Johann Sebastian Bach (73): Four Lutheran (Kyrie–Gloria) Masses, BWV 233–236 (1738-39?)

Johann Sebastian Bach's Lutheran Masses are his four Kyrie-Gloria Masses in F major, A major, G minor, and G major, BWV 233 to 236. They set the Kyrie and Gloria of the Latin Mass and are therefore also called Missa brevis. The complete setting of all parts of the Mass ("Missa tota") consists of the five-part Ordinary: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus with Hosanna and Benedictus, and Agnus Dei. The composition of the Kyrie and Gloria, on the other hand, is known as the "Missa brevis" and, in Protestant church music, as the "Lutheran Mass". 

[Start of the Kyrie of BWV 232 in Bach's handwriting]

These masses are sung in Latin - and the question remains why Bach chose Latin. Perhaps he wanted these masses to strengthen his ties with the Catholic King August III, who had just ascended the throne in Dresden. In any case, we know for certain that another mass in the series, the B Minor Mass BWV 232 (which Bach later expanded to ), was dedicated to Augustus in 1733. Bach presented the manuscript to the elector in an ultimately successful attempt to persuade the prince to grant him the title of court composer - Bach received the title of "Royal Court Composer" from Augustus III in 1736. Bach's appointment as court composer was one element in his long-term struggle to gain greater bargaining power with the Leipzig Council.

In these short masses, the Kyrie is a one-movement, three-part choral movement, but the Gloria text is divided into five movements, with choral movements at the beginning and end and solo arias interspersed. The total length is about that of an average cantata, suggesting its practical use in church services.

Like the B Minor Mass, the Small Masses consist almost entirely of parodies, that is, revisions of existing choruses and arias. This required new versions of the vocal parts to replace the original German cantata text with Latin words.

Kyrie–Gloria Mass in F major, BWV 233

For the Missa in F major, BWV 233, scored for horns, oboes, bassoon, strings, SATB, and basso continuo, Bach derived most of the six movements as parodies of earlier cantatas. The opening, a dignified Kyrie, is written in an old style à la Palestrina. Bach composed this Kyrie in Weimar, and in the five-voice first version, the first soprano sings the chorale melody "Christe, du Lamm Gottes. The chorale melody is played by horns and oboes.  In "Qui tollis" Bach used the oboe melody "Weh der Seele" from the cantata Herr, deine Augen sehen nach dem Glauben, BWV 102, and for "Cum sancto spiritu" he used the opening section of the cantata BWV 40.

Kyrie–Gloria Mass in A major, BWV 234

For the Missa in A major, BWV 234, scored for flute, strings, SATB, and basso continuo, Bach parodied music from at least four earlier cantatas.

Kyrie–Gloria Mass in G minor, BWV 235

For the Missa in G minor, BWV 235, scored for oboes, strings, SATB, basso continuo, Bach derived all six movements from cantatas as parodies.

Kyrie–Gloria Mass in G major, BWV 236

For the Missa in G major, BWV 236, scored for oboes, strings, SATB, and basso continuo, Bach derived all six movements from cantatas as parodies. The opening is from Cantata 102, while the other two choruses and three arias are from Cantatas 187 and 72. Although adjustments had to be made here and there, the chorus from Cantata 102 was transferred more or less intact. The three lines of text derived from Jeremiah fit surprisingly well into the tripartite Kyrie-Christe-Kyrie invocation.

Video:

BWV 233: Netherlands Bach Society - Interview with conductor Hans-Christoph Rademann
BWV 234: Ludovice Ensemble
BWV 235: Netherlands Bach Society - Interviews with bass Peter Kooij and conductor Jos van Veldhoven
BWV 236: J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German) 

[Quotes information from the German Wikipedia article "Lutherische Messen" as well as from the website of the Netherlands Bach Society for BWV 233 and 235]


Bach Cantata Index

Bach Cantatas for Feasts on Fixed Days (59): St. John's Day (BWV 167, 7 & 30)

Three cantatas written for a special saint's day, a celebration in addition to normal Sunday worship.

