rss...Bach could be viewed as a musical cul-de-sac within the history of the eighteenth century itself: he did little to extend the musical vocabulary of his age, and his music hardly served as a basis for that of the succeeding generation. Yet what has made him a summit for many is his apparent ability to transcend historical contingency, somehow to stop the clock of outward progress and to rearrange and recreate the world as he knew it. - John Butt
2007, February 05
Very Early Signs of Spring
Today is the beginning of meteorlogical spring, halfway between the Winter solstice and the Vernal equinox.
Kate, at Ciderpress Hill has seen the Bald Eagles arrive and begin to nest. Here the signs are more subtle--the cats are beginning to shed. Both these signs are related to the increasing day length, so now we know officially that Spring will arrive.
From James Pressler, here is Georg Friedrich Kauffmann's "O Jesulein süß", a short piece to lift your spirits. It seems to bring Spring to life.
Here is the same melody, in the hands of J.S. Bach, from the Schemelli Songbook, BWV 493.
Granted, this is usually considered a piece for the Christmas season, but somehow it speaks to me of new beginnings.
