Podcasts about bach choir

Brenda Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond, is a former judge who served as the first female president of the Supreme Court. In 2019 she announced the court's judgement that the prorogation of Parliament was ‘unlawful, void and of no effect'. The twinkling spider brooch she wore that day caused a sensation and set social media aflame. She was the first woman and the youngest person to be appointed to the Law Commission and in 2004 became the UK's first woman law lord.Lady Hale was born in Yorkshire and read law at the University of Cambridge where she graduated top of her class. She spent almost 20 years in academia and also practised as a barrister. Later at the Law commission she led the work on what became the 1989 Children Act. Lady Hale retired as a judge in January 2020.DISC ONE: Messiah - Part 1: O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings To Zion, composed by Georg Friedrich Händel, performed by Kathleen Ferrier and The London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Sir Adrian Boult DISC TWO: Love Me Do by The Beatles DISC THREE: Move Him Into The Sun. Composed and conducted by Benjamin Britten. Performed by Peter Pears (tenor) and Galina Vishnevskaya (soprano) with the Bach Choir and the London Symphony Orchestra DISC FOUR: Part 1 Nos 4 & 5: Gloria in excelsis Deo – Et in terra pax. Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, performed by The Monteverdi Choir and The English Baroque Soloists and conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner DISC FIVE: The Marriage of Figaro), K. 492 Sull'Aria. Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, performed by sopranos Charlotte Margiono and Barbara Bonney, Netherlands Opera Chorus and the Concertgebouw Orchestra DISC SIX: Hand in Hand by Glória (Ireland's Gay and Lesbian Choir) DISC SEVEN: Parry: I Was Glad, composed by Hubert Parry, performed by Westminster Abbey Choir, Simon Preston (organ) and conducted by William McKinney DISC EIGHT: Dies Irae. Composed by Giuseppe Verdi, performed by Swedish Radio Choir and the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir, with the Berlin Philharmonic, conducted by Claudio AbbadoBOOK CHOICE: A Desert Island survival manual LUXURY ITEM: A solar-powered computer with sudoku puzzles and a writing application CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Part 1 Nos 4 & 5: Gloria in excelsis Deo – Et in terra pax, composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, performed by The Monteverdi Choir and The English Baroque Soloists, conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner Presenter Lauren Laverne Producer Paula McGinley

Dr. Christopher Jackson, Artistic Director & Conductor of the the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, speaking about the 2024 Christmas concerts on Saturday, December 7 at 4 pm at the First Presbyterian Church, 3231 W. Tilghman Street in Allentown; Also Sunday, December 8 at 4 pm at the First Presbyterian Church, 2344 Center Street in Bethlehem. The concert will be available via Livestream on December 8 at 4 pm (bach.org). There will be music by Bach and Kile Smith with carols for an audience sing-along. www.bach.org/

La Segunda Guerra Mundial es, sin ningún género de duda y con Darmstadt como prueba, el factor temporal determinante de la revolución vivida en la música de la segunda mitad de siglo. La música salvó a muchos, si no de la contienda, al menos de parte de sus traumáticas consecuencias._____Has escuchadoAutobiografía intelectual. Luis de Pablo. Entrevista realizada al compositor el 25 de marzo de 2010 en la Fundación Juan March: [Web]Cuarteto de cuerda nº. 8 en do menor. Largo (1960) / Dmitri Shostakovich. Fitzwilliam String Quartet. Decca (1992)Cuarteto n.º 3, op. 46 (1943) / Viktor Ullmann. Cuarteto Bennewitz. Grabación sonora realizada en directo en la sala de conciertos de la Fundación Juan March, el 3 de marzo de 2021. Dentro del ciclo “Terezín: componer bajo el terror. La música de cámara en Terezín”“Tomás Marco habla sobre la “música confinada”. YouTube Vídeo. Publicado por Fundación BBVA, 27 de septiembre de 2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q02yvqKCDEMWar Requiem (1962) / Benjamin Britten. Galina Vishnevskaya, soprano; Peter Pears, tenor; Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, barítono; The Bach Choir & London Symphony Orchestra Chorus; London Symphony Orchestra; Benjamin Britten, director. Decca (1985)_____Selección bibliográficaARNOLD, Ben, “Music, Meaning, and War: The Titles of War Compositions”. International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music, vol. 22, n.º 1 (1991), pp. 19-28*BOTSTEIN, Leon, “After Fifty Years: Thoughts on Music and the End of World War II”. The Musical Quarterly, vol. 79, n.º 2 (1995), pp. 225-230*DINGLE, Christopher Philip (ed.), The Cambridge History of Music Criticism. Cambridge University Press, 2022*FANNING, David (ed.), The Routledge Handbook to Music under German Occupation, 1938-1945: Propaganda, Myth and Reality. Routledge, 2020*FUNDACIÓN JUAN MARCH, “Terezín: componer bajo el terror” [Programa de concierto]. Ciclo de miércoles 24 de febrero al 10 de marzo de 2021: [PDF]GUILBAUT, Serge, Manuel J. Borja-Villel, Be-Bomb: The Transatlantic War of Images and All That Jazz, 1946-1956. Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, 2007*HEILE, Björn, Charles Wilson, et al. (eds.), The Routledge Companion to Modernism in Music. Routledge, 2019*JAROCINSKI, Stefan, “Polish Music after World War II”. The Musical Quarterly, vol. 51, n.º 1 (1965), pp. 244-258*KRADER, Barbara, “Soviet Research on Russian Folk Music since World War II”. Ethnomusicology, vol. 7, n.º 3 (1963), pp. 252-261*ORAMO, Ilkka, “Sibelius, Bartók, and the ‘Anxiety of Influence' in Post World War II Finnish Music”. Studia Musicologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, vol. 47, n.º 3/4 (2006), pp. 467-479*POTTER, Pamela M., “What Is ‘Nazi Music'?”. The Musical Quarterly, vol. 88, n.º 3 (2005), pp. 428-455*ROGERS, Julian C., Resonant Recoveries: French Music and Trauma Between the World Wars. Oxford University Press, 2021*ROSS, Alex, El ruido eterno. Seix Barral, 2009*SCHWARZ, Boris, “Soviet Music since the Second World War”. The Musical Quarterly, vol. 51, n.º 1 (1965), pp. 259-281*VYBORNY, Zdenek y William Lichtenwanger, “Czech Music Literature since World War II”. Notes, vol. 16, n.º 4 (1959), pp. 539-546*WALLNER, Bo, “Scandinavian Music after the Second World War”. The Musical Quarterly, vol. 51, n.º 1 (1965), pp. 111-143* *Documento disponible para su consulta en la Sala de Nuevas Músicas de la Biblioteca y Centro de Apoyo a la Investigación de la Fundación Juan March

Martin Luther, J.S. Bach, and Reformation Sunday -- this most Lutheran of all cantatas is our subject for today.  "Ein feste Burg" was the battle-cry of the Reformation: "A mighty fortress is our God!"  Bach's cantata weaves in all 4 stanzas of Luther's strong hymn. We marvel at movement 1 with its "dizzyingly complex counterpoint" (as Richard Atkinson puts it in his video).  This is one of the maybe 2 or 3 most complex opening chorale fantasias in all of Bach's cantata ouevre, and that's a high bar to clear!  But then we zoom in on a more tender moment, the end of the alto/tenor duet in movement 7: "[the heart] will finally be crowned, when it slays death". Here, the bass line drags down in twisting chromatic motion, the tempo slows, and Bach resists the urge to return to an "A" section of text, instead closing the movement with a short instrumental coda. BWV 80 Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, as performed by Netherlands Bach Society under the leadership of Shunske Sato, Artistic Director Come see this very cantata, BWV 80, in Orange, California at a free concert put on by Alex's church music program!  October 20, 4pm, more details at this link.  Also on the program: a new arrangement of A Mighty Fortress, orchestral liturgical music, BWV 29 sinfonia, and "Dona nobis pacem" from Mass in B minor. Translation of the text of BWV 80 from bachcantatatexts.org, which we mentioned in this episode A great article about BWV 80 featured on the Bach Choir of Bethlehem's website Dizzyingly Complex Counterpoint in BWV 80: video by Richard Atkinson which we mentioned in this episode "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel, a song that was referenced in this episode.  The last minute or so of the song features the dense instrumentation that Alex mentioned: 2 bassists, 2 drummers, etc. Also, here is a great episode of the podcast Strong Songs which breaks down "In Your Eyes".

Do you ever feel torn between your performing life, your teaching life, and your family life? Our guest this week on Tales from The Lane, Heather Miller Lardin, was feeling exactly that way until she figured out how to balance it all--making space for what was most important:  Being at the top of her game as a performer Being an incredibly generous mentor and guide for her beloved students Being present for her family (and having the energy they deserve from her) You'll hear how she crafted a bespoke teaching program that gives her students the absolute gold standard of historical performance pedagogy, and has carved out the rest of her schedule with the utmost intentionality to make time for the other parts of her life that are important to her as well.  This episode is full of gems and words of wisdom and experience. You won't want to miss it!  And if you're curious about how the Creatives Leadership Academy can help you to design your life and career with more intentionality so that you can take things up a notch, earn more income, do the gold-standard of whatever it is you love to do, AND have time for the rest of your life, Book a call with me today so we can discuss it! ---> CHAT WITH KATE   Heather Miller Lardin is principal double bassist of the Handel + Haydn Society, director of the Temple University Early Music Ensemble, and co-director of the Philadelphia-based period instrument ensemble Night Music. This season she also appeared with Tempesta di Mare, Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Charlotte Bach Festival, Staunton Music Festival, and Brandywine Baroque. In addition to serving on the faculties of Amherst Early Music and the Viola da Gamba Society of America Conclave, Heather has presented historical bass workshops and master classes at Yale University, James Madison University, and Peabody Conservatory.  Intensely curious about all things historical bass, Heather designs online and in-person workshops engaging like-minded bassists worldwide. Her Baroque Double Bass course is available on discoverdoublebass.com. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, Heather holds a DMA in Historical Performance Practice from Cornell University. She makes her home in the Western suburbs of Philadelphia, where she started playing bass in 6th-grade orchestra. When not teaching, tuning, or chauffeuring teenagers, she might be enjoying a cozy mystery and a good cup of coffee with her two Maine Coon cats. Follow her on IG @heathermillerlardin And be sure to say hi over at @kkayaian 

Dr. Christopher Jackson, Artistic Director & Conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, speaking about the 116th Bethlehem Bach Festival, taking place May 10 & 11 and 17 & 18, 2024, with 2 full performances of the Bach B Minor Mass, among many other offerings. For more information: www.bach.org/

Eine stark romantisch-gefärbte Aufnahme mit dem Bach Choir of Bethlehem unter der Leitung von Christopher Jackson.

