Classic Ross Amico

Tag: Bach

Remembering William Scheide Princeton Benefactor

Today would have been the 107th birthday of William H. Scheide.

By coincidence, I was only just thinking about two concerts given in Princeton by Sir John Eliot Gardiner and his Monteverdi Choir. The first, in 2014, was devoted to Bach and Handel, and the second, in 2015, was a performance of Monteverdi’s “Orfeo.” These were among the most memorable concerts I ever attended. Both were made possible thanks to Scheide’s munificence.

Scheide, who died in 2014 at the age of 100, was as generous as he was long-lived. He shared his abiding love for music, of course, especially that of Bach, of whom he was a respected interpreter and scholar; but he was also active in social causes, fighting against poverty, disease, hunger, ignorance, and discrimination. He touched many, many lives in the Princeton area and beyond.

He also happened to enrich Princeton University’s Firestone Memorial Library with a trove of rare books and documents, including a Gutenberg Bible, some Shakespeare first folios, a copy of the Declaration of Independence, and manuscripts by Bach, Beethoven, and Lincoln, among others, the fruits of three generations of Scheide book-collecting.

I had also, by chance, only just been thinking about a Scheide memorial program, a radio documentary of sorts, that I assembled for broadcast on WWFM – The Classical Network, for which I interviewed a number of his intimates and associates, including conductor Mark Laycock, radio personality Teri Noel Towe, and Bach scholar Christoph Wolff, in addition to Scheide’s widow, Judith. In the end, I had to pull a literal all-nighter in order to get it on the air in time, sounding the best it possibly could, on January 6, 2015, on what would have been Scheide’s 101st birthday.

The year before, I had interviewed Gardiner, in advance of the first of his Princeton concerts, for an article in The Times of Trenton. Gardiner talked about his relationship with the famous Haussman Bach portrait, which then hung in the Scheide home. I also wrote a little more about Scheide’s relationship with Bach and Bach scholarship and his founding of the Bach Aria Group.

Two Scheide-sponsored concerts, conducted by Laycock, were also mentioned. In 2013, Laycock conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra, in yet another landmark Scheide-sponsored event – the first time the orchestra had played in Princeton in nearly 50 years. His performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, with the Wiener KammerOrchester and the Westminster Symphonic Choir, on the occasion of Scheide’s 100th birthday, was broadcast nationally on PBS.

https://www.nj.com/times-entertainment/2014/06/sir_john_eliot_gardiner_to_con.html

Thanks for the musical memories, Mr. Scheide, and beyond that, thank you for making the world a better place.

PHOTO: William Scheide (center) with the Bach Aria Group he founded. Clockwise, from left, Eileen Farrell, Julius Baker, Robert Bloom, Paul Ulanowsky, Jan Peerce, Norman Farrow, Bernard Greenhouse, Maurice Wilk and Carol Smith

January 6, 2021
Gustav Schreck Bach’s Unsung Leipzig Cantor

Anyone else know of Gustav Schreck (1849-1918)?

Schreck was cantor at the famed Thomaskirche in Leipzig. That’s right, Johann Sebastian Bach’s church. Under Schreck’s direction, works of Bach and other former Thomas cantors featured prominently in services and other musical activities. Artistic quality was high. He programmed Bach cantatas in their entirety, acquired historic instruments, and modified his performances to make them more “authentic” (soprano and alto parts were sung by soloists from the boy choir), decades before it would even be considered “pioneering.”

Schreck was one of the founders of the New Bach Society. He was also professor of composition and theory at the Leipzig Conservatory. He broadened the exposure of his Thomanerchor by leading it out of the church and into the concert hall, introducing the group into programs of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.

I stumbled across this amiable Bassoon Sonata yesterday and thought you might enjoy it.

April 4, 2020
Celebrate Bach’s Birthday Support Classical Music

Well, the day is finally upon us – Johann Sebastian Bach’s 335th birthday. And I can’t even get out to buy him a card.

Anyone can share the love, however, by making a donation to WWFM The Classical Network at wwfm.org.

Each year, it has been our custom to honor Bach by amassing 500 listener donations by March 21. We set no minimum. 500 donations IN ANY AMOUNT is what we ask for. When we reach 500, we cut the cake, and we celebrate with something of a Bach blowout.

