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Advent Vespers at Monastery of the Holy Cross

The event bears little resemblance to Advent and Christmas commemorations one is likely to find elsewhere in our area. Far from feeding the listeners’ desire for excitement, comfort, or nostalgia, the liturgical framework, the music, and the chapel building itself (one of the best acoustic spaces in the region) inspire reflection, soul-searching, and a sense of timeless peace.

Compiling the Mass in B minor

Plagiarism was not a dirty word in Bach’s time; nor was parody. Bach and his colleagues had immense responsibilities-- and their success depended on getting it all done, rather than on satisfying a theoretical mandate that they be original.

How does one sing Bach?

Probably apocryphal, but nonetheless interesting: at the height of his career, German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau was asked by a young singer, “What must I do to learn to sing like you?” To which the baritone replied, “Sing Bach.”

Why did Bach, a Lutheran, compose a mass?

Lutherans continue to claim Bach—some refer to him as the “fifth evangelist”— and others stress a symbolic father-son relationship between him and Martin Luther: Luther clarified the faith, and Bach set it to music.