Next to the opera, the cantata was the most popular musical genre in the 17th and 18th centuries. It owed its appeal to its infinite adaptability to different purposes. Cantatas were composed for a wide variety of occasions. In this way, Baroque vocal music transcended the confines of courtly life and found its way into more modest bourgeois circles. Throughout his life, Johann Sebastian Bach wrote cantatas of all kinds, producing music of the highest quality for those who commissioned them. In fact, they were not only intended for his successive employers. He also composed cantatas, mostly secular, as well as motets and other works for a number of private and "public" patrons. The production of such occasional pieces was something of a musical service industry. In this respect, Bach was no different from many of his fellow composers. Since his music was not usually published during his lifetime, Bach was always anxious to make repeated use of his music, both for other occasional works and for sacred compositions. To this end, he had a large library of his manuscript works. Most of Bach's secular cantatas were of a congratulatory or wedding nature, but Bach also wrote a small number of works that don't fit into any category, including the Coffee Cantata, which is close to a chamber opera,
Cantata Studies:
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[Zimmermann's coffee house]
Amore traditore, BWV 203, 1718-19
Aria: Amore traditore
Recitative: Voglio provar
Aria: Chi in amore ha nemica la sorte
"Treacherous love"
Text & translation
Scored for a solo bass and keyboard (and possibly cello or viola da gamba).
Composed in Köthen between 1718 and 1719, while Bach was in the service of the court of Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen. Bach wrote the unusual work on an Italian libretto (rather Germanicised Italian) for a bass soloist and harpsichord.
There are only two arias, separated by a recitative, both bemoaning the fickleness of love. The first is rather routine but the
second is more interesting.
This short work was found in a (now lost) collection of various Italian cantatas by such composers as Telemann, Heinichen and others. Although Bach did perform Italian arias and cantatas of this type during his Cöthen period (Prince Leopold was fond Italian cantatas, and used to sing the bass parts himself), the work itself contains no stylistic evidence of Bach’s characteristic assimilation and development of the Italian style. So for a long time its authenticity was in doubt. Is this really Bach?
Video: J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop 203 & 209 (in German) - Contemplation 203 & 209 (in German) / Netherlands Bach Society (Van de Woerd and Henstra)
Non sa che sia dolore, BWV 209, 1734-1747
Sinfonia
Recitative: Non sa che sia dolore
Aria: Parti pur e con dolore
Recitative: Tuo saver al tempo e l'età contrasta
Aria: Ricetti gramezza e pavento
"He does not know what sorrow is"
Text & translation.
Scored for solo soprano voice, flauto traverso, two violins, viola, and basso continuo.
A reading of the text suggests that this cantata was composed
or compiled for the departure of a good friend (the text refers to a
voyage to the town of Ansbach). Bach's pupil Lorenz
Mizler has been suggested as a possibility, who obtained his master’s
degree in 1734. (Another now mostly discarded possibility is Johann
Matthias Gessner, later to become rector of St Thomas’s School, and who
left Weimar for Ansbach in 1729.) So it is a kind of "farewell cantata."
This is the second of only two Bach's works set on a text in Italian. In contrast to the other, earlier work, here we have something like the real "Bach sound." The sinfonia with its prominent transverse flute is stylistically related to the Orchestral Suite in B minor, dating from the same period. Given its concertante style, it may well have been adapted from an instrumental concerto.
One could go even further and say that the ubiquity of the flute throughout suggests that perhaps other
movements from such an instrumental concerto were re-used here. The first aria is rather sad (the slow, second movement of the concerto), the second one (the fast, last movement) has very upbeat music, although the text is miserable - something which pleads for the suggestion of parody (as argued by Simon Crouch).
Video: Ars Lyrica Houston / J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop 203 & 209 (in German) - Contemplation 203 & 209 (in German)
Ich bin mir in vergnügt, BWV 204, 1726-27
- Recitative: Ich bin in mir vergnügt
- Aria: Ruhig und in sich zufrieden
- Recitative: Ihr Seelen, die ihr außer euch
- Aria: Die Schätzbarkeit der weiten Erden
- Recitative: Schwer ist es zwar, viel Eitles zu besitzen
- Aria: Meine Seele sei vergnügt
- Recitative: Ein edler Mensch ist Perlenmuscheln gleich
- Aria: Himmlische Vergnügsamkeit
"I am content in myself"
Text & translation
Scored for soprano soloist, flauto traverso, two oboes, two violins, viola, and basso continuo.
Bach composed this cantata in Leipzig between 1726 and 1727, and unlike most secular cantatas, it wasn't tailored for a specific event such as a royal visit or birthday celebration. In such cases, Bach usually ensured that the music would be performed again by reusing it in liturgical cantatas. But that wasn't the case here. BWV 204 is a repertory piece with such general content that, although it is rarely performed, it does not in principle require a specific occasion. However, this doesn't mean that there wasn't a commissioner; the flawed libretto suggests that it was probably prescribed to Bach.
