The Gigue is Down
At the start of the Choir’s year of Passion rehearsals in January, 2006, I made the following broad statement: “Everything Bach composed was either a dance or a chorale (hymn) or both.” (Ed: All truths are generalizations, including this.)
About two months ago in the New York Times appeared a review of the ‘Carnegie Hall Choral Workshop’ the most recent of a series founded in 1990 by Robert Shaw and continuing. The Bach ‘St. Matthew Passion’ was the subject of January’s five-day session, directed by the world-renowned conductor and Bach specialist Helmut Rilling. The 76 participants, selected by grilling audition, are choral professionals and talented amateurs. In his New York Times review James Ostereich quotes Maestro Rilling as stating something to the effect that Bach always composed dances. OK so far. His example in the St. Matthew is the final bass aria “Mach dich, mein Herze, rein” which he says is a gigue. What!! A jig?? A giga?!?!? In whatever language, it’s a jig. You know, right after the soloist’s introductory recitativo, “At evening, hour of rest . . . ends the Savior’s pain . . comes the dove again with an olive leaf in her bill . . . so cool and still . . . His body rests in peace . . . O precious thought to ponder.!” Then Mary Mother, Mary Magdalene, Joseph of Arimithea, and assorted Roman soldiers jump up and down in a spirited jig around the bottom of the cross with Jesus hanging limp above them, while the bass sings his aria, “Make thyself pure, my heart, where I will entomb Jesus . . . there to sweet rest betake Thee.”
It is a dance, no question; it’s a pastorale, a lullaby. In all truth, it’s the most peaceful moment in the entire Passion which by now has known three hours of lament, bloodshed and breast-beating anguish. Hello?
3 comments:
Thank you Alden, for your continuing reflections and edifications.
Readers, spread the word and share the bliss!
(Don't know if first transmittal went through -- if so, one or the other may be deleted.)
Oh, lullaby, definitely! Grasp this characterization of the "Mache dich", and the other two (gigue and pastorale) frankly fall away. Characterizing a piece of music, vocal in particular, has only in part to do with matching up the musical form, rhythm, etc. (With all due respect to the estimable Rilling, even here the gigue doesn't make it -- while the rhythm may be a match, the tempo is not.) But the greater part is in how the piece functions, i.e., the import and affect of the text.
So the "Mache dich" is a lullaby. Yes, it is the moment of supreme peace in the Passion, and if it isn't too presumptuous to name a favorite piece from this crowning work, this one is my favorite. It is the moment when the fallen grain of Jn. 12:23-24 enters earth to find its fulfillment, when the seed comes to rest in the soul's ovum of purity to come forth as new life in union. It is the embrace of Dylan Thomas's "lovers, their arms round the griefs of the ages."
Coincidentally, in our tiny church here in Nashua, over 5 Wednesday evenings in Lent we did a study on the whole of Mt. 26 and 27, precisely the text of the Passion. Although the study guide (which one member had located on the 'Net) was designed just for text, a couple members had the inspiration to incorporate portions of the Bach into it, and decided I was just the person to do this. So . . .
First, acquired a good recording in English. Then, the tough choices! Couldn't do it all, so selected segments that would be (1) especially choice and communicative even to those who might not be very musical and/or familiar with the work; (2) illustrative of the variety of components, and the brilliant compositional and dramatic techniques; (3) a compelling musical underscore to the issues taken up in the study.
Just for one example, a focus of one of the lessons was Peter's remorse, and the question of how his faithless act had been categorically different from that of Judas. So of course I played the "Erbarme dich" with the sequence of recitatives and chorus preceding it. I pointed out a number of unique features in this passage that make me think Bach himself regarded this episode as pivotal to his whole work:
1. The evangelist reaches the highest vocal note (B-natural) of the entire score when he says, "And he went out . . ."
2. The evangelist does a melisma on "wept", which does not happen elsewhere in his recitatives.
3. There is a feature in the "Erbarme dich" that, for me, is perhaps even more affecting than the violin solo: that continuo heartbeat! (Actually, the "Ach, Golgotha!" has something similar, also with the alto.)
4. In the text itself of course is the tight association of Peter's contrition with the cock's crow. I asked the class if they saw any significance in this beyond the fact that it was part of Jesus' prediction. I sure do, and can't help thinking Bach did too. . . .
Later on that same evening, I passed out word sheets for the 2 verses of the "O Sacred Head" chorale with the evangelist's line just before it as cue, pointing out how the same chorale tune recurs several times in the Passion in different keys and harmonizations; then played the preceding recitatives and the double chorus, asking them to listen for the imitative techniques in the mocking chorus, and then when hearing the cue line, join in with the chorale. And that was the close of that evening's session.
Says Earth that has received the Holy Seed: "Now hath the Lord been laid to rest."
Says Man who labors and struggles upon earth: "The labor o'er, which our sins on Him have pressed."
Says Woman who embalms with her tears: "O blessed body, see how with remorse and penitence I mourn thee, for 'tis my fall that hath thee thus distressed."
Says the Soul in adoration of her Spouse: "While life shall last, for all thy suffering endless thanks, for thou my soul with health restored hast blessed."
And sounds the lullaby's refrain: "My Jesus, sweet good night."
Happy Easter!
Songbird in NH
For those who want to know, One of our choir members made a small slide show of a couple of our performances. This slideshow can be viewed ->here.
It's near the bottom of the page.
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