Reading, PA – Vox Philia is excited to announce an upcoming concert titled “Bach’s Leipzig Reformation Celebration,” featuring two of the composer’s lesser-known works: “Gott, der Herr ist Sonn und Schild” (Cantata No. 79) and Missa in G Major. This concert takes place at 7:30 pm on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at Atonement Lutheran Church, 5 Wyomissing Blvd., Wyomissing, PA.

Bach wrote his cantata in 1725, his third year as Thomaskantor in Leipzig, and led the first performance on 31 October that year. The text, by an unknown poet, includes two hymns of praise prescribed for use at Reformation services, including “Nun danket alle Gott” (Now Thank We All Our God). Score for a substantial-sized orchestra and choir, Bach achieves a unity between movements by using the brass not only in the opening but also as obbligato instruments in the two hymns, even using the same motif heard in the opening movement.

The “Missa in G Major” offers listeners an opportunity to hear Bach’s use of parody technique. A sizable portion of the music is reworked (parodied) from the cantata. (For example, the “Gloria in excelsis” uses music from the opening chorus of the cantata, while the “Domine Deus” adapts the cantata’s fifth movement. In this way the audience gets to learn and hear Bach’s parody techniques. The concert will also include Georg Philipp Telemann’s motet setting of Martin Luther’s famous “Ein Feste Burg” (A Mighty Fortress).

Join us for this extraordinary evening of Bach’s music that is sure to inspire and uplift. Tickets ($15/Adult and $5/Student) are available at: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/bachs-leipzig-reformation-celebration

Vox Philia is dedicated to the performance of music from a wide variety of genres and time periods, fostering a love for art and community through innovative concerts and collaborations.