Christopher Jackson, Artistic Director & Conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, speaking about the Spring 2024 Concert, "Bach Inspired," on Sunday, March 17th at 4:00 at the First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem, 2344 Center Street. On the program: Cantata No.80, "Ein Feste Burg" and more. www.bach.org

Get more LVwithLOVE Thank you to our Partners! WDIY Wind Creek Event Center Michael Bernadyn of RE/MAX Real Estate  Molly’s Irish Grille & Sports Pub Banko Beverage Company VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/tIa75jAJYzc Today we’re talking with Bethlehem Bach Choir Conductor and Artistic Director, Dr. Christopher Jackson, ahead of the February 18th Greg Funfgeld Family Concert: Dancing with Bach! performance at the Zoellner Art Center. Greg Funfgeld Family Concert: Dancing with Bach! | Sunday, February 18th at 3 PM – Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University “The Greg Funfgeld Family Concert is a wonderful way for young people to learn about classical music, dance, and singing in a warm and welcoming atmosphere! Under the direction of Christopher Jackson, The Bach Choir and Bach Festival Orchestra partner with the dance departments of The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for Arts and Muhlenberg College to bring you an invigorating fusion of music and dance, featuring Brahm's Liebeslieder Waltzes and Bach's First Orchestral Suite. In addition to our dance collaborators, we also welcome two very special guests to the stage: Greg Funfgeld, Artistic Director & Conductor Emeritus, and Steinway artist, Eugene Albulescu on piano four hands.” – https://bach.org/familyconcert GUESTS Dr. Christopher Jackson :  Conductor and Artistic Director, Bach Choir of Bethlehem LINKS Greg Funfgeld Family Concert: Dancing with Bach! Sunday, February 18th at 3 PM – Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University https://bach.org/familyconcert/

It's the final episode of our Bruce Springsteen side-series as we finally get around to picking the singles that will make up our under 50 minute, single vinyl, TTMF Bruce Best Of (1975 - 1987). You may be surprised by some of the omissions… Joining host Stephen Nicholson are returning guests Davie Melon and Renee James* 00:00 - Titles 00:31 - Introduction 01:34 - Revealing the 3 unanimous song choices 03:57 - Revealing the 6 majority decision songs 15:26 - Picking the final 3 songs 20:51 - The TTMF Bruce Supercut is revealed 28:46 - Bruce album rankings 34:16 - Final thoughts and end credits Like the podcast? Why not show your appreciation by buying Paul & Stephen a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trimmingthh / Podcast website - trimmingthemusicalfat.com / Email us - trimthemusicalfat@gmail.com / Join our Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/274805337346926 / Check out our YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm_P5WlRZ0i3tR3jEavD_5A / TikTok - @trimmingthemusica * Renée A. James As a versatile and award-winning writer (PA Press Association), her columns and articles have been published in The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Morning Call, The Baltimore Sun, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Hartford Courant, Jewish World Review, The Women's Quarterly, and The Huffington Post. She built a diversified career around communications, in positions that encompassed writing and marketing through print, broadcast and digital media. Prior to her retirement, she served as Marketing Director for The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, the oldest Bach Choir in America.  She spent many years in publishing, where she launched new marketing programs and communication projects for dozens of Fortune 500 companies, including MSN, Walmart, Hilton, Hallmark, Nissan, Anheuser-Busch, Merck, Mead Johnson, Nestle and many others, managing the production of newsletters, social media content, e-newsletters, videos, infographics, websites, and books and magazines.   She distinctly remembers hearing "Saint in the City" for the first time in 1976, and has listened to and enjoyed Bruce Springsteen's music ever since.  reneeaajames@gmail.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ttmf/message

The Hallelujah Chorus is probably the world's most famous choral piece. Classically-trained singer turned successful comedian, Lloyd Griffith, joined us to talk about why this one part of Handel's Messiah become so well-known, why he includes singing in his stand-up routines and why audiences can't believe their ears when he does. Here's his full interview with MD, David Hill.Find out more about The Bach Choir and sign up for our newsletter here https://thebachchoir.org.uk/thanks-for-listening-to-change-your-tune-ep-5/Read all about Lloyd's forthcoming tour - Lloyd Griffith: Baroque and Roll - here https://lloydgriffith.com/Change Your Tune is a Podcart production. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the penultimate episode of our Bruce Springsteen side-series as we take a look at The Boss's albums from 1975 to 1987 to create the ultimate under 50-minute Bruce singles collection from that period. How do you follow the biggest album of your career? You go against the grain and record an album almost solely by yourself focussing on relationship struggles. That album is ‘Tunnel of Love' (1987), which features the singles ‘Brilliant Disguise' & ‘Tougher Than The Rest'. Joining us sailing down the tunnel is regular guest Davie Melon. And, travelling all the way from the US to join us, is Bruce super-fan and award winning writer Renee James*. Interesting fact: Renee got to meet Bruce in 1978! Like the podcast? Why not show your appreciation by buying Paul & Stephen a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trimmingthh / Podcast website - trimmingthemusicalfat.com / Email us - trimthemusicalfat@gmail.com / Join our Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/274805337346926 / Check out our YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm_P5WlRZ0i3tR3jEavD_5A / TikTok - @trimmingthemusica * Renée A. James As a versatile and award-winning writer (PA Press Association), her columns and articles have been published in The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Morning Call, The Baltimore Sun, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Hartford Courant, Jewish World Review, The Women's Quarterly, and The Huffington Post. She built a diversified career around communications, in positions that encompassed writing and marketing through print, broadcast and digital media. Prior to her retirement, she served as Marketing Director for The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, the oldest Bach Choir in America.  She spent many years in publishing, where she launched new marketing programs and communication projects for dozens of Fortune 500 companies, including MSN, Walmart, Hilton, Hallmark, Nissan, Anheuser-Busch, Merck, Mead Johnson, Nestle and many others, managing the production of newsletters, social media content, e-newsletters, videos, infographics, websites, and books and magazines.   She distinctly remembers hearing "Saint in the City" for the first time in 1976, and has listened to and enjoyed Bruce Springsteen's music ever since.  reneeaajames@gmail.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ttmf/message

John Rutter is one of the world's leading choral music composers and he's known particularly for his carols. He was a very special guest on our seasonal season finale on Christmas music. Here's his full interview with David Hill. He lifts the lid on where carols come from, why the Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College, Cambridge has become such a festive tradition and the unexpected inspiration for one of his best-known pieces,The Shepherd's Pipe Carol.Get a playlist of The Bach Choir's favourite Christmas carols and receive monthly, behind-the-scenes updates on our activities by signing up to our monthly newsletter here - https://thebachchoir.org.uk/thanks-for-listening-to-change-your-tune-6See when John Rutter is next conducting his world-famous carols (and other compositions) live - https://johnrutter.com/events Change Your Tune is a Podcart production. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Christopher Jackson, Artistic Director & Conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem & the Bach Festival Orchestra, speaking about the 2023 Christmas Concerts on Saturday, December 9th at the First Presbyterian Church, Allentown, and Sunday, December 10th at the First Presbyterian Church, Bethlehem, at 4:00 each afternoon. The Sunday performance will feature a Live Stream option. www.bach.org/

Christmas is coming and, even if you haven't uttered a note all year, you might find yourself bursting into song. You probably know classics like O Come All Ye Faithful and Away in a Manger - but where do they come from and why do we sing them? David Hill investigates with the help of classically-trained-singer-turned-comedian Lloyd Griffith (who remembers the ‘Lord of the Flies' moments of his youth when it came to singing the main solo in the carol concert) and one of the world's most prolific Christmas carol composers, John Rutter. Carols mentioned in this festive special include: Away in a Manger; The Shepherd's Pipe Carol by John Rutter; Hark The Herald Angels Sing; O Come all Ye Faithful featuring the David Willcocks descant; Once in Royal David's City; Gaudete arranged by David Hill.Get a playlist of The Bach Choir's favourite Christmas carols and receive monthly, behind-the-scenes updates on our activities by signing up to our monthly newsletter here - https://thebachchoir.org.uk/thanks-for-listening-to-change-your-tune-6Get tickets to Lloyd Griffith's upcoming Baroque and Roll tour here - https://lloydgriffith.com/#live See when John Rutter is next conducting his world-famous carols (and other compositions) live - https://johnrutter.com/events Change Your Tune is a Podcart production. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Change Your Tune is all about recognisable pieces of choral music - and there aren't many that are more famous than The Hallelujah Chorus. But why has this one part of Handel's Messiah become so well-known, what makes it special and why is it a tradition to stand up during performances of it? We get some answers with the help of top comedian, football pundit and classically-trained singer, Lloyd Griffith, who also tells us why his audiences can't believe their ears when he sings in his stand-up routines.Find out more about The Bach Choir and sign up for our newsletter here https://thebachchoir.org.uk/thanks-for-listening-to-change-your-tune-ep-5/Read all about Lloyd's forthcoming tour - Lloyd Griffith: Baroque and Roll - here https://lloydgriffith.com/Change Your Tune is a Podcart production. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, I have the honor of crossing the pond virtually to discuss the profound yet often overlooked concept of “vocal musicianship.” Joining me is a distinguished guest, David Hill whose passion and advocacy for choral music spans from the professional to the amateur singer. David is the conductor of London’s renowned Bach Choir. We … Continue reading "Episode 171: The Culture of Choral Musicianship with David Hill"

Carl Orff's Carmina Burana is probably the most-performed choral work of the past one hundred years. O Fortuna – its opening and closing – is one of the most recognisable choral pieces ever, used everywhere from adverts to computer games to talent shows. Why is it so popular? What gives it its impact? And why do some people have very negative feelings towards it? We unravel the answers to those questions with the help of BBC Radio 3's Linton Stephens and Classic FM's Anne-Marie Minhall in the latest episode of Change Your Tune.Find out more about The Bach Choir and sign up for our newsletter here - https://thebachchoir.org.uk/thanks-for-listening-to-change-your-tuneChange Your Tune is a Podcart production. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Christopher Jackson, Artistic Director and Conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, speaking about the 2023 Gala Anniversary Concert on Saturday, November 4, 2023, at Packer Memorial Church at Lehigh University in Bethlehem. PA, at 3:00, to mark the group's 125th anniversary. Performing will be the Bach Choir & Bach Festival Orchestra & national soloists, all under Dr. Jackson's direction. Featured will be the world premiere of a new scholarly edition of the Bach St. Matthew Passion in the version by Felix Mendelssohn. The concert will be recorded for general release. There will be a reception and dinner to follow as a benefit for the Choir. www.bach.org/

Dr. Christopher Jackson, Artistic Director & Conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, speaking about the 125th Anniversary Season--2023-2024. The ensemble will present the world premiere of Mendelssohn's completed version of Bach's Saint Matthew Passion, with a live recording of the concert on November 4. For complete details on the season: www.bach.org/

In episode 32, I get a chance to interview a friend, an amazing contributor to the modern research landscape in Pennsylvania Dutch studies, Alexander Lawrence Ames. He is an intellectual historian, material culture scholar, and library and museum professional based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With interests in the religious and cultural history of early America, Ames's research has explored the production and use of religious books and manuscripts in Pennsylvania and beyond, with a special focus on unlocking how the material construction of historic books and manuscripts impacted their dissemination, use, and preservation as cultural artifacts. Ames also studies the history of libraries, archives, and the art of ex-libris, having published several essays in these varied fields. Ames holds a B.S. in information media and an M.A. in public history from St. Cloud State University (St. Cloud, Minnesota), as well as an M.A. in American material culture, an M.A. in history, and a Ph.D. in history of American civilization and museum studies from the University of Delaware. He works as Director of Outreach & Engagement at the Rosenbach Museum & Library, an historic house museum and special collections library affiliated with the Free Library of Philadelphia.*Correction: The theme music for Cloister Talk Season 4: Pathways in Pennsylvania German studies is the Kyrie from the Mass in B Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach. The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania gave the first performance of the Mass in America in 1900. https://www.wordinwilderness.com

