x

OCTOBER 4, 2015The Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis

2015–2016 Series

Schedule of Concerts23rd Season

BACH AT THE SEM – 2015-2016 Dr. Maurice Boyer, Music Director

OCTOBER 4, 2015, 3:00 p.m. (PENTECOST 19, TRINITY 18) J.S. Bach: Cantata from BWV 96, Herr Christ, der ein’ge Gottessohn; Duet for soprano & alto, “Herr, du siehst statt guter Werke,” from BWV 9, Es ist das Heil uns kommen her; Cantata BWV 67, Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ; Chorus from BWV 148, Bringet dem Herrn Ehre seines Namens

DECEMBER 13, 2015, 3:00 p.m. (ADVENT 3) J.S. Bach: Organ prelude on Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, BWV 1; Cantata BWV 61, Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland; Aria for bass, “Johannis freudenvolles springen,” from BWV 121, Christum wir sollen loben schon; Cantata BWV 40, Dazu ist erschienen der Sohn Gottes; Chorus from BWV 1, Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern

FEBRUARY 7, 2016, 3:00 p.m. (TRANSFIGURATION) J.S. Bach: Cantata BWV 127, Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’r Mensch und Gott; Concerto for violin in A minor, BWV 1041, movement 2; Aria for alto with chorale, “Ich folge dir nach,” from BWV 159, Sehet! Wir geh’n hinauf gen Jerusalem; Cantata BWV 161, Komm, du süße Todesstunde; Cantata BWV 23, Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn

MAY 15, 2016, 3:00 p.m. (PENTECOST)J.S. Bach: Cantata BWV 11, Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen; Aria for bass, “Es ist vollbracht,” from BWV 159, Sehet! Wir geh’n hinauf gen Jerusalem; Organ prelude on Komm, heiliger Geist; Cantata BWV 34, O Ursprung der Liebe

We are grateful to the “Friends of Bach at the Sem” for their continuing generosity that makes the Bach at the Sem series possible.

Special thanks to: Wayne Coniglio for supporting Bach at the Sem by donating the archival-only recording of the program.

Concordia Seminary is privileged to make J.S. Bach’s music available to the St. Louis community and invites your generous support for these uplifting concerts. If you have not received mailings from Bach at the Sem and would like to be placed on the mailing list, please call 314-505-7009.

Cover image – from the autograph score of J.S. Bach’s Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn BWV 23, which the American Kantorei will perform Feb. 7, 2016.

@BachAtTheSem/BachAtTheSem bach.csl.edu

Bach at the SemOctober 4, 2015, 3:00 p.m.

Twentieth Sunday after Trinity

Dr. Maurice Boyer, Music Director

The American KantoreiDr. Jeral Becker, Assistant Conductor

In Nomine Jesu

Cantata: Herr Christ, der ein’ge Gottessohn, BWV 96 Johann Sebastian Bach (Lord Christ, the only Son of God) 1. Chorus2. Recitative (Katharine Lawton Brown)3. Tenor Aria (Scott Kennebeck)4. Recitative (Emily Truckenbrod)5. Bass Aria (Jeffrey Heyl)6. Chorale

Soprano-Alto Duet: Herr, du siehst statt guter Werke auf des Herzens Glaubensstärke (Lord, instead of good works you look at the strength of faith in our hearts) from Cantata: Es ist das Heil, BWV 9 (Emily Truckenbrod / Stephanie Ruggles) Johann Sebastian Bach

Hymn: “Sing Praise to God, the Highest Good” The assembly stands to sing the hymn provided on page 9

or in Lutheran Service Book (LSB) 819

Organ Voluntary: Fugue in G major (“Gigue”), BWV 577 Johann Sebastian Bach (James Marriott, organist)

The offerings received at this time support the Bach at the Sem concert series.

Cantata: Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ, BWV 67 Johann Sebastian Bach (Keep in memory Jesus Christ)

1. Chorus2. Tenor Aria (Scott Kennebeck)3. Recitative (Katharine Lawton Brown4. Chorale 5. Recitative (Katharine Lawton Brown)6. Bass Aria / Chorus (Jeffrey Heyl)7. Chorale

Chorus: Bringet dem Herrn Ehre seines Namens Johann Sebastian Bach (Bring to the Lord the glory of His Name) Chorus from BWV 148

Soli Deo Gloria

2

Program Notes“Awaken us by your mercy!”

Welcome to the opening concert of the 2015-16 Season of Bach at the Sem. In today’s program, the common thread is God in Christ — the Morning Star and Bearer of Peace — relentlessly seeking out the doubting and the faltering in the midst of their struggle through His love. May the depth of Bach’s understanding of this mystery enliven and bring joy to your hearts.

