The opening Chorus from Bach’s Cantata № 10: “Meine Seel erhebt den Herren”. This arrangement requires four bassoons and either a soprano/mezzo, or a choir singing in unison (upper voices only).
In 1989, in Oxford, a group of four bassoonist friends decided to form ‘The Equal Opportunities Bassoon Quartet”, and met regularly to rehearse. The wife of one of the players, Katherine Manville, often generously prepared a sumptuous meal for the quartet and this piece was written so that Katherine, a fine singer, could join in too!
The piece was later performed by the fledgling ‘Headington Singers’ singing the vocal part in unison, accompanied “on the night” by the bassoons. The piece has since also been arranged for flexible ensemble (SP1382), therefore widening its appeal.
This set comprises a full score, a set of bassoon parts and a single sided part for the singer. The latter is also freely downloadable from the website to allow easy (and legal) duplication for the purposes of a choir as required.
Cantata No.10; Meine Seele erhebet den Herrn