How to Listen to 10 Bach Pieces on Original Baroque Instruments
Aficionados of classical music may have a composer, time period, or genre, and when so many people fall under the umbrella of “classical music,” it’s a wonderful feeling to find a particular piece or style that resonates with you. If you like famous classical composers of the past (Handel, Mozart, Vivaldi, Beethoven, etc.), you may be wondering how these works sounded when they first debuted using musical instruments of that period. … (Or maybe you didn’t, and that’s okay too.)
If you like the musical style of Johann Sebastian Bach, you will enjoy it: an ensemble in California has recorded some of his works using original Baroque instruments . Here’s how to listen.
How to listen to Bach on baroque instruments
This version of musical time travel is presented to us by The Voice of Music from San Francisco, an ensemble dedicated to “Renaissance and Baroque music, drawing on numerous and varied sources of historical performing practice.” You may have already heard their version of Canon Pachelbel (and if for some reason you feel sad that you missed the wedding season this year, turn on that version and think about dry chicken and hiding in the bathroom when they play “Lonely Ladies.” They also have a beautiful rendition of the “Winter” suite from Vivaldi ‘s “The Four Seasons” .
Voices of Music are back with a YouTube playlist of 10 Bach songs played on baroque instruments to brighten and sound our lives in isolation. With just a few clicks on the playlist above, you’ll get hits like Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B flat major:
And Arioso from Cantata 156 (Symphony):
Not to mention the Flute Sonata in E minor:
If you act now (or at any time, really), you can access the entire Voices of Music YouTube channel filled with their recordings – completely free of charge, no shipping or handling.
In fact, speaking of money, this series also functions as a fundraiser for the ensemble, which continues to release one new video a week, paying the musicians and staff to do so. If you are interested, you can donate on their website or via the box in the upper right corner of the video.