Johann Sebastian Bach
arr. JEFFREY SNEDEKER
Sinfonia from Cantata 156
"Ich steh mit einem Fuss im Grabe" for Five Horns
PROGRAM NOTES
The Sinfonia from Cantata 156 "Ich steh mit einem Fuss im Grabe" (I stand with one foot in the grave) is originally for solo oboe and string accompaniment. It was composed for the third Sunday in Epiphany in 1729, with SATB soloists, oboe, strings, and continuo. The text speaks of preparing for death and appeals to God for a gentle, merciful end. For the Sinfonia, experts suggest that Bach once again borrowed music from himself, in this case a lost oboe concerto.
This arrangement distributes the solo line among the top four horns, leaving the foundation work solely in the hands of Horn 5. Since Bach did not include indications for dynamics, a conscious choice was made to omit any editorial additions of dynamic. Performers are encouraged to follow their instincts and work together on the expressive aspects of this piece— and when you have the melody, play out! Alternate versions for brass quintet that feature the horn, trombone, or tuba are available by special order.
Jeffrey Snedeker joined the music faculty at Central Washington University in 1991. His teaching duties have included horn, music history, and directing the Brass Choir and Horn Ensemble. He has received several awards for teaching, research, and service, most recently the 2012 Higher Education Music Educator of the Year by the Washington Music Educators Association and was selected Distinguished Professor for Service at CWU. Jeff has been a featured artist, clinician, lecturer, and host of regional, national, and international conferences for the International Horn Society, Historic Brass Society, Northwest Horn Society, Washington Music Educators Association, among others, all over the US, and in Canada, Germany, France, Switzerland, Finland, Taiwan, South Africa, and Australia. He is recognized as a leading performer and scholar of the horn, especially in solo repertoire, chamber music, jazz, and historical performance, and has published over 50 articles on a variety of musical topics, including entries in The Encyclopaedia of Popular Music, journals of the International Horn Society, Historic Brass Society, American Musical Instrument Society, Music Educators Journal, VOICE Magazine, Composition Today, and seven articles in the second edition of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. He has served on several boards of local, national, and international organizations, including the International Horn Society, for which he served as President, among other capacities. He has released four solo recordings featuring the natural horn and the horn in jazz settings. Jeff became Principal Horn of the Yakima (Washington) Symphony Orchestra in 1992, and has performed with many regional, festival, and metropolitan orchestras. He has degrees from Heidelberg College, University of Michigan, Ohio State University, and the University of Wisconsin. He lives in Ellensburg with his extremely patient wife and two talented sons.
