An Wasserflüssen Babylon, BWV 653, J.S. Bach
Organ by Freytag-Tricoteaux, Saint-Vaast Church in Béthune, France
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An artistic journal of sorts, this features one part of a recent trip to France where I competed in an organ competition in the northern part of the country. (Concours d'orgue Pierre de Manchicourt: orguebethune.fr/fr/index.html) While there could much to share about this experience, this video focuses on a day visit to the beach with musical commentary by Bach's ornamented chorale, "An Wasserflüssen Babylon," the recording of which was taken from my performance in the competition.
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The title of the video is in Latin, the ornamented chorale is based on German text, and the organist is a Kansan visiting France; while not in exile in a foreign land, there is indeed a lack of "native unity." The text of the Chorale (taken from Psalm 136) recalls sadness in exile, yet no storytelling we make of our foreign travels is ever in grief. The Psalm says how difficult it is to sing a melody in a "strange land," yet what joy it was to make music on these organs with people I could not speak the same language with. The most intense of the ironies: "Blessed be he that shall take and dash thy little ones against the rock." The Baroque artistry of Bach animates a curiously melancholic but reminiscing aura that creates a complementary clash to create a genuine contrast of this happy experience with otherwise sad music.
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