Cantata: Herr Christ, der ein’ge Gottessohn, BWV 96

BWV 96 belongs to Bach’s second annual cycle of cantatas — 52 works composed in 1724-25 and based upon Lutheran chorales. The title hymn was penned by Elizabeth Kreuziger, a friend of Martin Luther, in 1524. The Reformer was so taken with the hymn that he included it at the head of his Gesangbuch. While it is now linked with the Feast of the Epiphany (see “The Only Son from Heaven,” Lutheran Service Book 402), in former times it was fittingly associated with the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity, on which the Gospel reading portrays Jesus asking: “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” (Matt. 22:23-49) Composed exactly 200 years later, the present cantata was first performed Oct. 8, 1724. The aforementioned five-verse chorale textually governs the entirety of this six-movement work: verbatim in the outer movements and paraphrased by an anonymous librettist in the inner movements. The chorale tune is declaimed in long notes in the opening Chorale Fantasia and uttered in a straight four-part harmonization in the final movement.

The first movement alludes to Matthew 2 (the journey of the Magi) and to 2 Peter 1:19: “So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” Bach sonically paints a vivid scene. A pastoral setting is evoked in the spirited lilt of a gigue marked vivace, while the brightness of the star is vividly depicted in the virtuosic sopranino recorder part (piccolo flute in today’s performance) whose swiftly unfolding 16th notes cast light from high above on the entire texture. The chorale melody in long notes would typically be allotted to the soprano voice. Here assigned to the alto, it bores through the middle of the texture doubled by oboes d’amore and trumpet. The warm hues of these

combined forces only accentuate the brilliance of the piccolo. That the tune emanates from within might also be a way of depicting the Incarnation — “true man yet very God.” The low-lying alto, “bearing” the Morning Star, may be depictive of the womb that bore the Christ. Throughout, the melody is heard unaltered but for one significant note. At “Morgensterne” (morning star), Bach inserts a chromatic passing tone (B natural), one that enables him to veer ever so briefly but suddenly to the opposite end of the harmonic spectrum: E major from the movement’s F major. Pitch and harmony in consort subtly depict the effulgence of the star. In the meeting of high and low, William Crashaw’s “In the Holy Nativity of Our Lord” comes to mind: “Great little one whose all-embracing birth / Lifts earth to heav’n, stoops heav’n to earth.”

Three apostrophes punctuate the ensuing and richly layered recitative: “O wondrous power of love! O incomprehensible, secret might!” and “O rich power of blessing!” These evocative titles are responses to the mystery of the Incarnation: God’s opening heaven and shutting hell.

Reading the text of the succeeding aria apart from Bach’s setting, one might expect something plangent and passionate. As a rejoinder to such surface reading, Bach provides an aria that is light and wide-eyed. It is difficult to doubt that he readily perceived the librettist’s allusion to the prophet Hosea (11:4): “I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love. I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I bent down to them and fed them.” It is indeed the affect of these lines that governs the aria.

The idea of lifting up, which pervades the A section of this Da Capo aria, is captured musically in a number of gestures: three rising steps preceded by leaps downward, fast ascending lines, “ti-do” retardations at cadences. The high-pitched airy flute further depicts this lifting and, in fact, carries the upward (“lifting”) motive throughout the aria. Finally, the aria itself represents a harmonic rising from the first movement: from F major to the lustral key of C major. Throughout, the flute is by turn independent of the voice, in imitation of it, or in step with it (in 3rds and 6ths). In the A section, sweet harmonies (7th and 9th chords) are couched in sophisticated counterpoint and attenuated by surprising chromatic turns and mode mixture.

3

Reaching the B section, the music moves to the relative minor (A minor) and becomes increasingly chromatic, especially at “that it may blaze with sacred flames.” Sharps on the page (crosses in German) symbolize the cross and therefore the Christ. One is reminded of Luther’s words in verse 5 of “Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands”: “Here is the righteous Easter Lamb / As God has commanded, / High on the Cross’ beam it has / Roasted in burning love.” The singer is asking that his faith be animated by the same burning love that was found in Christ. The flames may also be a reference to the flaming tongues of the Holy Spirit. That the flute unfolds in parallel motion with the voice in 3rds and 6ths might suggest that, in the thick of things, the “cords or ropes” (of God’s love) do indeed take hold of the one who is struggling. It is tenuous to say specifically what the flute may represent, but one can aver that it suggests gentle divine sustenance.