St. John's Day can refer to two different church feasts and two different persons with the same name: those celebrating the birth of John the Baptist (late 1st century BCE - 28/36 CE) and those celebrating John the Evangelist (6 - c. 100 CE). The latter is dedicated to the author of the Gospel of John and is celebrated on December 27 in Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican churches. The former is dedicated to John the Baptist, a Jewish itinerant preacher who was considered a forerunner of Jesus, and is celebrated on Midsummer Day (June 24) in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, and Anglican churches. It is this last feast that concerns us here.

[John the Baptist, by Lucas Cranach the Elder, c. 1551]

The Nativity of John the Baptist on June 24 comes three months after the celebration of the Annunciation on March 25, when the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would conceive the Holy Spirit and that her cousin Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy. It also falls six months before the Christmas celebration of the birth of Jesus. So these feasts are connected. The Nativity of John the Baptist is one of the oldest feasts of the Christian Church, first mentioned in 506 CE. The existence of the historical man “John the Baptist” is attested extra-biblically by the Roman-Jewish historian Flavius Josephus.

The sole biblical account of the birth of John the Baptist comes from the Gospel of Luke. John's parents, Zechariah, a Jewish priest, and Elizabeth, were without children and both were beyond the age of child-bearing. One time when Zechariah served in the Temple in Jerusalem, the archangel Gabriel appeared to him and announced that he and his wife would give birth to a child, and that they should name him "John." However, because Zechariah did not believe the message of Gabriel, he was rendered speechless until the time of John's birth. At that time, his relatives wanted to name the child after his father, but Zechariah wrote, "His name is John", whereupon he recovered his ability to speak. Following Zechariah's obedience to the command of God, he was given the gift of prophecy, and foretold the future ministry of Jesus. This prophecy forms the text of the Benedictus canticle. 

Within Christian theology, John the Baptist was understood to be preparing the way for Jesus. According to Lutheranism, baptism – in addition to communion and penance – belongs to the three sacraments introduced by Jesus and thus to the sacred rites practiced by Lutherans after the Reformation. For Bach, too, the covenant with God formed through baptism was the cornerstone of his identity as a Christian. The Nativity of St John the Baptist therefore constitutes one of the most important feasts of the church year

St Johns Day coincides with the pre-Christian festival of Midsummer Day, in ancient folklore one of the great "charmed" festivals of the year. All over Europe "Saint John's fires" are lighted on mountains and hilltops on the eve of his feast. The hill fires were believed to chase away witches and evil spirits; on the other hand, medicinal plants plucked at this time were thought to be more effective than usual.

The date of Midsummer Day finds symbolical expression in John's statement "He must increase, but I must decrease" - which is symbolized in the fact that the "sun begins to diminish at the summer solstice and eventually increases at the winter solstice."

St John's birth is often shown in art, especially from Florence, whose patron St John is. The scene in the fresco cycle of the life of John in the Tornabuoni Chapel in the church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence is probably the most famous, created by Domenico Ghirlandaio and his workshop between 1485 and 1490 (see photo above). In Florence, this feast was an occasion for dramatic representations of the Baptist's life and death and was marked by processions, banquets, and plays, culminating in a fireworks show that the entire city attended.

Readings:

Epistle: Isaah 40: 1-5 (the voice of the preacher in the desert)

Gospel: Luke 1: 57-80 (the birth of John the Baptist and the Benedictus of Zechariah)

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)


Cantatas:

• Ihr Menschen, rühmet Gottes Liebe, BWV 167, 24 June 1723
  
  Aria (tenor): Ihr Menschen, rühmet Gottes Liebe
  Recitative (alto): Gelobet sei der Herr Gott Israel
  Duet aria (soprano, alto): Gottes Wort, das trüget nicht
  Recitative (bass): Des Weibes Samen kam
  Chorale: Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren
  
  "You People, Glorify God's Love"
  Text and translation
  
  Scored for four vocal soloists (soprano, alto, tenor and bass), a four-part choir only in the closing chorale, clarino, oboe da caccia, oboe, two violins, viola, and basso continuo. The clarino only doubles the melody of the chorale.
  
  Bach composed Ihr Menschen, rühmet Gottes Liebe in his first year in Leipzig for St. John's Day, soon after he had taken up his position as Thomaskantor. He had delivered an ambitious cantata in 14 movements, Die Elenden sollen essen, BWV 75, in the first service as cantor on 30 May 1723. In comparison, his first cantata for a saint's feast day in five movements is small scale.
  
