Patterico's Pontifications

8/25/2019

Sunday Music: Bach and Telemann Motet BWV Anh. 160

Filed under: Bach Cantatas,General,Music — Patterico @ 9:00 am



It is the eleventh Sunday after Pentecost. Today’s piece is a motet and something of a pastiche: “Jauchzet dem Herrn, alle Welt” (Shout and cheer, shout and cheer for the Lord, all the world).

Today’s Gospel reading is Luke 13:10-17:

Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath

On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”

The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”

When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

The text of today’s piece is available here. It contains these words:

Shout and cheer, shout and cheer for the Lord, all the world,
Serve the Lord with joy!

A word about the motet. Its provenance is debated, with the “Anh.” (“Anhang” or “Appendix”) indicating that the work is not considered to have been composed (at least entirely) by him. It appears that the first movement was the work of Telemann, adapted by Bach. The second movement is thought to derive from Bach and the third from Telemann. Think of it as a collaboration between two great composers — like when Paul Rodgers and Jimmy Page got together to form The Firm. Or something.

Since we’re already expanding the field to include Telemann, why don’t we throw in some Mendelssohn as well: his motet of the same name:

I think Mendelssohn is one of the great underrated composers of all times.

Happy listening! Soli Deo gloria.

[Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.]

2 Responses to “Sunday Music: Bach and Telemann Motet BWV Anh. 160”

  1. Mendelssohn was a romantic poet who wrote in music rather than words. It’s nice to wee him represented in your Sunday posts – which are one of the few unalloyed joys I find on the internet.

    Thank you.

    John B Boddie (11ac33)

  2. Mendelssohn was a romantic poet who wrote in music rather than words. It’s nice to see him represented in your Sunday posts – which are one of the few unalloyed joys I find on the internet.

    Thank you.

    John B Boddie (11ac33)


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