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Bach Society of Dayton celebrating Christmas early

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By Khalid Moss, Staff Writer 3:44 PM Friday, October 16, 2009

If you’re someone who doesn’t mind Christmas music in October, you’ll be right at home at the opening of the Bach Society of Dayton’s 2009-10 season. J.S. Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio” will kick off the eight year-old Society’s festive lead-in to the holiday season on Sunday,  Oct. 18 at 4 p.m. at Kettering Adventist Church, 3939 Stonebridge Rd.

Why the pre-mature observance?

“We wanted to do the work, it takes a fair amount of rehearsal time and we thought it was close enough to the holiday season that people wouldn’t think it’s inappropriate,” said Bach Society member and treasurer Dick Hattershire.

“It’s not like we had time between an October concert and a December concert to do it.”

The Society will perform the first three parts of Bach’s six-part work. Hattershire said Bach wrote the Oratorio to be performed during the six days of Christmas.

“The first actual Oratorio was performed on Christmas Day,” he said. “And then the day after Christmas and the day after that. It is intended to tell the Christmas story in song.”

The 54-voice choir will be accompanied by a  23-piece orchestra.

“This orchestra is about the size Bach would have had at the time he was in Leipzig,” Hattershire said. “Composers like Bach were essentially employees of the Court and usually had limited funds to hire instrumentalists.

“... Also, because of that association with the Court, there was almost always a strong association with the church and most of the music that resulted had a clear association with the Christian church.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2167 or kmoss@DaytonDailyNews.com.