Bach with Paul Spicer
VOICES
Tutor: Paul Spicer
Location: St John’s Church Hall, Knutsford
Reviewer: Mark Flinn
BACH AND BACH WITH PAUL SPICER
On April 28th we welcomed Paul Spicer back to the familiar surroundings of St John’s Church Hall, Knutsford. Paul was returning a year after his memorable day where we tackled two of JS Bach’s great motets: Komm Jesu, Komm and Lobet den Herrn. This year we tackled the monumental JS Bach double choir motet Singet dem Herrn, and the lesser-known Der Gerechte, ob er gleich by Johann Christoph Bach (1642-1703). As last year, the workshop was well-attended, with 45 singers and a reasonably balanced choir.
Singet dem Herrn is a mountain for any choir to climb, with some virtuoso runs for all eight lines, a tricky fugal section (der kinder Zion) and a final Alleluia that takes the breath away. The final run-through more than justified the decision to tackle this amazing piece, although I think we would have hesitated to open the doors for the public to hear. Der Gerechte is an earlier and a much more straightforward five part piece, with considerable charm, and unknown to almost all workshop attendees. It made an ideal complement to the uncompromising rigours of Singet. We have up to 45 copies available for loan to any groups wishing to tackle the piece. Many thanks again to Paul for his excellent musical leadership on the day.
Next time, Jesu, meine Fruede?
First published in June 2012 Newsletter
