Music Question

One original post and one response post to one classmate.

Dear all,

On July 22nd, Music critic, Mark Swed published a commentary in the Los Angeles Times, entitled Bach wrote BWV 82 to transcend tragedy. It’s a lullaby for our times too. Click here for a PDF of the article.

Here is a link to a live performance sung by Christian Gerhaher on YouTube.

Here is a spotify list of two performances, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson as a soloist, and a recording by the Oxford Schola Cantorum with an uncredited soloist. (The Oxford recording uses Baroque tuning and will sound a half step lower than Hunt Lieberson’s recording.)

Assignment:

1) Read the article and listen to the music. If you can’t access Spotify or YouTube, a search of “BWV 82” will lead you to a recording.

2) Reflect on your own response to the music in light of Mark Swed’s commentary. How are your responses similar and how are they different?

3) Reflect on the music you have been listening to the past 4 months (since mid-March). Select one piece that has somehow brought you peace of mind, catharsis, or an emotional outlet. Identify that piece and the artist(s) who created/produced it. Write about the way in which the music affected you, and, assuming that you have listened to this music more than once, whether you ritualized it into your life routines or just reach for it when you have a specific need. In either case, talk about that need.

Response:

1) In your response to a classmate, compare your own response to the Bach with theirs.

2) Listen to the music that they shared (assuming you can find it) and reflect on what role it might play in your life. If you can’t find a recording focus on how they use the music and whether you use music in the same way.

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