Sing with Stile: Jesu, meine Freude

with Stile Antico

About the course

Join members of Stile Antico to explore J. S. Bach’s Jesu, meine Freude (BWV 227), perhaps the most innovative and dramatic of his motets. Combining words from scripture with Lutheran chorale verses, its eleven movements trace a deeply moving journey through sorrow and suffering towards protection, salvation and joy. The course will also introduce music by Bach’s predecessors in the German-speaking lands, including works associated with the ‘Florilegium portense’, a collection used at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig during Bach’s time. Heard alongside the motet, these earlier works illuminate both its musical roots and its central message, revealing a rich tradition of German sacred music stretching from Schütz towards Bach and beyond.

Who is it for?

This Open Access course welcomes singers of all levels who enjoy choral music-making. Everyone will sing together as a choir, with guidance from members of Stile Antico. Some music-reading ability will be helpful, and advance familiarity with Bach’s motet is recommended, but no audition is required. Enthusiasm and a willingness to learn as part of a group are most important.

What to expect

Rehearsing together as a choir, singers will explore the expressive and technical demands of Jesu, meine Freude, from its intricate counterpoint to its intimate chorales and vivid treatment of words. Members of Stile Antico will guide work on ensemble, intonation, blend, phrasing and the relationship between text and music. Selected motets by earlier composers will offer a fresh perspective on Bach’s musical inheritance, and the course will culminate in an informal performance on the final day.

Practical information