Johann Sebstian Bach: Singet dem Herrn - Voces8 06.08.10

[JoelvanLennep]

MUCH too fast - the rhythm becomes scrambled! Also the "perfect blonde" singer on the extreme left thinks her part is a solo one. (The Bach-recommended continuo part is missing too.) Miking wrong for the acoustic. Too bad!

[MsLimima]

Flûte ! j'ai oublié de dire que c'est Avignon qui accueillait ce groupe...Nous les y reverrons avec un immense plaisir...if they want !

[MsLimima]

Voces8, que nous avons écouté lors d'un récital en octobre dernier, nous a laissés...sans voix !! Pour notre petit groupe de chanteurs dans un choeur amateur, c'était un comble !

La perfection de leur interprétation, leur performance vocale, leur présence sur "scène" et leur amicale proximité après le concert nous ont absolument séduits !

Nous sommes fans for ever !!

[vocescantabilesmusic]

Does it have to be a case of 'right' vs ;wrong' all the time. Can't people just be left in peace to say 'I enjoyed that' or 'it didn;t do it for me'?

I'd like to say....'what an awesome work'...'Thank you JS Bach!'

[vocescantabilesmusic]

an interesting and ferocious debate! Surely the most obvious thing to do is watch this video if you like it and don't if you don't like it?!! You may be interested to know that VOCES8 has recorded all six of the motets on Signum Classics with continuo and doubling strings and woodwind. I should dare say it is not too easy for the group to carry an orchestra in its pocket when on tour, especially when this was one piece in a 20 piece programme and the rest of the music was all a cappella.

[3NUNS]

Alleluia !

[MusicPredominates]

@3NUNS : This is so perfect is it not 3NUNS ! No need for accompaniament !

[1banders]

@3NUNS You are being extremely foolish to continue to deny the evidence I have provided that the motets were accompanied. Are you now claiming the comments of Bach's pupil Kirnberger that "performances of church music, even when sung in four, eight or more parts without instruments, were always accompanied on the organ, which served to support and keep up the pitch of the voices." are "nonsense"?

[1banders]

@3NUNS The issue is not whether you like the performance or whether the performers sing the right notes at the right time. And there's nothing banal, foolish or nonsense about the musicological evidence I've provided.

[1banders]

@3NUNS Note the word "additionally" in the paragraph that begins "Further evidence that the motets were accompanied ...". Spitta's comment is made in the context of evidence for the use of basso continuo, the purpose of which is to clarify the harmonic structure.

[1banders]

Further evidence that the motets were accompanied by the organ is provided by Johann P. Kirnberger, a pupil of Bach: "Performances of church music, even when sung in four, eight or more parts without instruments, were always accompanied on the organ, which served to support and keep up the pitch of the voices." Additionally, Spitta states that Bach's "freedom in the vocal writing is based on the assumption of harmonic substructure . . ."

[1banders]

@3NUNS You seem unable to grasp the meaning of the paragraph or the significance of Spitta's comment within the context of that paragraph. The issue is not whether Spitta's assumption is "satisfied." You seem utterly clueless about the function of basso continuo or the implication of Spitta's statement. Serious shortcomings for a music critic.

[3NUNS]

@1banders : I worked in a cemetery as a grave digger and a spitter was the name used for a spade which in turn served as a shovel ! I believe that I have a copy of Spitta re-published by Dover Publications in my library.

[1banders]

A continuo part in Bach's hand exists for the motet Lobet den Herrn. Likewise, a fully figured organ continuo part exists in manuscript for this motet.

[1banders]

...or other events taking place down in the church, on which occasion contrabasses would be used in proportion to the singers. There were also other means of accompaniment, as for example, when each voice had trombones and cornetts play colla parte whereby a positiv was always present.

[1banders]

@3NUNS Everyone's a critic. But Kirnberger was no mere critic. He was a pupil of Bach, so I suspect he knew what he was talking about, especially as regards his mentor's basso continuo practices when performing motets. Besides Kirnberger's comments, there is documented evidence of Bach's basso continuo practices when performing motets.

[1banders]

@3NUNS Furthermore, you have no evidence to dispute Kirnberger's comments or claim that you know better than he does.

[1banders]

Bach's pupil Kirnberger comments: "From time immemorial when music was performed in the church and when it was sung with four, eight, or more vocal parts even without any instrumental accompaniment, an organ or at least a positiv was used as an accompaniment to provide a foundation and support for the music whenever the music was performed “at Christ’s grave” [a reference to the regular performance during a Good Friday service in Leipzig of a motet from the Florilegium collection]...

[1banders]

@3NUNS This performance is not accompanied at all. It's "a capella", which is doubtless the main source of your thrills.

[1banders]

...when, in the 1740s, Bach performed two motets by Johann Christoph Bach (1642-1703) from the Altbachisches Archiv, “Der Gerechte, ob er gleich zu zeitlich stirbt” and “Lieber Herr Gott, wecke uns auf” as well as the motet “Erforsche mich, Gott” by Sebastian Knüpfer.

