On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses against the sale of indulgences to the door of the Castle Chapel in Wittenberg, Germany. This event is considered the beginning of the Lutheran Reformation.
Martin Luther (1483-1546) began as an Augustinian monk, but after his appointment as professor of moral theology at the University of Wittenberg in 1508, he became the leading figure of the Reformation in the German Empire. The publication of his academic theses against the sale of indulgences on October 31, 1517, is the symbolic beginning of Protestantism. Luther taught that salvation, and therefore eternal life, is not earned through good works, but is received as a free gift of God's grace through the believer's faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior from sin. His theology challenged the authority and office of the pope by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divinely revealed knowledge. His translation of the Bible into the German vernacular (instead of Latin) made it more accessible to the laity, an event that had a tremendous impact on both the church and German culture. He encouraged the development of a standard version of the German language. His German hymns influenced the development of singing in Protestant churches.
To commemorate the beginning of Protestantism, October 31 was declared a national holiday by the Elector of Saxony (whose predecessors had protected Luther). However, this holiday was never fully equal to the other festivals of the church year. Bach first experienced this holiday after he moved to Leipzig in Saxony. But in 1723 it fell on a Sunday, and in 1724 Bach was busy with his weekly series of chorale cantatas, so he did not compose a cantata for Reformation Day in those years. In 1725, Bach wrote the joyous, dancing quarter-hour cantata, BWV 79, and the more iconic half-hour chorale cantata, BWV 80, which evolved through at least four versions over two decades before reaching its final form in 1735. These two cantatas represent only a fraction of the works of praise and thanksgiving that Bach actually presented for the festival in the 1730s, but the other cantatas he used for the occasion were not original compositions like the two above, but parodies of Christmas, Trinity, and wedding and festival cantatas. He also performed works by Fasch and Telemann.
Readings:
Epistle: 2 Thessalonians 2: 3-8
Gospel: Revelations 14: 6-8
Cantata Studies:
Bach Cantatas Website | Simon Crouch | Emmanuel Music | Julian Mincham | Wikipedia | Eduard van Hengel (in Dutch) | Bach Companion (Oxford U.P.) | Bach: The Learned Musician (Wolff) | Music in the Castle of Heaven (Gardiner)
[Lucas Cranach d.Ä.- Martin Luther (1529)]
Cantatas:
Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild, BWV 79, 31 October 1725
Erhalt uns in der Wahrheit (Chorale)
"God the Lord is sun and shield"
Text & translation
Scored for three vocal soloists (soprano, alto, bass), a four-part choir, two horns, timpani, two flauto traverso, two oboes, two violins, viola, and basso continuo.
The opening chorus of this Reformation cantata, praising God as refuge, is superb with its festive, march-like theme for the horns and timpani. It also starts with an impressive sinfonia. The insistent repeated notes on the timpani, which undergird the fanfares of the high horns, perhaps depict the hammering of Luther’s theses to the oak door at the back of the church.
The following engaging alto aria with obbligato oboe is in contrast tranquil and contemplative. Next comes a chorale with blazing horns which forms a rousing hymn of thanks. This hymn was apparently sung regularly on Reformation Day in Leipzig. After this chorale probably the sermon would follow, dividing the cantata in two parts as was often the case.
The only recitative, sung by the bass, praises Jesus who shows us the "right way," addressing the basic issues of the Reformation. The duet for bass and soprano expresses a prayer for support against enemies. It is accompanied by a vigorous obbligato for unison violins. The cantata ends with a four-part setting of the second chorale, asking for the gift of truth.
Bach performed the cantata again, probably in 1730. He must have been rather satisfied with it, because with BWV 102, 179 and 187 it is one of the four cantatas of which Bach reused all the relevant parts (choirs, arias) in the late 1730s in his four Lutheran Masses.
Video: J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German)
Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80, 1735
"A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"
Text: Salomon Franck
Legend has it that Martin Luther composed this beloved hymn in 1521 on his way to the Reichstag in Worms, where he faced interrogation by Emperor Charles V. As Luther and his followers sang this stirring anthem, they traversed Germany in triumph, causing even the venerable cathedral of Worms to shake and the tower crows to flutter nervously. Dubbed "the battle song of the Reformation," this hymn has captured the hearts of Germans for centuries. In truth, Luther composed the hymn in 1529 as a Christian reinterpretation of Psalm 46 of the Old Testament. Nevertheless, its militant lyrics and melody became a symbol of steadfastness and activism in troubled times. Thanks in part to its inclusion in Mendelssohn's Fifth "Reformation" Symphony, the hymn came to represent the burgeoning German nationalism of the nineteenth century, which embraced Bach and Luther as quintessentially German figures.
Cantata BWV 80 draws on two of Bach's earlier works: the cantata "Alles was von Gott geboren" composed for Oculi in Weimar in 1715, and a simpler cantata written for Reformation Day. Bach combined the recitatives and arias of the 1715 cantata with the chords of the Reformation cantata to create BWV 80, probably around 1735. Movements 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8 borrow from the Weimar cantata, with texts by Bach's frequent collaborator Salomon Franck, inspired by the Gospel reading for Oculi (Luke 11:14-28, recounting an exorcism). Franck's text explores the struggle against and triumph over evil, fitting for a Reformation cantata. Two additional verses from Luther's hymn were also included. Even after Bach's death in 1750, BWV 80 was further refined by his eldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann, who added parts for timpani and trumpets in movements 1 and 5.
The cantata opens with an imposing chorale fantasia based on Luther's hymn, a monumental yet awe-inspiring structure and one of Bach's crowning achievements. Rather than singing the chorale outright, the choir presents each figuratively decorated line in a fugal motet style, while the unaltered chorale melody serves as a framework.
The second movement combines a robust bass aria to a text by Salomon Franck with the second stanza of the Feste-Burg chorale, sung by the soprano with oboe accompaniment. The meaning is that human militancy (bass) achieves little without the support of Christ (soprano). There is a so-called "machine gun" accompaniment in the strings.
The bass recitative begins secco but ends in an arioso, illustrating the unity of Christians with Jesus. As so often, the soprano in her beautiful aria embodies the subjective perspective of the individual ideal believer who allows Jesus into her heart. It swings beautifully in triple time and is characterized by extensive melismas and a "floating and ethereal" melody.
The central chorale presents the third verse of the hymn in unison, an unusual choice for Bach, accompanied by a vivid orchestral depiction of a world teeming with devils. After a tenor recitative, an alto and tenor duet accompanied by continuo and obbligato violin and oboe da caccia further demonstrate Bach's mastery, their intertwining melodies creating a piece of exquisite beauty. Finally, the cantata concludes with a four-part setting of the final verse of the hymn.
Video: J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German) - Explanation "Bach Factory" (English) /
Netherlands Bach Society