Earth Cantata uses the form of Bach's sacred cantatas as a starting point and embraces their deep spiritual and emotional weight and richness, while fusing influences of Jazz, Rock and Pop music in a unique and fresh way.

The timeline location of each movement of Earth Cantata is:
0:00 - 1st Movement (Fantasy on an Original Chorale)
05:38 - 2nd Movement (Fantasy on The Art of Fugue Theme)
17:56 - 3rd Movement (Aria for Soprano)
23:50 - 4th Movement (Find Bach!, Duet for Tenor and Bass)
32:01 - 5th Movement (Fantasy on an Original Chorale)

The title of the first movement is "Fantasy on an Original Chorale." Aaron's original chorale evokes Bach while adding a Rock-inspired undertone.
The text is:
All lands, the limbs of earthy round,
With triumph tunes God's honour sound: 
Sing of his name the praiseful glory, 
And glorious make his praise's story.

The title of the second movement is "Fantasy on The Art of Fugue theme." Bach's Art of Fugue theme provides the inspiration for a Rock-inspired musical journey.
The text is:
Tell God: 'O God, what frightful wonder 
Thy works do witness, whose great might, 
Thy enemies so bringeth under, 
Though frown in heart, they fawn in sight!' 
All earth and every land therefore 
Sing to this God, this God adore! 
All earth, I say, and all earth dwellers, 
Oh, come, behold, oh, note beholding, 
What dreadful wonders from him flow: 
More height, more weight, more force enfolding, 
Than Adam's earthy brood can show. 

The title of the third movement is "Aria for Soprano." It resembles a Bach aria, but transitions gradually into more modern territory. This movement features Camille Tierney, soprano soloist and Amanda Talley, oboe.
The text is:
The sea up-dri-ed by his hand,
Became a field of dusty sand:
Through Jordan's streams we dry-shod waded,
The joy whereof not yet is faded.
His throne of strength unmov-ed standeth;
His eye on every coast is cast:
The rebel who against him bandeth,
Of ruin's cup shall quickly taste.

The title of the fourth movement is "(Find Bach!), Duet for Tenor and Bass." Bach-influence and modern Jazz meet in this movement. In "Find Bach!", you'll hear Bach's last name, represented musically as B-flat, A, C, B-natural (H in German musical nomenclature) in several sections. Can you find Bach? 
This movement features André García-Nuthmann, tenor; Andrew Paulson, bass and Linda Marianiello, flute.
The text is:
Now as my heart was innocent, 
God heard the hearty sighs I spent: 
What I to prayers recommended 
Was graciously by him attended, 
Praise, praise him then, for what is left me, 
But praise to him: who what I prayed, 
Rejected not, nor hath bereft me 
My hopeful help, his mercies' aid.

The title of the fifth and final movement is "Fantasy on an Original Chorale" and is a recap of the first movement with a more final ending. Aaron's original chorale evokes Bach while adding a Rock-inspired undertone.
The text is:
All lands, the limbs of earthy round,
With triumph tunes God's honour sound: 
Sing of his name the praiseful glory, 
And glorious make his praise's story. 

The performers were: 

Sopranos: Jennifer Perez, Camille Tierney (soprano soloist in 3rd movement)
Altos: Esther Moses, Jacqueline Zander-Wall 
Tenors: André García-Nuthmann (tenor soloist in 4th movement), Jordan Jones
Basses: Andrew Paulson (bass soloist in 4th movement), Tim Willson 

Violins: Elizabeth Baker, Carla Kountoupes
Viola: Gail Robertson
Cello: Sally Guenther
Double Bass: Deborah Dunham
Flute: Linda Marianiello
Oboe: Amanda Talley
Clarinet: Mike Gruetzner
Bassoon: Stefanie Przybylska
French Horn: Michael Walker
Piano: Jeremy Reger
Tambourine: Aaron Alter
Conductor: Franz Vote

Performances were on March 3 and 5, 2023.

Text is from The Sidney Psalter, The Psalms of Sir Philip and Mary Sidney
Published by the Oxford University Press (2009)
Copyright Hannibal Hamlin, Michael G. Brennan, Margaret P. Hannay and Noel J. Kinnamon, 2009
Reproduced with permission of the Licensor through PLSclear.

Earth Cantata (inspired by the Cantatas of J.S. Bach) for Chorus and Chamber Orchestra (Complete)

Aaron Alter is a composer from Carlsbad, California. His music is published by Universal Edition and Silverwinds Publishing. Aaron calls his new music his "New Beginning" because it is an exploration of a new style and energy that defies categorization.    

A native of Chicago, Aaron Alter's musical background was a product of the rich musical life that he found growing up in the Windy City. Aaron received his Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University, where he studied piano with Frances Larimer and Gui Mombaerts, and composition with Lynden DeYoung and David Noon. He received his Master of Fine Arts Degree from Princeton University, where he studied with Milton Babbitt and James K. Randall.  

Aaron’s new music was first performed in 2015, with the performance of “Homage to Josquin” for two flutes, piano, electric bass and drum set by The New Mexico Performing Arts Society in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “Homage to Josquin” received an Honorable Mention in the 2016 American Prize competition for Chamber Music Composition.  

Works such as "Solar Rays" and "Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry" defy genres and exist in Classical ensemble and Jazz Big Band versions. Both the classical piano trio (piano, violin and ‘cello) and Jazz Big Band versions of “Solar Rays” have received Silver medals at the Global Music Awards. Aaron’s Introspective Blues #1 for Flute and Harp has become his most popular work, with over 16,100 plays on SoundCloud and over 5,200 plays on Jango Internet Radio. Aaron’s music has been featured on the albums “One Minute”, “Two Minutes”, “Gimel” and “Daleth”, by the flutist Iwona Glinka on the Sarton and Phasma Music labels, all of which have won Silver Medals at the Global Music Awards.  

Aaron has received two commissions in the past two years for choral works with an instrumental ensemble from The New Mexico Performing Arts Society.  The first commission, “Together We Create and Sing! (inspired by the music of Franz Joseph Haydn”) was a semi-finalist at the 2018 American Prize competition for Choral Music Composition and received a Silver Medal at the August 2019 Global Music Awards.  The latest commission, “Lo Lanu Ha-Shem” (a setting of Psalm 115) received a Silver Medal from the March 2019 Global Music Awards.  

Aaron is a regular contributor of compositions to the repertoire of the flutist Iwona Glinka, the pianist and Steinway Artist, Susan Merdinger, the pianist Vania Pimentel, The New Mexico Performing Arts Society and Composers Concordance in New York.  

Aaron also serves as an Executive Board Member of the Carlsbad Friends of the Arts.

Earth Cantata (inspired by the Cantatas of J.S. Bach) for Chorus and Chamber Orchestra (Complete)

AaronAlterComposer