The UTM Music Department hosted a “Bach in the Subway” performance at the Martin Coffeehouse March 22, celebrating Johann Sebastian Bach’s 334th birthday.
A group of faculty members, including Dr. Elaine Harriss, professor of music, Dr. Angela Ammerman, coordinator of music education and Charles Lewis, lecturer of music, as well as community members, including Linda Farmer and Bethany Ostenson, performed some of Johann Sebastian Bach’s works, from the well-known, to a few more obscure pieces.
“Bach in the Subways” is an event in which musicians around the world play Bach’s pieces in places where people in the general public may be, such as subways and coffeehouses. The performance was a part of a larger, worldwide performance going on throughout the weekend.
According to Harriss, spontaneous concerts will occur in around 150 cities in over 40 countries throughout the weekend.
Pieces performed included the well-known “Jesu,Ā JoyĀ ofĀ Man’sĀ Desiring”, “SheepĀ MayĀ SafelyĀ Graze,” which was originally written for two flutes and a soprano voice, but was performed by two violins and a piano, along with some of Bach’s preludes and sonatas .
Since the performance was in an area where people were constantly entering and leaving, some of the pieces were performed more than once, in order to give everyone a chance to hear.
Bach composed over 1,000 pieces of music throughout his life. Pieces like “FugueĀ inĀ GĀ Minor” and theĀ BrandenburgĀ ConcertosĀ are well-known in Western culture. Another one of his major works is TheĀ Well-TemperedĀ Clavier, which are two books of preludes and fugues in each of the 24 major and minor keys.
The UTM music department hosts many performances throughout the year. For more performances, visit https://www.utm.edu/departments/music/Calendarofevents.php