Dr. Christopher Jackson, Artistic Director & Conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem and the Bach Festival Orchestra, speaking about the 115th Bethlehem Bach Festival--May 12 & 13; May 19 & 20, 2023 in & around Bethlehem, PA. For more information: www.bach.org/

Handel's Zadok the Priest is one of the most recognisable pieces of choral music ever written – and it's at the heart of King Charles III's Coronation ceremony. But what makes it so spine-tingling, where does the piece come from and who is Zadok anyway? In our first episode, The Bach Choir's Musical Director, David Hill, answers these questions with help from the BBC's Coronation front man, Huw Edwards. Along the way, the two discuss how music adds to historic occasions and Huw (a keen organist) discusses his own musical life.You're more into choral than you think!Discover more about the podcast and The Bach Choir and find our special Zadok-inspired playlist here - https://www.thebachchoir.org.uk/change-your-tune-episode-1/Change Your Tune is a Podcart production. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeff Ragsdale grew up in Houston, Texas and studied music and vocal performance at Houston Baptist University. He performs as a tenor soloist and has sung with the Bach Choir, The Church of St. John Divine, Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church, St. Martin's Episcopal Church, the Congregation Emanu-El Choir, and the Houston Chamber Choir.  He makes his home in Houston, Texas.

Dr. Christopher Jackson, Music Director & Conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, speaking about the 2023 Spring Concert on March 26 at 4:00 at the First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem, 2744 Center Street. The program will feature the Bach Choir & Festival Orchestra with special guest soloists in Bach's Easter Oratorio and Part III of Handel's Messiah. www.bach.org/

"It gave me some amazing opportunities, just that one phone call, that one chance. For my grad students, that's one of the things that I really try to model and mentor and teach them: you can be a fantastic musician, but if you aren't one that seizes the moment or takes the initiative, it makes a difference."John Dickson is Professor Emeritus and former Director of Choral Studies at Louisiana State University's School of Music.  Holding the School of Music's first Chair as the Edward G. and Catherine M. Galante Chair for Choral Music Education, he conducted the A Cappella Choir and supervised the masters and doctoral programs in choral conducting.  Recently retired after forty-four years of collegiate teaching, he continues his conducting through workshops and festivals, and as the founding artistic director and conductor of Coro Vocati, one of Atlanta's most accomplished professional chamber choirs.  He also serves as one of the principal guest artists for KI Concerts.As a conducting pedagogue, he has presented masterclasses before the Association of British Choral Directors, the American Choral Directors Association, the Royal Northern Music Conservatory (Mancester), and the Russian State Music Conservatories of St. Petersburg and Moscow.  He has conducted festivals and workshops in England, Wales, Scotland, Finland, France, Italy, Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Canada, and throughout the U. S.  For three decades his choirs have been featured at conventions of the ACDA, ABCD, Texas Music Educators Association, and the National Collegiate Choral Organization.Appointed as a Visiting Fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge University in 1992, Dr. Dickson sang with Sir David Willcocks and The Bach Choir; a second post-doctoral fellowship in 1998 allowed him to serve as principal rehearsal conductor under musical director David Hill.  For his summer conducting institutes Dr. Dickson has co-directed with British friends and colleagues Stephen Cleobury, David Hill and Bob Chilcott.  He is the Founding Director of the C. S. Lewis Choral Institute, featuring a professional chorus for its triennial symposium in Oxford and Cambridge.  He holds the D.M.A. degree in choral conducting from The University of Texas, at Austin, the M.M. degree in musicology from Baylor University, and has done post-doctoral study at Cambridge University, Cambridge.You can email John at jdickson@lsu.edu.Choir Fam wants to hear from you! Check out the Minisode Intro episode from September 16, 2022, to hear how to share your story with us. Email choirfampodcast@gmail.com to contact our hosts.Podcast music from Podcast.coPhoto in episode artwork by Trace Hudson from Pexels

In episode 57, I get a chance to interview a friend, an amazing contributor to the modern research landscape in Pennsylvania Dutch studies, Alexander Lawrence Ames. He is an intellectual historian, material culture scholar, and library and museum professional based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With interests in the religious and cultural history of early America, Ames's research has explored the production and use of religious books and manuscripts in Pennsylvania and beyond, with a special focus on unlocking how the material construction of historic books and manuscripts impacted their dissemination, use, and preservation as cultural artifacts. Ames also studies the history of libraries, archives, and the art of ex-libris, having published several essays in these varied fields. Ames holds a B.S. in information media and an M.A. in public history from St. Cloud State University (St. Cloud, Minnesota), as well as an M.A. in American material culture, an M.A. in history, and a Ph.D. in history of American civilization and museum studies from the University of Delaware. He works as Director of Outreach & Engagement at the Rosenbach Museum & Library, an historic house museum and special collections library affiliated with the Free Library of Philadelphia.*Correction: The theme music for Cloister Talk Season 4: Pathways in Pennsylvania German studies is the Kyrie from the Mass in B Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach. The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania gave the first performance of the Mass in America in 1900. The full recording of the Mass may be heard here.Information:https://www.wordinwilderness.com/Purchase the book:https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-08590-6.htmlCloister Talk:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cloister-talk-the-pennsylvania-german-material-texts/id1519784818The Rosenbach:https://rosenbach.org/

Dr. Christopher Jackson, Artistic Director and Conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem and the Bach Festival Orchestra, speaking about the annual Greg Funfgeld Family Concert as it hosts the Youth Choirs Festival on Sunday, February 19, 2023, in Baker Hall at the Zoellner Arts Center at Lehigh University in Bethlehem. Four distinguished youth choirs will sing individually and with the Bach Choir and Orchestra. The program will include music by Bach, Faure, Whitacre and more. For tickets and information: www.bach.org/ Audition dates for the Zimmermann's Coffee House evening are February 18 & 25 at the Bach Choir office in Bethlehem. Details also at bach.org/

Beloved by choirs and audiences all over the world, John Rutter is one of the most popular and successful choral composers of the last half-century. In particular, for many people Rutter's carols and carol arrangements are the sound of Christmas. The festive season would be unthinkable today without the joyful tunes of Shepherd's Pipe Carol or Star Carol resounding in school halls, churches and concert halls. Tom Service visits the composer at his home in rural Cambridgeshire to try to learn the secret of writing a great carol, and to chat about an illustrious career that has also included major choral works such as his Requiem and Gloria, and the large-scale Mass of the Children, written in 2003 following the sudden death of Rutter's son Christopher at the age of 19. We also drop in on a rehearsal with the Bach Choir in London, as John prepares them for his gala Christmas Celebration concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Produced by Graham Rogers.

Dr. Christopher Jackson, Music Director & Conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, speaking about The Christmas Oratorio by Bach, Parts 4, 5 & 6, to be performed by the Bach Choir and the Bach Festival Orchestra and guest soloists, on December 10, 2022, at the First Presbyterian Church of Allentown at 4:00 pm (*note special time) and December 11 at the First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem at 4:00, with a chance to listen live online at bach.org/ Each concert will close with an invitation to the audience to join in the singing of carols. For more information: www.bach.org/

Writers Steve Almond and Kate Racculia discuss observer vs. participant characters, being too nice to your character, the role of the narrator, and the dreaded Author/Narrator/Character merge.Steve Almond of a dozen books, including “Candyfreak” and “Against Football,” which were NYT Bestsellers for about four seconds. His new novel, All the Secrets of the World, has been optioned by 20th Century Fox. He's the recipient of an NEA grant for 2022 and teaches at Harvard and Wesleyan. His work has been published in the Best American Short Stories, the Best American Mysteries, and the New York Times Magazine.Kate Racculia is a novelist living in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She is the author of the novels This Must Be the Place and Bellweather Rhapsody, winner of the American Library Association's Alex Award. Her third novel, Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts, was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in October 2019. She is currently a communications writer in the development office at Lehigh University and sings in the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, the oldest Bach choir in America.Here is Steve Almond's essay on narrators: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/magazine/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-person-who-said-once-upon-a-time.htmlAnd Frederick Reiken's essay “The Author-Narrator-Character Merge: Why Many First-Time Novelists Wind up with Flat, Uninteresting Protagonists” can be found here if you're an AWP member (sorry if not!): https://www.awpwriter.org/magazine_media/writers_chronicle_issues/february_2005Reiken's essay is also part of this excellent collection of craft essays: https://bookshop.org/books/a-kite-in-the-wind-fiction-writers-on-their-craft/9781595340726Novel's mentioned during our discussion: The Great Gatsby, James McBride's Deacon King Kong, and The Royal Physician's Visit by Per Olov EnqvistAnd check out Brandon Taylor's amazing SubStack Channel sweater weather where he discusses the narrator voice musings about his characters internal world (something that Taylor always resisted): https://blgtylr.substack.com/p/the-underdark-a-modified-craftalk This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 7amnovelist.substack.com

Dr. Christopher Jackson, Artistic Director & Conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem and the Bach Festival Orchestra, speaking about the music of Bach as he assumes the position of music director/conductor at the start of the 2022-23 season--marking the ensemble's 125th anniversary. The first concert will be part of the Bach at Noon series on September 13 at Central Moravian Church in Bethlehem, and there will be auditions for singers August 26 & 27 and again September 2 & 3 at the office at 440 Heckewelder Place. www.bach.org/

Playlist: Brian and Roger Eno, Vanessa Wagner - CelesteStephen Chatman, UBC Symphony Orchestra & Choirs - A Song of JoysAdrienne Elisha - AnthelionTristan Coelho, Emily Granger - In TransitGrazyna Bacewicz, Palaver Strings - Concerto for String Orchestrakati agocs, Vernon Reghr - VersprechenSofia Gubaidulina, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra - In Tempus PraesensJames B Wilson, The Bach Choir, Faust Chamber Orchestra - Who Has Seen the Wind?

Playlist: Des Oliver, Bach Choir, Faust Chamber Orchestra - Dreams in the Garden of Love's SleepElena Kats-Chernin, Australian World Orchestra - The Witching Hour (Concerto for Eight Double Basses & Orchestra)Albert Schnelzer, Jakob Koranyi, David Huang - Frozen LandscapePhilip Glass, Quatuor Molinari - String Quartet No. 2 'Company'Mischa Spoliansky, Liepaja Symphony Orchestra - BoogieChristopher Cerrone, Johannes Moser - ExhalationHannah Peel, Scoring Berlin - SignalsOliver Iredale Searle, Royal Scottish National Orchestra Wind Ensemble - Pilgrim of CuriosityGeorge Walker, Steven Beck - Piano Sonata No. 5

Greg Funfgeld, Music Director & Conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, speaking about the 114th Annual Bethlehem Bach Festival, May 13 & 14 and 20 & 21, 2022, featuring the Bach Choir and the Bach Festival Orchestra, Soloists & the Bel Canto Youth Chorus of the BCofB; Artist-in Residence Eliot Fisk and more. The B Minor Mass will be streamed live online on May 21, in addition to the in-person performance at Packer Memorial Church on the Lehigh University campus. www.bach.org/

Laurie Hackett welcomes two great nonprofit leaders to share their organizations' stories: Bethlehem's own Dan Roebuck from A Channel of Peace and Executive Director Leela Breithaupt from the historic Bach Choir of Bethlehem.

