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BACH: Fantasia Super: Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott, BWV 651
FULL POWER!!! The overwhelming opening of Fantasia Super: Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott, performed by Leo van Doeselaar for All of Bach, refers almost literally to the opening lines of Acts 2 from the Bible, which say about Pentecost: “And when the day of Pentecost fully came, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a mighty rushing wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance”.
The underlying melody, which Bach used for various Pentecost cantatas, is heard in the pedal, but only after the drone of a sustained note (a ‘pedal point’) has resounded in our ears.
Then – with short interruptions – we are presented with the whole chorale melody, which remains a beacon of tranquillity in the midst of the notes tumbling over one another in the upper parts. As in the much shorter original version of this chorale, which most probably originated in Weimar, Bach imaginatively draws on many different compositions. He does so, for instance, in his fervent illustration of the commotion of ‘speaking in tongues’, to which the words of the chorale also refer. Finally, all the turbulence ends in a short but powerful hallelujah.18 Choräle/Leipziger Choräle, BWV 651-668
In the last ten years of his life, Bach gathered together and completed a series of chorale arrangements, presumably planning to have them published, just like the third part of the Clavier-Übung in 1739. It concerns a selection of his compositions from much earlier years when he was working as an organist in Weimar, Arnstadt and Mühlhausen. The collection became known as the 18 Choräle or Leipziger Choräle. Incidentally, 18 Choräle is a misleading title, as the set originally comprised 17 pieces. The eighteenth, Vor deinen Thron tret ich (BWV 668), was added to Bach’s manuscript later on.
Recorded for the project All of Bach on October 21st 2014 at St Catharine’s Church, Hamburg.
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Diablo
From Heaven Satan fell
I heard the death knellPride led him to revolt
For all his intelligence he was a doltHe desired to be like God completely
To have supreme sovereigntyHe was the chief archangel of light
Now he’s full of blightSatan is our adversary
But in Christ we have victoryThe Devil prowls like a hungry beast
Looking for souls on which to feastHe despises man
We are part of God’s planMan alone was chosen for redemption
The fallen angels were excluded without exemptionIn Christ we triumph over Satan
Our joy is overladen -
The United States of Babylon
Is this the place where freedom lies
Beneath the wicked cocaine skiesThe land of the free
Freedom to sin and create miseryThe love of God and country has long grown cold
For most in this Satanic foldWhere have you gone halcyon days
Now we live in a hazeWrong is right and the insane are sane
This is the madness of America’s brainVice rules the days
Pursued with zealousness in myriad waysOnce we had a godly nation
Now it has become an abominationDo as thou wilt has become the slogan of our time
This demonic refrain should be a crimeThe strong prey on the weak
Yet Jesus said blessed are the meekGod is not mocked
This nation shall soon be defrockedA small remnant of God’s family is still here
The Lord’s return is nearer every day so let’s cheerChrist shall appear at the last trumpet’s blast
Godly people stand steadfastThe armies of Satan shall fall like wheat being chaffed
By the power of Jesus’ words shall they be slayedBut for now the United States of Babylon continues its descent
The only hope for America is for its people to repentby Zachary Uram
(c) 2023 -
Christmas in Yellowstone
I arrive at Yellowstone
On a cold and sunny morning
It’s Christmas Eve
Here I will celebrate Christ’s birthI spot a majestic eagle
Soaring above
If only I could see with its eyes
To experience such freedom and exhilarationThe eagle circles above
It’s on the hunt
Suddenly the great bird swoops down
And catches a plump rabbit in its talonsI walk into a valley
Covered in two feet of snow
My snow shoes help but my progress is slow
Pine trees tower above the ridgeI came across a mother grizzly and her cubs
I’m sure to stay upwind from them
My distance is respectful
The cubs are enjoying the snowI see an energetic red-tailed fox
It leaps into the air
And down under the snow
It emerges with a mouse for its mealAfter traversing the valley
I come across a grove of pine trees
I’ll make my home here for the night
It has cover from the wind and snowI create a hut using pine branches
And the tarp I brought in my backpack
Good thing I have a sleeping bag
This shall make for a cozy homeAt the lake I catch some rainbow trout
I make a fire and fry the fish in a pan
I season it with a pack of herbs and spices I had
It was the best fish I ever ateEvening is now approaching so I go back to my hut
There by kerosene lamp I read the Christmas story
In the Gospel of Luke
I feel at peace and thankful for my Lord and Savior JesusI am struck by the blissful silence of my environment
I enjoyed the solitude, but only for a season
I have a wonderful feeling of serenity
I am happy to be aliveI wake up after a sound night’s sleep
It’s Christmas day
I pack up my things and head home
This was an experience I’ll never forgetby Zachary Uram
(c) 2023 -
A Spring Journey
The rain falls gently down
Covering hills of green and brown
The air smells fresh and new
Like early morning dewA songbird chirps a sweet melody
It seems to recognize me
I love being connected to nature
There is nothing greaterObserving God’s glorious creation
Fills me with elation
All this was made for man
Following God’s master planWe must be good stewards of the earth
From our dying days to our birth
Pollution must be limited
In this task, we must be committedWalking slowly in the park
I spotted a lone lark
It was standing near a daisy
Looking rather lazyEventually subsides the rain
I noticed I feel less emotional pain
A dazzling rainbow stretches across the sky
It delights my eyeI rest under a mighty oak tree
Free from misery
What history this oak has seen
Rivaled only by the secrets in my geneI slowly make my way home
Today ’twas lovely to roam
I’ll cherish these memories forever
They shall always bring me such pleasureby Zachary Uram
(c) 2023birds, green hills, journey, nature, oak, Pennsylvania, personal, Pittsburgh, rainbow, roam, Spring, Springtime, stroll, trees -
My Broken Mind
I am crazy and barking mad
I’m quite insane
This is my sad refrainAt the turn of the millennium
‘Twas a score and three
Since I lost my sanityNow my days are troubled
Filled with pain and woe
We truly reap what we sowMy thoughts are speeding past
It’s a superluminal race
I can’t keep up the paceDelusions and hallucinations
Rule the day
I’m left with feeling dismayWhat’s it like
To be in a psychotic state
It ain’t greatMy mind is not well
Thoughts are disjointed and broken
Am I forsakenI’ll take my meds
See my psychiatrist and pray
And dream of a better daySometimes I get
A dissociative event
At least it’s not permanentI zone out
And lose all touch with reality
It’s very scaryMy depression makes me lie
In bed like a beached whale
Here ends my sad taleby Zachary Uram
(c) 2023 -
Thoughts on a Sunny Day
Woe is me
From happiness I doth flee
Time races past
I’m a ship without a mast
The days are dark and filled with pain
Will I ever be sane
Days turn into years
Who can erase my fears
I cling to hope and pray
Of a future happy day
For now I’ll bide my time
And dream of green hills I may climb
With no strength or energy
I’m a prisoner of my own body
I’ll retreat into my mind
What wonders I will find
Traveling the universe faster than light
I’ll return in a fortnight
If you care pray for me
Of a day when I’m happy and fancy free
By Zachary Uram
(C) 2023