Chorale and Finale

Description

Bach composed his six choral motets between 1726 and 1730, not long after his appointment as Kapellmeister at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, where he was to spend the rest of his musical life. Although the motet style for unaccompanied choir was long out of fashion by this time, these works show Bach’s genius as a choral composer.
Most of the motets are somewhat lugubrious in character since they were written for funerals, but the first one is much different. Titled “Sing to the Lord a New Song”, the work is in three movements of a generally joyful nature, with texts taken from Psalms 149 and 150. This motet is structured much like an instrumental concerto (fast, slow, fast). It seems perfectly suited for strings. Presented here are the second movement, written for double choir and here arranged for a concertino group which embellishes the chorale-style tune presented by the larger group. The finale is the last half of the third movement, the “Alleluia.” As is the first half of the movement, it is written in a fugal style with a dance-like character.

The Chorale provides many opportunities for musical expression, and the dynamic suggestions I have included can serve as a starting point for expressive, vocal phrasing.

The commas (breaths) should be observed too slavishly, since the music has to keep moving, but a clear change between the small and large groups is desirable.
The finale should be performed in one beat per measure in a brisk tempo. Allowing the bow to come off the string slightly will lend clarity and energy to the music. Leave some space between the eighth-notes, but avoid making them too short. Economy of bowing will give good results. As always (and especially with vocal music) allow dynamic changes to follow the shapes of the lines.

Published by: String Instrument Specialists