As part of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist‘s Good Friday service, which will be from noon to 2 p.m., Timothy Westerhaus and the Cathedral Choir at St John’s will present “Jesu, meine Freude,” the earliest and most musically complex of Johannes Bach’s six motets. The service will weave Scripture, poetry, hymns and choral music, all reflecting on Christ’s Passion, according to a press release.
Written in 1723 for the funeral of the wife of a Leipzig dignitary, “Jesu, meine Freude” (Jesus, my Joy), is an interweaving of a simple hymn tune with text from Romans 8, “recognizing that all the distractions, fears and sins of everyday life fade to nothing before the sublime recognition that Jesus is the single reality and the source of all true joy,” the press release reads.
The Cathedral Choir will be joined by cellist, Cheryl Carney and contrabassist, Kim Plewniak. Fourteen singers from the choir are featured in combinations of trios, quartets, and quintets.
On Easter Sunday, at both the 8 a.m and 10:30 a.m Festival Eucharists, the Cathedral Brass Quintet and timpani will add to the celebration. Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” will conclude the services, with music distributed to the congregation for a massed choral ensemble.
