J.S. Bach served for 27 years as the cantor of the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, responsible for church music on Sundays and holidays in the city's four main churches.
Interpretation
The conductor, Peter Dijkstra, believes that music needs space and time to be deeply appreciated, advocating against overly fast tempi that make the music unsingable.
Composition History
Bach's Six Motets were occasional pieces, with four of them composed for funerals; only one, 'Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf', is definitively linked to a specific occasion.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Peter Dijkstra, the conductor, views Bach's motets as vocal music and chose to support the vocal ensemble with only a basso continuo to highlight the vocal lines.
Critical Reception
Mozart was deeply impressed by Bach's motet 'Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied' during his 1789 visit to the Leipzig Thomaskirche, exclaiming, 'Now this is something that I can learn from!'
Compositional Technique
Bach employed musical 'word-painting' in 'Jesu, meine Freude', such as using two beats of silence for the word 'nichts' (nothing) and long downward melodic leaps for 'Abgrund' (abyss).
Performer Biography
The Nederlands Kamerkoor (Netherlands Chamber Choir) was formed in 1937 by Felix de Nobel and has inspired leading composers like Frank Martin and Francis Poulenc to write works for a cappella chorus.
