Bach/Biber Project
Welcome to the Bach/Biber Project. During this three-year journey, we will explore the profoundly spiritual music of two well-known composers, Johann Sebastian Bach and Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, whose gifts continue to resonate across the centuries.
The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in Atlanta provides the setting for contemplation and worship as participants are immersed in this music, and for those in the healing practices, to deepen their contemplative and meditative experience. All presentations are open to the public and free of charge.
Devotional music inspired by contrasting traditions
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (12 August 1644 [baptized] – 3 May 1704), acclaimed as the greatest violin virtuoso of his time, stretched the technical boundaries of the instrument with experimental tunings to create a sound world never before heard. Believed to have been educated as a Jesuit, Biber wrote devotional music clearly from a Catholic perspective.
Born during the Reformation to a family with strong Lutheran roots, Johann Sebastian Bach (31 March [O.S. 21 March] 1685 – 28 July 1750), a creative giant whose towering influence continues to inspire us, wrote both secular and religious music with the passion borne of his faith to the glory of God.
As a unique juxtaposition of works for violin by these two Baroque masters in a spiritual and contemplative setting, the Bach/Biber Project will coalesce over a period of three years to provide a spiritual narrative in an artistic medium to Episcopal and Atlanta communities.
We hope that these community offerings have value to those who seek them. If you are so moved, please consider a donation to help our community reach its environmental caretaking and contemplative practice goals.
Click here to make an online donation to the Bach/Biber Project. If you would prefer to write a check, please make it payable to Church of the Epiphany and mail it to the address listed below. Be sure to note "Bach/Biber Project" in the memo field.
Church of the Epiphany
2089 Ponce de Leon Ave., NE
Atlanta, GA 30307
Looking Back, Moving Forward
“My life has been the poem I would have writ / But I could not both live and utter it.”---Henry David Thoreau
What is the purpose of art? Is a life well-lived a work of art? Does art exist in our daily lives, or must we seek it out? These and so many other questions may arise from somewhere deep inside us, or we may live for years or even decades without our having an awareness of art in our lives or a desire to create it or connect with it.
From a physiological perspective, the presence of art and music in a person's life can have profound emotional and psychological benefits, from stress relief and reduced hypertension, blood pressure and symptoms of PTSD, to a lowered frequency of depression and anxiety. Painting, sculpting with clay, coming to see an art exhibition, or listening to a concert, connects us to our senses and gets us out of our heads, cultivates curiosity, changes perspectives, and can even touch our souls.
How about old music, such as music created hundreds of years ago? Does it lose relevance over time? Should we only seek the novel and forget yesterday's creations? Perhaps music written from before our time and that of tomorrow's moment are not all that different---it all depends on the eye (or ear) of the beholder. The relevance that art or music of any era has to our lives will be up to us to decide at the moment we open ourselves to experience it. Experiencing art is living in the moment.