Although the tenor aria is a plea, it is one addressed “on behalf” of the soul (“die Seele” not “meine Seele”) to the deity. There is no “I” here, nor is there a possessive pronoun in the original German, although one could suggest that it is implied. Thus, the soprano recitative marks a definite turning point in the cantata toward the subjective. This trajectory is prolonged in the bass aria, which is thoroughly concerned with the individual’s dilemma of being “driven by the wind” (James 1:8) to the right and left. Although the opening chapter of James is not directly referenced or alluded to, its concern with double-mindedness and disquiet seem a reasonable backdrop for this aria.

In contrast to the tenor aria’s innocence and overall trust, the bass aria speaks from a place of anguished introspection. However, by casting it in the stately and elegant dance form of the Sarabande, Bach intimates that the “I” that is pulled by the tension of “right vs. left” is not chaotic or depraved. Rather it is genuinely endeavoring to walk the “path of righteousness” but is beset by the pressures without. Text painting is clear in the instrumental groups (strings and oboes) being used antiphonally to symbolize the two sides. Interestingly the right (correct/righteous) lifts upward and the left (sinister/dangerous) pulls downward. The tug of “sinking into danger” and the struggle for discernment are further sensed at a latent level in the intricacy of the phrasing and in the downward spin of canonically unfolding lines.

Unlike the tenor aria, which is in ABA form, the bass aria is through-composed. There is thus a direct linear progression from beginning to end. Closing as it had opened, in unrest, the aria offers no easy solutions for the disquieted mind. However, at the exact middle point of the aria (measures 33-39 out of 73 total), there is a ray of hope — seven bars of otherworldly stillness. In the hands of a lesser composer, the text would perhaps evoke an imploring tone: “Go along with me, my Savior.” Instead, Bach bores deeply into it and finds utter simplicity and light: Christ stands at the center. The texture becomes transparent and the harmony pure. The instrumental accompaniment, which had matched the voice, now plays only staccato quarter notes. Right and left are still there, but they are no longer distinguishable. With the Savior, they lose their power. The clarity of C major (the tenor aria) is temporarily regained. Finally, a downward sequential pattern with sweet bass line suspensions suggests that, even in the descent into danger, Christ is with the one who calls upon Him.

Far from an anticlimactic “tack-on,” the finale chorale, as in all the cantatas, has a gathering effect in that it draws the listener into a communal experience. The lens fans out to the “we” of the community of faith. Familiar with Elizabeth Kreuziger’s hymn, the congregants of Bach’s time would have felt drawn into the musical experience, as they would have been able to sing inwardly the quickening words of its final verse: “Kill us through Your goodness, awaken us through Your mercy.” The Old Adam in all must die that the New Adam may live.

Duet: from Es ist das Heil uns kommen her, BWV 9

The exact date of composition of BWV 9 is unclear, but consensus is that it was composed sometime between 1732 and 1735 for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity. The Gospel of the day is from the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:20-26), where Jesus warns that one cannot at the same time come to God’s altar and bear anger or hatred in one’s heart.

On the surface, this Da Capo duet is bright and lyrical — effortless and delightful. Its construction, however, evinces the greatest rigor. The A section is in fact a masterful piece of five-part counterpoint: a strict double canon (flute-oboe / soprano-alto) alternately at the 4th and 5th with bass accompaniment. That Bach chose to write a canon rather than a fugue is not insignificant.

4

As the most rigorously governed form of counterpoint, its rules are the strictest: in Greek, canon means “rule.” Bach reveals in sound that freedom and obedience are not mutually exclusive. A different rule or law is at work, one that governs the heart: that of faith. Rule and obedience are expressed in the rigor of the counterpoint; freedom is heard and felt in the instrumental and vocal lines being independent but motivically related. The affect of the music is unequivocal: “obedience” translates as joy.

From the opening section’s A major, the B section turns to the relative minor: F# minor. While the harmonic language becomes more complex and chromatic, the counterpoint is simplified in the sense that there is no longer per se a double canon. Flute and oboe now unfold in step with soprano and alto, respectively, albeit with embellished lines. One might say that the instruments, as in the tenor aria above, embody divine sustaining and enabling. The text here states “Only faith makes us righteous; everything else is too poor to be able to help us.” Through strictly musical means (key, increased chromaticism and number of sharps), Bach subtly but clearly defines the subject and object of that faith: Christ.

