Really, really unseasonal - but seeing as we're expecting arctic conditions over the next week, I thought I could make an exception for an extract from Bach's Christmas Oratorio...Schlafe, mein Liebster. I'm booked to sing this with the flute choir at school, though don't have the music...so have to learn it from the recording...good times! We'll get there :) Bach was really never one to conform, and its obvious in this, with his not-so-stereotypical musical portrayal of Christmas. The text isn't particularly sacred and there's not a glockenspiel or tubular bell in sight! Though what he really does portray well is the richness of the season, with a really thick orchestral texture, over which the vocal line floats.
Though the vocal line isn't particularly high; a real mezzo is needed to combat the untransposed score. Thankfully for me, flutes are unnaturally high, so I'll be singing a fair bit higher. The only think I'm slightly worried about is how texture will be changed...or how the vocal part might be overpowering - as it is definitely the orchestra that have the focus in this piece.
As with every single bit of Bach that I've ever laid 'ears' on, the harmony in this is divine, especially when there is a sustained vocal part with orchestral movement underneath. In our A Level music course, we have to harmonise a melody in the style of Bach for a section of our exam; and this is a perfect example as to why.
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