Global InformationDiscography of motets by Johann Sebastian Bach information
This article includes a list of commercial recordings of the motets of Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach motets have often been recorded as a set (typically comprising the six motets catalogued as BWV 225-230). However, other motets are attributed to Bach and there is some doubt about the authorship of Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden, BWV 230, one of the BWV "six".[citation needed]
A single CD has the capacity to contain the set of six motets plus some other works. For example, Maasaki Suzuki's 2009 recording with the Bach Collegium Japan on BIS includes O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht, BWV 118 (which at one time was categorised as a cantata) and Ich lasse dich nicht, BWV Anh. 159 (the authorship of which has been disputed).[1] The motets chosen for a particular recording project can reflect the way the balance of opinion changes regarding the status of particular work: given Bach's status as one of the great composers, a firm attribution to him is likely to result in more interest in recording the piece in question. For example, BWV Anh. 159 was not included by John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir in their first set recorded in 1980. However, they included it in their 2011 recording,[2] by which time scholarly opinion had re-assessed the work.
Recordings have also been made of the less securely attributed and even spurious motets. For example, Wolfgang Helbich recorded The Apocryphal Bach Motets, sung by the Alsfelder Vokalensemble, in 1993 (released in 1994, re-issued 2014).[3][4]
- ^ "Bach Motets". bis.se (BIS Records). Retrieved 6 April 2020.
- ^ Bach: Motets and Bach Motets at www
.muziekweb .nl. - ^ The Apocryphal Bach Motets: BWV Anh. 159–165 at www
.muziekweb .nl. - ^ The Sacred Apocryphal Bach (8 CD set) at ArkivMusic website.