Cantata: Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ, BWV 67

Composed for the First Sunday after Easter 1724 (April 16), BWV 67 was first performed nine days after the first version of the St. John Passion on Good Friday. In the intervening days, parishioners in Leipzig would have heard three other works: a revival of Bach’s earliest cantata BWV 4 on Easter Sunday and two parodies of secular cantatas composed in Cöthen, BWV 66 and 134, on Easter Monday and Easter Tuesday, respectively. Thus, the present work would have been the first new work performed since Good Friday. From the physical evidence of the manuscript score, one gets the impression that Bach was working at breakneck pace. In contrast to BWV 96, which is on the whole inward and poetic, BWV 67 is extroverted and dramatic. Despite its brevity — a mere 20 minutes — it is truly a companion piece to the St. John Passion and, in conception, reveals a similar preoccupation with the semantic and expressive potency of architecture. Given the intense constraints on his schedule, Bach in all probability worked on both pieces simultaneously during the preceding Lent.

A further connection between the Passion and this cantata is the Gospel of John. In effect, the reading for the First Sunday after Easter would have been John 20:19-31. Having first appeared to Mary Magdalene, Jesus suddenly appears to his disciples who, terrified, have locked themselves in the house where they were staying. His words to them are: “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I send you.” He then breathes on them the Holy Spirit. The following week, He appears to them again. This time, Thomas, who had been absent, is with them. Ensues the famous episode of “doubting Thomas.”

Let us return to the architecture of BWV 67. Adding a semantic layer to the linear unfolding of the work is its overall tonal planning, which follows a pattern of ascent then descent (A – F# – A). Subjacent to this is what one might call the ideational level, which is chiastic or cruciform. See below. Tonal Planning

F# majorC# minor/B major C# minor/A major

E major A majorA major A major

Chiastic Structure

The significance of this tonal planning and overall chiastic structure is that it underscores a Johannine theme: the lifting up of the Son of Man (John 3:14-15, 8:28, 12:32). In these passages, the reference is to being lifted up upon the cross, just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert. Looking to the Son of Man means life.

The ecstatic opening chorus sets a single line of text: “Keep (hold) in memory Jesus Christ who has been raised from the dead” (2 Tim. 2:8). Brilliant fugal writing alternates with declamatory homophony. Two instances of wonderfully direct text painting bear mentioning: “Hold” expressed by a single long-held note and “resurrected” as a melismatic rising line. Jubilation is underscored in the piling up of fugal subject entrances.

Chorus – Aria – Recit

Chorale

Recit – Aria – Chorale

5

For Thomas, sung by the tenor, faith knows that Christ has risen from the dead, but the heart is still torn. Bach, rather than concentrate on doubt for the aria’s affect, insightfully focuses on the joy engendered by the faith statement: “My Jesus is arisen.” However, lucid as he ever is, Bach adds psychological layers to this joy: Below the surface lurk disquiet, impatience and urgency. Bach never ceases to amaze in his capacity for empathy: not a soul state seems unfamiliar to him. The nervousness of Thomas’ restless mind is heard in harmonically unstable passages, in the frequent rests between words within a phrase, and in quickly dovetailing canonic entrances of the “arisen” motive (upward scale). These entrances give voice to the obsessive activity of Thomas’ heart and mind wrestling with the mystery of the resurrection. In E major, albeit with forays into sharper keys (F# and B) and more chromatic regions, the aria is the first step in the ascent to F# major.

Recitative-chorale-recitative function as a unit. With the chorale, we reach the highest point of harmonic elevation. While there are only four sharps in the key signature, all seven sharps actually occur in the movement, which eventually cadences in F# major on “Alleluja!” Christ is lifted up; He has risen from the dead. For the First Sunday after Easter, Bach has chosen to make the heart of his cantata a communal utterance and selected a hymn known to all, probably by heart. Little more than a week earlier, he had done the very same in the St. John Passion with the chorale “Through your imprisonment, God’s Son, has freedom come to us.” In both pieces, he enfolds the chorale in a chiastic or cruciform structure (as shown above). Just as a cathedral is constructed in the shape of the cross, so also is this cantata cross-shaped: Christ is the center. The bass aria is a hybrid four-part AB variation form in which a blustery section for three-part chorus (the disciples) and strings alternates with a placid section for bass soloist (Vox Christi) and winds. The movement functions as the answer to the tenor aria’s plea: “My salvation, appear!” It depicts in arrestingly vivid strokes the Gospel of the Day. The disciples are locked away in their house in terror. Suddenly, time is suspended and Jesus says: “Peace be with you.” One is reminded of Psalm 46, “Be still and know that I am God,” in which the preceding portion of the text is rife with violent imagery. When, in its third entrance, the chorus cries,

“O Lord, help and sustain us!,” Christ enters right into the thick of things to bring words of comfort. He not only silences the storm, He is also willing to step right into it when invoked. A simple four-part setting of the beautiful and gentle chorale, “Du Friedefürst, Herr Jesu Christ” (You prince of peace, Lord Jesus Christ), fittingly draws the cantata to a close.