Greg Funfgeld, Artistic Director & Conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem and the Bach Festival Orchestra, speaking about the educational programs of the organization and the annual Greg Funfgeld Family Concert on Sunday, February 27, 2022, at 3:00 pm at the Zoellner Arts Center at Lehigh University in Bethlehem. The event is a collaboration with the Dance Department of the Lehigh Valley Charter High School of the Performing Arts. www.bach.org/

IJslandse kerstliedjes op de Doorgeef-CD-van-de-Week, èn kerstmuziek die je wellicht niet zo heel vaak hoort, van middeleeuws tot eigentijds. 23.04 CD Sólhvörf / Solstitium (Dimma z.nr.) Trad., arr. Umbra: Hátíð fer að höndum ein Ensemble Umbra 2'51” 23.10 CD Sacred & Secular Music (Globe GLO 5254) Francis Poulenc: Quatre motets pour le temps de noël: O Magnum Mysterium Nederlands Kamerkoor olv Eric Ericson 3'28” CD A New Joy: Orthodox Christmas (Harmonia Mundi MU 907410) Trad.: Oh, what a wonder! Ests Philharmonisch Koor olv Paul Hillier 2'27” 23.17 A Marian Christmas II (St Martin's Chamber Choir z.nr.) Trad: Le Sommeil (Entre le boeuf et l'âne gris) St. Martin's Chamber Choir 2'02” CD Peaceful Choir New Sound of Choral Music (Sony 19439735602) Karl Jenkins: Healing Light: A Celtic Prayer Lavinia Meijer [harp]; Esther Abrami [viool]; World Choir For Peace olv Nicol Matt 5'58” CD Noël! A Selection of Carols & Anthems (Priory Records PRCD768) John Tavener: God is With us, A Christmas Proclamation Robert Johnston [bariton]; Bach Choir olv David Hill 4'59” 23.31 CD Stille Nacht (Audite 5868448) Franz Xaber Gruber: Stille Nacht RIAS Kammerchor olv Uwe Gronostay 3'13” CD Schönberg: Weihnachtsmusik & Arrangements (Montaigne / Naive MO782160) Arnold Schönberg: Weihnachtsmusik Arditti String Quartet; Håkon Austbö [piano]; Louise Bessette [harmonium] 6'10” CD Die Weihnachtsgeschichte (Ars Vivendi 2100174) Hugo Distler: Die Weihnachtsgeschichte opus 10 - fragmenten Thomanerchor Leipzig olv Hans-Joachim Rotzsch 6'29” 23.47 CD Jólatíð (Dimma z.nr.) Trad.: Gaudete Umbra 3'30” CD Occurrence: ISO Project Vol. 3 (Sono Luminus DSL-92243) Magnús Blöndal Jóhannsson: Adagio IJsland Symfonie Orkest olv Daniel Bjarnason 7'19”

Howard Blake OBE FRAM is a composer, conductor, and pianist whose career has spanned more than 50 years and produced more than 650 works. Blake's most successful work is his soundtrack for Channel 4's 1982 film The Snowman, which includes the song "Walking in the Air". He is increasingly recognised for his classical works including concertos, oratorios, ballets, operas and many instrumental pieces.Missing music, Blake played the piano in pubs and clubs for a couple of years until being discovered and signed by EMI to make a solo album and work as a session musician on many recordings. This led to work as an arranger and a composer, employment that gradually became his full-time occupation.In the late 1960s, on the recommendation of Bernard Herrmann, Blake began working as a keyboard player and arranger with veteran screen composer Laurie Johnson on music for the hit ITV television series The Avengers. During the program's sixth and final season in 1968–1969, Johnson was commissioned to write the soundtrack music for the feature film Hot Millions; to enable him to work on the film score, Johnson recruited Blake to take over composing duties for him, and Blake composed the incidental music for ten complete episodes of that series. In 1970, shortly after the series finished, he lived in a beach hut in Cornwall for about two months, "to get away from it all".Over an active career he has written numerous film scores, including The Duellists with Sir Ridley Scott and David Puttnam, which gained the Special Jury Award at the Cannes Festival in 1977; A Month in the Country with Kenneth Branagh and Colin Firth, which gained him the British Film Institute Anthony Asquith Award for musical excellence in 1989; and The Snowman, which was nominated for an Oscar after its first screening on Channel 4 in 1982, and has won many other prizes internationally. From this, his famous song "Walking in the Air", for which he also wrote the lyrics, was the success that launched Aled Jones in 1985 (although Jones only recorded the song three years after the release of the film, while the song on the soundtrack is sung by the St Paul's chorister Peter Auty. Blake's concert version of The Snowman for narrator and orchestra is now performed worldwide, as is the full-length ballet of the same name, launched in 1997, which in 2013 celebrated its 16th consecutive Christmas season for Sadler's Wells at the Peacock Theatre in London.In 1980, Blake was commissioned to write an orchestral music score for Flash Gordon, in collaboration with Queen. He was given only 10 days to produce the results, and after completion fell ill with pneumonia brought on by exhaustion. He recovered, and he and Queen were jointly nominated for a BAFTA Award. It was, however, a disappointment to him that the makers of Flash Gordon did not use much of his score.Blake has composed many concert works, including the Piano Concerto commissioned by the Philharmonia Orchestra for the 30th birthday of Princess Diana in 1991, in which he also featured as soloist; the Violin Concerto to celebrate the centenary of the City of Leeds in 1993; the cantata to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations in 1995, performed in the presence of the Royal Family in Westminster Hall; and the large-scale choral/orchestral work Benedictus, championed by Sir David Willcocks and the Bach Choir, which was given its London premiere in Westminster Cathedral in 1989 with Cardinal Basil Hume as narrator, and which has been widely performed ever since. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Greg Funfgeld, Music Director & Conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem and the Bach Festival Orchestra, speaking about the upcoming performances of The Christmas Oratorio, Parts 1, 2 & 3, by Bach, Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 8 pm at the First Presbyterian Church of Allentown, in person; Sunday, December 12, at 4 pm at the First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem, in person and live-streamed. The Bach Choir will be joined by 4 guest soloists. www.bach.org/

Loretta O'Sullivan, multi-faceted cellist who is principal with the Bach Choir of Bethlehem/Bach Festival Orchestra, speaking about a collaborative project titled, "Bird Songs"--Poems of Francine Ringold, read by Loretta O'Sullivan with solo cello improvisations. There is a video presentation of the complete work on YouTube and for more information: www.loscello.com/ This is the second of a two-part series. Part One with Francine Ringold can be found at wvia.org./

29 June 2021 | Ss. Peter and Paul | Eugene, Ore. After a week away from the podcast (and a record-breaking heatwave here in the Northwest!), we're back and skimming lightly over hundreds of years' history in the middle chapters of the Silmarillion. Also in this episode: Tolkien's answer to the question “what is the Lord of the Rings all about?”, St. John Henry Newman on the contrary yet vital spirits of Peter and Paul, and what lies behind the recently newsworthy doctrine of “Eucharistic coherence.” Opening music: “Gloria” from the Lord Nelson Mass, composed by Franz Josef Haydn, sung by the Bach Choir of Wellington, 2017. All rights reserved. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/in-your-embrace/message

Greg Funfgeld, Artistic Director & Conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, speaking about the ensemble's first Virtual Bethlehem Bach Festival, May 14 & 15, 2021, with concerts & events live-streamed. The festival is free to the public and for more information: www.bach.org/

Dr. Joy Hirokawa, Founder & Artistic Director of the Bel Canto Youth Chorus of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, speaking about the ensemble and BCY's philosophy of music education. Bel Canto's spring curriculum is connected with a new video production titled, "Stand Up: Singing the Underground Railroad". The BCY audition process will begin in May 2021 for the upcoming season and all information is available online at www.bach.org/belcanto/ The Bach Choir Annual Family Offering is titled, "Bach, Bikes & Basketball" and can be viewed online at www.bach.org/

Welcome to Episode 47 of No Rain Date, your weekly podcast featuring local news and interviews from the Saucon Valley and beyond. This week host Josh Popichak is joined by Bach Choir of Bethlehem Conductor & Artistic Director Greg Funfgeld, who has led the choir since 1983 and expanded its performance schedule as well as its level of community outreach. In its nearly 125-year history, the choir has never been challenged like it has over the past year, when constraints on singing due to the coronavirus pandemic meant public performance cancellations and the loss of choral camaraderie for its 90-plus members. COVID’s silver lining for the group–which has embraced technology in order to bring Johann Sebastian Bach’s music to life–has been finding hundreds of new fans around the world; lovers of baroque music who are now confirmed Bach Choir devotees. Don’t forget that No Rain Date is available for download on iTunes, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Stitcher, Deezer, Tunein, Pocket Casts, Google Podcasts and other apps, in addition to Saucon Source. Each episode features local news highlights, timely information and interviews with people who are making a difference in our community. To learn more about the podcast, suggest an interview subject or share feedback, please email josh@sauconsource.com. No Rain Date is produced by Jonny Hart.

David Hill MBE is a choral conductor and organist who holds an appointment to the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, is Musical Director of The Bach Choir and was Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers from 2007 until 2017. He talks to Tom about learning music and three pieces he loves: Yo-Yo Ma playing Bach's Cello suites, Dame Janet Baker singing Mahler's 'Ich bin die Welt abhanden gekommen' and Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2.

Ho, Ho, Ho, you bookclub members have been great this year, so here's an episode to cap off 2020! Enjoy some holiday cheer with "Hellboy - Krampusnacht," "The Return of the Lambton Worm," and "The Beast of Vargu!" Happy New Year, we love you all! 11:35 - Listener Feedback 49:01 - Bookclub discussion Remember to donate to Yet Another BUFF Raffle on Mike Mignola's Art group on facebook  https://www.facebook.com/groups/121664335173788 Check the announcements tab for info regarding the raffle! $5 a ticket, runs November 20th 2020 to December 31st 2020.  We will be supporting these organizations:  https://www.v.org/ https://www.copdfoundation.org/ https://themmrf.org/ https://www.sarahsfightforhope.org/   Check out Tiernen Travallion here: http://www.tiernentrevallion.co.uk/comics/comics.html   "Lambton Worm," by Geordie Wilson, and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" by Bach Choir used for educational purposes only 

Greg Funfgeld, Music Director & Conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem & the Bach Festival Orchestra, speaking about the making of an online holiday presentation titled, "Opening Up Our Hearts: Music & Inspiration of Christmas" featuring music and spoken word for the season. The program will have its premiere on the Bach Choir YouTube channel on Sunday, December 13, 2020, and is free to all who register online to view it. www.bach.org/event/christmas

Cellist Loretta O'Sullivan, member of the Bach Festival Orchestra with the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, speaking about the haiku cycle that developed out of the changed circumstances of the pandemic.  The piece is titled, "Airborne" and features poems by Marilyn Miller with cello improvisations by Loretta O'Sullivan, who did the recitation, as well. For more information: www.loscello.com  Loretta O'Sullivan will be featured in the Bach at Noon series of the Bach Choir on November 10, 2020, online at noon of the Bach Choir YouTube channel or Facebook page.  www.bach.org/

Daily Prayer from The Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. A daily video devotional for hope and encouragement during the COVID-19 crisis. Support our ongoing ministry - donate at PayPal! https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=86JNETVQHJM3G&source=url Visit us online at www.goodshepherdlife.org! EPISODE LINK "O Nata Lux" by Morten Lauridsen, performed by the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh - Thomas W. Douglas, director https://youtu.be/ofy2cyGT3q8 ---- "White" by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4626-white License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ "White Lotus" by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4625-white-lotus License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Permission to reprint, podcast, and / or stream the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE with license #A-714269. All rights reserved.

