Join us as we discuss Johann Sebastian Bach, the composer who signed most of his works, “Soli Deo Gloria,” who preferred to play in church rather than noblemen’s courts, and who wrote heavenly melodies because he was inspired by the Heavenly Father Himself.

<p>Join us as we discuss Johann Sebastian Bach, the composer who signed most of his works, “Soli Deo Gloria,” who preferred to play in church rather than noblemen’s courts, and who wrote heavenly melodies because he was inspired by the Heavenly Father Himself.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

GYC Southeast

Great in God's Sight Season 2

Rhonda Grakov

Johannes Kepler: Thinking God’s Thoughts

Blaise Pascal: Where Faith and Reason Intersect

Sir Robert Boyle: Christian Virtuoso

Sir Isaac Newton: On the Shores of the Ocean of Truth

The Celestial Railroad: Part 1

The Celestial Railroad: Part 2

The Celestial Railroad: Part 3

The Celestial Railroad: Part 4

Johann Sebastian Bach: This Art Still Lives

John Bunyan: Progress in Prison


Hello and welcome to Grading God's Sight, the podcast that explores underrated heroes. This is season 2, and we're so glad you've joined us for this episode entitled, Johann Sebastian Bach, This Art Still Lives. Please be sure to subscribe and check out the terrific artwork that goes along with today's story on our website, thegreatpodcast.org. Thanks for listening! The house was black and still, except for the faint click of a door latch.

A little boy, perhaps 11 or 12 years old, slipped out of his room and softly crept into the library. There stood a cabinet full of sheet music, locked behind a grillwork door. The boy deftly squeezed his small hand through 1 of the openings in the grillwork, his fingers feeling for a certain book of music by famous clavier masters of the 17th century. Gently rolling the pages, he pulled the coveted music out of the cabinet and tiptoed back to his room, still clutching his prize. Armed with an inkwell, quill, and a stash of blank pages, He opened the music book in the moonlight and began copying the little black notes which meant so much to him.

Several hours later he tucked the manuscript into its hiding place and stealthily replaced the book in the cabinet. Christoph would never know it had been missing. Every moonlit night for 6 months, Johann Sebastian Bach held his clandestine copying sessions, until he finally possessed his own handwritten copy of the clavier music his big brother and music teacher, Johann Christoph, had pronounced strictly off-limits. Alas for the ambitious young musician, music cannot be played inaudibly, and when Christoph heard the forbidden melodies, he promptly, and some might say heartlessly, confiscated the manuscript. After 300 years it is difficult to say which of the brothers was right, but this unfortunate little anecdote is a good illustration of the musical fervor and diligence that characterized Johann Sebastian Bach from his earliest years.

The Bachs were a uniquely musical family. Johann Sebastian took pride in this fact and chronicled a family genealogy entitled Origins of the Musical Bach Family. Apparently, the musical streak first showed up in his great-great-grandfather, Feitbach. He was a miller, who learned to keep time and play the sittern, an instrument somewhat like the lute, while grinding at the mill. Johann Sebastian and Johann Christoph's father continued the tradition, and Johann Sebastian took the musical training of his own children very seriously.

Twice married, he fathered 20 children in all, although only half survived to adulthood, and he once remarked to a friend, they are all born musicians and I can assure you that I can already form an ensemble. 4 of his sons would go on to become musical prodigies and composers themselves. Sadly, the Bach parents died when Johann Sebastian was only 10 years old. As the youngest of 8 children, he was taken in by Johann Christoph, his oldest brother, who introduced him to the keyboard instruments of their era. These would have included the harpsichord and clavichord, but the majestic organ held first place in Johann Sebastian's heart.

Johann Christoph was a good teacher, and by the age of 18 his little brother had received his first post as an organist. Johann Sebastian's genius for composition and improvisation were easy to spot. And a certain prominent organist, after hearing the young man improvise, exclaimed, I thought this art was dead. But I see it still lives in you." Johann Sebastian Bach composed and performed during the Baroque era, the musical period known for its rich ornamentation, robust counterpoint, and expanding orchestras. Bach would become a towering figure of the age, but only after his death and through immense effort and productivity.

Music's only purpose should be the glory of God and the recreation of the human spirit, Bach is quoted as saying. In any case, he lived those words. It has been observed that throughout his entire life, Bach only ever accepted 1 truly prestigious post, where his genius might have had a chance to be acknowledged by the world. For most of his 45-year career, he was content to be a lowly church cantor and musician. Consequently, Bach's greatest fame during his lifetime was as an organist, and he was only appreciated as a brilliant composer during the 19th century.

Nowadays, however, even those with only the remotest knowledge of classical music instantly recognize his name, as well as some of his works. This is well merited, because over the course of his life, Johann Sebastian Bach composed well over 1, 000 pieces of music. Astoundingly, but true to his calling as a church musician, Bach wrote approximately 75% of this mass of music for use in church services. The last 27 years of his life were spent in Leipzig, Germany, where he was the music director of 1 of the Lutheran churches in town. During his first 3 years in Leipzig, he wrote over 200 cantatas, lengthy, elaborate sermons in music which generally required a choir, orchestra and soloists, and were specially tailored to complement the scripture passages used in that week's service.

