Bach Tage

Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person Bach-Tage event has been cancelled for this year. Join us for the 2020 Virtual Bach Tage 2020!

Download the following materials needed for this year’s Virtual Bach Tage:
Cantata No. 6
Cantata No. 68
Libretto: Translation

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Mount Olive Virtual Bach Tage 2020

June 6 and 7 we would have gathered for BachTage 2020 at Mount Olive. That is not possible due to the pandemic. But to go an entire year without Bach or BachTage would be sad beyond reason. We are delighted this weekend to be able to provide you with an online substitute until we can gather again in person.

If you have not already, supply yourself with musical scores and a translation of the text. You may download these at www.mountolivechurch.org. Scroll down the opening page of the website; at the bottom you will see a link to these materials.

Virtual BachTage will come to you in four separate experiences. You don’t need to watch them all at once, and you can view any of them as many times as you wish. Virtual BachTage will be available for about two weeks.

If you can connect your computer to a large monitor or TV, that would be a good idea. Also, taking advantage of the best quality sound you have available will enhance your enjoyment.

Art’s presentation is an in-depth analysis of the theology and musical content of cantatas 6 and 68, about 55 minutes in length. You may see it by clicking here: J. S. Bach: Cantatas 6 and 68, presentation by Art Halbardier
Kathy’s segment is reflections on the same music from a conductor’s perspective, 27 minutes in length. Click here: Kathy Romey reflections on Bach’s Cantatas 6 and 68
This Sunday is the Festival of the Holy Trinity. Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in E-flat for organ (BWV 552) is full of trinitarian symbolism. David will give you his insights into this monumental prelude and fugue, and will perform them on Mount Olive’s 55-rank Schlicker organ. Click each here: David Cherwien reflections on BWV 552. Prelude and Fugue in E flat, BWV 552, J. S. Bach (1685-1750)
Finally, a recording of cantatas 6 and 68 and the Service of Evening Prayer from BachTage 2017 with orchestra, vocal soloists Heather Cogswell, Clara Osowski, Bill Pederson, and Andrew Kane, and the participants at BachTage 2017. Click here: Mount Olive Bach Tage Vespers, 2017.

Best wishes for good health, safety and God’s peace, until we can gather again at BachTage 2021.

Kathy Saltzman Romey, David Cherwien, Art Halbardier

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Bach Tage celebrates the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.

organ-2 Widely regarded as the most prominent composer of the baroque era, Bach (1685–1750) was also the most influential contributor to the Lutheran musical canon.

The power of his work lies in its many layers of spirituality and its innovative complexity. Worshiping communities of many denominations continue to be inspired by the music of Bach, even as other communities choose simpler styles.

Mount Olive hosts Bach Tage, an annual weekend conference to celebrate with the wider community Bach’s enduring contributions.

At Bach Tage (Bach days), Kathy Romey of the University of Minnesota and a leading Bach conductor rehearses the conference participants to perform with professional orchestra and soloists one or more of the composer’s 200 cantatas in the context of worship. It’s a popular event for baroque musicians and other fans of Bach from the Twin Cities and across the nation.