The Bach Choir of Pittsburgh's Artistic Director and Conductor Thomas W. Douglas spoke with WQED about his weekly webseries "Tuesday's with Thomas," the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh's future plans, and the importance of community during these troubling times.

Greg Funfgeld, Music Director & Conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehlem and the Bach Festival Orchestra, speaking about the online performance event, A "BACH AT NOON" Watch Party, on Tuesday, April 14, 2020, at noon. The concert from January will feature Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 and Cantata No. 65. The event can be viewed on the Choir's Facebook page, on its YouTube channel and the website at www.bach.org/ Also on WLVT at a date to be announced.

20 March 2020 | Third Friday of Lent | Roseburg, Ore. It’s hard to believe it’s only been a week since the last episode of this podcast. In that time, our worlds have been turned upside down in so many ways. Speaking to you now from a late-night walk on the deserted streets of my small Oregon hometown, some reflections on the Church, discernment, prayer and, yes, love in the time of coronavirus. Some practical tips also on how to make good use of the sufferings of this time to advance in the spiritual life (which essentially consists in loving well!) and some new resources coming your way from this podcast in the coming days and weeks. We’re all sheltering in place. May our place be in the heart of the Trinity, the living fount of love. Opening music: “Credo” from Missa in Angustiis (“Lord Nelson Mass”), composed by Franz Josef Haydn, sung by the Bach Choir of Wellington at St. Peter’s on Willis, Wellington, NZ, 2017. All rights reserved. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/in-your-embrace/message

Greg Funfgeld, Artistic Director of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem & the Bach Festival Orchestra, speaking about the first annual Greg Funfgeld Family Concert, featuring Benjamin Britten's "Noye's Fludde" at Packer Memorial Church on the Lehigh University campus in Bethlehem, Saturday, February 29 and Sunday, March 1, 2020 at 3:00 each afternoon. The fully-staged production will include the Bel Canto Youth Chorus, the PA Youth Theatre, members of the Lehigh University Philharmonic and more. www.bach.org/

Greg Funfgeld, Music Director & Conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, speaking about a pair of Christmas concerts to be presented Saturday, December 7, 2019 at 8 pm at the 1st Presbyterian Church, Allentown, and Sunday, December 8 at 4 pm at the 1st Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem. The featured works: Bach's Magnificat in D and Part One of Handel's Messiah. www.bach.org

Greg Funfgeld, Artistic Director & Conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, speaking about the 2019-2020 season and the upcoming gala, "The Coronation of George II" featuring the Theatre of Early Music on October 26 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Allentown at 3:00 with a dinner to follow at the Lehigh Country Club at 5:00 pm. www.bach.org

Greg Funfgeld, Artistic Director & Conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem & the Bach Festival Orchestra, speaking about 112th Bethlehem Bach Festival, May 10-11 & 17-18, 2019, on the campus of Lehigh University. www.bach.org

Greg Funfgeld, Artistic Director & Conductor of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem and the Bach Festival Orchestra, speaking about the annual Family Concert: The Youth Choirs Festival on Sunday, February 24, at 3pm in Baker Hall at the Zoellner Arts Center at Lehigh University in Bethlehem. The concert will feature 4 regional youth choirs including the Bel Canto Choir of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem. www.bach.org 610-866-4382

It's Christmas Eve. Chances are, you've heard a lot of beautiful music. If you're looking for more of that, you've come to the wrong place. Welcome to Jingle Hell, where bad songs are born, and good songs come to die. Alecia Lawyer, founder, artistic director, and principal oboist of River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (ROCO) talks about the worst musical offerings of the season, and what makes them so bad. Songs that include entire scales? Check. Songs with completely bizarre lyrics that we sing along with anyway? Check. Wookiees? Yeah. This episode has all of that and oh so much more. Listen if you dare! And, uh, merry Christmas. You're welcome. Music in this episode:   “Dominick the Donkey.” Ray Allen, Sam Saltzberg and Wandra Merrell. “I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas.” John Rox. Performed by Gayla Peevey. “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.” Randy Brooks. Performed by Elmo and Patsy. “White Winter Hymnal.” Written and performed by Fleet Foxes. From their self-titled album. “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.” By John Frederick Coots. Performed by the Cheeky Monkeys. “Ding​-​a​-​ling​-​a​-​ring​-​a​-​ling.” Written and performed by Sufjan Stevens. From Silver and Gold. “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” Frank Loesser. Performed by Zooey Deschanel & Leon Redbone. From the Elf movie soundtrack. “Vader Did You Know?” Vic Mignogna. “What Can You Get a Wookiee for Christmas (When He Already Owns a Comb?).” From Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk. “Mary, Did You Know?” Lyrics written by Mark Lowry and music written by Buddy Greene. Performed by Pentatonix. Greensleeves. London Festival Orchestra. “Joy to the World.” Isaac Watts. “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen.” Performed by the Bach Choir. “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” Performed by Celtic Woman. “Good King Wenceslas.” John Mason Neale. “Angels We Have Heard on High.” Performed by Sandi Patty. “The Cherry-Tree Carol.” Performed by King’s College Choir.     Audio production by Todd "Good King Wencelastodd" Hulslander with two eyes made out of coal by Dacia Clay and editing by Mark DiClaudio.   Special Thanks to Todd Reynolds for his music, Taskforce: Farmlab from Outerbourough.

The patterns and flows of life in the NHS captured in immersive stereo, with specially commissioned music sung by NHS staff and The Bach Choir. In the maternity unit at Birmingham's Heartlands Hospital, the heart rate of an unborn child gives cause for concern. Across town at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, patients with critical heart conditions are closely monitored hour by hour. Downstairs in A&E, staff begin their shift not knowing what awaits them. Between the Ears marks the 70th anniversary of the NHS with a unique composition depicting two Birmingham hospitals as they care for patients from cradle to grave. In four movements, the rhythms of the health service are accompanied by a special choral work written by award winning composer Alex Woolf, an alumnus of the BBC's Proms Inspire Scheme. The NHS Symphony is recorded in binaural stereo which simulates how the human ear hears sounds. For a fully immersive experience, the programme is best listened to on headphones. The Bach Choir are joined by members of the Barts Choir, the Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Choir and the Royal Free Music Society Choir Conductor: Mark Austin Solo soprano: Julia Blinko Composer/pianist: Alex Woolf Producer: Laurence Grissell.

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #117! http://www.organduo.lt/podcast Today's guest is composer, organist and choir conductor from New Zealand, ​Nigel Williams. During his student days he was a chorister at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Auckland. In his eleven years in the choir he developed an interest in composing organ and choral music. After graduating from the University of Auckland with a Master's Degree in composition he began a career as a music teacher. He was at the forefront of music education in New Zealand for almost 30 years having taught variously at Westlake Girls High School, St Paul's Collegiate School, Scots College, and Marsden School for Girls. He retired recently from the position of Director of Music at Mill Hill School in London (UK). Currently Nigel is musical director of the Tauranga Civic Choir for whom he is composing a large scale cantata style work for performance in 2019. He has always maintained an active life as a musician and composer in the community. In Hamilton NZ Nigel established a regional orchestra and jazz band festival for schools. Taking advantage of St Paul's Collegiate new Letourneau organ he established an international organ festival to further promote the playing of the organ in New Zealand. He was Director of Music at Hamilton's St Peter's Cathedral for several years and established choral scholarships to ensure a quality of choral singing at the Cathedral and establish an enduring link with Hamilton's Waikato University's Music Department. In Wellington NZ Nigel served as chair of the Wellington regional committee of the New Zealand Choral Federation. During his seven years as musical director of the Bach Choir of Wellington he enjoyed the opportunity of directing over twenty five concerts with an emphasis on the larger scale works of J.S. Bach. He was fortunate to forge a relationship with members of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra which lead to the formation of the Chiesa Ensemble. Nigel's last concert with the Bach Choir was a complete performance of J.S. Bach's Mass in B minor. In this conversation, Nigel shares his insights about his love for twelve tone technique, modal music and of course, the polyphony. ​Enjoy and share your comments below. ​And don't forget to help spread the word about the SOP Podcast by sharing it with your organist friends. And if you like it, please head over to iTunes and leave a rating and review. This helps to get this podcast in front of more organists who would find it helpful. Thanks for caring. Related Links: http://www.nigelwilliamscomposernz.com Nigel's music on Sheet Music Plus: ​http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/search?Ntt=nigel+williams&aff_id=454957

Hi Marta On The Move listeners! This is my 50th episode, how time flies! Want to celebrate with me?  Awesome, because I have a great episode for you all! Stage and Screen actor Patrick Wilson joins Marta On The Move with composer and musical director Thomas Douglas. Patrick has starred in many shows, and is known for his film work in Angels In America, The Watchmen, Little Children, Hard Candy, along with his hit show Fargo. He is back in Pittsburgh at his old Alma Mater, Carnegie Mellon to direct The Full Monty at the Phillip Chosky Theater for the CMU School of Drama. Patrick himself starred in The Full Monty on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony for his role in the show. Thomas Douglas is the musical director for The Full Monty.  He also takes the titles of Director of Opera Studies, Director of Choral activities, a leading composer, Artistic Director of the Bach Choir, and director of over 200 performances here and abroad. I was nervous as all get out for this interview, and could not wait to sit down with both of these exceptionally talented men.  Patrick was extremely honest, humble, and hilarious, as was Thomas.  We even got a little singing going on. What a great time talking about the show, their musical backgrounds, movies, travel, hobbies -you name it! Patrick, Thomas, a huge thank you goes out.  From me to you both, for taking the time out of your busy schedules. They were even running late for dress rehearsal!!!  I am so honored, and I cannot wait to see the show next Saturday with these wonderfully talented kids!  Our city puts out the best there is, and I am so proud to be a small part of that.  Get your tickets to see the show here. it runs until the 27th of this month. Speaking of films,  next week is the release with CEO/President Chris Breakwell from 31st Street Studios here in Pittsburgh!!! They are calling us the "Hollywood of the east"  let's see shall we?  Hopefully we can convince Patrick to shoot a movie in our city at some point in the future, while wearing his new MOTM shirt! ;) Travel News!  Marta is on the move again!  This time she is headed to Portugal to help build houses for the homeless, and scuba dive to clean up the reefs out there.  She will be back mid March, but don't worry, new episodes will be released on schedule!  Follow along in her travels! #martaonthemove Thank you, thank you, thank you again to all of my listeners!  I have THE best support group that anyone could ever wish for, and I truly appreciate all the feedback, questions, or comments that you have!  You can find Marta On The Move on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,Epicast TV and Itunes!  Please Rate and review if you get the chance on Itunes, it would mean the world! For guest speaking, sponsorship inquiries, or questions, please email martafoos@gmail.com This episode is sponsored by Levity Pgh  All listeners get $5 off their floats with promo code "Marta" Also sponsored by Aldo's Foods Inc.  Pittsburgh's family owned and operated food service distributor for over 60 years

About our Interview with French Hornist, Tony Cecere, is a freelancer in the New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania areas. He has played with the New Jersey Symphony, New Orleans Symphony, American Chamber Players, Bach Choir in Bethlehem, PA., is a current member of the Philadelphia Brass, plays on Broadway and is a substitute with the MET Opera Orchestra. We talked about; his career and vast experience, how his playing has changed along with his career, what the challenges are within different ensembles and how to learn to play in varying acoustics. For students we discussed; the importance of learning ensemble skills, importance of learning how to produce a vocal musical line, and gaining listening skills by listening to recordings and just not one recording but learning how to discriminate the difference between interpretations and style. Our discussion lead to the recording industry past and present and later the workings of being a member of the Philadelphia Brass from arranging music, talking to the audience and choosing a new member. Links to learn more Tony's Philadelphia Brass Page

JS Bach's - Goldberg Variations #5Our version of JS Bach's - Goldberg Variations #5blessings,Shiloh Worship MusicThe Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, is a work for harpsichord by Johann Sebastian Bach, consisting of an aria and a set of 30 variations. First published in 1741, the work is considered to be one of the most important examples of variation form. The Variationsare named after Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, who may have been the first performer.Johann Sebastian Bach from WikipediaJohann Sebastian Bach[1] (31 March [O.S. 21 March] 1685 – 28 July 1750) was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist of the Baroque Period. He enriched many established German styles through his skill in counterpoint, harmonic and motivic organisation, and the adaptation of rhythms, forms, and textures from abroad, particularly from Italy and France. Bach wrote much music that was revered for its intellectual depth, technical command, and artistic beauty. Many of his works are still known today, such as the Brandenburg Concertos, the Mass in B minor, the Well-Tempered Clavier, and his cantatas, chorales, partitas, passions, and organ works.Bach was born in Eisenach, Saxe-Eisenach into a very musical family; his father, Johann Ambrosius Bach was the director of the town's musicians, and all of his uncles were professional musicians. His father taught him to play violin and harpsichord, and his brother, Johann Christoph Bach taught him the clavichord and exposed him to much contemporary music.[2][3] Bach also sang, and he went to the St Michael's School in Lüneburg because of his skill in voice. After graduating, he held several musical posts across Germany: he served as Kapellmeister (director of music) to Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen, Cantor of Thomasschule in Leipzig, and Royal Court Composer to August III.[4][5] Bach's health and vision declined in 1749, and he died on 28 July 1750. Modern historians believe that his death was caused by a combination of stroke and pneumonia.[6][7][8]Bach's abilities as an organist were highly respected throughout Europe during his lifetime, although he was not widely recognised as a great composer until a revival of interest and performances of his music in the first half of the 19th century. He is now generally regarded as one of the main composers of the Baroque period, and as one of the greatest composers of all time.[9]LifeChildhood (1685–1703)Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Saxe-Eisenach, on 21 March 1685 O.S. (31 March 1685 N.S.). He was the son of Johann Ambrosius Bach, the director of the town musicians, and Maria Elisabeth Lämmerhirt.[10] He was the eighth child of Johann Ambrosius; the eldest son in the family was 14 at the time of Bach's birth.[11] His father taught him violin and harpsichord.[12] His uncles were all professional musicians, whose posts included church organists, court chamber musicians, and composers. One uncle, Johann Christoph Bach (1645–93), introduced him to the organ, and an older second cousin, Johann Ludwig Bach (1677–1731), was a well-known composer and violinist. Bach drafted a genealogy around 1735, titled "Origin of the musical Bach family".[13]Bach's mother died in 1694, and his father died eight months later.[5] Bach, 10, moved in with his oldest brother, Johann Christoph Bach (1671–1721), the organist at the Michaeliskirche in Ohrdruf, Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.[14] There he studied, performed, and copied music, including his own brother's, despite being forbidden to do so because scores were so valuable and private and blank ledger paper of that type was costly.[15][16] He received valuable teaching from his brother, who instructed him on the clavichord. J.C. Bach exposed him to the works of great composers of the day, including South German composers such as Johann Pachelbel (under whom Johann Christoph had studied)[2] and Johann Jakob Froberger; North German composers;[3] Frenchmen, such as Jean-Baptiste Lully, Louis Marchand, Marin Marais; and the Italian clavierist Girolamo Frescobaldi. Also during this time, he was taught theology, Latin, Greek, French, and Italian at the local gymnasium.[17]At the age of 14, Bach, along with his older school friend George Erdmann, was awarded a choral scholarship to study at the prestigious St. Michael's School in Lüneburg in the Principality of Lüneburg.[18] Although it is not known for certain, the trip was likely taken mostly on foot.[17] His two years there were critical in exposing him to a wider facet of European culture. In addition to singing in the choir he played the School's three-manual organ and harpsichords.[17] He came into contact with sons of noblemen from northern Germany sent to the highly selective school to prepare for careers in other disciplines.Although little supporting historical evidence exists at this time, it is almost certain that while in Lüneburg, Bach visited the Johanniskirche (Church of St. John) and heard (and possibly played) the church's famous organ (built in 1549 by Jasper Johannsen, and played by Georg Böhm). Given his musical talent, Bach had significant contact with prominent organists of the day in Lüneburg, most notably Böhm, but also including organists in nearby Hamburg, such as Johann Adam Reincken.[19]Weimar, Arnstadt, and Mühlhausen (1703–08)In January 1703, shortly after graduating from St. Michael's and being turned down for the post of organist at Sangerhausen,[20] Bach was appointed court musician in the chapel of Duke Johann Ernst in Weimar. His role there is unclear, but likely included menial, non-musical duties. During his seven-month tenure at Weimar, his reputation as a keyboardist spread so much that he was invited to inspect the new organ, and give the inaugural recital, at St. Boniface's Church in Arnstadt, located about 40 km southwest of Weimar.[21] In August 1703, he became the organist at St Boniface's, with light duties, a relatively generous salary, and a fine new organ tuned in the modern tempered system that allowed a wide range of keys to be used.Despite strong family connections and a musically enthusiastic employer, tension built up between Bach and the authorities after several years in the post. Bach was dissatisfied with the standard of singers in the choir, while his employer was upset by his unauthorised absence from Arnstadt; Bach was gone for several months in 1705–06, to visit the great organist and composer Dieterich Buxtehude and his Abendmusiken at the Marienkirche in the northern city of Lübeck. The visit to Buxtehude involved a 400 kilometre (250 mi) journey on foot each way. The trip reinforced Buxtehude's style as a foundation for Bach's earlier works. Bach wanted to become amanuensis (assistant and successor) to Buxtehude, but did not want to marry his daughter, which was a condition for his appointment.[22]In 1706, Bach was offered a post as organist at St. Blasius's in Mühlhausen, which he took up the following year. It included significantly higher remuneration, improved conditions, and a better choir. Four months after arriving at Mühlhausen, Bach married Maria Barbara Bach, his second cousin. They had seven children, four of whom survived to adulthood, including Wilhelm Friedemann Bach and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach who both became important composers as well. Bach was able to convince the church and city government at Mühlhausen to fund an expensive renovation of the organ at St. Blasius's. Bach, in turn, wrote an elaborate, festive cantata—Gott ist mein König, BWV 71—for the inauguration of the new council in 1708. The council paid handsomely for its publication, and it was a major success.[17]Return to Weimar (1708–17)In 1708, Bach left Mühlhausen, returning to Weimar this time as organist and concertmaster at the ducal court, where he had an opportunity to work with a large, well-funded contingent of professional musicians.[17] Bach moved with his family into an apartment very close to the ducal palace. In the following year, their first child was born and Maria Barbara's elder, unmarried sister joined them. She remained to help run the household until her death in 1729.Bach's time in Weimar was the start of a sustained period of composing keyboard and orchestral works. He attained the proficiency and confidence to extend the prevailing structures and to include influences from abroad. He learned to write dramatic openings and employ the dynamic motor-rhythms and harmonic schemes found in the music of Italians such as Vivaldi, Corelli, and Torelli. Bach absorbed these stylistic aspects in part by transcribing Vivaldi's string and wind concertos for harpsichord and organ; many of these transcribed works are still played in concert often. Bach was particularly attracted to the Italian style in which one or more solo instruments alternate section-by-section with the full orchestra throughout a movement.[24]In Weimar, Bach continued to play and compose for the organ, and to perform concert music with the duke's ensemble.[17] He also began to write the preludes and fugues which were later assembled into his monumental work Das Wohltemperierte Clavier ("The Well-Tempered Clavier"—Clavier meaning clavichord or harpsichord),[25] consisting of two books, compiled in 1722 and 1744,[26] each containing a prelude and fugue in every major and minor key.Also in Weimar Bach started work on the Little Organ Book for his eldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann, containing traditional Lutheran chorales (hymn tunes) set in complex textures to train organists. In 1713 Bach was offered a post in Halle when he advised the authorities during a renovation by Christoph Cuntzius of the main organ in the west gallery of the Marktkirche Unser Lieben Frauen. Johann Kuhnau and Bach played again when it was inaugurated in 1716.[27][28] Musicologists debate whether his first Christmas cantata Christen, ätzet diesen Tag, BWV 63, was premiered here in 1713[29], or if it was performed for the bicentennial of the Reformation in 1717.[30] Bach eventually fell out of favour in Weimar and was, according to a translation of the court secretary's report, jailed for almost a month before being unfavourably dismissed:“On November 6, [1717], the quondam concertmaster and organist Bach was confined to the County Judge's place of detention for too stubbornly forcing the issue of his dismissal and finally on December 2 was freed from arrest with notice of his unfavourable discharge.[31]”Köthen (1717–23)Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen hired Bach to serve as his Kapellmeister (director of music) in 1717. Prince Leopold, himself a musician, appreciated Bach's talents, paid him well, and gave him considerable latitude in composing and performing. The prince was Calvinist and did not use elaborate music in his worship; accordingly, most of Bach's work from this period was secular,[32] including the Orchestral Suites, the Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello, the Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, and the Brandenburg Concertos.[33] Bach also composed secular cantatas for the court such as the Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht, BWV 134a.Despite being born in the same year and only about 80 miles apart, Bach and Handel never met. In 1719 Bach made the 20 mile journey from Köthen to Halle with the intention of meeting Handel, however Handel had recently departed the city.[34] In 1730, Bach's son Friedmann travelled to Halle to invite Handel to visit the Bach family in Leipzig, however the visit did not eventuate.[35]On 7 July 1720, while Bach was abroad with Prince Leopold, Bach's first wife suddenly died. The following year, he met Anna Magdalena Wilcke, a young, highly gifted soprano 17 years younger than he was who performed at the court in Köthen; they married on 3 December 1721.