Let’s take a deep breath.

Count to ten, relaxing ever more.

1.2..3…4….5…..6……7…….8……..9………10.

At a time when the forces of the global markets and the collective mindset seem out of control and beyond comprehension to even the “experts,” I’m unable to resist sharing some music.  This connection might be a stretch, but go with me.

We often hear that in trading the market it is important to act not on what we think, but on what we SEE.  What IS happening, regardless of whether we understand why.  Ich habe genug (I have enough) is a cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach.  It seems an appropriate selection now as we must remember the value of accepting and submitting to a higher power be it a God, spiritual guide, or a market in which we each play such a minute role that our impact or contribution is virtually insignificant.

This work was written in Leipzig for the Feast of the Purification on 2 February 1727. The Purification commemorates an incident recorded by St. Luke in which Mary takes the baby Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem to offer ritual sacrifices.  I am not much of a religious man, so I see this and present it merely as a tale and not a biblical lesson.  Take from it what you will.

As I undertand it, the text for this aria is taken from Simeon the Righteous.  According to a tradition in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Simeon had been one of the seventy-two translators of the Septuagint (LXX).  As he hesitated over the translation of Isaiah 7:14 “Behold, a virgin shall conceive…”, and wondered how this was possible, or even that it might be a copyist’s error, an angel appeared to him and told him that the prophecy was correct as it was written, and that he would not die until he had seen its fulfillment with the Christ born of a Virgin. This would make him well over two hundred years old at the time of the meeting described in Luke, and therefore miraculously longeval.

According to the gospel, Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem forty days after his birth to complete Mary’s purification after childbirth, and to perform the redemption of the firstborn, in obedience to Law of Moses (Leviticus 12, Exodus 13:12-15, etc.).  Upon bringing Jesus into the temple, the Holy Family encountered Simeon the Righteous. The Gospel records that Simeon had been promised that “he should not see death before he had seen the Messiah of the Lord.” (Luke 2:26)  Upon seeing the baby Jesus, Simeon prayed the prayer that would become known as the Nunc Dimittis, or Canticle of Simeon, which prophesied the redemption of the world by Jesus:

“Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to enlighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32).

I get the impression that the general public is increasingly unfamiliar with the music of Bach.  They can’t possibly know just how beautiful and affecting his music can be. One must simply be willing to slow down a bit from our media overloaded world, broaden the attention span and take in extraordinarily soul stirring, earthly and captivating music.  Bach was one of history’s great composers and a true master of counterpoint.  Although he introduced no new forms, he enriched the prevailing German style with a robust contrapuntal technique, an unrivalled control of harmonic and motivic organisation in composition for diverse musical forces, and the adaptation of rhythms and textures from abroad, particularly Italy and France.  In a period when the building blocks (tonality, harmony, form) and structures of western music were developing into a sophisticated and refined language, Bach transcended any feeling of confines or convention to give us an emotional experience we can feel innately. (In writing this, I have drawn heavily from Wikepedia.)

With the finest of baroque music, there is an opulence, a supremely tasteful and polished order, yet it is emotionally exposed, direct and exposed.  Broad musical structures and an effortless use of counterpoint around divine melodies make this music both soothing and stimulating, almost as if a mental message.  One might consider it intimate.  In this work, the ensemble of strings, oboe, basso continuo and bass soloist combines for a beautiful, natural, delicate and still a full, balanced body of sound.  German bass-baritone Thomas Quashoff is the singer here and has a beautiful and seemless sound.  Notice also how nicely this language with all its “harsh” consonants flows from his native tongue among the wavy musical backdrop.

This is the first Aria in the work, after which come two more arias with recitative in between them.

Relax and enjoy.  This is good. 🙂

English translation below:

Ich habe genug:

I have now enough,
I have now my Savior, the hope of the faithful
Within my desiring embrace now enfolded;
I have now enough!

On him have I gazed,
My faith now hath Jesus impressed on my heart;
I would now, today yet, with gladness
Make hence my departure.

Obviously, the point I make in connecting this tale to our place as traders in this market is not to say that we should make our departure or accept our defeat.  But rather to step back, respect the will of the market, and get in line with it.  To remain active and successful in the market, we must embrace and submit to it.

Regardless of what we may think, the trend is a powerful force and we are powerless to it and its waves of volatility.  So as they old saying goes, “The trend is your friend.”

Walk with Jesus!  🙂     (Sorry.  I couldn’t help it.)

Pavarotti – Nessun Dorma

Luciano Pavarotti (1935-2007)

R.I.P., Pav

Thank You.