Prelude and Fugue in C Sharp Minor

Listen to the song here
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Like the Prelude and Fugue in C Minor, this song has two parts that go together. (If you want to know why Bach's collection of preludes and fugues is called the Well-Tempered Clavier, you can go there.) The second part of this song (the fugue) has been called one of the most complex pieces of music Bach has ever written. Most fugues have one or two short melodies that are connected together and repeated throughout the song, but this one has 3. It also has 5 voices (melody lines playing at the same time) instead of 3 or 4. This leaves room for a lot of overlapping melodies, something which Bach took full advantage of.

I found this video of the fugue, with an analysis attached, which explained some more about the composition choices Bach made. It said that Bach tried to add some symbols of the suffering of Jesus. For example, it has sequences of descending notes in the highest voice, which were a common lament melody. This opening melody (which, of course, returns throughout) has a shape that was often used to represent a cross at the time.

There is also a lot of use of the number 5. The opening subject has 5 notes, and the whole fugue has 5 voices, which might match with the 5 wounds from the cross. If you listen to the whole song, it definitely sounds like it could be a mourning song (especially in a key like C# minor, which Bach might have even chosen on purpose).

Since it's Easter, I thought now would be a good time to post this one. It looks like I recorded it last year, but I probably left it in my folder because I was waiting for Good Friday. That means I really should have posted it on Friday, not Monday, but I'm sure you'll still listen to it.

 
Keep filling your teacup with music!
~Liya

I Know Who Holds Tomorrow

Listen to the song here
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This hymn was written by Ira Stanphill in 1950. In the lyrics, he says that we might make plans for the day, week, or even year, but we really don't know about tomorrow. We can't know whether our future is going to be positive or negative. (I think that's something a lot of you could say about the past few years. I could give you a lot of examples of events I couldn't predict.) In fact, I read that this song was written when the author was going through a difficult time in life. His wife had just left him to pursue her own career instead of his ministry.

I've heard other stories about artists coming up with their best ideas during a time of suffering. Maybe that's evidence for the fact that negative experiences might eventually lead to something good. So we really shouldn't be worrying about all that might go wrong in the future. We don't gain anything from that, since we have no control over it. The only thing we can control is the choices we make now.

Worrying won't change a thing, and the only way to be confident about the future is to trust God. That way, we can know who holds tomorrow even if we don't understand what will happen.

Keep filling your teacup with music!
~Liya