Read the note at the bottom for details on the instrument colours.

Johann Sebastian Bach wrote Cantata 29 in 1731, by which time he was working in Leipzig and at the height of his career. Although there is a reference to "Gott" (God) in the title (and the work is based on sacred text), this is not actually a church cantata that is, it was not written for a specific liturgical feast. But the work is a sacred cantata, written for a service at the Nikolaikirche (St. Nicholas Church) accompanying the “Ratswechsel” the annual inauguration of a new town council on the 27th of August of that year.

The cantata is one of few sacred cantatas written by Bach which opens with an orchestral sinfonia. Who knows what Bach’s motivation was behind this Sinfonia (convenience, musical appropriateness, or simply a looming deadline?) but the opening music the citizens of Leipzig heard that day (and again in 1739 and 1749) had existed in another form for over a decade, as the prelude to Violin Partita No. 3 in E (BWV 1006), written during Bach's earlier Cöthen period. Bach had already revised this for organ and strings in 1729 for the “wedding” cantata “Herr Gott, Beherrscher aller Dinge” (BWV 120a).

Bach sometimes reused an earlier composition, typically revising and improving it in a process called “parody” the reworking of one kind of composition into another. Transposing the work from E major down a step to D major, Bach transformed the prelude and created a joyous orchestral setting befitting the ceremonial pomp of the occasion. The obbligato (solo) organ plays the original virtuoso violin part, while the lavishly written ensemble (3 trumpets, two oboes, strings, continuo and timpani) imitates the material to produce a concertolike structure. Today, this ceremonial sinfonia is often performed by solo organ (notably by organist Diane Bish).

I decided to revisit this piece as I’d been requested to participate in a concert series of semi “switchedon” music combining analog and digital synthesizers and strings to create a hybrid ensemble. Though the project is on hold, I thought to create a new version having gained more experience and comfort with my software and mixing processes. I tried to get closer in sound to Carlos’ original version than in my previous post from six years ago (https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&vide.... Though my timbres are reminiscent, I’ve given the score a broader stereo treatment than Carlos’ more simplistic audio vista.

This is probably the most important piece of music to me (and is my ultimate favourite Baroque composition). The work presented here, is my sincere homage to Wendy Carlos, whose 1969 Grammy Award winning "SwitchedOn Bach" was the album that sparked my interest in Classical music. It inspired me to study piano, explore music through its eras, and later on, lead me to synthesizers and digital sound development.

Here is Bach's famous Sinfonia to Cantata No. 29, "Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir" (We thank you, God, we thank you). As always, the use of headphones will greatly enhance the listening experience.

For those wanting to follow the music, the MAMM Player Visualization colours are as follows:

Organ – Orange (top line)
Trumpets – Light Orange/Yellow/Lime Green (intermittent over Violin and Oboe)
Violin – Green (2nd line)
Oboe – Blue (3rd line)
Bassoon – Mauve (4th line)
Viola – Purple (can be seen under some of the Bassoon line)
Cello – Violet (2nd last line)
Doublebass – Pink (bottom line)
Timpani – Coral (intermittent through Cello and Doublebass)