Chorus: Bringet dem Herrn Ehre seines Namens, BWV 148

Cantata BWV 148 was composed for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity and performed Sept. 19, 1723, during Bach’s first autumn in Leipzig. The Gospel of the Day (Luke 14:1-11) is Jesus’ brilliant handling of the questions of whether it is lawful to cure people on the Sabbath, who is given the place of choice at a wedding and who is invited to a dinner. His final words are: when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the dead.” How stirring it is to hear this cantata’s opening chorus burst forth as an eruption of joy in response to such generosity!

Dr. Maurice Boyer

6

Herr Christ, der ein’ge Gottessohn, BWV 96Lord Christ, the only Son of God – J.S. Bach

1. Chorus (S A T B)Herr Christ, der ein’ge Gottessohn,Lord Christ, the only Son of God,Vaters in Ewigkeit,of the Father in eternityAus seinem Herzen entsprossen,who sprang from His heart,Gleichwie geschrieben steht,just as it stands written,Er ist der Morgensterne,He is the Morning Star,Sein’n Glanz streckt er so ferneHis radiance He stretches so farVor andern Sternen klar.that it is clear beyond all other stars.

2. Recitative (Alto)O Wunderkraft der Liebe,O wondrous power of love,Wenn Gott an sein Geschöpfe denket,when God considers those that He has created,Wenn sich die Herrlichkeitwhen His gloryIm letzten Theil der Zeitin the final part of time Zur Erde senket.sinks down to earth.O unbegreifliche, geheime Macht!O incomprehensible, secret power!Es trägt ein auserwählter LeibA chosen body bearsDen großen Gottessohn,the great Son of God,Den David schonwhom David alreadyIm Geist als seinen Herrn verehrte,in spirit honored as his Lord,Da dies gebenedeite Weibfor this blessed woman In unverletzter Keuschheit bliebe.remained in immaculate purity.O reiche Segenskraft! die sich auf uns ergossen,O rich power of blessing! poured out upon usDa er den Himmel auf-, die Hölle zugeschlossen.for He has opened heaven and shut hell.

3. Aria (Tenor)Ach, ziehe die Seele mit Seilen der Liebe,Ah, draw my soul to You with ropes of love,O Jesu, ach zeige dich kräftig in ihr!O Jesus, ah show Yourself powerfully in it!Erleuchte sie, daß sie dich gläubig erkenne,Enlighten it, so that it may recognize You in faith.Gib, daß sie mit heiligen Flammen entbrenne,Grant that it may blaze with sacred flames.Ach wirke ein gläubiges Dürsten nach dir!Ah, make it have a thirst for faith in You! (Da capo)

4. Recitative (Soprano)Ach, führe mich, o Gott, zum rechten Wege,Ah, lead me, O God, on the right way,Mich, der ich unerleuchtet bin,I, who am unenlightened,Der ich nach meines Fleisches Sinnwho, because of the desires of my flesh,So oft zu irren pflege;so often am wont to err.Jedoch gehst du nur mir zur Seiten,Still if only You walk beside me,Willst du mich nur mit deinen Augen leiten,if only You are willing to lead me with Your eyes,So gehet meine Bahnthen my path leadsGewiss zum Himmel an.certainly to heaven.

5. Aria (Bass)Bald zur Rechten, bald zur LinkenNow to the right, now to the leftLenkte sich mein verirrter Schritt.my erring steps turn.Gehe doch, mein Heiland, mit,Go along with me, my Savior.Laß mich in Gefahr nicht sinken,Let me not sink into danger;Laß mich ja dein weises Führenlet me indeed sense Your wise guidanceBis zur Himmelspforte spüren!to heaven’s gates!

Text and Translation

7

6. Chorale (S A T B)Ertödt uns durch dein’ Güte,Kill us through Your goodness,Erweck’ uns durch dein’ Gnad;awaken us through Your mercy.Den alten Menschen kränke,Weaken the old man Dass er neu’ Leben magso that he may have new lifeWohl hier auf dieser Erden,even here on this earth,Den Sinn und all’ Begierdenso that his mind and desiresUnd G’danken hab’n zu dir.and thoughts may be for You.

