Bach BWV 729

BWV 729 was written by J.S. Bach to accompany congregational singing in Arnstadt.  It is traditionally performed as the first organ voluntary at the end of the Festival of Nine Lessons in Carols.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0WQzTqNE4k&feature=related

This is my favorite version on YouTube because the sheet music is shown which makes it easy to follow and to listen to  each individual part.  

This is performed in a traditional manner.. It is customary for the choir to sing a line and then pause while the organ  plays a musical response.  The choir sings again and the organ responds. This pattern repeats generating a musical conversation. 

In dulci Jubilo

In dulci jubilo  translates to "In sweet rejoicing".  It is a traditional Christmas Carol.  The tune is very recognizable because it is the tune that is used for the popular carol, "Good Christian Men Rejoice." The origin of this melody dates back to the Middle ages. 


I listened to several choirs sing this song in the original language. My favorite was the Vienna boy's choir.


German/Latin Text: by Heinrich Suese c.1328

In dulci jubilo,
Nun singet und seid froh!
Unsers Herzens Wonne
Leit in praesepio;
Und leuchtet wie die Sonne
Matris in gremio.
Alpha es et O!


English Translation:  by Weddenburg 1567

Now let us sing with joy and mirth,
In honour of our Lordes birth,
Our heart's consolation
Lies in præsepio,
And shines as the sun,
Matris in gremio.
Alpha is and O, Alpha is and O.


English Literal Translation:

In sweet rejoicing,
now sing and be glad!
Our hearts' joy
lies in the manger;
And it shines like the sun
in the mother's lap.
You are the alpha and omega


J.S. Bach must have found the melody pleasing since he wrote several pieces based on it.
J.S.Bach's chorale prelude for the organ based on the tune (BWV 729) is a traditional postlude for Christmas services.

Vivaldi: Concerto in A minor

I chose to write about this piece because it is a favorite of mine. It is considered to be an excellent student piece for solo violin, and it's often used as a performance piece at concerts, recitals, competitions.  I was first exposed to it when I was asked to accompany a Suzuki violin recital.  

The student played played the first violin part and the other string parts were transcribed for the piano. 

The full name of the piece is L’Estro Armonico, Op. 3, Concerto No. 6 in A minor for violin and strings, RV 356.  It is from a collection of 12 concertos by Vivaldi.  It has 3 movements, Allegro, Largo, and Presto.  


In class we listened to the first movement, and analyzed the structure.  It has 3 motives that we labeled A, B, and C.  Motive A had 3 variants that we called A1, A2, and A3.  Motives B and C each had 1 variant.  

Final Draft

Here is a link to my final draft.
Martin Luther, the Musical Theologian

Submission Guidelines

http://www.michigandistrict.org/mit/submissions

I have chosen to submit my review article to Michigan In Touch, which is a compilation of articles written for members of the Michigan District, Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod.  The Associated Press (AP) Stylebook serves as basic guides for grammar, punctuation,and specific LCMS terminology.

The web page contains descriptions of several types of articles that are sought, and I believe my article would fit under the category of Lutheran Heritage/ Church History.  The recommended lenghth is 259 to 300 words.  My article is about four times as long, but because it is broken up into sections, it would be easy to publish only one or two of those sections.