsofBuenosAires, #GeorgeFridericHandel, #GermanComposer, #GermanLanguage, #GiuseppeTorelli, #GuestArtist, #HenryPurcell, #HistoricallyInformedPerformancePractices, #HolidayConcert, #HolidayMusic, #HolidaySeason, #IgorStravinsky, #InstrumentalMusic, #italianComposer, #James Waldo, #JamesGiles, #JamesWaldo, #JesuJoyofMan'sDesiring, #JesusChrist, #JohannSebastianBach, #KathrynAdduci, #KingJames, #KingofEngland, #LeipzigGermany, #LondonEngland, #MadisonBaroqueMusicians, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MicahBehr, #MyraHess, #NathanGiglierano, #OldWorld, #PeriodInstruments, #QueenMary, #SeniorCitizen, #SopranoSinger, #TenorSinger, #TheEar, #TheLord, #TrevorStephenson, #TrumpetConcerto, #TrumpetMusic, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #VocalMusic, #WillySt.Coop, #WillySt.CoopWest, #WillyStreetCo-op, #WillyStreetCoopEast, #YouTubevideo, acoustics, alto, appealing, aria, Ariadne Lih, arrangement, Art of Fugue, Arts, Bach, Bach cantata, Baroque, Baroque music, bass, biirth, birthday, blog, boy, boy soprano, brass, brass music, brilliant, British, Camp Randall, Camp Randall Stadium, Cantata, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, castrato, celebration, cellist, Cello, Charles Jennens, charm, choral music, Chorale, Christ, Christmas, Christmas Oratorio, church, claim, Classical music, composer, Concert, concerto, concise, conductor, contest, counterpoint, CPE Bach, decorative, deed, dialogue, director, Dublin, Early music, Earth, east, end, ending, energy, England, English, explore, Facebook, fact, falsetto, father, figure, First Congregational United Church of Christ, flourishes, forward, founder, fugue, fusion, George Frideric Handel, German, Giuseppe Torelli, God, guest artist, Handel, harpsichord, heart, Henry Purcell, historically informed performance practices, Holiday, holiday concert, Igor Stravinsky, ingenious, instrument, instrumental, instruments, Italian, Italy, J.S. Bach, Jacob Stockinger, James, Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring, Jesus Christ, Johann Sebastian Bach, Kathryn Adduci, key, keys, King, last, lecture, Leipzig, librettist, life, like, link, London, long, Lord, Madison, Madison Baroque Musicians, magnificent, male, Mary, masterwork, Mead Witter School of Music, Messiah, Micah Behr, modern, motive, mouth, Music, musical, Myra Hess, Nathan Giglierano, neo-Classical, notes, ode, Old World, online, opening, oratorio, Orchestra, Overture, parishioners, perfect, period instruments, Pianist, Piano, Pianos, play, popularity, post, posting, premiere, program, prolific, queen, Queen Mary, recitative, reflection, Religion, renewal, resound, rush, savior, scholar, Season, senior, senior citizen, share, singer, skill, smile, solo, soloist, son, soprano, Sound, Stravinsky, structure, Student, swelling, tag, tenor, text, The Ear, throne, ticket, tonality, Torelli, Trevor Stephenson, Trumpet, trumpet concerto, tune, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Madison, valve, valveless, vintage, Viola, Violin, violinist, violist, virtuoso, vocal music, voice, websote, wedding, west, Willy Street Co-op, Willy Street Coop, Willy Street Coop East, Willy Street Coop West, Wisconsin, wrote, year, YouTube
Classical music: Madison Bach Musicians summer workshops in early music are open to the public. A faculty concert is on Wednesday night and a FREE all-participants concert is on Friday at 12:30 p.m.
Leave a Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
REMINDER: Madison Opera’s annual Opera is the Park was cancelled last night because of weather and takes place TONIGHT in Garner Park at 8 p.m. For more information, go to: https://welltempered.wordpress.com/2019/07/15/classical-music-madison-operas-annual-free-opera-in-the-park-returns-this-saturday-night-july-20-in-garner-park-and-celebrates-18-years-in-madison-plus-a-glimpse-of-the-upcoming-season/
By Jacob Stockinger
The fifth annual Madison Bach Musicians Summer Chamber Music Workshop (below, a cello class from last year) will be held from Monday, July 23, to Friday, July 26, at the West Middleton Lutheran Church, 3763 Pioneer Road, in Verona, Wisconsin.
The workshop is chaired by MBM assistant artistic director and baroque violinist Kangwon Kim (below), who says: “I’m excited to welcome 32 participants, our largest number ever, working in nine chamber groups this summer to share a week of intense music-making and learning.
