Has anyone here ever tried to play Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring as a jig? I'm thinking about playing for our church's Christmas service, and noticing this song was in 9/8, thought it would be fun to play it as a slip jig then go into Christmas Eve. If you have any suggestions for doing this I would much appreciate it!
I've messed about with it before... but everytime I come to the bit where the choir comes in, I drop my flute and break into song!
Mainly because I can't remember what happens to the accompaniment next... I don't have the sheet music or a recording , and have to rely on my memories from when I was a good lil choirboy at St Mary's.
Heh... I hardly *ever* get to wear a cassock these days.
I get this mixed up with another Bach piece - I may be confusing it with "Sheep may safely Graze" - unless it really is the same thing. (Yes. Really confused.) As Q says, what do you do when the choir comes in...? If my memory serves me at all (hardly) then there's an obligatto somewhere that would do as the B part.
Or use the obligatto out of Sheep may Safely Graze. Er... I'm just going to sit quetly for a bit.
Bach didn't compose the piece called "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." Bach's original piece was actually written for a choral choir, and is called "Jesus bleibet meine Freude," which appears in the end of his cantata BWV 147. Later someone else rewrote it as a romantic piano piece. It doesn't sound like Bach's composition any more. Classical musicians always distort his music!
That's right - the culprit was Myra Hess, a victorian English broad. Thanks slainte, I'd forgotten (although it's self-evident when you think about it! Way to schmaltzy for good aul' JS, innit?)
I associate it with Leo Kottke's guitar version. If you work from that you could turn it into jig. Nice idea anyway. If it's a hymn you can stick to the tune and ignore it being polyphonic.
I had it on an LP by a group of session musicians that rocked up classical pieces, they were playing it in jig time.The album was "Classical Gas" and the band was called Apollo 100, great album on the music for pleasure label, MFP50526, if anyones interested.
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Has anyone here ever tried to play Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring as a jig? I'm thinking about playing for our church's Christmas service, and noticing this song was in 9/8, thought it would be fun to play it as a slip jig then go into Christmas Eve. If you have any suggestions for doing this I would much appreciate it!
# Posted on November 27th 2005 by rachellemarie
Re: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
I've messed about with it before... but everytime I come to the bit where the choir comes in, I drop my flute and break into song!
Mainly because I can't remember what happens to the accompaniment next... I don't have the sheet music or a recording , and have to rely on my memories from when I was a good lil choirboy at St Mary's.
Heh... I hardly *ever* get to wear a cassock these days.
# Posted on November 27th 2005 by Q
Re: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
How dare you think of it!
You must be mad! Or unspeakably wicked!
Repent! REPENT!
# Posted on November 27th 2005 by Pól
Re: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Yeah, I know that's not real kosher, but I don't really care
# Posted on November 28th 2005 by rachellemarie
Re: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Spent some time doing that today, in fact.
KFG
# Posted on November 28th 2005 by KFG
Re: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Doing what, KFG? Wearing a cassock, playing JJoMD, being unspeakably wicked or repenting? (or all of the above)
# Posted on November 28th 2005 by Q
Re: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
My dad once played it on the banjo. Frightening stuff.
# Posted on November 28th 2005 by Zazzaliss
Re: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
I get this mixed up with another Bach piece - I may be confusing it with "Sheep may safely Graze" - unless it really is the same thing. (Yes. Really confused.) As Q says, what do you do when the choir comes in...? If my memory serves me at all (hardly) then there's an obligatto somewhere that would do as the B part.
Or use the obligatto out of Sheep may Safely Graze. Er... I'm just going to sit quetly for a bit.
# Posted on November 28th 2005 by Innocent Bystander
Re: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
I seem to recall there's already a trad-ified version of 'Sheep May Safely Graze'
If I'm not mistaken it's called 'Goats, on the Other Hand...'
# Posted on November 28th 2005 by Q
Re: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
All of the above.
I save the banjo for Beethoven though.
KFG
# Posted on November 28th 2005 by KFG
Re: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Bach didn't compose the piece called "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." Bach's original piece was actually written for a choral choir, and is called "Jesus bleibet meine Freude," which appears in the end of his cantata BWV 147. Later someone else rewrote it as a romantic piano piece. It doesn't sound like Bach's composition any more. Classical musicians always distort his music!
# Posted on November 28th 2005 by slainte
Re: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
That's right - the culprit was Myra Hess, a victorian English broad. Thanks slainte, I'd forgotten (although it's self-evident when you think about it! Way to schmaltzy for good aul' JS, innit?)
# Posted on November 28th 2005 by Q
Re: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Interesting, as I understand it the piece is a series of embellishments on the tune of a traditional hymn.
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/lutheranism/44214
Found this.
http://www.jsbchorales.net/index.html
PP
# Posted on November 28th 2005 by Pied Piper
Re: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
By the way, it would be hard to rewrite the piece as a jig because it is polyphonic.
# Posted on November 28th 2005 by slainte
Re: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
I associate it with Leo Kottke's guitar version. If you work from that you could turn it into jig. Nice idea anyway. If it's a hymn you can stick to the tune and ignore it being polyphonic.
# Posted on November 28th 2005 by kuec
Re: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
I had it on an LP by a group of session musicians that rocked up classical pieces, they were playing it in jig time.The album was "Classical Gas" and the band was called Apollo 100, great album on the music for pleasure label, MFP50526, if anyones interested.
# Posted on November 29th 2005 by tirvaluk
Re: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
It's more fun playing Mozart's Horn Concerto in between a couple of traditional 6/8 jigs...
# Posted on November 29th 2005 by pinch of snuff
Re: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Dame Myra Hess was hardly Victorian. She was born in 1890 and died in 1965.
Thus spake the pedant.
No harm in new arrangements of classics as long as they are tasteful - and that of course is a personal thing!
# Posted on December 5th 2005 by flying tigerpig