Like Tallis and Palestrina, J.S. Bach has helped Sir James think about the contrapuntal nature of music—that is, how voices and musical lines create consonances and dissonances together to create memorable lines. Coupled with the Magnificat—the iconic prayer which expresses Mary’s joy in being the Mother of God’s Son— Sir James invites us to consider the joyful and playful qualities of this music, expressed particularly through the tempo and musical instrumentation.
Performed by John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists, the Monteverdi Choir:
