Our “Dueling Bach” concert was a week ago, and I’m continuing to receive cards and emails thanking us for the experience.

Dear Kathy – Last Saturday’s concert was superb — thank you. I loved the creativity of the arrangements and your comments. I particularly loved your partner’s tribute to you — well deserved, I’m sure … (M.R.)

I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your dual organ concert last Saturday.  Your arrangements were excellent and imaginative.  And of course the playing both by you and Jieun was superb.  Have you thought of recording the performance or was it recorded?  If so, I would love to purchase the recording. Thank you so much for the beautiful music. (H.W.)

Hi, Kathy. I just wanted to mention that one special highlight of Saturday Night’s concert was the encore you & Jieun played. I’ve always loved “Sheep [may safely graze]” since hearing it at 1st Congregational in LA as a kid when I was at Pilgrim School. I played it at a wedding with a singer many years ago, and I had the organist play it at my wife’s funeral service 10 years ago. I played the Egon Petri piano version at my father’s funeral 2 years ago. It’s a special piece for me, & when I heard it Saturday, L. touched my arm in acknowledgement. Thank you so much. (D.A.)

Yes, about the encore, “Sheep may safely graze.” We came up with our own arrangement of this soprano aria from Bach Cantata 208, Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd (The lively hunt is all my heart’s desire: The Hunting Cantata). I played the recorder parts on the continuo organ while Jieun played the chorale and bass line.

From Wikipedia, I learned it was originally written for a birthday celebration, that of Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels. Bach was based at the nearby court of Weimar, and musicians from both courts appear to have joined together in the first performance in Weißenfels. Bach is known to have used the music again for other celebrations, but it remained unpublished until after his death.

The text is by Salomon Franck whose words are given to mythological characters, in this case Pales, a deity of shepherds, flocks, and livestock. Pales compares the peaceful life of sheep under a watchful shepherd to the inhabitants of a state with a wise ruler.

Schafe können sicher weiden
Wo ein guter Hirte wacht.

Wo Regenten wohl regieren
Kann man Ruh’ und Friede spüren
Und was Länder glücklich macht.

Sheep may safely graze and pasture
In a watchful Shepherd’s sight.

Those who rule with wisdom guiding
Bring to hearts a peace abiding
Bless a land with joy made bright.

Here is a video performed by the San Francisco Early Music Ensemble Voices of Music performing this work. It features Susanne Ryden, soprano; Hanneke van Proosdij and Louise Carslake, recorders; William Skeen, viola da gamba, and Rodney Gehrke, baroque chamber organ.

I must admit that our version of this may have seemed rather irreverent, in that we took a rather fast, lilting tempo. When Jieun played each phrase of the chorale on a different solo organ stop, I wasn’t sure that it would be “historically correct.” And — it probably isn’t!

But then I found the following image, and think it pictures it to a tee! Can’t you imagine a different sheep singing each phrase of the chorale?!

Baa! Baa!