Arts & Events

On Sunday, April 24, California Bach Society gave the last of three concerts dedicated to Johann Sebastian Bach’s Chorales. Berkeley’s St. Mark’s Episcopal Church was the venue for this concert, while the earlier ones were in San Francisco and Palo Alto. Conducted by Artistic Director Paul Flight, California Bach Society is a 30-voice chamber chorus specializing in Renaissance and Baroque choral music. Borrowing a title from one of Bach’s Motets which was heard on this program, Paul Flight labeled this concert Singet dem Herrn (Sing unto the Lord). Bach, as we know, composed many chorales, some of which became integral parts of his cantatas. In the chorales chosen for this program, the hymn melody is sung by the sopranos while the lower three vocal lines provide rhythmic and harmonic support.  

Accompanied by Yuko Tanaka on organ and Lynn Tetenbaum on viola da gamba, Paul Flight led his singers in the opening Bach chorale, Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr (Alone to God on high be honor), BWV. 104. This is a chorale setting of the last movement of Bach’s Cantata No. 104, Du Hirte Israel. It is a brief, joyful hymn. Next came the Motet Singet dem Herrn (Sing unto the Lord), BWV. 225. This is music that made Mozart perk his ears and ask, “What’s this? Here is something we can learn from!” It opens with many repetitions of the word “Singet,” echoing like shouts of joy and praise. There are two separate choruses who sing in antiphonal call and response prior to the opening movement’s central fugue. This fugue starts with the Choir I sopranos and descends the scale to the basses, passing through the altos and tenors. Then Choir II’s basses join the Choir I basses and the fugue reascends the scale, gathering up the Choir I singers as it progresses. The second movement eschews the intricate counterpoint that preceded it, and it offers instead a simple harmonization. The two-part final movement begins with antiphonal singing of the two choirs, though of less complexity than what was heard in the first movement. There follows a well-known fugue in which the two choirs combine to sing, “Alles, was Odem hat, lobe den Herrn. Halleluja (”Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Hallelujah“).  

Following this splendid Motet was Kyrie, Gott Vater in Ewigkeit (Lord, God the eternal Father), BWV No. 371, which enlarges the traditional Kyrie eleison by interpolating text in German between the three sections, which praise God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit in turn. This is a brief, vigorous hymn with rich harmonies. Next on the program was the Motet, Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf (The Spirit helpeth our infirmities), BWV 226. Bach wrote this for the funeral of Professor Ernesti of Leipzig University. It opens with two choirs contrasted in imitation, then launches a fugue on the notion of Spirit interceding on our behalf. A double fugue rounds out the first movement. The second movement’s closing chorale is a very traditional setting of a text by Martin Luther. 

After intermission California Bach Society returned to sing the Lutheran Passion hymn O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde gross, (O Mankind, Bewail your great sin), BWV 402. This hymn was reused by Bach as the chorale fantasia at the close of Part I of his St. Matt hew Passion. Here the hymn begins with the basses singing the first verse, the sopranos the second, the altos the third, and the tenors the fourth. Then all vocal lines combine to sing together. Following this work was another Lutheran hymn set to a text by Martin Luther, Wir glauben all an einen Gott (We all believe in one God), BWV 437. This hymn was published in the first German hymnal in 1524. Bach’s setting is rich in rhythmic drive and bold harmonies.  

To close out the program Paul Flight chose the longest and most musically complex of Bach’s six ‘official’ motets, Jesu, meine Freude (Jesus, my joy), BWV 227. This work was written in 1723, Bach’s first year in Leipzig, for the funeral of the wife of the city’s postmaster. The text speaks of Jesus Christ freeing man from sin and death, and this is written from the believer’s viewpoint, which also deals with his longing for the comforting spirit of Jesus to aid him. In the middle section, however, the believer speaks of standing up to the storms of Satan and the thunder and lightning of Hell. A section features the word “Trotz” (“Defy”) repeated many times, as the believer defies all enemies to even attempt to shake him of his faith. In this work, as in all the Bach chorales featured in this program, California Bach Society singers distinguished themselves with glorious ensemble singing and finely nuanced expression in German.