Recharge: Creation and J.S. Bach

For me, part of recharging means engaging in creating art. Often I feel much better after having sung in a choir. Last week, I had the great opportunity to attend, participate, and sing in the Illinois Bach Academy (IBA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where we rehearsed and performed the St. Matthew Passion by J.S. Bach. Dr. Andrew Megill leads the Academy every year.

According to the IBA’s website:

https://publish.illinois.edu/bachacademy/

“The Academy is designed for musicians of all experience levels, united by their interest in the music of Bach. Each day begins with the IBA participants gathering for a lecture exploring the historical and liturgical context of the works being studied. The rest of the morning and early afternoon are spent in rehearsals. In the late afternoon, participants divide into tracks with daily events geared toward their particular interest and experience. The week also includes seminars on Baroque performance practice, as well as related concerts, including an IBA Faculty recital. The Academy faculty includes some of the country’s leading experts in the study and performance of 17th and 18th-century music including Baroque violinists Nancy Wilson and Leah Gale Nelson, conductor Andrew Megill, and members of Fuma Sacra, one of the country’s finest professional vocal ensembles specializing in early music.”

Ever since I heard that Dr. Megill chose the St. Matthew Passion as this year’s work, I knew that I wanted to attend. I had the great fortune of singing the work during the summer of 2000 at a Bach Festival at Westminster Choir College. In addition, I sang one of the Mendelssohn editions of the St. Matthew Passion with the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia in 2015. I’ve also sung other works by J.S. Bach and have played some of his keyboard works. As a result, the music of J.S. Bach, including the St. Matthew Passion, feels like it’s a part of my musical DNA. From an emotional standpoint, there is so much grief in the work that I knew it would be cathartic to sing, especially in the context of the pandemic and so many recent tragedies around the world.

For those who are unfamiliar with the work, it’s an oratorio that recounts the death and crucifixion of Jesus according to the book of Matthew in the Bible. In J.S. Bach’s time, it would have been sung in context of a Good Friday service. The St. Matthew Passion is unusual for its time partly due to forces required: double choir and double orchestra.

Unique to the IBA, it is a non-auditioned program that attracts a variety of ages, skill level, and training. As a result, there were singers who just graduated from college, several who were full-time professional singers, conductors who had sung for decades, avocational singers who were retired, and everything in between. Some had sung the work more than once. Many had not sung it before this summer. All were there because of the love of singing and the music of J.S. Bach.

I’ve worked with Dr. Megill on a number of occasions, including other Bach Festivals and conducting workshops. I always learn a lot. During the rehearsal process, I was struck how he intentionally empowered each singer to do their very best as expressive musicians. During the first 2 – 3 days, part of the rehearsals included reviewing German diction for the movements with choir. In addition to repeating back what he said, Dr. Megill also taught some guidelines for diction, including various open and closed vowels. At a certain point, he would ask us “Is that open or closed?” It kept everyone engaged and thinking. Even though I’ve sung in German quite a bit, having a refresher and encouraging me to think critically was very welcome.

While the German diction was certainly important, Dr. Megill also engaged us on the emotional core of each movement where we sang. Other questions peppered rehearsals, such as “What is the character of this movement? What do you think are the important words in this chorale?” Since there are a number of chorales, we had quite a number of group discussions on how each chorale was set in relation to the text. No matter the skill level or experience level of the singer, all were to participate. Such an approach was refreshing and invigorating. He also encouraged us to breathe in the character of the upcoming phrase. As a result, both the rehearsals and the performance felt as if all vocalists and instrumentalists brought their full selves. In the next choir rehearsal I lead, I’m really excited to dialogue with the choir on the music we’re working on. One of Dr. Megil’s questions he asks a lot is “What is the human impulse behind this piece?” That is a question I definitely need to spend more time with!

Because the work is over two hours long, I thought I would include a video of the last chorus. It translates as:
We sit down with tears
And call to you in your tomb
Rest gently, gently rest!
Rest, you exhausted limbs!
Your grave and tombstone
For our anguished conscience shall be
A pillow that gives peace and comfort
And the place where our souls find rest.
With the greatest content there our eyes will close in sleep.

Every summer, the focus is a different work or series of works by J.S. Bach. In case you would enjoy singing in a supportive and inspiring environment, I highly recommend the Illinois Bach Academy. What creating are you doing this summer? Comment below!