The cantata may have been performed during the regular Friday evening concerts at Zimmermann's Coffeehouse by the Collegium Musicum, which Bach began to direct in 1729. Alternatively, due to its smaller scale, it may have been performed in a private setting, such as the client's home. Speculation suggests that the virtuoso soprano soloist, probably not a member of the Thomaskantorei boys' choir, may have been Anna Magdalena Bach, who was a professional singer.
The text, taken from the work of Christian Friedrich Hunold, emphasizes inner contentment (an apt admonition especially for our own overly greedy times). Instead of seeking extravagant entertainment, the highest value lies in finding peace within oneself and being satisfied with spiritual riches.
Structured in an Italianate form, the cantata consists of four sets of recitatives and arias. The first pair introduces the theme of humble contentment with an aria accompanied by two oboes in the Siciliano style. The second pair explores the contrast between true happiness and worldly concerns, with the aria accompanied by a solo violin.
The following section emphasizes contentment through connection with God, with the flute taking center stage in the aria. The final recitative reinforces the idea of money as the root of evil and leads into the final aria, one of Bach's most beautiful compositions, which emphasizes that true happiness comes from union with God. It is scored for full ensemble and has a pleasant, dance-like style.
Video: Kay Johanssen (Lydia Brotherton, soprano): No 2 / Nos 3 & 4 / Nos 5 & 6 / Nos 7 & 8
Geschwinde, ihr, wirbelnden Winde, BWV 201, 1729
Chorus "Geschwinde, ihr wirbelnden Winde"
Recitative (Phoebus and Pan) "Und du bist doch so unverschämt und frei"
Aria (Momus) "Patron, das macht der Wind!"
Recitative "Was braucht ihr euch zu zanken?"
Aria (Phoebus) "Mit Verlangen drück ich deine zarten Wangen"
Recitative "Pan, rücke deine Kehle nun"
Aria (Pan) "Zu Tanze, zu Sprunge"
Recitative "Nunmehro Richter her!"
Aria (Tmolus) "Phoebus, deine Melodei"
Recitative "Komm, Midas, sage du nun an"
Aria (Midas) "Pan ist Meister, lasst ihn gehn!"
Recitative "Wie, Midas, bist du toll?"
Aria (Mercury) "Aufgeblasne Hitze, aber wenig Grütze"
Recitative (Momus) "Du guter Midas, geh nun hin"
Chorus "Labt das Herz, ihr holden Saiten"
"Hurry, whirling winds": The contest between Phoebus and Pan
Text & translation
Scored for SATTBB singers, trumpets, timpani, traversos, oboes, strings and continuo.
This cantata belongs to the large number of secular cantatas written for the Leipzig bourgeoisie, the vast majority of which were composed after 1729, after Bach had composed most of his church cantatas. The present cantata was probably composed for the St. Michael's Fair in 1729, although the specific occasion is not known and cannot be determined from the text.
The text, entitled "The Struggle Between Phoebus and Pan," is based on the story of the "Ears of a Donkey" in Ovid's Metamorphoses, and mocks simple music in favor of a more intelligent style of composition. The libretto is by Picander.
In fact, the mythical subject matter is used to enter the musical-aesthetic debate then underway in Leipzig. Simple naturalness was the fashionable ideal. Too much learning was considered eccentric, polyphony dubious, outmoded, and unnatural. Bach had to contend with such criticism of his music from the beginning of his tenure, and the criticism only increased as time went on.
The musical competition between Phoebus, god of beauty and culture, and the shepherd god Pan with his inseparable attribute, the pan flute, ends with the triumph of Phoebus' "high" art music over Pan's "low" popular music. With the punishment of King Midas, who stands up for Pan, the cantata is also an indictment of unwise music criticism.
Since the "rules" of the "dramma per musica" require that each of the protagonists sing an aria, Bach had to compose six arias, plus the connecting recitatives that move the action forward, and an opening and closing chorus sung by all the soloists.
In the opening chorus, the winds are told to go away so that an environment without background noise will make the sounds of what follows clearer and allow for an unobstructed echo. The first recitative begins with Phoebus denying that Pan's song would surpass his own, and Pan boasting of his own musical qualities. Momus begins to mock Pan, and continues to do so in the aria that follows. In the second recitative, Mercury suggests that the two contestants each choose a judge, so Tmolus (Mercurius) and Midas are chosen by Phoebus and Pan, respectively. Tmolus then asks for attention, after which Apollo sings his aria, a love song to Hyacinth: "With longing I press your tender cheeks" - perhaps the first work in music history in which same-sex love - between Phoebus-Apollo and Hyakinthos - is sung. The composer offers all his art and proves that a perfect contrapuntal network with soloist, strings, flute, oboe, basso continuo, without a "lyre", can express the deepest feelings.
In the recitative that follows this aria, Momus invites Pan to come forward: Pan complies and sings his dance aria, using some of the effects common to comic opera - the overall effect of the aria is a musical joke. But in addition to humor, Bach applies the utmost artistry and care. Bach later reused the music of this aria in the Peasant Cantata.
In the fourth recitative, Mercury invites the judges to speak: Tmolus begins by singing an aria in favor of Apollo. Pan then invites Midas to do the same, and Midas' aria declares Pan the winner. When Midas delivers his verdict: Pan is master, the violins begin an unmistakable donkey bray. Then follows a recitative in which all the singers participate: Momus, Mercury, Tmolus and Phoebus reproach Midas for his bad judgment. After a brief plea for mercy, Phoebus and Mercury punish him with the ears of a donkey. After the retorts of Pan and Midas, Momus sings his aria about who deserves the jester's cap. The final recitative is for Momus, who sends Midas into the woods, declares that he belongs in the company of those who judge too quickly, and invites Phoebus to sing. The final chorus praises the sound of the strings as belonging to the gods.
This cantata contains some of Bach's finest music. This outstanding work deserves to be much better known than it is.
Video: Kay Johannsen
Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht, BWV 211, 1732-35
Recitative: Schweigt stille (The narrator tells the audience to quiet down and pay attention, before introducing Schlendrian and Lieschen).
Aria: Hat man nicht mit seinen Kindern (Schlendrian sings in disgust of how his daughter refuses to listen to him, even after telling her 100,000 times)
Recitative: Du böses Kind (Schlendrian asks his daughter again to stop drinking coffee, Lieschen defiantly tells her father to calm down)
Aria: Ei! Wie schmeckt der Kaffee süße (Lieschen sings a love song to her coffee)
Recitative: Wenn du mir nicht den Kaffee läßt (Schlendrian starts giving ultimatums to his daughter, threatening to take away her meals, clothes, and other pleasures. Lieschen doesn't seem to care)
Aria: Mädchen, die von harten Sinnen (In this sung monologue, Schlendrian tries to figure out what his daughter's weak spot is, so she absolutely couldn't want to drink coffee again)
Recitative: Nun folge, was dein Vater spricht! (Schlendrian threatens to prevent his daughter from marrying if she fails to give up coffee, Lieschen has a sudden change of heart)
Aria: Heute noch, lieber Vater (Lieschen thanks her father for offering to find her a husband, and vows to give up coffee if she can have a lover instead)
Recitative: Nun geht und sucht der alte Schlendrian (The narrator states that while Schlendrian goes out to find a husband for his daughter, Lieschen secretly tells potential suitors that they must let her drink her coffee if they care to marry her.
Trio: Die Katze läßt das Mausen nicht
"Be quiet, do not chatter: the Coffee Cantata"
Text & translation
Scored for three vocal soloists in the roles of Narrator (tenor), Schlendrian (bass), Lieschen, his daughter (soprano), flauto traverso, two violins obbligato, viola, cembalo and basso continuo.
Although classified as a cantata, this work is essentially a miniature comic opera. The cantata is a satirical commentary on the addiction to coffee.
Coffee-drinking culture, originally an Arabic custom, spread throughout Europe at the beginning of the eighteenth century, first to the aristocratic elite and then to the middle classes. Coffee is inextricably linked with the Netherlands. From the beginning of the eighteenth century, the Dutch East India Company established its own coffee plantations in Java as an alternative to importing coffee from Yemen. This meant that by 1720 the Dutch were the main suppliers of coffee to Europe. Coffee houses sprang up everywhere. Leipzig had more than ten. From 1723, Gottfried Zimmermann's coffee house was the regular venue for the city's best amateur musical ensemble. In 1729, Bach became the director of this ensemble, called the Collegium musicum. The Coffee Cantata was written around 1734 for the concerts at Café Zimmermann.
It is interesting to note that the concerts in the coffee houses by collegia musica of good amateurs and professionals gave rise In 1743, on the initiative of influential citizens, to the first concert society, "The Great Concert," which later performed in a former cloth hall (Gewandhaus) and was renamed the Gewandhaus Orchestra, the oldest symphony orchestra in the world.
In Bach's day, drinking coffee was not without controversy. The effects of the beverage were still unknown. The text, by Bach's librettist Picander, tells of a girl who is addicted and of women who know their own minds, with sexual innuendo never far away. The main character, Liesgen, is willing to give up parties and fashionable clothes to maintain her coffee-drinking habit, but when her father says she will never get a husband, she seems to give in. "Ah, a husband!" she swoons. "So I can finally have a lusty lover before I go to bed." But actually, of course, she makes sure she gets both: a lover and a cup of coffee.
The interesting thing about this "dramma per musica" is, that the characters who appear in it, are not allegorical figures or deities from Greek and Roman mythology, but recognizable, contemporary middle class citizens.
Video: Netherlands Bach Society / J.S. Bach Foundation (St, Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German)
Bach Cantata Index