This episode of "Notes on Bach" is sponsored by the American Bach Society.
This month we hear from Dr. Mark Peters and Dr. Reginald Sanders about the complex subject of meaning in Bach’s vocal music, which can emerge from compositional choices, listener reception, and an intersection of these and other factors. Dr. Peters and Dr. Sanders edited an essay collection on this subject, Compositional Choices and Meaning in the Vocal Music of J.S. Bach, published by Lexington Books.
In this episode of “Notes on Bach,” we hear from musicologist and violinist Dr. Noelle Heber about J.S. Bach’s attitudes towards, experiences with, and cantatas related to the ideas of spiritual and material wealth. Dr. Heber's book, J.S. Bach's Material and Spiritual Treasures, can be ordered here. For more about her book, check out Dr. Heber's blog post.
Resources Mentioned in the Show
For recent research about Anna Magdalena Bach, visit Eberhard Spree's English-language blog and check out our earlier Notes on Bach episode with Dr. Andrew Talle.
To hear about how scholars have used Bach's Calov Bible in their research, check out our Notes on Bach episode with Dr. Robin Leaver. To learn more about the Calov Bible and see facsimile pages, visit here.
To kick off Season 6 of “Notes on Bach,” we hear from musicologist and BBC radio host Dr. Hannah French about how conductor Sir Henry Wood, long associated with the BBC Proms, shaped Bach reception in twentieth-century England. Her book, Sir Henry Wood, Champion of J.S. Bach, was recently published by Boydell and Brewer. For more, check out “Henry and Seb,” Dr. French’s podcast miniseries on the book.
Image above: Wood’s final conducting score of J.S. Bach, Organ Toccata and Fugue in D minor: For Orchestra, orch. Henry J. Wood [Klenovsky] (London: Oxford University Press, 1934), p. 39. Property of Dr. Hannah French.