Sunday Bach - Fourth Sunday After Epiphany

Bach wrote two cantatas for the fourth Sunday after epiphany - a beautiful solo cantata for alto, BWV 81, Jesus schläft, was soll ich hoffen; and a chorale cantata, BWV 14, Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit. Enjoy!

Photo © 2011 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Sights Seen on a Morning Walk

Walking through the Dykeman Spring Nature Park this morning on the way to the grocery store, I found a few things to capture - some birds, raindrops, and a mighty hunter stalking its prey on the upland meadow. Take a look!

A male Cardinal high up in a tree

Raindrops in the Dykeman Spring wetland

A male Belted Kingfisher in a tree over the north duck pond

Behold the mighty hunter, stalking prey on the upland meadow!

© 2017 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Sunday Bach - Third Sunday After Epiphany

Today we have three Bach cantatas for the third Sunday after Epiphany - two chorale cantatas, BWV 111 Was mein Gott will, das g'scheh allzeit, and BWV 73 Herr, wie du willt, so schick's mit mir; and a little gem of a solo cantata with a beautiful opening sinfonia, BWV 156 Ich steh mit einem Fuß im Grabe! 

Photo © 2011 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Sunday Bach - Second Sunday After Epiphany

Bach composed three cantatas for the second Sunday after Epiphany: a short solo cantata - BWV 155, Mein Gott, wie lang, ach lange; a regular cantata - BWV 13, Meine Seufzer, meine Tränen; and a magnificent chorale cantata, BWV 3 - Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid.

Photo © 2016 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Wolf Moon

Wolf Moon, January 13, 2017, 6 am

Do not fear the night.
Instead, summon the wolf inside you
and welcome the darkness
like it is home.
– Nikita Gill

"Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make!" – Bram Stoker, Dracula




The highlight of any Paul Winter concert - howling with the wolves!

Photo © 2017 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Sight & Sound - Earth Ritual

Bone and Bamboo

Earth - Rock, stone, dirt, sand, wood, bone, shell, feather. The understructure of the world, bridging Air and Water, forged by Fire. Feel the heartbeat of the world and dance the dance of Earth.

© 2017 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Sunday Bach

I'm starting a new weekly feature for this blog today. For the past several years I've been posting one of Bach's liturgical cantatas on my Facebook timeline every Sunday. The idea comes from the late, great WGBH radio host Robert J. Lurtsema, who played a cantata every Sunday morning on his Morning Pro Musica show. Robert J played them in numerical order according to BWV number; after he passed away his successor, Brian McCreath, continued the tradition but played them according to which Sunday in the Lutheran liturgical calendar it was. This order has always made more sense to me, and that's how I've been posting the cantatas on Facebook. And now I've decided to expand that tradition to this blog. Each Sunday I'll post the correct cantata for that day, along with something from my photos.

Today is the first Sunday after the Feast of the Epiphany, and Bach composed three cantatas for that day. I chose BWV 124, "Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht". I'm partial to Bach's chorale cantatas, and this is one of his best.

Photo © 2016 by A. Roy Hilbinger 

Greeting the New Year

With a walk in the woods and fields of the Dykeman Spring Nature Park.

Multiflora Rose hips in the wetland

Hemlock with cones by the north duck pond

Teasel husks along the Meadow Trail

Looking north from the top of the upland meadow

© 2017 by A. Roy Hilbinger