A statement in text and music | Hive Open Mic 55

This is my contribution to Hive Open Mic, week 55. I play a composition that is possibly by Johann Sebastian Bach, though his authorship is doubtful.

Organ music has a large role in the Christianity of the Western world. And as any religion, Christianity is full of statements, of love, of the might of God, of forgivenes, you name it. You might even say that any hymn that is sung in church is a statement itself. And the organ music literature is full of music based on these hymns. For a large part, organ music is a statement, an expression of faith.

The composition I play here is no exception. It is based on a hymn with as first line the words (in German) "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" or (in English) "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God". The melody for this first line goes like this:

The composer takes this melody, speeds it up a litlle, and in this way creates the main motif of the accompaniment:

Throughout the composition the complete melody of the hymn is played in long notes in the upper voice. The other two voices play the accompaniment in which this main motif is constantly heard. In the opening bar it is immediately played twice:

The text of the hymn praises God for being a source of power and salvation in times of trouble. And while the melody sounds, the accompaniment constantly repeats this motif, and in effect constantly says "Ein feste Burg", "Eind feste Burg", "A mighty fortress". In total (including the repetition of the first half) 38 times. It gives a solidness and firmness to the piece that is a perfect expression of the meaning of the text.

Now, that is a statement!

The recording was done with the Hauptwerk software and the sampleset, made by Sonus Paradisi, of the Hinsz organ in the Reformed church in the Midwolda (https://www.sonusparadisi.cz/en/organs/netherlands/midwolda-surround-sample-set.html).

Score available on my site: http://partitura.org/index.php/johann-sebastian-bach-ein-feste-burg-ist-unser-gott-bwv-anh-ii-49/