Johann Sebastian Bach, Expansion 3: Motets BWV 225-230

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  • I won’t delve into the grand church music as it might seem too demanding for (smaller) children at first glance. However, in the long run, these pieces are not only magnificent but also deeply impressive and moving. For initial exploration, recordings with the Netherlands Bach Society under their former conductor Jos van Veldhoven seem highly recommendable. The detailed and extensive tracklist with specific timestamps is pinned at the beginning of the comment section, facilitating targeted access. Notable recordings include:

  • Since discovering these recordings, I find myself revisiting them frequently, although understandably not always in their entirety. Despite the immense Kantata work (nearly 70 CDs), which contains many exceptional movements suitable for impressing and educating children, I’ll set it aside. The almost complete recordings by the Netherlands Bach Society serve as a benchmark. These recordings on YouTube are particularly valuable as they feature filmed live performances, adding vitality and providing a cherished opportunity for children, as well as myself, to connect with the visible performers.

  • I’ll focus on Bach’s Motets, which in their smaller form provide an excellent entry point into the cosmos of his (vocal!) sacred music. Six Motets, likely composed between 1723 - 1737, are particularly well-preserved. Among them is the most famous piece, the Motet “Jesu, meine Freude” from 1723, whose theme - a hymn by Johann Crüger from 1653 - was used by many Baroque composers for their compositions.

  • Exceptionally, I’ll briefly delve into the text material and construction of the composition of the widely admired Motet “Jesu, meine Freude,” quoted from Wikipedia. This may give an impression that amidst the “loose” flow of imaginative and emotionally charged music, there’s also a concentrated and sharply intellect-driven inventor at work. A similar process occurs during the “re-invention” of the composition in performances, and to a lesser extent, in (attentive) listening:

    An especially striking example of the contrast between biblical and choral text is the Motet Jesu, meine Freude, which alternates the verses of the choral Jesu meine Freude by Johann Franck with five verses from the Letter to the Romans by Saint Paul (8: 1–2, 9–11). The opposition determines a very refined work plan in a symmetrical structure:

    Workplan

    (Wikipedia, Retrieved 10.09.2022: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motets_of_Johann_Sebastian_Bach)

  • Among the numerous recordings on YouTube, I recommend: J. S. Bach - Motets - Motets BWV 225-230 - P. Hillier, Link, Total Duration 1:07:51. This recording, taken from an EMI/Reflexe CD from 1987 (recording and LP 1985), features the Hilliard Ensemble and London Baroque under Paul Hillier, along with the Knabenchor Hannover under the direction of Heinz Hennig. The recording is excellent and represents a middle musical interpretation well, with flawless technical quality in its online presentation.

  • A special feature of this YouTube edition is the complete tracklist in the (extended) preamble, providing the timestamps of each Motet, along with the sectional subtitles indicating the lengths of each movement and their corresponding timestamps.

  • I also want to mention two recordings I usually rely on, both accessible on YouTube. Firstly, the highly acclaimed 2011 recording with the Monteverdi Choir under John Eliot Gardiner, released on CD by SDG, uploaded on YouTube in 2015: Bach - Motets - Gardiner / Monteverdi Choir, Link, Total Duration 1:12:29. This recording, heavily focused on the choir, is minimally supported instrumentally by a concise basso continuo ensemble. Secondly, the recording with Cantus Cölln under Konrad Junghänel; the 1997 recording, published by BMG, has been reissued on CD by deutsche harmonia mundi in 2014. Uploaded individually in 2017 on YouTube, the motets can be accessed under the search query “cantus cölln motetten,” Link, and then activating the first search result and clicking “VIEW COMPLETE PLAYLIST” (Total Duration 60:57). This recording impresses me with its involvement of only eight (competent soloist) vocalists and more extensive instrumental accompaniment (11 instrumentalists), resulting in an extraordinary transparency of sound.