Getcha Bach: A Most Musical Family

Without the Big Fella, there would be no CPE, JC, JCF or WF. I don't know how musical JSB's ancestors were, and, if so, whether anything of theirs has survived. I'll, um, look into it.

Anyway, here's Bach the father's Fantasia in G Major (BWV 572), recorded in 1961 by arguably the greatest Bach interpreter on the organ of the past century, Marie-Claire Alain (1926–2013). Its central section (the part without the accompanying score) has the majesty and logical structure of a cathedral:  

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie-Claire_Alain

Next up (in any old order) is composer and organist Johann Christoph, the father of Johann Nicholaus in the previous post. Once again the wiki page is brief enough to reproduce (with the odd tweak) in full:

"Johann Christoph Bach (baptised 18 December [O.S. 8 December] 1642 – 31 March 1703) was a German composer and organist of the Baroque period. He was born at Arnstadt, the son of Heinrich Bach, Johann Sebastian Bach's first cousin once removed and the first cousin of J.S. Bach's father, Johann Ambrosius Bach. He was also the uncle of Maria Barbara Bach, J.S. Bach's first wife and second cousin. Johann Christoph married Maria Elisabeth Wiedemann in 1667. They had seven children, including four sons who became musicians: Johann Nicolaus (10 October 1669 – 4 November 1753), Johann Christoph Jr. (29 August 1676 – 1738), Johann Friedrich (1682–1730), and Johann Michael (1685–unknown). He is not to be confused with Johann Sebastian Bach's son, Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach.

"Johann Christoph had a reputation as a composer that was only equalled by that of Johann Sebastian within the Bach family during his lifetime. [source?] He was organist at Eisenach and later a member of the court chamber orchestra there. His brother, Johann Michael Bach (Johann Sebastian Bach's father-in-law and Maria Barbara's father), was also a composer. Some of the works were later attributed to Johann Sebastian, but were recently recognized as written by Johann Christoph. One of his most famous works is the cantata Meine Freundin, du bist schön, based on the Song of Solomon.

"Despite his success as a musician, Johann Christoph experienced financial difficulties, which may have resulted in his not having been selected as the guardian of Johann Sebastian when the latter's parents died. Yet Johann Christoph found the money to have his portrait painted in oil several times, including the well-known portrait of him now on display in a Berlin museum. Johann Christoph was heavily in debt when he died at Eisenach, just ten days after his wife Maria died.

"Johann Sebastian Bach described him in his Genealogy (Ursprung, 1735) as 'the profound composer', thus hinting at his reputation, not just within the family, but within society."

[Source]

This is his aria Es ist nun aus mit meinem Leben (no idea when it was written -- sorry!), sung at Baroque pitch by The English Baroque Soloists under John Eliot Gardiner: 

Heard this work earlier today on Dutch radio by Johann Ludwig Bach (1677–1731), a third cuz to the Big Fella.

It's "Quoniam tu solus sanctus: O Heiliger Geist, du höchstes Gut", the penultimate movement from his (to quote Wikipedia) "Kyrie–Gloria Mass in E minor, Missa super cantilena 'Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr', a.k.a. BWV Anh. 166, formerly attributed to Johann Nicolaus Bach. Short addition by J. S. Bach in his Leipzig copy of this composition. The text of the Gloria is partly in German: it intersperses the Latin text of the Gloria with, as cantus firmus, all four stanzas of 'Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr' (which is itself a paraphrase of the Gloria), a Lutheran hymn by Nicolaus Decius and Joachim Slüter." 

It is performed here (as it was this morning) by Ex Tempore directed by Florian Heyerick:



en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Ludwig_Bach

Here we go again -- works by three more Bachs I heard recently but can't be @rsed to devote individual posts to:

Johann Christian Bach: Magnificat no. 3 in C Major (Concerto Köln, conductor Gerhard Jenemann: not the version I heard)

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach: Sinfonia in D major (Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, conductor Stephan Mai: heard the "Andante")

Johann Michael Bach: Sei, lieber Tag, wilkommen (Vox Luminis, conductor Lionel Meunier)

Getting back to the Big Daddy, I heard this fascinating arrangement of the aria "Erbarme dich! Lass die Tränen dich erweichen" from his cantata Ich armer Mensch, ich Sündenknecht (BWV 55). The use of a vibraphone sharply divided opinions among listeners to the programme. Thankfully, it's playing what Bach wrote, rather than jazzing it up, a tendency I detest. Well done, folks (folks being the Continuum ensemble with tenor Benedikt Kristjánsson). I'm sure ol' JSB would have loved this!



Ich armer Mensch, ich Sündenknecht (recalcitrant wiki)