Several generations of Bachs have been gathered by Richard Marlow and the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge for their programme of motets. All of them have been recorded at various times in the past but many only infrequently, and one or two, perhaps, now make their first appearance on CD. There is no dull music here and two of the pieces, at least, are of outstanding expressive beauty. The earlier of these is Johann Bach’s profoundly affecting Unser Leben ist ein Schatten (“Our life is but a shadow”). This member of the clan survived both the Black Death and the savage bombardment of Erfurt during the Thirty Years War.

The motets of Johann Ludwig Bach occupy an outstanding position within this genre. Though rooted firmly in the shorter motets from the Thuringian tradition, nonetheless they reach dimensions which are seldom observed in that tradition. This is also true with respect to polychoral music, which here is raised from the exception to the rule – on the other hand, it is valid, when one bears in mind the necessity of representing the prestige of a royal court. Varying ensembles and dialogue-like passages contribute to these richly expressive compositions. Without a doubt these motets by the “Meininger Bach,“ highly regarded by J. S. Bach, are a treasured enrichment of the repertoire.

Johann Ludwig Bach’s Funeral Music for the Duke of Sachsen-Meiningen is a delightful discovery. JS Bach clearly regarded his distant cousin’s music highly, performing 18 of his cantatas in Leipzig during a single year. The Funeral Music, setting in part the Duke’s own text, is magnificent in scoring – for two choirs, soloists and large orchestra including trumpets and drums – and in scale. Like a Baroque Dream of Gerontius, the soul begins fettered in human bonds on earth, then ascends to the heavenly gates, with Part 3 a brilliant celebration of celestial joy. Bach’s descriptions are graphic – ‘bonds’ create staggering dissonances, resolved to momentary silence when ‘torn asunder’.