Would you object to the comparison of Messiaen and Borges? I see both 20th century giants deeply steeped in the masters of the past, throughly conversant in the antique, and yet they bring something uniquely modern— magical. Borges’ stories have the ability to stun, to make one wonder, or in the case of the story I read today, elicit tears.

After Shakespeare’s Memory, (1983) which I believe is his last published story, I offer my somewhat chaotic rendition of the Canonic Variations on Vom Himmel Hoch, BWV 769.

Following this, Donald Barthelme, an exciting, quirky read: The School (1976.) The frontispiece of my Barthelme book is a painting by Kandinsky— perhaps this is the right metaphor.

June 13th, episode 99, sees the release of volume 4 in my J.S. Bach Complete Keyboard Works series. You can save the release here in eager anticipation:

https://modernclassicalx.lnk.to/BachCompleteKeyboardWorksVol4PartitasPtOne

The two tracks I made for this episode are available as a free download. Here you are!

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Yep. I based an entire episode on the pun. We study two works not usually heard in the organ repertoire, the Prelude (Fantasy) BWV 569 and the Prelude with Fugue BWV 551, both in a minor. These are not the best known pieces in the repertoire, but they command our attention—especially when you consider that one of them was written when Bach was just 14 years old.

BWV 569, composed around 1708 when Bach was 23, is a single-rhythm experiment in modulation—akin to his Fantasy, BWV 922. On the page, it looks repetitive, but harmonically it’s anything but:

I mentioned I’d link to my own recording of its sister piece, BWV 922 (this cover art: under appreciated.)

The second piece, BWV 551, recently dated to around 1700, shows stunning compositional command for a young teenager. If Mozart and Mendelssohn are the poster children of musical precocity, Bach must now be added to the whizz-kid list. As Schweitzer puts it:

“If ever a composer’s period of probation was short, it was his.” -Schweitzer, Vol. 2, p. 122.

This piece, based on the keyboard toccatas of Johann Jakob Froberger (1616–1667) is an absolute blast. For our purposes, we can call it a double fugue. Look to the pedal line to identify both subjects, and imagine tap-dancing the 16th-note theme:

The first time I played it, the ending is what had me cracking up (alone and in an organ loft.) Not only does the piece seem like it’s coming to a stop in d minor:

But on the last bar, Bach adds the raised fourth degree! Exceptional.

Performers in today’s episode:

Rübsam, Koopman, Preston, Walcha, Hans Fagius.

I read excerpts from:

Pirsig, Robert M. Lila: An Inquiry into Morals. Bantam Books, 1991.

Wolff, Christoph, and Markus Zepf. The Organs of J. S. Bach: A Handbook. Translated by Lynn Edwards Butler, University of Illinois Press, 2012.

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Concepts Covered:

In this episode on early Bach organ works, we highlight two lesser-known compositions in A minor: the Prelude (Fantasy) BWV 569 and the Prelude with Fugue BWV 551. These pieces, rarely featured in standard organ repertoire, showcase the astonishing talent of young Johann Sebastian Bach. BWV 569, composed around 1708, reveals experimental rhythmic modulation reminiscent of BWV 922. Bach enthusiasts, organ music lovers, and anyone interested in the early genius of J.S. Bach, will be interested in the fugal analysis, the discussion on double fugues, the influence of Froberger, and Bach’s copy of Frescobaldi.

The oldest surviving (ca. 1100) German church melody is centered around Easter and the resurrection: Christ ist erstanden. Luther adapted this into Christ lag in Todesbanden. Both texts culminate in a triumphant “Hallelujah!”

What kind of music could Bach compose for such a joyous word? In every instance, it demands a distinctly exalted treatment.

We discuss the origins of the word Alleluia, and analyze the music when the word appears in his motets, cantatas and a four-part chorale. Plus, the story of the discovery of Bach’s personal bible, the Calov Bible.

Here’s the word in the autograph of Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied (can’t you feel his joy writing this?)

