Musical recycling

Don’t ask me why, but I was listening to Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion” yesterday. If you’re familiar with it, you’ll recall a tune that appears five different times:

1.     Part I, No. 21 – "Erkenne mich, mein Hüter"

2.     Part I, No. 23 – "Ich will hier bei dir stehen"

3.     Part II, No. 53 – "Befiehl du deine Wege"

4.     Part II, No. 63 – "Ergötze dich, mein Seele"

5.     Part II, No. 72 – "Wenn ich einmal soll scheiden"

 

The tune was originally composed by Hans Leo Hassler in 1601 for a secular love song before Bach repurposed it.

More recently, Paul Simon re-purposed the melody yet again for “American Tune.” Music is choc-a-block with plagiarism. Handel did it in Messiah. Jazz does it all the time. Hearing it in St. Matthew Passion was like hearing the voice of an old friend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wu2teJTHMk

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