Jesu, meine Freude (Jesus, my joy), BWV 227, is a motet by J. S. Bach. In eleven movements for up to five voices, it is his longest and most musically complex motet. It is named after the 1653 Lutheran hymn "Jesu, meine Freude" by Johann Franck; the hymn's six stanzas form the motet's odd-numbered movements. Bach used the hymn tune by Johann Crüger in five different chorale settings (example pictured). The hymn's text focuses on an emotional bond to Jesus, complementing the doctrinal text from the Epistle to the Romans used for the even-numbered movements. Jesu, meine Freude is one of the few works by Bach for five vocal parts, in a structure of symmetries on different layers. It is unclear when the motet was written. Bach scholar Christoph Wolff believed that Bach may have compiled it to educate his choir in composition techniques and theology; an earlier theory that it was written for a 1723 funeral in Leipzig is now discredited. In 1927, it became the first of Bach motets to be recorded.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesu,_meine_Freude,_BWV_227
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1813:
Napoleonic Wars: Two evenly matched French and British frigates fought for four hours at the Îles de Los off the Guinean coast, resulting in a stalemate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_7_February_1813
1900:
A Chinese immigrant in San Francisco fell ill with the bubonic plague in the first epidemic of the disease in the continental United States. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_plague_of_1900%E2%80%931904
1992:
The Maastricht Treaty, which led to the formation of the European Union, was signed by the member states of the European Communities. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maastricht_Treaty
1997:
Steve Jobs returned to Apple Inc. as a consultant after the company's acquisition of his technology startup NeXT. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeXT
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
Dickensian: 1. Of, pertaining to, or created by the English author Charles Dickens. 2. Similar to Dickens' writing style, especially in commenting on society, or in using emotion, humour, or rich descriptions. 3. Reminiscent of the environments and situations most commonly portrayed in Dickens' writings, such as poverty, social injustice, and other aspects of Victorian England. 4. A person who admires or studies the works of Charles Dickens. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Dickensian
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Whatever was required to be done, the Circumlocution Office was beforehand with all the public departments in the art of perceiving — HOW NOT TO DO IT. --Charles Dickens https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens
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