This year, of course, that has become a bit problematic, but we are still committed to doing what we can to keep Bach in our hearts and on the air waves.

Your contribution supports not only our broadcast of Bach’s music, but also anything else we can lay our hands on that we think is worthwhile that falls under the umbrella of classical music. That’s a thousand years of the best of the best. It’s all made possible thanks to engaged listeners and active listener-support from people just like you.

We realize that money is tight for many during these uncertain times. But if you’re in a position in which you think you can afford it, please consider contributing whatever you can to help us in our ongoing mission. We’ve been here, sharing classical music with our community, since 1982. Thanks to advances in technology, that community now spans the globe.

Is classical music an essential part of your life? Please support it.

It’s convenient, and it’s safe. Simply head over to wwfm.org, and click on “Support” or follow the “Celebrate Bach” link. While you’re there, you can also monitor our progress by consulting the Bach 500 Membership Thermometer. As of Saturday morning, we stand at less than 200 contributions to go.

Make that donation, if you’re able, then join us in hoisting a bock to Bach. Thank you for your continued support of WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org!

March 21, 2020
Bach Barber & Aho on WWFM

We’ll enjoy a nice stack of Barber, Bach, and Kalevi Aho today.

Representatives of The Dryden Ensemble will stop by to talk about the group’s upcoming performances of Bach’s “St. John Passion,” which will take place this weekend, at All Saints’ Church in Princeton (Friday & Saturday at 7:30 p.m.) and Trinity Episcopal Church in Solebury, PA (Sunday at 3).
The interview and musical illustrations will be heard this afternoon at 5:00. I’ll be with you from 4 to 7 p.m EDT.

Good chat. Good music. No corn syrup, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

March 9, 2020
Bach’s St. John Passion: Princeton & Solebury

When placed alongside the “St. Matthew Passion,” Johann Sebastian Bach’s “St. John Passion” is especially striking in its immediacy. The work is smaller in scale, yet more extravagant, less contemplative, and perhaps even a little rawer. It’s also much less frequently performed. Though Bach never composed an opera, this is about as close as he would ever get.

The Dryden Ensemble will offer three opportunities to hear it live: this Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., at All Saints’ Church in Princeton, and this Sunday at 3 p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church in Solebury, PA.

The “St. John Passion” was first performed on Good Friday, 1724, shortly after Bach’s 39th birthday. Dryden will present the work using the same forces Bach himself employed: a choir of eight superb singers and a small orchestra of period instruments. Tenor Jason McStoots will sing the part of the Evangelist, and baritone William Sharp will portray Jesus. Scott Metcalfe will conduct. For tickets and information, look online at http://www.drydensemble.org.

Then join me this afternoon on The Classical Network, as I’ll be hosting Dryden’s artistic director Jane McKinley, Metcalfe, and McStoots. They’ll drop by at 5:00 to tell us more about this run of performances and to talk about the significance of the “St. John Passion.”

Following our conversation, which will include musical excerpts, I’ll also have a recording of Bach sonatas played by violinist Lara St. John.

As a counterbalance to this all-Bach hour, I’ll be celebrating the birthdays today of American composer Samuel Barber and conductor Thomas Schippers. We’ll also take in the otherworldly Theremin Concerto by Finnish composer Kalevi Aho. Here are a few comments by the soloist, Carolina Eyck, for whom the work was written:

As we chat about Bach this afternoon and enjoy his music, remember, we are currently in the midst of our Bach 500 campaign. In celebration of the anniversary of Bach’s birth (on March 21st, 1685), we are asking for 500 listeners to step up and make a donation to The Classical Network IN ANY AMOUNT. You set the level.

When we reach 500 donations, we’ll tally in the funds from our Bach Pot – contributions solicited in advance from some especially ardent supporters – and, best of all, we’ll be able to cancel fundraising on Bach’s birthday and enjoy just his music.

You can do your part to help make that happen by calling us during business hours at 1-888-232-1212, or by donating anytime online at wwfm.org.

Once we raise the money, we’re Bach to the music!

Thank you for your support. It’s because of the generosity of listeners just like you that we have been able to share the world’s great music since 1982. Make your donation, then join me today for Bach, Barber, and uncanny Aho, from 4 to 7 p.m. EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

The Kalevi Aho Society

March 9, 2020

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