[36] Together they had 13 more children, six of whom survived into adulthood: Gottfried Heinrich, Johann Christoph Friedrich, and Johann Christian, all of whom became significant musicians; Elisabeth Juliane Friederica (1726–81), who married Bach's pupil Johann Christoph Altnikol; Johanna Carolina (1737–81); and Regina Susanna (1742–1809).[37]Leipzig (1723–50)In 1723, Bach was appointed Cantor of the Thomasschule at Thomaskirche in Leipzig, and Director of Music in the principal churches in the town, namely the Nikolaikirche and the Paulinerkirche, the church of the University of Leipzig.[38] This was a prestigious post in the mercantile city in the Electorate of Saxony, which he held for 27 years until his death. It brought him into contact with the political machinations of his employer, Leipzig's city council.Bach was required to instruct the students of the Thomasschule in singing and to provide church music for the main churches in Leipzig. Bach was required to teach Latin, but he was allowed to employ a deputy to do this instead. A cantata was required for the church service on Sundays and additional church holidays during the liturgical year. He usually performed his own cantatas, most of which were composed during his first three years in Leipzig. The first of these was Die Elenden sollen essen, BWV 75, first performed in the Nikolaikirche on 30 May 1723, the first Sunday after Trinity. Bach collected his cantatas in annual cycles. Five are mentioned in obituaries, three are extant.[39] Most of these concerted works expound on the Gospel readings prescribed for every Sunday and feast day in the Lutheran year. Bach started a second annual cycle the first Sunday after Trinity of 1724, and composed only Chorale cantatas, each based on a single church hymn. These include O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort, BWV 20, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140, Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 61, and Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, BWV 1.Bach drew the soprano and alto choristers from the School, and the tenors and basses from the School and elsewhere in Leipzig. Performing at weddings and funerals provided extra income for these groups; it was probably for this purpose, and for in-school training, that he wrote at least six motets, at least five of which are for double choir.[40] As part of his regular church work, he performed other composers' motets, which served as formal models for his own.[17]Bach broadened his composing and performing beyond the liturgy by taking over, in March 1729, the directorship of the Collegium Musicum, a secular performance ensemble started by the composer Georg Philipp Telemann. This was one of the dozens of private societies in the major German-speaking cities that was established by musically active university students; these societies had become increasingly important in public musical life and were typically led by the most prominent professionals in a city. In the words of Christoph Wolff, assuming the directorship was a shrewd move that "consolidated Bach's firm grip on Leipzig's principal musical institutions".[41] Year round, the Leipzig's Collegium Musicum performed regularly in venues such as the Zimmermannsches Caffeehaus, a Coffeehouse on Catherine Street off the main market square. Many of Bach's works during the 1730s and 1740s were written for and performed by the Collegium Musicum; among these were parts of his Clavier-Übung (Keyboard Practice) and many of his violin and harpsichord concertos.[17]In 1733, Bach composed the Kyrie and Gloria of the Mass in B minor. He presented the manuscript to the King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania and Elector of Saxony, August III in an eventually successful bid to persuade the monarch to appoint him as Royal Court Composer.[4] He later extended this work into a full Mass, by adding a Credo, Sanctus and Agnus Dei, the music for which was almost wholly taken from his own cantatas. Bach's appointment as court composer was part of his long-term struggle to achieve greater bargaining power with the Leipzig Council. Although the complete mass was probably never performed during the composer's lifetime,[42] it is considered to be among the greatest choral works of all time. Between 1737 and 1739, Bach's former pupil Carl Gotthelf Gerlach took over the directorship of the Collegium Musicum.In 1747, Bach visited the court of the King of Prussia in Potsdam. There the king played a theme for Bach and challenged him to improvise a fugue based on his theme. Bach improvised a three-part fugue on Frederick's pianoforte, then a novelty, and later presented the king with a Musical Offering which consists of fugues, canons and a trio based on this theme. Its six-part fugue includes a slightly altered subject more suitable for extensive elaboration. Bach wrote another fugue, The Art of Fugue, shortly before his death, but never completed the final fugue. It consists of 18 complex fugues and canons based on a simple theme.[43] It was only published posthumously in 1751.[44]The final work Bach completed was a chorale prelude for organ, entitled Vor deinen Thron tret ich hiermit (Before thy throne I now appear, BWV 668a) which he dictated to his son-in-law, Johann Altnikol, from his deathbed. When the notes on the three staves of the final cadence are counted and mapped onto the Roman alphabet, the initials "JSB" are found.[45]Death (1750)Bach's health declined in 1749; on 2 June, Heinrich von Brühl wrote to one of the Leipzig burgomasters to request that his music director, Gottlob Harrer, fill the Thomascantor and Director musices posts "upon the eventual ... decease of Mr. Bach."[29] Bach became increasingly blind, so the British eye surgeon John Taylor operated on Bach while visiting Leipzig in March or April of 1750.[46]On 28 July 1750 Bach died at the age of 65. A contemporary newspaper reported "the unhappy consequences of the very unsuccessful eye operation" as the cause of death.[47] Modern historians speculate that the cause of death was a stroke complicated by pneumonia.[6][7][8] His son Emanuel and his pupil Johann Friedrich Agricola wrote an obituary of Bach.[48]Bach's estate included five Clavecins, two lute-harpsichords, three violins, three violas, two cellos, a viola da gamba, a lute and a spinet, and 52 "sacred books", including books by Martin Luther and Josephus.[49] He was originally buried at Old St. John's Cemetery in Leipzig. His grave went unmarked for nearly 150 years. In 1894 his coffin was finally found and moved to a vault in St. John's Church. This building was destroyed by Allied bombing during World War II, so in 1950 Bach's remains were taken to their present grave at Leipzig's Church of St. Thomas.[17]LegacyA detailed obituary of Bach was published (without attribution) four years later in 1754 by Lorenz Christoph Mizler (a former student) in Musikalische Bibliothek, a music periodical. The obituary remains probably "the richest and most trustworthy"[50] early source document about Bach. After his death, Bach's reputation as a composer at first declined; his work was regarded as old-fashioned compared to the emerging classical style.[51] Initially he was remembered more as a player and teacher.During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, Bach was widely recognised for his keyboard work. Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Robert Schumann, and Felix Mendelssohn were among his most prominent admirers; they began writing in a more contrapuntal style after being exposed to Bach's music.[52] Beethoven described him as the "Urvater der Harmonie", "original father of harmony".[53]Bach's reputation among the wider public was enhanced in part by Johann Nikolaus Forkel's 1802 biography of Bach.[54] Felix Mendelssohn significantly contributed to the revival of Bach's reputation with his 1829 Berlin performance of the St Matthew Passion.[55] In 1850, the Bach Gesellschaft (Bach Society) was founded to promote the works; in 1899 the Society published a comprehensive edition of the composer's works with little editorial intervention.During the 20th century, the process of recognising the musical as well as the pedagogic value of some of the works continued, perhaps most notably in the promotion of the Cello Suites by Pablo Casals, the first major performer to record these suites.[56] Another development has been the growth of the "authentic" or "period performance" movement, which attempts to present music as the composer intended it. Examples include the playing of keyboard works on harpsichord rather than modern grand piano and the use of small choirs or single voices instead of the larger forces favoured by 19th- and early 20th-century performers.[57]Bach's music is frequently bracketed with the literature of William Shakespeare and the teachings of Isaac Newton.[58] In Germany, during the twentieth century, many streets were named and statues were erected in honour of Bach. His music features three times - more than any other composer - on the Voyager Golden Record, a phonograph record containing a broad sample of the images, common sounds, languages, and music of Earth, sent into outer space with the two Voyager probes.[59]WorksIn 1950, a thematic catalogue called Bach Werke Verzeichnis (Bach Works Catalogue) was compiled by Wolfgang Schmieder.[60] Schmieder largely followed the Bach Gesellschaft Ausgabe, a comprehensive edition of the composer's works that was produced between 1850 and 1905: BWV 1–224 are cantatas; BWV 225–249, large-scale choral works including his Passions; BWV 250–524, chorales and sacred songs; BWV 525–748, organ works; BWV 772–994, other keyboard works; BWV 995–1000, lute music; BWV 1001–40, chamber music; BWV 1041–71, orchestral music; and BWV 1072–1126, canons and fugues.[61]Organ worksBach was best known during his lifetime as an organist, organ consultant, and composer of organ works in both the traditional German free genres—such as preludes, fantasias, and toccatas—and stricter forms, such as chorale preludes and fugues.[17] At a young age, he established a reputation for his great creativity and ability to integrate foreign styles into his organ works. A decidedly North German influence was exerted by Georg Böhm, with whom Bach came into contact in Lüneburg, and Dieterich Buxtehude, whom the young organist visited in Lübeck in 1704 on an extended leave of absence from his job in Arnstadt. Around this time, Bach copied the works of numerous French and Italian composers to gain insights into their compositional languages, and later arranged violin concertos by Vivaldi and others for organ and harpsichord. During his most productive period (1708–14) he composed several pairs of preludes and fugues and toccatas and fugues, and the Orgelbüchlein ("Little organ book"), an unfinished collection of 46 short chorale preludes that demonstrates compositional techniques in the setting of chorale tunes. After leaving Weimar, Bach wrote less for organ, although his best-known works (the six trio sonatas, the "German Organ Mass" in Clavier-Übung III from 1739, and the "Great Eighteen" chorales, revised late in his life) were all composed after his leaving Weimar. Bach was extensively engaged later in his life in consulting on organ projects, testing newly built organs, and dedicating organs in afternoon recitals.[62][63]Other keyboard worksBach wrote many works for harpsichord, some of which may have been played on the clavichord. Many of his keyboard works are anthologies that encompass whole theoretical systems in an encyclopaedic fashion. • The Well-Tempered Clavier, Books 1 and 2 (BWV 846–893). Each book consists of a prelude and fugue in each of the 24 major and minor keys in chromatic order from C major to B minor (thus, the whole collection is often referred to as 'the 48'). "Well-tempered" in the title refers to the temperament (system of tuning); many temperaments before Bach's time were not flexible enough to allow compositions to utilise more than just a few keys.[64] • The 15 Inventions and 15 Sinfonias (BWV 772–801). These short two- and three-part contrapuntal works are arranged in the same chromatic order as the Well-Tempered Clavier, omitting some of the rarer keys. These pieces were intended by Bach for instructional purposes.[65] • Three collections of dance suites: the English Suites (BWV 806–811), the French Suites (BWV 812–817), and the Partitas for keyboard (BWV 825–830). Each collection contains six suites built on the standard model (Allemande–Courante–Sarabande–(optional movement)–Gigue). The English Suites closely follow the traditional model, adding a prelude before the allemande and including a single movement between the sarabande and the gigue.[66] The French Suites omit preludes, but have multiple movements between the sarabande and the gigue.[67] The partitas expand the model further with elaborate introductory movements and miscellaneous movements between the basic elements of the model.[68] • The Goldberg Variations (BWV 988), an aria with thirty variations. The collection has a complex and unconventional structure: the variations build on the bass line of the aria, rather than its melody, and musical canons are interpolated according to a grand plan. There are nine canons within the 30 variations, one every three variations between variations 3 and 27.