Johann Sebastian Bach

We’ve been look at many 20th century musicians last month, so we’re stepping back in time to study a composer who was born this month – Johann Sebastian Bach! J.S. Bach is one of the most influential composers in history. His music has also been studied by mathematicians due to the structure, patterns, layers, and symmetry.

I’ve played numerous of his piano works. You’ve probably heard some of his compositions before:
– Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring from Cantata “Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben” (Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life) BWV 147
– Toccata and Fugue in D minor for organ
– The Well-Tempered Clavier (set of preludes and fugues, 24 in major key, 24 in minor key) for harpsichord: Prelude & Fugue in C Major
– 6 Brandenburg Concertos: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3
– 6 Cello Suites: No. 1 is the most famous, but also listen to No. 5, 4th movement Sarabande (played by Yo-Yo Ma on September 11, 2002 at the site of the World Trade Center, while the first of the names of the dead were read in remembrance on the first anniversary of the attack)
– 6 Violin Sonatas and Partitas: Partita No. 2 (played by violinist Itzhak Perlman, paralyzed from contracting polio at age 4)
– Air on the G String
– Goldberg Variations: for harpsichord, an aria and 30 variations on the bass line and chord progression!
– Christmas Oratorio, originally performed in 6 installments
– Organ Fantasia and Fugue in G Minor
– St Matthew Passion (background: written to be used as part of a Lutheran church Good Friday service; worship, which used to be in Latin, was now in German – a language understood by the entire congregation)

Antonio Vivaldi

Antonio Vivaldi was an Italian composer in the Baroque Period. Vivaldi wrote more than 400 concertos for various instruments, especially for the violin. The scores of 21 operas, including his first and last, are still intact. His most popular work is the group of four violin concertos called “The Four Seasons”. Each concerto describes a season: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. We watched a recent recording by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at the Orpheum Theatre (Spring

0:20, Summer

10:14, Autumn

19:55, Winter

31:10). We didn’t have time to listen to more, but here are other famous works Vivaldi composed: Trio in C Major, Gloria in D

George Handel

Our musician of the week is George Frederick Handel from the Baroque Period. His most famous work is the Hallelujah chorus from Messiah, which Christians today still sing around Christmas to celebrate the birth of Jesus. We also watched a Baroque dance to Water Music, which Handel wrote to be played for King George I of Great Britain as he and other aristocrats were enjoying a “cruise” down the Thames River and other peasants watched from the shore. Lastly, we watched musicians play Music for the Royal Fireworks, using Baroque instruments like the shawm (ancestor of the oboe), Baroque trumpet (no valves), and Baroque horn (ancestor of the French Horn).