Es ist das Heil uns kommen her, BWV 9Salvation unto us has come – J.S. Bach

5. Duet (Soprano, Alto)Herr, du siehst statt guter WerkeLord, instead of good works You look atAuf des Herzens Glaubensstärke,the strength of faith in our hearts,Nur den Glauben nimmst du an.You take account only of faith.Nur der Glaube macht gerecht,Only faith makes us righteous;Alles andre scheint zu schlecht,everything else appears too poorAls daß es uns helfen kann.to be able to help us. (Da capo)

Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ, BWV 67Keep in memory Jesus Christ – J.S. Bach

1. Chorus (S A T B)Halt’ im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ, Keep in memory Jesus Christ,der auferstanden ist von den Todten.who has risen from the dead.

2 Aria (Tenor)Mein Jesus ist erstanden,My Jesus is arisen,Allein, was schreckt mich noch? yet what still frightens me?

Mein Glaube kennt des Heilands Sieg,My faith knows the Savior’s victory,Doch fühlt mein Herze Streit und Krieg,still my heart feels strife and battle.Mein Heil, erscheine doch!My salvation, appear then!

3. Recitative (Alto)Mein Jesu, heißest du des Todes GiftMy Jesus, You are called death’s poisonUnd eine Pestilenz der Hölle:and a plague for hell:Ach, daß mich noch Gefahr und Schrecken trifft!Ah, that I should still meet with danger and fear!Du legtest selbst auf unsre ZungenYou Yourself put on our tonguesEin Loblied, welches wir gesungen:a song of praise, which we sang:

4. Chorale (S A T B)Erschienen ist der herrlich’ Tag,The glorious day has appearedDran sich niemand g’nug freuen mag:when no one can rejoice sufficiently:Christ, unser Herr, heut’ triumphiert,Christ, our Lord, today triumphs;All’ sein’ Feind’ er gefangen führt.all His enemies He leads captive.Alleluja!

5. Recitative (Alto)Doch scheinet fast,Yet it almost seemsDaß mich der Feinde Rest,that the remaining enemies,Den ich zu groß und allzu schrecklich finde,whom I find too great and only too frightening,Nicht ruhig bleiben lässt.do not let me stay in peace.Doch, wenn du mir den Sieg erworben hast,But if You have won the victory for me,So streite selbst mit mir, mit deinem Kinde!then fight, You Yourself, by my side, by Your child!Ja! ja! wir spüren schon im Glauben,Yes indeed, already we feel in faithDaß du, o Friedefürst,that You, O Prince of peaceDein Wort und Werk an uns erfüllen wirst.will fulfill in us Your word and work.

8

6. Aria (Bass) and Chorus (S A T) Bass:Friede sei mit euch!Peace be with you! Chorus:Wohl uns! Jesus hilft uns kämpfenHow fortunate we are! Jesus helps us to fightUnd die Wuth der Feinde dämpfen,and to subdue the rage of the enemy.Hölle, Satan, weich!Hell, Satan, give in! Bass:Friede sei mit euch!Peace be with you! Chorus:Jesus holet uns zum FriedenJesus calls us to peaceUnd erquikket in uns Müdenand revives in us weary onesGeist und Leib zugleich.at once spirit and body. Bass:Friede sei mit euch!Peace be with you! Chorus:O Herr, hilf und lass gelingen,O Lord, help us and let us succeedDurch den Tod hindurch zu dringenin pressing on through deathIn dein Ehrenreich!into Your glorious kingdom. Bass:Friede sei mit euch!Peace be with you!

7. Chorale (S A T B)Du Friedefürst, Herr Jesu Christ,You Prince of peace, Lord Jesus Christ,Wahr’r Mensch und wahrer Gott,true man and true God,Ein starker Nothhelfer du bistYou are a strong helper in distress,Im Leben und im Tod.in life and in death.Drum wir alleinTherefore, we onlyIm Namen deinin Your NameZu deinem Vater schreien.cry to Your Father.

Bringet dem Herrn Ehre seines Namens, BWV 148Bring to the Lord the Glory of His Name – J.S. Bach

1. Chorus (S A T B)Bringet dem Herrn Ehre seines Namens,Bring to the Lord the glory of His Name;betet an den Herrn im heiligem Schmuck. pray to the Lord in holy splendor.(Psalm 29:2, 96:8)

9

Sing Praise to God, the Highest Good LSB 819819  Sing  Praise  to  God,  the  Highest  Good  

 

 

 

 

   5   All  who  confess  Christ’s  holy  name,  

       Give  God  the  praise  and  glory.  Let  all  who  know  His  pow’r  proclaim          Aloud  the  wondrous  story.  Cast  ev’ry  idol  from  its  throne,  For  God  is  God,  and  He  alone:          To  God  all  praise  and  glory!  

