Today I Listened To (Day 1):

Bach Concerto for Oboe and Violin in C Minor BWV 1060, 2nd Movement

The sun rises on a calm green hillside, and illuminates the small home hidden in the valley. A woman walks out of the front door. She is not very old, but her face shows the wear of many stressful years. She has been through a lot, and the quiet life she now lives seems like paradise. She walks down a worn dirt path breathing in the damp air, seeing the grassy hill laden with dew, glistening in the sun like a sea of diamonds. Birds begin to sing, welcoming in the day. Knowing the trail, she walks almost unconsciously, letting her shawl droop as the evening’s chill is wash away in the glorious sun.

The path runs through a small grove of trees. The green shade of the trees seem to invite contemplation. The swish of the underbrush as she walks seems almost to whisper “remember, remember”. Time long past, old friends, dear loved ones, and wonderful times of happiness and excitement. A twinge of sadness for times long past stings her, but is quickly brushed away. She feels she is much too old and tired for such things anymore. Her simple, secluded home matches her simple life. One that is reliable, and calm.

Coming out of the grove, her wondering mind is distracted again with the beauty of the morning. The sun is now caressing every living thing on the hill. Birds sing, deer graze with out a glance at her, and wild hares play, chasing each other. So accustomed have the become of her, it seems as if she were another animal welcoming in the day. She never posed any threat, any danger to any of them. The animals allow her to pass within a few feet of them, without a care.

But soon the trail led to its final destination. Up the hill it lead, and out of the valley until it reached the top of a crest. The woman pauses. Her mind comes back to recall times past. From the peak, she sees the cemetery. She reflects on her husband and her young child who lie there. It has been 10 years since her husband had died, and her baby didn’t live much longer. She dealt with it as best she could, but she never could bring herself to move away. Every morning, she would wake up with the sun, and go on this old, well-worn trail to remind herself of them. Their death no longer disturbed her, but she was terrified that one day she might forget. The very thought of it made her tremble. So for the last 10 years, come sun or snow, she had come to remind herself of her sweetheart, and of her little one.

Turning back, she begins to slowly walk back to the house. Her mind continues to wonder, but the warm sun raises her spirits from the somber mood of the cemetery. As she reaches the house, she pauses as she puts her hand to the door latch. Turning around she looks back towards the crest of the hill. “Until tomorrow,” She says, blowing a kiss. She then turns back and walks through the door.

About the Piece:

As I listened to this piece, I was stuck by the story it told. Although it is in a dance form, the Saraband, the triple meter also felt like flowing river, or a flowing of the mind from one idle memory to the next. Composed around 1720, he had just lost his wife, Maria Barbara, unexpectedly. by 1721, he met and married Anna Magdalena with whom, he would have 13 children with. This period of time saw Bach write a great amount of diverse music, including the Solo Violin Sonatas and Partitas, and his Solo Cello Suites. I believe that all of this music was a form a healing for Bach. Interestingly enough, some of the greatest music he composed at this time, like the Solo Violin Sonatas and Partitas, were never published while he was alive. It seems as if he composed it for himself, as a sort of journal entry, his ‘memorial’ to his sweetheart.

Rating:4/5- Definitely a piece I would listen to after a stressful day, and extremely interesting harmonic progressions. It really does feel like wandering, especially near the end of the movement. A little slow, if you want some excitement, but it is a second movement. It is not meant to be fast. If you want exciting, listen to Hyden’s Surprise Symphony No.94

For more performances, see: Maucotel Music