[soffiodipoesia]

Incredible! I never heard something like this! One of the most difficult Motets by J. S. Bach, for Double Four - Voice Choir, performed in eight, and with no partiture! Compliments to this group, really albe to make us astonished and really able to affirm that Music, when it's so performed, is really something sublime!

[MadameBorgi]

Maravillosa versión porque cumple correctamente los tempos y el fraseo. También empastáis (afináis) muy bien las voces y os ha quedado muy elegante, pero lo que más me ha sorprendido es la buena dicción que tenéis todos y esto es esencial para interpretar repertorio vocal. Mis más sinceras Felicitaciones y seguid cantando así.

[PopeBenedicttheXVI]

Oh and Bach will only have wanted this doubled by instruments because he was worried his singers wouldn't be able to cope. And it is NOT too fast.

[1banders]

@PopeBenedicttheXVI At the the very least there would be basso continuo instrument(s). That is standard Baroque practice, even in instrumental music, where there could be no concerns about singers "coping," The basso continuo would supply the harmonic fundament and ensure that no unwanted chord inversions occured.

[1banders]

@3NUNS What are you talking about?

[1banders]

@3NUNS This so-called "excellent production" is barely intelligible without the fundament a basso continuo would provide.

[1banders]

@3NUNS The notion of "a capella" choral music is a fiction that resulted from the 19th centuring misunderstanding and ignorance of 16th through 18th century practice. Even Palestrina's choral music had organ accompaniment. And 18th c. choral music ALWAYS had basso continuo.

[1banders]

@3NUNS Nonsense. You stand in ignorance. Basso continuo is standard Baroque practice. The figured bass IS among in the surviving *performing* parts, which also include string parts to double choir I and wind parts to double choir 2.

[1banders]

@3NUNS Protestant controversialist nonsense.

[1banders]

@3NUNS You don't seem to know about the 2nd inversion. Read a book on 17th and 18th century harmony.

[1banders]

@PopeBenedicttheXVI The original performing parts for the motet BWV 226 include 2 basso continuo parts -- one for each choir.

[PopeBenedicttheXVI]

*claps* Best performance of this I have heard. Truly excellent.

[fgbowen]

LIstening again - That Soprano trill, AND the whole groups ending of the first movement - is just.. So incredibly beautiful!!! Really NICEly done.

[fgbowen]

ok - This group - @ win081 - title: J. S. Bach: "Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied" BWV 225 - Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart (1990) -

is doing a great job of the fugal entrances in the first movement. Hear them.

But again - You really are ruling this peice on YT right now - First of all - There's only 8 of you!!! again, wow.

[fgbowen]

EVERYone is doing such a Great job on this.

You all are Amazing.

It's MEMORIZED. WOW.

And the musicality is tremendous.

Really really - This performance... is AMAZING.Can't say eNOUGH about it.

Just - WOW.

Ok - during the Fuga - you must make enough room for the other entrances - ok, now I hear the Bass, but where were all the other parts? (mov 1 btw).

But yes - I agree w below comments - even LARGE groups have trouble with this peice. BRAvo.

THE TRILL at the end (mov 1) - WOWY-ZOWY.

[AgnesRegina]

UN-freaking-believable!!! I have sung this and even in a choir found it nearly impossible to find the places to breathe -- their breath control is inhuman! And beautiful... they really bring the joy of this piece to life!

[GeoffreySimonOnline]

Even though Bach intended the vocal parts to be doubled by instruments (likely strings doubling Choir I, woodwinds doubling Choir II, keyboard & basso continuo undergirding the whole), this magnificent performance proves that the music works this way also. "Too technical" ??? They sing with a love of the music which is obvious and contagious; Bach captures the text as only he could, and this performance communicates it wonderfully.

[vocescantabilesmusic]

@GeoffreySimonOnline if you prefer it with instruments doubling voices as you outline, the VOCES8 recording of the motets is done in exactly that way - enjoy.

[gaudeteful]

Too fast, too technical. It misses the depth of the piece at all places.

[Giacomoperti]

Almost beyond belief - that this most sublime and difficult of Bach's motets can be blithely tossed off with such ease and grace, with perfect tone, balance, and intonation. Only those who have sung this can completely understand what a tremendous joy it is to sing, but watching this will give the uninitiated a taste of it. I only wish it had been recorded in a slightly drier acoustic; too much echo is not friendly to fast, intricate counterpoint.

[tuberwupp]

Der Meister hatte nur wenige Stimmen zur Verfügung - nix mit grossem Chor..

so muss es geklungen haben damals in Leipzig.... wunderbar. Die anspruchsvollste seiner Motteten in Perfektion gesungen. Glückwünsche aus Deutschland!

[tritonusgesang]

Fantastisch! - Bravo! :-))))))))))))))

[aaronjblake]

Nice!

[andrewoconnorblue]

This is truly phenomenal.

I only wish the camera was on centre so the balance wasn't skewed!! (But it doesn't really matter because I have the CD)

And you all look so good on stage!

[camilosantostefano]

You are really amazing!!! congratulations.