If you do the math, that averages to a little over a cantata a week. This is mind-boggling considering the astute observation that today a composer would be applauded for writing a cantata a year. Each of Bach's finished cantatas, along with many other works, were signed with the Latin initials for To God Alone Be the Glory, and he frequently began his compositions with the initials JJ, Latin for Jesus Help Me. Although we tend to think of Bach's music as ancient and old-fashioned, he was a musician whose quest for perfection in the service of God drove him to develop musical ideas that were perceived as bold, innovative, and somewhat radical in his day. His sacred compositions were accused of being too ornamented and flamboyant for the worship service, attracting too much attention to the music itself, rather than uplifting God.

Sometimes his cantatas harmonized so well that the audience couldn't follow the melody and sing along. Although he truly desired to glorify God, Bach often found himself in conflict with those who frowned upon elaborate church music. Doubtless his strong personality contributed to the friction, however he was also firmly convicted of his calling to be a minister of music. During the early 20th century, Johann Sebastian Bach's personal study Bible, a three-volume set with notes and commentary compiled from Luther's writings, was discovered. Bach's Bible is bursting with markings, marginal notes, underscores, and meticulous textual corrections based on more standard editions of Luther's translation.

Most of his notes have nothing to do with music, however near the chapter listing David's musicians, he jotted down, this chapter is the true foundation of all God-pleasing music. By another passage describing the music at Solomon's temple dedication, he wrote, "...at a reverent performance of music, God is always at hand with His gracious presence." As 1 scholar put it, Bach was indeed a Christian who lived with his Bible. It is fitting that Bach's most monumental work should vivify, illuminate, and beautify the sacred text of the Bible he loved so much. The St. Matthew Passion, composed in Leipzig in 1727, is a massive oratorio that takes its listeners through Christ's Passion as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew.

Originally written for 2 choirs, 2 orchestras, and solo voices, the work was on a much grander scale than most people in Bach's day were accustomed to. Although the Passion is no opera, there is also a moving sense of drama as the singers narrate and comment on the greatest story ever told. The entirety of Matthew chapters 26 and 27 are sung verbatim from Luther's German translation, mostly by a tenor who serves as the evangelist or narrator, and a baritone who sings the words of Jesus. There are also solo lines for minor characters such as Judas, Peter, and Pilate. The actual words of Scripture are interspersed with chorales by the choirs and arias by soprano, alto, tenor, and bass soloists.

The chorales and arias, while not directly from the Gospel of Matthew, provide commentary or reactions to the unfolding story of Jesus' last hours, while allowing the audience to ponder and personalize these events. For example, when Jesus is being nailed to the cross, the alto voice proclaims, see, Jesus has his hands outstretched to grasp us, come! And when Joseph of Arimathea asks for Christ's body, the bass soloist sings, make yourself clean my heart, I will entomb Jesus myself. Much of the heart-rending magnificence of the St. Matthew Passion has to do with the way Bach intertwined the symbolism of words and music.

For example, during the scene of the Last Supper, the choirs burst forth with the question, Lord, is it I? 11 times, once for each of the loyal disciples. During Peter's denial, slow, throbbing pizzicato in the lower strings and a lilting, bittersweet violin solo accompany the alto soloist to create the tears in Peter's voice as he expresses his repentance. When Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss, the entire ensemble unleashes a storm of musical indignation of almost palpable intensity. And when asked to choose between Barabbas and Jesus, The choirs, playing the part of the crowd, burst forth with the criminal's name in a crashing, dissonant chord that is both startling and deeply unnerving.

The music abounds with many other thoughtful and creative details. Listening to or watching a recording of the entire St. Matthew Passion while following along with the original text and translation can be a wonderfully enriching and moving spiritual experience. Even non-Christians have been moved by the sublime profundity of the St. Matthew Passion.

Friedrich Nietzsche, a prominent avowed atheist who declared that God is dead, listened to the piece 3 separate times and expressed a feeling of utmost astonishment, saying, 1 who has completely forgotten Christianity truly hears it here as gospel. Ever since its rediscovery in the 19th century by Felix Mendelssohn, the Passion has become a beloved Easter classic, eagerly listened to and performed by believers and unbelievers alike. And this is the miracle of Bach, a godly musician so dedicated to pursuing excellence in the service of Jesus Christ that his sacred masterpieces have endured for centuries while pointing thousands if not millions of people to the God He sought to glorify. Thank you for listening to Great In God's Sight, a podcast by GYC Southeast. We hope you have enjoyed this adventure through time and pray it serves to deepen your relationship with God.

While we strive to bring you a unique perspective on each believer, we encourage you to use your God-given curiosity to explore these topics for yourself. Please remember to hit the subscribe button and share this episode with your friends via text or social media. You never know who might be encouraged! Until next time, we wish you God's blessing as you seek to be great in His sight too.

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Great in God's Sight Season 2

Johann Sebastian Bach: This Art Still Lives

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Other Teachings in Series

Johannes Kepler: Thinking God’s Thoughts

11m

Blaise Pascal: Where Faith and Reason Intersect

10m

Sir Robert Boyle: Christian Virtuoso

11m

Sir Isaac Newton: On the Shores of the Ocean of Truth

11m

The Celestial Railroad: Part 1

13m

The Celestial Railroad: Part 2

13m

The Celestial Railroad: Part 3

11m

The Celestial Railroad: Part 4

13m

Johann Sebastian Bach: This Art Still Lives

13m

John Bunyan: Progress in Prison

9m

Sound Doctrine