Oboe,Piano - Level 1 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.548513

Composed by Wade. Arranged by James M. Guthrie, ASCAP. Christian,Christmas. Score and part. 4 pages. Jmsgu3 #3388123. Published by jmsgu3 (A0.548513).

O Come All Ye Faithful arranged with new harmony for the final verse. Score: 3 pages, part: 1 page

O Come, All Ye Faithful

O Come, All Ye Faithful is an English translation of the Latin Christmas carol Adeste Fideles. No one knows exactly who wrote it. One theory holds that King John IV of Portugal (1604–1656) wrote it. Another theory says John F. Wade or John Reading wrote it. Nowadays, we usually attribute it to John Wade. Seems like the oldest manuscript from 1751, is owned by Stonyhurst College in Lancashire.

Lyrics

The English translation O Come, All Ye Faithful was certainly written by Frederick Oakeley, a Catholic priest in 1841. This translation is probably the most common in the English speaking states. To begin with, the hymn had only four verses. Later, the verses grew to eight. Music directors often cut various verses because otherwise, the song goes too long. Some believe that St. Bonaventure wrote the first Latin lyrics. Others hold that King John IV of Portugal is responsible. Yet even others think the Cistercian monks wrote them.

King John IV

King John IV of Portugal was called The Musician King. He became king in 1640. In addition to performing the duties of a king, he was also a composer and music journalist. King John built a very large music library. Unfortunately, the library was ruined in 1755 because of the massive earthquake of Lisbon. In addition to building his library, the king started a Music School that produced many accomplished musicians. The king also worked diligently to get instrumental music approved by the Vatican for use in his churches. Aside from his authorship of Adeste Fideles, he is famous for another popular choral setting of the Crux Fidelis, a prevalent Lenten hymn.

Performance in Context

Verses are sometimes left out because all eight verses would take too long to perform. More to the point though, some of the verses may be unsuitable for whatever of the church calendar they are intended. The eighth verse deals with the Epiphany, so it makes sense to sing this on Epiphany Sunday, but not other Sundays. Similarly, other verses are used according to whether the event is Midnight Mass or regular daytime Mass.

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Oboe,Piano - Level 2 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.549840

Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. Arranged by James M. Guthrie, ASCAP. Baroque,Christmas,Concert,Sacred,Standards. Score and part. 12 pages. Jmsgu3 #3554807. Published by jmsgu3 (A0.549840).

Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Awake, the voice is calling us) from Cantata BWV 140. Duration: ca. 4:00, Score: 6 pages, solo part 1 page, piano part: 4 pages. Program this for church services during the Easter season, weddings, or as a recital encore.

Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme

(Awake, the Voice is calling us) also known as: Sleepers Awake

Bach composed his church cantata Wachet auf (BWV 140) as part of his second annual cantata cycle covering the entire annual church calendar. It is based on the hymn of the same name by Philipp Nicolai (1599). The hymn text covers the readings for the 27th Sunday after Trinity. Bach designed the cantata in seven movements, setting the stanzas in various forms. Among these forms are the chorale fantasia, the chorale prelude, and a four-part chorale. He casts the new lyrics as recitatives – in a manner similar to the opera.

Fourth Movement

Bach writes the fourth movement, Zion hört die Wächter singen (Zion hears the watchmen singing), in the style of a chorale prelude with the chorale phrases performed as a strict cantus firmus. The phrases seem to enter at times erratically against the famous lyrical melody. The violins play this melody in unison as a foil against the cantus phrases. The violin melody is so independent and complete that when the cantus melody appears it catches the listener at times totally off-guard. Bach later transcribed this movement for organ (BWV 645). This transcription became No. 1 of the Six Schübler Chorales.

Bach Overview

First of all, Johann Sebastian Bach is maybe the greatest composer in music history. Certainly, he was prolific. As a result, everyone has heard of his works. Furthermore, these works number well over a thousand. It seems like people are probably most familiar with the instrumental works such as the Brandenburg Concertos, and the Goldberg Variations. But, similarly famous are such noteworthy works as the Well-Tempered Clavier, the Musical Offering, and certainly the Art of Fugue. Seems like his most famous vocal works include the most noteworthy Mass in B Minor. Also, most noteworthy, though, are the St. John Passion, and certainly the Christmas Oratorio.

 History

Bach came from a long line of musicians and above all, composers. Consequently, he, first of all, pursued a career as a church organist. So as a result, he gained employment in various Protestant churches in Germany. For a while, he worked as a court musician in Weimar and Köthen. Here he probably developed his organ style and likewise his chamber music style. Eventually, he, therefore, gained an appointment as Cantor of St. Thomas in Leipzig. Here he worked until difficulties with his employer ultimately drove him away. The King of Poland finally appointed him as court composer.

 Style

It seems like Bach created a fascinating new international style. He synthesized elements of the most noteworthy European music ideas into his new style. Even more, this new style was probably his synthesis of European musical rhythm and form. Furthermore, he demonstrated a complete mastery of counterpoint and motivic development. His sense of harmonic organization probably propelled him to the top.

Revival              

Mendelssohn conducted a Bach revival in the nineteenth century. His effort probably helped to re-familiarize the public with the magnitude of Bach’s works. During this period, scholars published many noteworthy Bach biographies. Moreover, Wolfgang Schmieder published the BWV (Bach Werke Verzeichnis). As a result, this is now the official catalog of his entire artistic output. The BWV number allows us to locate a work in the catalog. Sometimes scholars will simply use an S (Schmieder) as an abbreviation for BWV.

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