Stay Thirsty Magazine 2016

by Rachel Barton Pine

St. Pauls UCC: My Sacred Space for Bach

“You must practice Bach. It is the music of Gott!” Thus, I was regularly instructed by the elderly German ladies at St. Pauls United Church of Christ in Chicago, the church in which I was raised, during my earliest years as a violinist.

I was fortunate to grow up at St. Pauls, a church with a deep dedication to music. The church has been a spiritual home to opera singers and members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Oratorios, cantatas, and other choral works of the great classical composers are often performed as part of the service, and the music of Bach is celebrated above all others. The sanctuary itself even features a stained glass window of Bach. I have vivid memories of spending Sunday mornings surrounded by the glorious sound of Bach’s Toccatas and Fugues on the organ.