At 09:21 AM 07/06/2000 +1000, Reg Boyle wrote: >Hi all, > Possibly a relevant detail I was reading of late. >JSBach had barely a week to teach his young and fairly >uncooperative boys the cantata or what-ever for the following >Sunday, and it's been a puzzle how he managed it each week? >Especially in view of its complexity.
I'm thinking there must have been a lot of punishment involved :)
> It seems that he had two specific details he >regarded as essential. One was absolutely perfect rhythm >and the other was the boys hitting the pitch dead centre. >Any advance on this?
unlike many opera singers, who seem to care little about either :)
<ducking>
In fairness, Bach's rhythms aren't usually all that tough, and the choir was presumably being conducted by Bach - perhaps from the keyboard, but he would have occasionally had a hand free to direct. I can also picture him standing up to conduct during the choral numbers and letting the organist play continuo. Just my fantasy, nothing to base it on.
The pitch thing is harder, of course, but they were a small select group, selected for that ability...
Lastly, most of the cantatas have but one or two choral movements - the rest being for soloists. Often one of the choral movements was a simple 4-part chorale, and the other a fantasia based on the same tune.
The soloists had it harder, I guess, but most of the time they had only one recitative and aria to learn - or two maybe - and I read somewhere that he often used more than one soprano soloist - perhaps just to split up the work load of learning.
So, I guess the answer is that he did it with smoke and mirrors much of the time. An opening chorus - or maybe an opening sinfonia, instruments and voices throughout, but not the same voices throughout, plus a closing chorale - it comes out with not so very much to learn. Great dramatic effect from small resources - pretty good composing, I'd say. There are some bigger cantatas, of course, especially those for special occasions - but I would guess they had longer to prepare them.
Or maybe I'm all wet...
What I'm wondering is how he managed to get it all to happen on the right days. Most of the cyclical cantatas are for particular sundays - based on the text that was being preached on that particular day.... large task...
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