Bach, J. S.:
- Motets
If you love the music of Bach, you might enjoy this CD. I always love to hear the voices of young people; These selections, performed by a young British choir, go back to being composed in the 1700’s. For me, they have a chant-like calming effect. Listen first to a few audio selections from my Spotify playlist:
The Bach motets are considered one of the great compositions in the choral repertory. Their technical and aesthetic challenges are virtually unparalleled. The “New College Choir” approaches these works with its customary energy, strongly characterizing the forward movement of the music, and its dramatic qualities.
Performed by the New College Choir Oxford, directed by Edward Higginbottom
We can speculate about the numbers of singers Bach would have called upon to sing these pieces. What is certainly clear is that the local resources dictated the choice, as they do now at Oxford’s New College. If New College’s ensemble is slightly larger than Bach’s, both groups over a period of three hundred years are likely composed largely of student voices.
Here is the choir in Mozart’s Requiem in D minor, K. 626 – III. Offertorium
And next, here is Handel’s Messiah – Hallelujah; (sorry about the short advertisement)
Tags: Bach, Motets, New College Choir Oxford