 Public  domain    

5. All who confess Christ’s holy name, Give God the praise and glory. Let all who know His pow’r proclaim Aloud the wondrous story. Cast ev’ry idol from its throne, For God is God, and He alone: To God all praise and glory!

10

The American KantoreiChorus

OrchestraViolin IWanda Becker, ConcertmasterCynthia BowermasterChristine SasseHannah Frey

Violin IIKaoru Wada, PrincipalMarilyn Park EllingtonTova BraitbergMargret Heyl

ViolaSarah Borchelt, PrincipalLaura Reycraft

CelloAndrew Ruben

Double BassAnita Hagerman

Flute / PiccoloPaula Kasica

Oboe / Oboe d’amoreAnn Homann, PrincipalEileen Burke

TrumpetJohn Korak

Positiv (Continuo) OrganJohn Walsh

Chapel OrganJames Marriott

Soprano Emily Truckenbrod, Principal Jean BaueKathryn Crumrine Megan GlassBrittany GrahamLea Herdler Krista Hartmann Marita Hollander Camille Marolf Lynn D. Morrissey

AltoKatharine Lawton Brown, PrincipalStephanie Ruggles, Assistant PrincipalDanielle GinesMona HauserAnna OttermanKimberly WernerAmy WillMary UlmLisa Young

TenorScott Kennebeck, Principal Jeral Becker, Assoc. Principal Thomas Jarrett Bolain Bill LarsonKeith Wehmeier

BassJeffrey Heyl, PrincipalDavid Berger, Assoc. PrincipalCharles McCallGreg UpchurchKyle Will

Dr. Maurice Boyer Music Director

Dr. Maurice Boyer is in his second year of serving as music director for the American Kantorei / Bach at the Sem. He is associate professor of music at Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, Ill., where he conducts the chamber orchestra and Laudate, a

women’s choir, and teaches all levels of ear training. Boyer also is the artistic director of Aestas Consort of Chicago and assistant conductor of the Symphony of Oak Park River Forest. He earned a Bachelor of Music in sacred music, with piano as his principal instrument, and a Master of Music in choral conducting at Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, N.J., where he also studied theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. Boyer also holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in orchestral conducting from the University of Maryland, College Park.

James F. Marriott Director of Musical Arts

James F. Marriott, director of Musical Arts at Concordia Seminary, holds a Master of Church Music from Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, Wis., and a Bachelor of Parish Music from Concordia University, Nebraska, Seward,

Neb. He is a doctoral candidate in liturgical studies at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill., a regular recitalist and lecturer at Christian venues throughout the country, and serves as the founder and artistic director for Evangelii, the youth choir of Trinity Lutheran Church in Lisle, Ill., which annually tours the nation. He also has published worship materials through Concordia Publishing House and Liturgy Solutions.

11

Welcome to Bach at the Sem!With anticipation of great goodness in this new season, we welcome you today to Bach at the Sem. Dr. Maurice Boyer begins his second year as music director for the American Kantorei. The countless hours of preparation by Director Boyer and the American Kantorei promise us an enriching afternoon and we thank them most sincerely.

J.S. Bach knew his Bible, knew it in his head and heart. The genius given to him was to lift the biblical words off the printed page to be carried by music into the heads and hearts of those who listen to his works. It’s worth noting that scholars have estimated that only 10 percent of the population of the Roman Empire in the first century could read and write. So when St. Paul wrote, “Faith comes through hearing,” he was literally describing how the faith came into the hearts of people (Rom. 10:17). Literate people read Scripture to those who couldn’t read and all together shared what they had experienced through their connections and conversations.

The theme for Concordia Seminary’s new academic year, our 177th, is “Living and Active,” taken from Heb. 4:12-13:

The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Books and literacy became increasingly common after the invention of moveable type in the 15th century, but with that blessing came the temptation to think of biblical texts as bound in a book. Experiencing Bach recalls us to the truth that the Word is viva vox evangelii, the living voice of the Gospel. The genius of Bach lifts texts from print to cut to the heart, bringing us before the One who judges but also forgives and saves. In all the works we are blessed to hear this afternoon, the music lifts the words from scores and programs to make it “living and active” in our lives.

