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J. S. BACH’s compositions for the
organ are a unique part of the world’s entire musical heritage,
but what makes the greatest of these so great? How can we better
appreciate these masterpieces?
On the first THURSDAY of the month, for SIX consecutive months
Lee Dunleavy, Director of Music at All Saints, explored six of
J. S. Bach’s greatest compositions for the organ. Beginning at
1:10PM and lasting around three-quarters of an hour, these
informative recitals presented an easily accessible guide on
what to listen for in the works, an explanation of how they are
constructed and what makes them tick.
This second series looked at the BROAD THEMES in Bach’s organ
works – from influences from France and Italy, to the importance
of numerology – and presents a number of his most popular and
important compositions,
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alongside some of his lesser–known
works. This was also the first series to feature our new VIDEO
DISPLAY SYSTEM, enabling the concert-goers both to hear and to
see (on a large projection screen) the player in action.
CHRISTMAS CHORALES
2nd December 2010

The German reformer
Martin Luther posited that worship should be conducted in
the vernacular rather than Latin. He thus saw an immediate
need for a large repertory of new hymns, known as
chorales. These were Bach’s “Hymnbook” and it is no
surprise that he based hundreds of works on these melodies
and texts. This recital explores his treatment of
Christmas melodies, from his remarkable variations on
Vom Himmel hoch (BWV 769), to the works in the Little
Organ Book, including the ever–popular In dulci jubilo
(BWV 608), and to the lesser known works from the
Neumeister Collection.
LO
STILE ITALIANO
6th January 2011

Bach is often portrayed as a musical sponge, soaking up
the diverse styles of French, Italian, and German
composers to create a unique and personal idiom for the
organ. Especially vital to the genesis of his organ works
were aspects of Italian counterpoint and concerto
technique. We know that he was greatly influenced by
Italian masters. C. P. E. Bach reported that his father
“heard and studied the works of Frescobaldi,” an assertion
confirmed by Bach’s ownership of Frescobaldi’s organ
collection Fiori musicali. We hear this influence in his
Canzona in D (BWV 588) and his vivacious transcription of
Vivaldi’s Concerto in C (BWV 594).
NUMBERS & MUSIC
3rd February 2011

Last year we explored the numerology behind the Passacaglia in
c (BWV 582) and its connection to Bach’s pilgrimage to
Buxtehude in Lübeck (a five hundred mile journey by foot). This
year we look at Bach’s multiplication of sin (13) and prayer (7)
in the 91 bars of Vater unser im Himmelreich (BWV 682) and
his final work, dictated from his deathbed (perhaps?) to his
son–in–law J. C. Altnickol – Vor deinen Thron tret’ ich (BWV
668). This work has a remarkable construction with numerological
references to Bach himself, to the Holy Trinity, and lots of
intrigue regarding the circumstances of its composition.
À LA FRANÇAISE
3rd
March 2011

In the
Obituary for his father, C. P. E. Bach wrote: “While a student in
Lüneburg, my father had the opportunity to listen to a band kept
by the Duke of Celle, consisting for the most part of Frenchmen;
thus he acquired a thorough grounding in the French taste, which
in those regions was something quite new...” Bach's Fantasia in G
(BWV 572) makes reference to the French style in several ways, not
least in its other title, Pièce d’orgue. The elegant Fantasy in c
(BWV 562), demonstrates Bach at his most French, with beautifully
ornamented melodies and graceful slurs suggesting the vocal style
of Lully’s operas.
IN A MINOR MOOD
8th April 2011

Many of Bach’s most famous compositions – from the Toccata
& Fugue in d (BWV 565, see 5 May 2011), to Mass in b (BWV 232) and
the Double Violin Concerto in d (BWV 1043) – are in a minor key.
Two of his greatest Prelude & Fugues are also in minor keys – the
‘Great’ in c (BWV 546) with its Rhetorical Prelude and unusually
ill–fitting Fugue, and the setting in f (BWV 534) featuring a
roundly shaped Prelude and a Fugue of ambitious length featuring
many opportunities for elegant ornamentation. Why did Bach write
so many works in this form, and how does he stretch the form to
its limits?
TOCCATA & FUGUE!
5th May 2011

One
of the most famous works in the organ repertoire, the Toccata and
Fugue in d (BWV 565) has been re-used in a wide variety of media
from film – Disney’s “Fantasia” – to pop music – Sky’s 1980 Top 10
hit “Toccata”. However was it originally written for organ, or is
it even by Bach? There are various musical features that are
ungainly on the organ, and recent violin solo ‘versions’ seem more
successful. Do the parallel octaves in the Toccata, unique in
Bach’s output, tell us that this is the work of a lesser composer? |