Here’s another amazing work of J. S. Bach, “Et Resurrexit” the translation of which is “and he rose the third day, according to the scriptures.” It is a part of the B Minor Mass, a monumental masterpiece of devotion and…
Author: Edward Wolfe
Bernstein on Bach’s St. Matthew Passion
I first heard this lecture when I was a teenager and it forever changed the way I heard Bach’s music and deepened my Christian faith. Bernstein was Jewish and yet appreciated the depth of devotion, beauty, and drama expressed in…
Antwerp Central Station Flashdance
For purely joyful dance, it’s hard to beat this. Oh, those Belgians seem to love The Sound of Music as much as I do! 4 minutes. For email subscribers click here to see the video.
Tchaikovsky Flashwaltz
Forty students from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance perform unexpectedly in the lobby of Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. I find the spontaneity of it and the impromptu audience’s response sheerly beautiful. 5 ½ minutes. For email subscribers click…
Prayer of Saint Francis
This beautiful rendering of the famous prayer is accompanied by signing, which I always find moving. The music is by Allen Pote (1945-). The intrusive church bell at the end somehow makes the singers’ focus and concentration even more beautiful. …
John Rutter’s “The Lord Bless You and Keep You”
A lovely “Amen” at the end. 3 minutes For email subscribers click here to see the video.
Hallelujah in the Department Store
In a wonderful, memorable “random act of culture,” the Opera Company of Philadelphia and over 650 area choristers met at Macy’s Center in Philadelphia in 2010 and performed “Hallelujah” from Handel’s Messiah for the sheer beauty of it. The magnificent…
The most beautiful piece
Perhaps the most beautiful piece of choral music is from Brahms’s A German Requiem. This recording is particularly beautiful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ED3zwz94x4 For email subscribers click here to see the video. Words Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen, Herr Zebaoth!Meine Seele verlangetund sehnet…
Non nobis in the movie
One of the most inspiring speeches I’ve heard is the Saint Crispin’s Day speech delivered by the King in Henry V by Shakespeare. Kenneth Branagh’s film, accompanied by Patrick Doyle’s “Non Nobis,” almost does the impossible: improves on Shakespeare. 6…
Swingles swing Bach
Back in the 1960s I was entranced by the Swingle Singers. What these 8 singers did with their voices seemed impossible! They influenced me to highly esteem the work of Johann Sebastian Bach. Post your reaction in a comment. 2…