Performers in today’s episode:

BWV 225, Vocalconsort Berlin, Daniel Reuss

BWV 230, Le Petite Band, Sigiwald Koken

BWV 140, Academy of Ancient Music, Choir of King's College, Stephen Cleobury

BWV 4, Pigmaleon, Raphael Pinchon

BWV 276, Chamber Choir of Europe, Nichol Matt

BWV 143, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, Ton Koopman

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Concepts Covered:

This study explores the origins of the German resurrection hymn Christ ist erstanden, transformed by Luther into Christ lag in Todesbanden, and how Bach distinctively set the jubilant "Hallelujah" across motets, cantatas, and a four-part chorale. It examines the etymology of "Alleluia," its liturgical role in the tempus clausum—when festive music ceased—and its observance under the Rule of Saint Benedict. The discussion concludes with the discovery of Bach’s annotated Calov Bible, offering insight into his theological and musical mindset.

Today, Good Friday 2025, marks 300 years since Bach performed the St. John Passion in Leipzig. … but it started like this:

But wait, I thought the St. John Passion was:

In this episode, beyond outlining the basic revisions between the 1724 and 1725 (and a few other) versions of BWV 245, we’ll study how people heard passion music, the purpose of a passion setting, and how Bach, by changing the opening and closing movements, or swapping an aria here and there, envisioned he might guide the listener into a different state of reflection to receive the same Gospel.

Today’s performers were M. Suzuki, H. Rilling and P. Herreweghe. Here is a link to the Weimar Passion theory I mentioned. Finally, the excerpt by Daniel Melamed comes from his excellent book: Hearing Bach’s Passions. Revised ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2016, 73–74.

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Concepts covered:

Various versions of BWV 245, especially the 1724 and 1725 layers, analyzing changes in opening and closing choruses, aria placement, as well as theological emphasis. Topics include Lenten music practices, the music during tempus clausum, the Passion oratorio, Passion hymns such as “O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß,” the liturgical and devotional role of chorales, and how Bach’s compositional decisions recalibrate the listener’s reception of the Johannine Passion text. We discuss changes in orchestration and the change in venue from St. Thomaskirche to St. Nikolaikirche in 1724.

The organ held a central role in the life of a baroque keyboardist. Not only was an accomplished harpsichordist or clavichordist comfortable playing with their feet, but the art suggests that the repertoire often called for ad libitum pedal additions.

In J.S. Bach’s second collection of chorale prelude for organ, he introduces obligato pedal parts. Below is an image from his Bach’s earliest chorale settings for organ, as preserved in the Neumeister Collection:

Whereas we do not see any explicit pedal markings, we imagine the adept player added them when tasteful. A decade or so later, Bach’s chorale settings look more like this:

Note the small staves on the left, indicating that the source still had two staves, but the counterpoint in the pedal is specifically called for. Here is the autograph:

That little “P.” below the bottom staff is the clue. The title page of the Orgelbüchlein contains a flowery description, indicating its intended use:

Here is the text of Saint-Saëns’ charming autobiography.

And here is the episode where I introduce the Neumeister Collection.

And I’m going to starting posting my latest YouTube videos in these posts, as extra Bach analysis can hurt no one. Are you a subscriber?

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Concepts covered:

Baroque organ musicJ.S. Bach organ worksBach chorale preludesHistorical performance practiceAd libitum pedal techniqueNeumeister Collection BachObbligato pedal BachOrgelbüchlein analysisEarly Baroque keyboard musicBach pedal technique

A beloved cantata from Bach’s early 20s, the Actus Tragicus anticipates the future of opera more than it foreshadows Bach’s own later cantatas. Albert Schweitzer’s beautiful writing on Bach features heavily in this episode.