” We will explore wonderful repertoire from the baroque and early classical periods, both familiar and rarely performed, while working intensely in an encouraging community that will support musical growth.”
Harpsichordist JungHae Kim (below top) from San Francisco and baroque violist Micah Behr from Madison will join returning faculty members recorder player Lisette Kielson, cellist Martha Vallon (below bottom), dance instructor Karen McShane-Hellenbrand, and MBM founder, artistic director and keyboardist Trevor Stephenson.
Musicians who range in age from 13 to older adulthood will receive personalized ensemble coaching in violin, viola, baroque cello, viola da gamba, piano, fortepiano, harpsichord and recorder. (You can sample the Madison Bach Musicians in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
The public is invited to an evening Faculty Concert and various afternoon classes exploring continuo playing, specific instrument master classes, stage presence for musicians, sight-reading, baroque dance, and more.
The Faculty Concert on Wednesday night, July 23, at 7:30 p.m. will feature works by Carl Heinirch Graun (below top), Francesco Turini, Jean-Henri D’Anglebert (below bottom), Georg Philipp Telemann, Joseph Bodin de Boismortier and Henry Purcell on period instruments. Admission is $15 at the door.
The all-participants final concert of the music from the workshops is on Friday, July 26, at 12:30 p.m. It is FREE and open to the public.
An Auditor’s Pass for afternoon programming for the entire festival — including the Faculty Concert — is $40.
For more information, go to: https://madisonbachmusicians.org/summer-workshop/
Tags: #ArtisticDirector, #BaroqueCello, #BaroqueContinuo, #BaroqueDance, #BaroqueMusic, #BaroqueRecorder, #BaroqueViola, #BaroqueViolin, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CarlHeinrichGraun, #ChamberGroup, #ChamberMusic, #ChamberMusicians, #ChoralMusic, #ChristianChurch, #Classicalperiod, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FacultyConcert, #FacultyMember, #FrancescoTurini, #GarnerPark, #GeorgPhilippTelemann, #HarpsichordMusic, #HenryPurcell, #HistoricallyInformedPerformancePractices, #HomeWebsite, #InstrumentalMusic, #Jean-HenriD'Anglebert, #JohannSebastianBach, #JosephBodindeBoismortier, #JungHaeKim, #KangwonKim, #KarenMcShane-Hellenbrand, #LastYear, #LisetteKielson, #MadisonBachMusicians, #MadisonOpera, #MadisonOperaChorus, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MadisonWisconsin, #MarthaVallon, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MicahBehr, #Music-Making, #OperaArias, #OperaInThePark, #OperaMusic, #PeriodInstruments, #SanFrancisco, #SanFranciscoCalifornia, #StagePresence, #TrevorStephenson, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #VeronaWisconsin, #VioladaGamba, #VocalMusic, #WestMiddletonLutheranChurch, #YouTubevideo, admission, adult, adulthood, afternoon, age, annual, Artistic director, Arts, attend, audience, auditor, Bach, Baroque, baroque dance, blog, Boismortier, California, Carl Heinrich Graun, cellist, Cello, chamber group, Chamber music, chamber musicians, choral music, Christian, church, Classical music, Classical period, community, composer, Concert, continuo, D'Anglebert, dancer, door, early, Early music, evening, excited, explore, Facebook, faculty, faculty concert, faculty member, familiar, festival, fifth, fortepiano, forward, founder, Francesco Turini, free, Friday, Garner Park, Georg Philipp Telemann, Graun, group, growth, harpsichord, Henry Purcell, historically informed performance practices, information, instrument, instrumental, intense, Jacob Stockinger, Jean-Henri D'Anglebert, Johann Sebastian Bach, Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, Jung Hae Kim, Kangwon Kim, Karen McShane-Hellenbrand, Keyboard, largest, last year, learn, learning, like, link, Lisette Kielson, Madison, Madison Bach Musicians, Madison Opera, Madison Opera Chorus, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Martha Vallon, master class, masterclass, MBM, Mead Witter School of Music, member, Micah Behr, Middleton, Music, musical, Musician, night, number, older, open, opera, Opera in the Park, participants, pass, performed, performer, period instruments, person, personalize, Piano, player, playing, presence, programming, public, rarely, reader, recorder, reminder, repertoire, repertory, San Francisco, share, sight-reading, Sonata, specific, stage, stage presence, subscriber, summer, symphony, tag, Telemann, tonight, Trevor Stephenson, Turini, United States, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW, UW-Madison, Verona, Viola, viola da gamba, Violin, vocal music, weather, Wednesday, welcome, West Middleton Lutheran Church, Wisconsin, wonderful, work, working, workshop, year, YouTube
Recent Comments
The Well-Tempered Ear 