[69] These variations move in order from canon at the unison to canon at the ninth. The first eight are in pairs (unison and octave, second and seventh, third and sixth, fourth and fifth). The ninth canon stands on its own due to compositional dissimilarities. • Miscellaneous pieces such as the Overture in the French Style (French Overture, BWV 831), Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue (BWV 903), and the Italian Concerto (BWV 971).Among Bach's lesser known keyboard works are seven toccatas (BWV 910–916), four duets (BWV 802–805), sonatas for keyboard (BWV 963–967), the Six Little Preludes (BWV 933–938), and the Aria variata alla maniera italiana (BWV 989).Orchestral and chamber musicBach wrote for single instruments, duets, and small ensembles. Many of his solo works, such as his six sonatas and partitas for violin (BWV 1001–1006), six cello suites (BWV 1007–1012) and Partita for solo flute (BWV 1013), are among the most profound works in the repertoire.[70] Bach composed a suite and several other works for solo lute. He wrote trio sonatas; solo sonatas (accompanied by continuo) for the flute and for the viola da gamba; and a large number of canons and ricercare, mostly with unspecified instrumentation. The most significant examples of the latter are contained in The Art of Fugue and The Musical Offering.Bach's best-known orchestral works are the Brandenburg Concertos, so named because he submitted them in the hope of gaining employment from Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt in 1721; his application was unsuccessful.[17] These works are examples of the concerto grosso genre. Other surviving works in the concerto form include two violin concertos (BWV 1041 and BWV 1042); a Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor (BWV 1043), often referred to as Bach's "double" concerto; and concertos for one to four harpsichords. It is widely accepted that many of the harpsichord concertos were not original works, but arrangements of his concertos for other instruments now lost.[71] A number of violin, oboe and flute concertos have been reconstructed from these. In addition to concertos, Bach wrote four orchestral suites, and a series of stylised dances for orchestra, each preceded by a French overture.[72]Vocal and choral worksCantatasAs the Thomaskantor, beginning mid of 1723, Bach performed a cantata each Sunday and feast day that corresponded to the lectionary readings of the week.[17] Although Bach performed cantatas by other composers, he composed at least three entire annual cycles of cantatas at Leipzig, in addition to those composed at Mühlhausen and Weimar.[17] In total he wrote more than 300 sacred cantatas, of which approximately 200 survive.[73]His cantatas vary greatly in form and instrumentation, including those for solo singers, single choruses, small instrumental groups, or grand orchestras. Many consist of a large opening chorus followed by one or more recitative-aria pairs for soloists (or duets) and a concluding chorale. The recitative is part of the corresponding Bible reading for the week and the aria is a contemporary reflection on it. The melody of the concluding chorale often appears as a cantus firmus in the opening movement. Among his best known cantatas are: • Christ lag in Todes Banden, BWV 4 • Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21 • Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80 • Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit, BWV 106 (Actus Tragicus) • Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140 • Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147In addition, Bach wrote a number of secular cantatas, usually for civic events such as council inaugurations. These include wedding cantatas, the Wedding Quodlibet, the Peasant Cantata and the Coffee Cantata.[74]PassionsBach's large choral-orchestral works include the grand scale St Matthew Passion and St John Passion, both written for Good Friday vespers services at the Thomaskirche and the Nikolaikirche in alternate years, and the Christmas Oratorio (a set of six cantatas for use in the Liturgical season of Christmas).[75][76][77] The two versions of the Magnificat (one in E-flat major, with four interpolated Christmas-related movements, and the later and better-known version in D major), the Easter Oratorio, and the Ascension Oratorio are smaller and simpler than the Passions and the Christmas Oratorio.Mass in B minorMain article: Mass in B minorBach assembled his other large work, the Mass in B minor, near the end of his life, mostly from pieces composed earlier (such as the cantatas Gloria in excelsis Deo, BWV 191 and Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV 12). The mass was never performed in full during Bach's lifetime.[78] All of these movements, unlike the six motets (Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied; Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf; Jesu, meine Freude; Fürchte dich nicht; Komm, Jesu, komm!; and Lobet den Herrn alle Heiden), have substantial solo parts as well as choruses.Musical styleBach's musical style arose from his skill in contrapuntal invention and motivic control, his flair for improvisation, his exposure to North and South German, Italian and French music, and his devotion to the Lutheran liturgy. His access to musicians, scores and instruments as a child and a young man and his emerging talent for writing tightly woven music of powerful sonority, allowed him to develop an eclectic, energetic musical style in which foreign influences were combined with an intensified version of the pre-existing German musical language. From the Period 1713-14 onward he learned much from the style of the Italians.[79]During the Baroque Period, many composers only wrote the framework, and performers embellished this framework with ornaments and other elaboration.[80] This practice varied considerably between the schools of European music; Bach notated most or all of the details of his melodic lines, leaving little for performers to interpolate. This accounted for his control over the dense contrapuntal textures that he favoured, and decreased leeway for spontaneous variation of musical lines. At the same time, Bach left the instrumentation of major works including The Art of Fugue open.[81]Bach's devout relationship with the Christian God in the Lutheran tradition[82] and the high demand for religious music of his times placed sacred music at the centre of his repertory. He taught Luther's Small Catechism as the Thomascantor in Leipzig,[83] and some of his pieces represent it;[84] the Lutheran chorale hymn tune was the basis of much of his work. He wrote more cogent, tightly integrated chorale preludes than most. The large-scale structure of some of Bach's sacred works is evidence of subtle, elaborate planning. For example, the St Matthew Passion illustrates the Passion with Bible text reflected in recitatives, arias, choruses, and chorales.[85] The structure of the Easter Oratorio, BWV 249, resembles The Crucifixion.[86]Bach's drive to display musical achievements was evident in his composition. He wrote much for the keyboard and led its elevation from continuo to solo instrument with harpsichord concertos and keyboard obbligato.[87] Virtuosity is a key element in other pieces, such as the Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BWV 548 for organ in which virtuosic passages are mapped onto alternating flute and reed solos within the fugal development.[88]Bach produced collections of movements that explored the range of artistic and technical possibilities inherent in various genres. The most famous example is the Well Tempered Clavier, in which each book presents a prelude and fugue in every major and minor key. Each fugue displays a variety of contrapuntal and fugal techniques.[89]PerformancesPresent-day Bach performers usually pursue one of two traditions: so-called "authentic performance practice", utilising historical techniques; or the use of modern instruments and playing techniques, often with larger ensembles. In Bach's time orchestras and choirs were usually smaller than those of later composers, and even Bach's most ambitious choral works, such as his Mass in B minor and Passions, were composed for relatively modest forces. Some of Bach's important chamber music does not indicate instrumentation, allows a greater variety of ensemble.Easy listening realisations of Bach's music and their use in advertising contributed greatly to Bach's popularisation in the second half of the twentieth century. Among these were the Swingle Singers' versions of Bach pieces that are now well-known (for instance, the Air on the G string, or the Wachet Auf chorale prelude) and Wendy Carlos's 1968 Switched-On Bach, which used the Moog electronic synthesiser. Jazz musicians have adopted Bach's music, with Jacques Loussier, Ian Anderson, Uri Caine and the Modern Jazz Quartet among those creating jazz versions of Bach works.[90]See also • List of fugal works by Johann Sebastian Bach • List of transcriptions of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach • List of students of Johann Sebastian BachReferences 1. German pronunciation: [joˈhan] or [ˈjoːhan zeˈbastjan ˈbax] 1. ^ a b Christoph Wolff, Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, Inc., 2000), 19. 2. ^ a b Wolff, Christoph (2000). Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 46. ISBN 0-393-04825-X. 3. ^ a b "BACH Mass in B Minor BWV 232" 
. www.baroquemusic.org. Retrieved 21 February 2012. 4. ^ a b Russell H. Miles, Johann Sebastian Bach: An Introduction to His Life and Works (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1962), 86–87. 5. ^ a b Breitenfeld, Tomislav; Solter, Vesna Vargek; Breitenfeld, Darko; Zavoreo, Iris; Demarin, Vida (3 Jan. 2006). "Johann Sebastian Bach's Strokes" 
(PDF). Acta Clinica Croatica (Sisters of Charity Hospital) 45 (1). Retrieved 20 May 2008. 6. ^ a b Baer, Ka. (1956). "Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) in medical history". Bulletin of the Medical Library Association (Medical Library Association) 39 (206). 7. ^ a b Breitenfeld, D.; Thaller V, Breitenfeld T, Golik-Gruber V, Pogorevc T, Zoričić Z, Grubišić F (2000). "The pathography of Bach's family". Alcoholism 36: 161–64. 8. Blanning, T. C. W.The triumph of music: the rise of composers, musicians and their art 
, 272: "And of course the greatest master of harmony and counterpoint of all time was Johann Sebastian Bach, 'the Homer of music' 9. Jones, Richard (2007). The Creative Development of Johann Sebastian Bach. Oxford University Press. p. 3. ISBN 0-19-816440-8. 1. "Lesson Plans" 
. Bach to School. The Bach Choir of Bethlehem. Retrieved 8 March 2012. 1. Malcolm Boyd, Bach (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), 6 2. Printed in translation in The Bach Reader (ISBN 0-393-00259-4) 3. Malcolm Boyd, Bach (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), 7–8. 4. Mendel et al (1998), 299 5. Wolff, Christoph (2000). Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 45. ISBN 0-393-04825-X. 1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Johann Sebastian Bach: a detailed informative biography" 
. baroquemusic.org. Retrieved 19 February 2012. 1. Wolff, Christoph (2000). Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician. W. W. Norton & Company

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is 'England's choir master', Sir David Willcocks. For some 38 years he trained the Bach Choir - the most popular amateur choir in Britain. His retirement in 1998 he describes as ""like the end of an affair"". As the Director of Music at Kings College Cambridge, he tranformed small boys with dirty knees into an angelic choir. His gift is a mix of natural talent and experience. At the age of eight he joined the choir school at Westminster Abbey, where he was conducted by Elgar. Later, he worked closely with Vaughan Williams whose humility and humour he remembers, produced some masterful performances.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Oh Sacred Head by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: Book on astronomy Luxury: King's College Chapel

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is 'England's choir master', Sir David Willcocks. For some 38 years he trained the Bach Choir - the most popular amateur choir in Britain. His retirement in 1998 he describes as ""like the end of an affair"". As the Director of Music at Kings College Cambridge, he tranformed small boys with dirty knees into an angelic choir. His gift is a mix of natural talent and experience. At the age of eight he joined the choir school at Westminster Abbey, where he was conducted by Elgar. Later, he worked closely with Vaughan Williams whose humility and humour he remembers, produced some masterful performances. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: Oh Sacred Head by Johann Sebastian Bach Book: Book on astronomy Luxury: King's College Chapel