Be not afraid
Christoph Bach, although the earliest source emerged long after the composer’s death, and the initials “J. C.” could refer to several members of the Bach family from Thuringia. The Johann Christoph in question was a son of Heinrich Bach, who was the brother of Johann Sebastian Bach’s grandfather. Johann Christoph is considered the most significant composer in the Bach family before Johann Sebastian.
This motet was most likely written for a funeral service. The text is made up of three parts. The opening passage from Isaiah is followed by a well-known verse from the gospel of Luke: “Verily I say unto you: today you will be with me in Paradise.” Both Biblical texts are sung only by the lower voices, alto through bass. Added to this is a further musical and textual layer with the soprano singing the sustained notes of the final verse of the chorale "O Traurigkeit, o Herzeleid" (O sorrow, O heartache): "O Jesu, du mein Hilf und Ruh" (O Jesus, my help and rest). This combination of a Biblical motet overlaid with a simultaneously sung chorale verse features frequently in Saxon-Thuringian
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Composer
Johann Christoph Bach
| -1703Johann Christoph Bach (1642–1703), the eldest son of Heinrich Bach, was regarded in the family tradition as the greatest genius before Johann Sebastian; in the family chronicle he is described as the “great and expressive composer”. J.C. Bach was presumably taught by the Arnstadt cantor Jonas de Fletin, who as a pupil of Heinrich Schütz represented the ideal of a style of composition combining the Italian and German traditions. For more than twenty years J.C. Bach’s collaboration with his cousin Johann Ambrosius Bach proved to be particularly fruitful. The Eisenach Stadtchronik wrote of Johann Ambrosius that in 1672 he had “created an effect at Easter with organs, violins, singing, trumpets and timpani” such as no cantor had previously achieved, but this impression was also due in no small measure to the demanding and extremely profound compositions of Johann Christoph Bach. His creative output encompasses, in addition to various works for harpsichord and organ, above all, motets, choral arias and cantatas which are distinguished by a high degree of technical skill and an extraordinarily harmonically rich and varied tonal language. Personal details
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Editor
Günter Graulich
| 1926The publisher, church musician and teacher Günter Graulich is one of the major personalities in German publishing of the post-war period. With his wife Waltraud he founded Carus-Verlag Stuttgart in 1972, which he built up from a 2-person family firm to a medium-sized business with around 60 employees. A trained church musician and Kantor for many years at the Matthäuskirche Stuttgart, he also directed the Motettenchor Stuttgart for 50 years. With his choir he made LP and CD recordings, and undertook numerous concert tours to other European countries and America. Personal details
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Continuo realization
Paul Horn
| 1922-2016Paul Horn war ein deutscher Kirchenmusiker, Organist, Komponist und Musikwissenschaftler. Er studierte Kirchenmusik und Orgel an der Evangelischen Kirchenmusikschule Esslingen am Neckar bei Hans-Arnold Metzger und Musikwissenschaft, Theologie und Geschichte an der Universität Tübingen. Seine berufliche Laufbahn begann als Kantor an der Evangelischen Michaelskirche in Stuttgart-Degerloch. 1954 wurde er Kantor an der Evangelischen Stadtkirche Ravensburg, eine Position, die er bis zu seiner Pensionierung innehatte. Als Musikwissenschaftler arbeitete Horn bis ins hohe Alter eng mit Carus zusammen. So stammen zahlreiche Carus-Klavierauszüge aus seiner Feder. Personal details
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Translator
Jean Lunn
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