My dad is a big baroque music fan, or at least he was when I was still home. He is now listening more to popmusic now, but when I was a kid Gloria by Antonio Vivaldi was played a lot. It is one of those pieces that made me coin the phrase Barock ‘n’ roll, ’cause the bass is thumpin’ I’m telling ya!

In the rendition of the King’s College Choir, with sheet music.

From Johann Sebastian Bach’s Weihnachtsoratorium, this is one of my favorite choral baroque pieces ever. You get the feeling Bach really pulls out all the tricks to get the intro as loud as he could possibly get.

Youtube – version by the Thomanerchor

Today I listened to an old sampler of Johann Sebastian Bach’s music, and totally unprepared I got to hear motet BWV 118 O Jesu Christ, mein Lebens Licht.
And, like always when I hear Bach unprepared, I knew he put a trick in that I know will make me cry from pure emotion, and sure enough: there was the Trugschluss, and there I went.

Bach makes the most moving music I know.

A few years ago I sang in a choir that performed cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach once a month. Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit was one of the highlights of that time. It’s great to rehearse a piece like this in just two evenings and an afternoon, and perform it in front of an audience.

Youtube – Ton Koopman conducting.

The opening choir for cantata BWV 27 was the first music I heard today, and it reminded me of the finality of this life. Johann Sebastian Bach and his lyricist made a beautiful work of art.

Youtube – an other part of this cantata.

Could have been any motet of Bach, really. But this one is the most powerful. I especially like the melodic variations in the part “Weg mit allen Schatzen”, which I couldn’t find on Youtube.

Except for my own distorted guitar and bass rendition…

Youtube – music with score.

Youtube – The Tuuurster Quartet plays Bach.

Back to beautiful music again. The part in the youtube clip from 1:55 up until the culminating chord in 2:18 always sends shivers up my spine. Truly a genius at work here… there is not much pop music around that has as much depth as this piece. The only thing I don’t like about this rendition is that it could have been somewhat less opera like, the vibrato in the voices is too much in my opinion.

Youtube – 3rd part of Dixit Dominus; from the start until 2:55.

It’s good friday today, so it is very fitting to post a choir piece from Bach’s St Matthew’s passion today. Bach is my favorite composer by far, and parts of the St Matthew’s passion are my favorite musical pieces ever. I always get very emotional hearing this particular piece. I can remember sitting in church as a 6 year old, understanding most of the words and getting what they did to Jesus. Maybe my parents shouldn’t have taken me, but I already liked the music because they played it on our record player quite often. But more than the words the music itself moves me. Very powerful, beautiful music.

Youtube – a very good rendition by the Gabrieli Players.

This is simply the most beautiful music on earth.

I was moved to tears when I heard this on the radio, in my student’s room, totally unprepared for it. I remember lying in bed, late in the evening, candles burning, this music on my headphones, and me crying all the time it played, crying for the beauty of it. It was a live performance which by sheer luck I had the sense to record; a very strong version, but I can’t figure out by whom anymore.
Years later I found this version by the Tallis Scholars on cd, which is excellent as well.

Youtube – listen to Taedet Animam Meam and Introitus. It’s good for the soul.