Discovery of Bach's Bible: over 400 notations

mpr.org ^ | Mar 2002 | MPR

[cornelis]

Link to listen.

(need a player? Download RealOne player )

Listen to the discovery of J. S. Bach's Bible: over 400 notations and a music from the Mass in B-minor

"In devotional music, God is always present with his grace" --J.S. Bach

"No longer can we simply do academic performances of his work."

Dr. Thomas Rossin, musical director of Twin Cities-based chamber choir and orchestra Exultate, recently brought Bach's bible to the MPR studios. He has done his doctoral dissertation on the discovery of this treasure and on the nearly 400 notations Bach made in the books.

Not only does Dr. Rossin's work give us great insight into Bach's music, but also we are given a new perspective on the place of music and faith in the great master's life.

Classical 24 announcer Lynne Warfel-Holt spoke with Rossin about the history of Bach's personal bible. The interview begins with Rossin explaining the interesting circumstances surrounding how and where the bible was found.

[boris]

"When God listens to music, He listens to Bach. When the Angels listen to music, they listen to Mozart."

--Boris

[cornelis]

Mozart was very musical, in a humane way. We are singing the Laudate Dominum tomorrow in dedication of a chapel. The phrase of that piece (soprano soloist from Bulgaria) is so compelling, that once it pours into a sympathetic hear it rings on for another day and a half.

[Terriergal]

Ahhh. wow, cool! We did the Bach St Matthew Passion in 1998 and I do remember a few of us breaking down in tears in places... during some of the last rehearsals, the director tried to remind us to keep focus and keep the music going and not to get overwhelmed... but he did certainly understand the emotion. That piece is so powerful.

[gcruse]

Mozart's music is almost a language, to me. Cerebral and conversational. What sends me soaring, though, is Wagner.

[cornelis]

What sends me soaring, though, is Wagner.

Not a singular experience. But did Wagner make annotations in a Bible of his own?

[JMJ333]

Bach signed most of his pieces of music "Soli Gloria Deo" --meaning "To God alone be the Glory."

[cornelis]

I'll see the performance whenever I can. That is difficult--a real art in itself. I discovered the St. Matthew's Passion watching The Sacrifice (Tarkovsky) which begins with the camara panning over Michelangelo's Adoration of the Magi and for the music the violin was playing for the Aria "Erbame dich".

[bannie]

:-(

can't sing...feel badly about it...

:^<

[Ciexyz]

I can't download with Real Player, but here are some quotes from the book "The Spiritual Lives of Great Composers" by Patrick Kavanaugh, Sparrow Press, 1992: "Throughout history, Bach has been acclaimed as the Christian composer, almost a kind of "patron saint" for church musicians....The sheer number of works he composed is staggering, however, and so is their diversity. They include chorales, cantatas, masses, oratorios, passions, concerti, and solo works for virtually every instrument of his day."

"When Johann Sebastian was born in 1685 in Eisenach, Germany, the Bach name was already synonymous with the musical trade. More than fifty musicians bearing that name are remembered by musicologists today. Even as a boy, Bach appeared eager to find expression for his emerging musical talent."

"Orphaned at the age of nine, Johann moved in with an older brother, and his musical training began. He soon developed into an outstanding singer, and demonstrated a remarkable ability to play the organ, the violin and numerous other instruments....Throughout his life he was known much more as an organist than a composer. Amazing to us, only ten of Bach's original compositions were published during his lifetime. It was not until the nineteenth century that his brilliance as a composer was truly appreciated. Only then would he be revered by such masters as Beethoven, who claimed, "His name ought not to be Bach ("Bach" is the German word for "brook") but ocean, because of his infinite and inexhaustible wealth of combinations and harmonies."

"It is clear that Bach possessed a deep, personal religious faith. Indeed, it appears his entire life revolved around his spiritual convictions....As a sincere Lutheran, Bach was a devoted reader of the Bible and other religious volumes. His personal library contained 83 books, inventoried at his death. All of them explored spritual matters."

"When asked the secret of his genius, he answered simply, "I was made to work; if you are equally industrious you will be equally successful." It is doubtful whether anyone in the world of music has matched Bach's industriousness. When his multitudinous scores were finally collected and published, the job took the Bach Gesellschaft 46 years, and the completed edition filled 60 huge volumes."

[gcruse]

 
Not a singular experience. But did Wagner
make annotations in a Bible of his own?

No.   Mozart probably not either.  Sorry
to have intruded.

[bannie]

:-D !!!

LOVE BOOKS!!! LOVE OLD BOOKS! LOOOOOOVE GOD's GOOD BOOK!!!!

Feel GOOD about it!

:-D

[Savage Beast]

Personally, I like God's taste in music better than the angels'.

[Tourist Guy]

Sorry dude. In Hell it's got to be Barry Manilow.

[Savage Beast]

Yes, when I'm marooned on the island with only one piece of music, it's going to the the St. Matthew Passion.

[satchmodog9]

Sorry again but I would have to say they listen to Kid Rock in hell.

[cornelis]

Mozart probably not either

I don't know. Mozart is worlds apart from Wagner. (Intrude? I'm not in charge here :)

[JMJ333]

There's only one thing I hate,
Cause it's a bunch of cr@p!
IIIIIIIII hate rap.

=)

[ninenot]

DId the StMatPas about 4 weeks ago with Milwaukee Symphony. All kinds of really neat tricks in there: only 11 iterations of "was it I, Lord?" followed a few moments later by Judas' iteration of the same question. 43 strokes of the bass accompany Jesus' blessing of the Cup--the 43rd Psalm is the ONLY one to mention a cup.

Having said that, I still like the St. John Passion a great deal, it's direct, very passionate music (no pun) and less an ordeal for the singers.