ASSIMILATION+TRANSFORMATION: Bach and Pergolesi

Late in his career in the 1740s, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) turned his attention to the music of a much younger Italian contemporary, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736), reconstructing the latter’s already famous Stabat mater of 1736, by changing its Latin text to a new German one ("Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden" or "Cancel, Highest, my sins") and subtly expanding the orchestration, yet keeping all the essential materials of the original composition. Bach thereby transformed the original into something very unique: a co-authored hybrid that shines a fascinating light on the musical language of both composers.

Bach-Pergolesi, Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden BWV 1083 (c.1745)

All Souls' Episcopal Church 12:00 p.m.
1475 Catalina Blvd, San Diego, CA 92107