JO VINCENT (soprano)
SOLOMON (pianoforte) .
THE LONDON
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Leader, W. H. REED
Conducted by MALCOLM SARGENT
Sinfonia, Church Cantata No. 75, Die
Elenden sollen essen (The wretched shall eat)
Concerto No. 2, in E, for pianoforte and strings
1 Allegro. 2 Siciliano. 3 Allegro
Solo pianoforte, SOLOMON
Church Cantata No. 51,
Jauchzet Gott in alien Landen (Praise ye God, all men, adore Him)
1 Aria, Jauchzet Gott (Praise ye God). 2 Recit., Wir beten zu dem Tempel an (We worship toward thy Temple, Lord). 3 Aria, Hochster, mache deine Güte (Saviour, constant, shower upon us). 4 Choral, Sei Lob und Preis, mit Ehren (All glory, praise and blessing)
Solo soprano, jo VINCENT
Suite No. 1, in C
1 Overture. 2 Courante. 3 Gavottes 1 and 2. 4 Forlane. 5 Minuets I and 2. 6 Passepied
Bach is unique in that every other great composer from Haydn to Hindemith has paid homage to the manifold qualities of his genius. At the same time, he is no less a god to the plain man, which is a remarkable tribute to the varied and powerful appeal of his music as music, for it is quite uncoloured with those personal and romantic associations which have made Beethoven's C minor Symphony a symbol of 'Fate' and Chopin's Nocturnes a confession of 'Love'.
Popularising Bach
Sir Donald Tovey has called Bach ' a spectator of all musical time and existence'. He came at the end of a great period and summed up all that it stood for. It was because of this that his music found little favour with his younger contemporaries and immediate successors. For nearly a hundred years after his death the greater part of his works lay buried and forgotten.
Humility of Genius
Bach was a man of strong will and set purpose. He had his own ideas on how his work should be carried out, and if they ran counter to those of his patrons, so much the worse for them. He could be obstinate and aggressive, and show a bad temper that brooked no defiance ; he knew his own strength as a musician, though probably he never realised the true extent of his creative genius ; but he. was not without humility. Once, when asked the secret of his organ playing, he said:
' There is nothing wonderful about it. You just strike the right note and the organ does the rest.'