An institutional note: Today Concordia Seminary is the largest donor to Bach at the Sem. Our present challenge is to make this beloved concert series more self-sustaining so as to ensure these concerts can continue. We can only do that with your help. As such, we seek your financial support. I invite you to join me in more generous giving so that Bach at the Sem will be “living and active” for many years to come.

Dale A. MeyerPresident Concordia Seminary, St. Louis

12

Join Us!A Special Reception with Dr. Maurice Boyer

Music Director for the Bach at the Sem Concert Series

After today’s concert On the Seminary Campus

All are welcome!

Group Rates Available - 314-533-7662 www.CathedralConCerts.org

Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis 4431 Lindell Boulevard 63108

CATHEDRAL CONCERTS 2015 - 2016 SEASON

Exp

erie

nce

Gre

at M

usic

in

a G

reat

Spa

ce!

Christine Brewer soprano & Paul Jacobs organistWednesday, October 14, 2015 8:00 PMWelcomed by The Order of St.John, Mrs. Priscilla R. McDonnell, & Mrs. Anna M. Harris with support from the Vassia Foundation and the Arts & Education Council

Tenebrae English Chamber Choir Nigel Short, Director

Thursday, October 29, 2015 8:00 PM Presented by Mr. John Russell Welcomed by Dr. & Mrs. Anthony Fathman

Vienna Boys Choir Holiday Concert Presented in Memory of Francis Einig

Saturday, November 21, 2015 8:00 PMWelcomed by Coldwell Banker Gundaker, Paul & Amy Mittelstadt, & Steinway Piano GallerySteinway is the Official Piano of Cathedral Concerts

Christmas at the CathedralWith the Sonos Handbell Ensemble & Frederica von Stade Mezzo-soprano

Saturday, December 12, 2015 8:00 PMSunday, December 13, 2015 2:30 PMWelcomed by Favazza’s & Enterprise Bank & Trust

SEASON TICKETS ON SALE NOW

Sing A New Song!September 27 • 3 pmThird Baptist Church620 North Grand Blvd • St. Louis • 63103

In Every Corner Sing!November 8 • 3 pmSt. Louis Abbey500 S Mason Road • Creve Coeur • 63141

Christmas – Auf Deutsch!December 20 • 3 pmTrinity Lutheran Church812 Soulard Street • St. Louis • 63104

Languish With LoveFebruary 14 • 3 pmSecond Presbyterian Church4501 Westminster Place • St. Louis • 63108

All Manner of GodsApril 10 • 3 pm560 Music Center560 Trinity Avenue • U City • 63130

In MemoriamMay 29 • 3 pmSt. Francis de Sales Oratory2653 Ohio Avenue • St. Louis • 63118

2015~2016

Philip Barnes Artistic Director

Join one of the country’s best a cappella choirs for our 60th season!

Subscribe and Save!For tickets or a brochure call636-458-4343chamberchorus.org

slcc60_3.625x5_ConcordiaAd.indd 1 9/3/15 12:48 PM

celebrating the music of j.s. bach since 1955.

STAY UP-TO-DATE WITH

BACH AT THE SEM BETWEEN CONCERTS

bach.csl.edu

/BachAtTheSem

@BachAtTheSem

x

Concordia Seminary801 Seminary PlaceSt. Louis, MO 63105www.csl.edu

You Can Bless and Enrich Lives! Bach’s amazing music continues to bless and enrich lives because people like you have not only appreciated the music personally, but have made provisions to make it possible for new generations to experience the highest quality performances of not only his music but also that of other master composers of the Christian musical heritage. This wonderful music still touches the lives of people of all ages and all beliefs.

“Friends of Bach at the Sem” make it possible for children, students, families and members of the community to be enriched by the professional, live performances that Bach at the Sem has delivered for 21 uplifting seasons.

With a full schedule of Sunday concerts featuring the American Kantorei, now is the perfect time for you to experience the joy of being one of the patrons who make Bach at the Sem possible.

By becoming a “Friend of Bach at the Sem” you will have the satisfaction of enriching others just as you have been blessed and enriched.

Pledges, checks and credit card donations are welcomed. Please use the envelope provided. Or, to ask questions or donate by phone please call: 800-822-5287.

Bach at the Sem Sponsorship

Concert Sponsor $10,000Conductor Sponsor $5,000Reception Sponsor $2,500

“Friends of Bach at the Sem”

Board Sponsor $1,000Guest Sponsor $500Friend Sponsor $100

For more information about sponsoring Bach at the Sem, please call 314-505-7009 or email bach@csl.edu.