Volume 6
Sleepers Awake!

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACHThe greatest Baroque Composers:

Johann Sebastian Bach
- Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80 (a)
- Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, BWV 51 (b)
- Wachtet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140 (c)

ELLY AMELING, soprano
LINDA FINNIE, contralto (a)
ALDO BALDIN, tenor (a, c)
SAMUEL RAMEY, bass (a, c)
DEUTSCHE BACHSOLISTEN
conducted by HELMUT WINSCHERMANN (b)
LONDON VOICES (a, c)
ENGLISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA (a, c)
conducted by RAYMOND LEPPARD (a, c)

CD 454 408-2 DDD
PHILIPS

- There are many who would be willing to renounce the accumulated interest on their bank account in the Bahamas to know how the performances of Bach's cantatas sounded. On Sundays and feast days services in the Thomaskirche in Leipzig began at seven o'clock sharp. After the Gospel had been read, the cantor conducted a cantata he himself had written. Even if, in addition to the seven city musicians and a few extras from the Thomasschule, only the best 12 of his 55 pupils were taking part, the whole thing would probably have sounded rather shaky to modern ears. For in most cases the composition was only finished on Saturday afternoon. Then some of the older pupils wrote out the parts for the individual performers from Bach's score and handed them over at cock-crow to the tired boys, who sang many of these devout works at sight, without any rehearsal. What the congregation made of it, we do not know.