Bach’s Roots: Early Influences on the Young Master features Voces Suaves and Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. 

Much has been written about Johann Sebastian Bach’s musical roots. Most studies, however, have confined themselves to those members of the older Bach family who were also composers and whose works, thanks to the Altbachisches Archiv (Archive of the Older Bachs), are relatively well documented.

The influence of the Thuringian Bachs on Johann Sebastian’s musical idiom was considerable and should not be underestimated. That much is not in doubt. But no less important for anyone wishing to understand the origins and context of Bach’s music in all its depth and breadth are those composers whose musical paths crossed his and who consequently had what, in some instances, was a crucial influence on his art.

This is the approach to the work of the great Thomaskantor that informed this recording, which, in addition to some compositions from the Altbachisches Archiv, highlights the work of those composers who either preceded Bach or were personally acquainted with him at his various places of employment.

The aim is not, of course, to draw qualitative comparisons between Bach’s works and those of the generations that came before him, but rather to shine a light on the very rich and varied musical tradition of central Germany into which Bach was born, and which was to have a formative impact on his unmistakable style of composition.

Voces Suaves
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin