Theory and Composing (The music is Bachoning)
The Christmas Oratorio is old. Not as old as Palestrina’s works but old enough. Because it’s old, it’s been performed and recorded many times. How many times Has it been recorded?
A) 12 B) 48 C) 30
C) 30
Since 1955, the 6 cantatas of the Christmas Oratorio have been recorded at least 30 times.
Bach was the master of what composition technique?
A) All of them B) Da Capo Arias C) Counterpoint
C) Counterpoint
He was known to improvise contrapuntal pieces, with ease
We know The Christmas Oratorio is old, but how old? What year was it’s premiere?
A) 1734 B) 1736 B) 1747
A) 1734
the work would premiere on December 26, 1734 in Leipzig
Harrison’s Spotify is weird. It goes from Kendrick Lamar to Stephen Sondheim, and then Led Zepplin and Bach! He’s not the only one listening to Bach every month. How many monthly listeners does Bach have?
A) 500,000 B) 1,057,594 C) 9,111,372
C) 9,111,372
Monthly listeners on Spotify alone
In the western canon of music, many consider Bach to be one of the greats, and several would say he is the greatest composer. Because of this, his works has been celebrated at concerts and programs dubbed Bach Festivals. Who has the oldest Bach Festival
A) Baldwin Wallace University B) Leipzig Bach festival
C) Bethlehem Bach Festival
A) Baldwin Wallace University
Founded in 1932, not even a World war could stop this festival!
The tuning system we used today is not the same one used by Bach in his day. We tune to A=440 today, but what was Bach’s orchestra tuning to?
A) A=432 B) A=312 C) A=415
c) A=415
This is not a concrete rule to use A=415. A=440 may be used today
We know what BWV means. But what BWV number is the Christmas Oratorio?
A) 119 B)240 C) 248
C) 248
248 is one of his earlier works! There are more after it!
Bach wasn’t just a composer, he was a dad too. How many kids did he have in his lifetime?
A) 20 B) 12 C) 7
A) 20
Bach would have 20 kids between his 2 wives; Maria Barbara and Anna Magdalena. Sadly, 11 of his children would pass before him.
Many composer have analog systems designated for their music. Bach’s musical catalog is BWV. What does this acronym stand for?
A) Bach Werke Verzeichnis B) Baldwin Wallace Voices
C) Best Works Vor sure!
A) Bach Werke Verzeichnis
What does this mean in English?
What is the inspiration for the Christmas Oratorio? Where does the text come from?
A) The Bible B) Greek Myth C) The Rosetta Stone
A) The Bible
The 6 cantatas use their text form the Old Testament, the books of Luke and Matthew, and tell the story of the birth of Christ
Johann Sebastian Bach. What a name! What language do you think that is? Better yet, what language would he use to write his masterwork, The Christmas Oratorio in?
A) Russian B) German C) Latin
B) German
Weihnachtsoratium in German
A simple one, but an important one. How old was Bach when he died.
A) 54 B) 65 C) 87
B) 65
Bach would live from 1685, to 1750. His death, is often used at the marker for the end of the Baroque era.
Bach compossed for most of his life, even right up to the end. In that time, did Bach write any operas?
A) Yes B) No C) Who’s to say?
B) No
His son, Johann Christian Bach would write 11
A) F Major B) G major C) B minor
B) G major
There are several modulations, and some could say that not every use of the two sharps is major, but most analysts point to G major
Bach wrote a lot of music in his time! It’s a good thing we have it all. Or do we????
A) Yes we do! B) No we don’t C) What are talking about?
B) No we don’t
After Bach’s death, his wife and children would sell much of his works, plunging the world into a dar mage of no Bach, until Felix Mendelssohn would rediscover it and reintroduce the world! We are still finding new works by him to this day. Recently, there have been works discovered in Germany, Italy, and even Russia.
We think of Bach today as a composer. But this was not the case in his time. What was Bach known for primarily in his life time?
A) the GOAT B) Organist C) Harpsichordist
B) Organist and C) Harpsichordist
Bach was known primarily as a musician in his lifetime. He is only conserved one of the greatest composers today and in the 20th century