J.S. Bach and the chorus
VOICES & INSTRUMENTS
Tutor: Philip Duffy
St Dunstan’s Church, Liverpool
Early music ? Bach? Really? We have been fortunate in the past to have had Philip Duffy tutoring us in the earliest of early music with workshops on plainsong. But in October, about thirty singers and instrumentalists met for a workshop dedicated to Philip’s other speciality – Bach’s church cantatas – especially as they involve the chorus.
We sang the opening movements from three cantatas: nos.9 (Es ist das Heil), 30 (Freue dich, erlöste Schar) and 80 (Ein feste Burg). These are technically quite a challenge for singers used to the smooth lines of earlier polyphony, but I think we made a reasonable attempt. Counterbalancing their complexity, and providing some relief as well as helping to demonstrate how Bach used his material, were the simple chorale settings from the same cantatas, as well as the final movement from cantata 22 (Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe). We were ably accompanied by a well-balanced group of instrumentalists, held together by excellent continuo playing on the Bach Collective’s own chamber organ. Special mention should go to the single oboist, who barely stopped at all – as Philip explained to us, he’d get a rest during the arias, only we weren’t doing those.
Philip has been enriching the musical life of Liverpool over the past few years with his Liverpool Bach Collective performances of a Bach cantata every month in a different church in the area. Those of us who heard their fine performance of Ein feste Burg will have had a special appreciation of that first chorus as a result of our work on it!
Jean Hill