Here is the tuning video with chorale in question toward the end of the episode:

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Let’s have a look at BWV 106. I focus on the two recorders and their almost unison playing. The effect of one flute dropping a few notes from their otherwise identical melody is marvelous:

The theme of the cantata joins the Old-Testament ‘fear of death’ with the New-Testament ‘joy in death.’ Bach combines both testaments’ text in multiple movements. This idea of the soul rising above the old world, ‘as if hastening hither from another,’ musically detached from the fugue in the lower voices, a soprano floats over the texture, quoting Revelations:

And who can forget this moment? It even looks striking to the eye:

We find a similar image of the comforted soul floating above the music in the duet toward the end of the cantata. Over Jesus’ dying words, the alto slowly sings a Lutheran hymn:

Bach so carefully wants to paint the idea of peace in death, he gives one word (sleep) its own dynamic:

Performers today were: Masaaki Suzuki, Joshua Rifkin, Rudoplh Lutz. The additional organ chorale at the end of the episode is BWV 616.

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The bard— not the brook, but don’t worry, this podcast isn’t going to become an English lesson.

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Here is my reading of Shakespeare’s first publication, Venus and Adonis, a poem that is pure music. If I were to list my favorite lines, I might as well copy out half the poem. Just something that pops into my head would be a line like,

“Rain added to a river that is rankPerforce will force it overflow the bank.”

It bursts with melody and rhythm! And at least one moment, such as when Venus addresses Death,

'Hard-favour'd tyrant, ugly, meagre, lean,Hateful divorce of love,'--thus chides she Death,--'Grim-grinning ghost, earth's worm, what dost thou meanTo stifle beauty and to steal his breath,Who when he lived, his breath and beauty setGloss on the rose, smell to the violet?

'If he be dead,--O no, it cannot be,Seeing his beauty, thou shouldst strike at it:--O yes, it may; thou hast no eyes to see,But hatefully at random dost thou hit.Thy mark is feeble age, but thy false dartMistakes that aim and cleaves an infant's heart.

Why, this might well be compared with the later tragedies. Grim-grinning ghost! As Keats wrote in the margin of his copy of the Sonnets, ‘Lo!’

I hope you enjoy this diversion. I’ve been toying with this for about a year now. I suggest reading along while listening to best absorb the poem. You can read the full text in modern English here, and as it appeared (with older spelling) in 1593, here.

Poor queen of love, in thine own law forlorn,To love a cheek that smiles at thee in scorn!

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UPDATE: One of my astute listeners pointed out that it is in fact Jones’ review of Butler’s work in Music & Letters, and the original work by Butler is this book. Thanks for the correction!

Don’t miss the end of this episode where I play three of Bach’s earlier settings of the same tune, BWVs 700, 701, & 738!

We finish our study of this late masterpiece by reading some scholarship on the two different versions Bach made of his canonic variations on Luther’s 1539 melody. Whereas Wolff suggests both versions could be ‘authentic,’ Gregory Butler reveals that he believes the Original Edition was a mistake— one that prompted the handwritten fair copy.

As for the signature in the augmented canon— the finale in the fair copy— it is first spelled out in bar 19. See the top line, G, F#, A, G#:

These are not the same notes, but it is the same shape as B-A-C-H. The line that imitates this upper line is moving at half its speed. Therefore, it must repeat the spelling twice as slow later in the piece. See how it is joined by an independent line of counterpoint, now singing out the signature in parallel 3rds:

Two signatures in two different final movements!

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Concepts Covered:

In this episode, we explore Bach canonic variations, as well as other chorale setting of BWV 700, BWV 701, and BWV 738, and their connection to the Luther 1539 melody. We dive into Bach scholarship, focusing on insights from P. 271 and Gregory Butler’s Bach Research. You’ll also learn about Bach's original editions and the handwritten fair copy Bach created, as well as the significance of the augmented canon signature — the iconic B-A-C-H motif. We examine Bach counterpoint techniques, analyze Baroque music in detail, and explore Bach's final movements in these canonic counterpoint studies. This episode serves as a gateway to understanding Bach's late masterpieces, with special attention given to the use of Bach’s signature in these variations.