Music Box
October 8, 2023
Meya Lin, Flute
Jubal Joslyn, Tenor
Cathryn Wilkinson, Organ
Prelude
Flute Partita in A Minor, S. 1013 J. S. Bach
I. Allemande
II. Corrente
III. Sarabande
IV. Bourrée angloise
Welcome back to Meya Lin, flutist. Meya first took an interest in the flute in fifth-grade band class and started taking private lessons in sixth grade. Her current flute teacher is Jennifer Candiotti. She was selected to perform in the Carmel Bach Festival Young Artists’ Showcase this summer. She is a 9th grade student at Carmel High School.
Bach’s flute partita (Italian for a suite in parts) is a tour-de-force for the flute. In the 18th century, when this was composed, the instrument was constructed from wood and held perpendicular to the body, as opposed to the more common recorder that was held parallel. Unlike Bach’s many compositions for church services that are based on Bible passages or church seasons, his writing for solo instruments shows an abstract musical depth that stands on its own. The movements of this partita are based on four popular dances. Bach weaves freedom, embellishment, virtuosic passages and new musical ideas within the standard dance rhythms that most listeners of the day would have recognized.