  The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from the Book of Isaiah, "the voice of a preacher in the desert" (Isaiah 40:1–5), and from the Gospel of Luke, the birth of John the Baptist and the Benedictus of Zechariah. The unknown poet took some phrases from the Gospel, such as the beginning of movement 2, "Gelobet sei der Herr Gott Israel" (Praise be to the Lord God of Israel), as in the canticle. The poetry follows the thought that Jesus, born of a woman, is predicted to redeem sins, which are represented by the image of the serpent. The poetry concludes with the request to sing praises like Zechariah, fulfilled in the closing chorale, the fifth stanza of Johann Gramann's "Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren" (1549).
  
  Starts not with a chorus, but with a fine, flowing tenor aria. Possibly Bach looked at the canticle of Zechariah as an individual's song of praise. The aria is accompanied only by strings, partly violin solo, partly in a dense setting with all strings. The following recitative for alto, which refers to John and Jesus on the path to salvation, ends in an arioso to the final lines "to please with grace and love and to lead them to the kingdom of heaven in true repentance."
   
  The following duet, accompanied by an obbligato oboe da caccia, achieves a dense sound as the instrument and voice appear in the same pitch, often homophonically.
  
  The last recitative (by bass) also ends in an arioso when it comes to calling for praise. The bass sings the words “and sings a song of praise to him” to the melody of the following chorale. The final chorale, a general song of praise, is not a simple four-part movement, as is the rule in Bach's later church cantatas. Rather, Bach uses all instruments and all voices together for the first time, with the voices embedded in an orchestral concerto. The oboe reinforces the violin, the baroque trumpet only appears in this movement and reinforces the cantus firmus. The structure of the movement points ahead to the final movements in Bach's Christmas Oratorio and Ascension Oratorio.
  
  Video: Bach Collegium Zürich
  
  
  
• Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam, BWV 7, 24 June 1724
  
  Coro: Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam
  Aria (Bass): Merkt und hört, ihr Menschenkinder
  Recitativo (Tenor): Dies hat Gott klar mit Worten
  Aria (Tenor): Des Vaters Stimme ließ sich hören
  Recitativo (Bass): Als Jesus dort nach seinen Leiden
  Aria (Alt): Menschen, glaubt doch dieser Gnade
  Choral: Das Aug allein das Wasser sieht
  
  "Christ Our Lord Came to the Jordan"
  Text and translation
  
  Scored for three vocal soloists (alto, tenor and bass), a four-part choir (SATB), two oboes d'amore, two solo violins (the second one only introduced in a later performance), two violins, viola and basso continuo.
  
  This chorale cantata is based on the seven stanzas of Martin Luther's hymn "Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam", about baptism, which is treated based on biblical accounts, beginning from Christ's baptism by John the Baptist in the river Jordan. The first and last stanza of the chorale were used for the outer movements of the cantata, while an unknown librettist paraphrased the inner stanzas of the hymn into the text for the five other movements. The seven-movement cantata begins with a chorale fantasia and ends, after a sequence of alternating arias (by bass, tenor and alto) and recitatives, with a final chorale as a four-part setting.
  
  In the opening chorus, the tenor has the melody as a cantus firmus, while the other voices sing free counterpoint. This movement has been compared to an Italian violin concerto, in which the vocal parts function as solo passages. The rocking melody of the violin resembles the waves of the Jordan River.
  
  The first aria is accompanied only by the continuo. The characteristic five-note rapid motif, repeated in the cello, always flows downward, as if to represent the pouring of the baptismal waters.
  
  The following recitative is given to the tenor as an evangelist, narrating the biblical command to baptize. The beautiful central aria is also sung by the tenor, accompanied by two violins - like a trio (three is a symbol of the Holy Trinity). It has been said that the music "describes, through its pair of soaring violins, the circling flight of the Holy Spirit as a dove" (Gardiner).
  
  The next recitative is for the bass, as the Vox Christi, speaking of Jesus after his passion and resurrection. The beautiful final aria is sung by the alto, accompanied by two oboes d'amore, and begs people to accept God's grace and not perish in the pit of hell. The final chorale, "Das Aug allein das Wasser sieht" in which the instruments play colla parte, is a summary of Luther's teaching on baptism. The text is rather strange: the water for baptism is not water, it says, but is in fact "the red flood of Christ's blood," which heals all the damage inherited from Adam...
  
  Video: J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German) / Johannsen
  
  
  
  
• Freue dich, erlöste Schar, BWV 30, (between 1738 and 1742)
  
  Teil I
  
      Coro: Freue dich, erlöste Schar
      Rezitativ (Bass): Wir haben Rast
      Arie (Bass): Gelobet sei Gott, gelobet sein Name
      Rezitativ (Alt): Der Herold kömmt und meldt den König an
      Arie (Alt): Kommt, ihr angefochtnen Sünder
      Choral: Eine Stimme lässt sich hören
  
  Teil II
  
      Recitative (bass): So bist du denn, mein Heil, bedacht
      Arie (Bass): Ich will nun hassen
      Rezitativ (Sopran): Und obwohl sonst der Unbestand
      Arie (Sopran): Eilt, ihr Stunden, kommt herbei
      Rezitativ (Tenor): Geduld, der angenehme Tag
      Coro: Freue dich, geheilgte Schar
  
  "Rejoice, redeemed flock"
  Text and translation
  
  Scored for four vocal soloists (soprano, alto, tenor, bass), a four-part choir, two traversos, two oboes, oboe d'amore, concertato violin, accompanying strings (two violin parts and one viola part) and basso continuo.
  
  This very late cantata (c. 1738) is a reworking of the secular, laudatory cantata BWV 30a, a serenata to welcome a new landlord. It was a good idea by Bach to use this very fine music again and turn it into a cantata to welcome Christ's prophet (but without the trumpets and drums). The cantata is in twelve movements, divided in two parts, to be performed before and after the sermon. The over-all mood of the cantata is joyful and relaxed, with a dance-like character appearing in the arias.
  
  The opening chorus of Part I has a rondo design and syncopated rhythms. The brilliant bass aria is characterized by triplet figures and includes full string accompaniment in roulades. The alto aria is remarkable for its binary-form ritornello and almost swinging final cadence; structurally, the movement is a gavotte. Part I concludes with the cantata's only chorale (newly composed).
  
  Part II opens with the cantata's only recitativo accompagnato, for bass with oboes and continuo (also newly composed). This prepares a bass aria, which opens with a 'scotch snap' (or Lombard rhythm) that repeats throughout the movement.
  
  After a secco soprano recitative follows a soprano aria in operatic style with chromatic bass and gigue rhythms. The piece concludes with a repetition of the opening chorus on a different text.
  
  Video: J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German)
  
  
  
  Bach Cantata Index
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

 

   

Bach: Cantata "Ich habe genung" (1727)

"Ich habe genung" ("I an content") is one of the most beautiful solo cantatas Bach wrote, a lullaby for eternal sleep. There is no chorus or chorale, the cantata consists only of three arias and two recitatives, all for bass voice.

Written for the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary (Mariae Reinigung) on February 2, the cantata celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus. In ancient Israel, a woman who gave birth to a child was considered unclean for 40 days, after which she had to go to the temple for a purification rite and also to present her first-born son to the priests.

According to the Gospel story, an old man named Simeon recognized the baby Jesus as the Christ. In fact, God had promised Simeon that he would not die before he had seen Christ. He now expresses his joy at meeting Christ in a hymn (Canticum Simeonis, "Nunc Dimittis") that has often been set to music - and then he dies. The Lutheran feast of the Purgation of the Virgin Mary is therefore always a sign of acceptance of death. Incidentally, the Nunc Dimittis was not only sung at the Feast of the Purification on February 2, but also became a regular part of the daily Mass at the end of the day in monasteries. With the words of the Light of the World in mind, people could go to sleep in peace.

The first aria ("I have enough, I have taken the Savior, the hope of the righteous, into my eager arms") is a poignantly beautiful movement that treats the end of Simeon's long life with a mixture of melancholy and resignation. The way in which mortality was viewed in the eighteenth century is beautifully expressed here. Death was seen as a release from the earthly vale of tears and a chance to unite with the Creator. Thus, the music is not heartbreaking, but rather exudes a subdued melancholy. The first aria gives a more or less literal interpretation of Simeon's feelings. The oboe begins with a plaintive upward leap (a minor sixth). This interval plays an important role throughout the aria. Note that the bass deliberately uses the old word "genung" and not the modern pronunciation "genug" - as the bass Thomas Bauer explains in a very interesting short video, the soft old pronunciation fits Bach's music better than the modern, sharper one.

The second aria ("Fall asleep, you weary eyes, close softly and pleasantly") is the emotional climax of the cantata: a lullaby for both the death of Simeon and the sleeping Christ Child. It invites the listener to slip away from the cares of the day, gently but forever. It is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written.

The final aria is joyful and even life-affirming, although the text is about something else entirely: "I rejoice in my death, ah, if only it were already present...". A joyful dance rhythm celebrates the approaching end. Throughout the cantata, the solo wind instrument's contribution is crucial. At first plaintive, then mellow, and finally full of optimistic joy, the oboe propels the bass.

The Feast of the Purification is also known as Candlemas and traditionally marks the end of the Christmas-Epiphany season. While in some countries Christmas decorations are taken down on Twelfth Night (Epiphany), in others they are taken down on Candlemas. On this day, candles, both church and private, are blessed for use during the rest of the year - the blessed candles serving as a symbol of the Light of the World.


Aria: "Ich habe genug"
Recitative: "Ich habe genug"
Aria: "Schlummert ein, ihr matten Augen" ("Fall asleep, you weary eyes")
Recitative: "Mein Gott! wenn kömmt das schöne: Nun!" ("My God, when will the lovely word come: 'Now!'")
Aria: "Ich freue mich auf meinen Tod" ("I look forward to my death")

Text & translation

Listen to: Netherlands Bach Society
Lars Ulrik Mortensen, harpsichord and direction
Thomas Bauer, bass

[Includes quotes from my article "Feast of Purification of Mary" and also from the very informative website of the Netherlands Bach Society]

Choral Masterworks

Bach Cantata Index

Bach: Cantata Gottes Zeit..., 'Actus Tragicus' (1707-08)

"Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit" is one of the earliest known cantatas by Bach, older even than BWV 4 and 131, cantatas that also originated in Mühlhausen, where Bach was organist at the Blasiuskirche in 1707-1708. The oldest source for this cantata is a copy made in Leipzig in 1768, which already bears the name Actus Tragicus (though clearly not by Bach himself).

There are many ways to describe Bach's use of instruments in this composition - distinctive, extraordinarily beautiful, and profound. The instrumentation is particularly unconventional, with the absence of violins and the presence of two recorders and two violas da gamba, creating a soft, soothing, and almost celestial sound. The recorders, symbolizing earthly suffering, produce sharp seconds and unisons, deliberately avoiding excessive beauty.

The cantata revolves around the theme of eternal life, skillfully contrasting the earthly death depicted in the Old Testament with the salvation offered in the New Testament. The text refers to various books of the Bible, in keeping with the Lutheran belief that God's plan of salvation spans the entire Bible. The chorus "Es ist der alte Bund" serves as a dramatic climax and axis of symmetry, as Bach masterfully combines the familiar memento mori warning with the soprano's proclamation of Jesus' coming. In other words, this is a transition from a death to be feared ("Sterbensangst") to a death to be welcomed ("Todesfreudigkeit") as an innocent sleep from which we will be awakened in paradise. This reaches a musical and theological climax when, toward the end of the movement, Bach no longer juxtaposes these ideas but places them one above the other.

Although there is speculation that the cantata was written for an uncle of Bach's (who left him 50 florins for his impending marriage to Maria Barbara), we don't actually know for whom this ethereally beautiful funeral cantata was written by the 22-year-old Bach.

The cantata is in the archaic style en vogue until the end of the 17th century: that is, the texts are borrowed from the Bible or from chorales; there are no free poetic texts, no recitatives and da-capo arias; and there is no four-part chorale setting as a finale. This brilliant work is not a juvenile study, but rather the culmination and conclusion of a past genre.

The music in this very special cantata is expressive and profound, the mood most mournful. The cantata contains wonderfully moving moments when the recorders and viols share their grief with the singers.

The soprano sings the texts of the soul, the alto sings the texts of the individual person (especially David), the tenor sings the texts of humanity and the sacred writer, especially Moses. Finally, as in the St. Matthew Passion, the bass sings the texts of God and Jesus. No choir is needed for this cantata: the choral setting at the end of the cantata is sung in unison by the four solo voices after the last part of the last movement. The last four words, "Through Jesus Christ. Amen." are presented in a jubilant and triumphant yet subdued manner. The recorders repeat Amen wordlessly, leading us to the finale: the major triad of the E-flat major third.

1. Sonatina
2. Chor "Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit"
3. Arioso (Tenor) "Ach, Herr, lehre uns bedenken"
4. Arie (Bass) "Bestelle dein Haus"
5. Chor und arioso (Sopran) "Es ist der alte Bund"
6. Arie (Alt) "In deine Hände"
7. Arioso (Bass), Choral (Alt) "Heute wirst du mit mir"
8. Chor "Glorie, Lob, Ehr und Herrlichkeit"

Text & translation

Listen to: Van Veldhoven | Netherlands Bach Society

[Contains quotes from my article "Funeral Cantatas and Motets" and is also inspired by the discussion on the website of the Netherlands Bach Society]

Choral Masterworks

Bach Cantata Index

 

Johann Sebastian Bach: Mass in B Minor (1749)

Johann Sebastian Bach's Mass in B Minor is a polyphonic collection of settings of the regular parts of the Roman Catholic Mass, known as the Ordinary. These include the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei, which are integral parts of a Mass celebration. Bach's unique rendering of the entire Ordinary is, from a strict musical perspective, in the genre of the Missa Solemnis, or "Solemn Mass. This large work, comparable to major projects such as the Art of Fugue and the Clavier-Übungen series, written toward the end of Bach's life and often hailed as his magnum opus in vocal writing, has prompted much speculation about its purpose. Why did Bach write it? There seems to have been no specific occasion (he never heard it performed), nor any commission. The only conclusion that can be drawn is that Bach wrote it because he wanted to try his hand at composing a complete Mass, rather than a partial one consisting of Kyrie and Gloria, as was the custom in the Lutheran Church (Bach left behind four other Masses (BWV 233-236) consisting only of Kyrie and Gloria, called "missa brevis" or short Mass - in the Lutheran-Protestant tradition, the classical Latin Mass structure survived in this abridged form).

As Bach would do in his later years, for example in the Christmas Oratorio, he drew extensively on previously composed works, editing sections of both secular and sacred cantatas designed for Lutheran-Protestant services in Leipzig, but also adding newly composed movements. The composition seems to have its roots in Bach's presentation of a Kyrie and Gloria to the new Elector of Saxony in 1733, an unsuccessful attempt to secure a position at the Saxon (and Polish royal) court. Between 1748 and 1749, Bach expanded the composition by adding settings for the Credo (or "Symbolum Niceanum"), Sanctus/Benedictus, and Agnus Dei. The Mass includes Bach's very last pages of vocal music, including the Et incarnatus est, alongside the Crucifixus, an arrangement of one of his earliest cantatas, composed in 1714.

Between an awe-inspiring Kyrie and the jubilant closing Dona nobis pacem, the composition features nine arias and duets, impressive ensemble sections, instrumental solos, and a diverse range of styles. Bach completed the final five movements of the Mass in 1748-49, when he copied out the entire work.

Traditionally, the Kyrie in Bach's B Minor Mass is divided into three parts, with the Christe section separated from the Kyrie movements. The opening Kyrie features a triple invocation followed by a five-part choral fugue in B minor. Bach's contemporaries described B minor as "bizarre, joyless, and melancholy. In both vocal settings, the theme is repeated twice in both sopranos. Kyrie I uniquely blends fugal elements with ritornello features.

The Gloria is inspired by the song of the angels in Bethlehem (Luke 2:14) and the ancient hymn "Laudamus". The solo parts, consisting of three arias for soprano II, alto, and bass, and a duet for soprano I and tenor, showcase diverse vocal expression. Trumpets and timpani make their debut in Chorus No. 4, symbolizing the majesty of the celestial king in bright D major. The transition to No. 5 shifts to a peaceful 4/4 time, emphasizing minor keys and syncopation to evoke earthly peace. Solo Aria No. 6, "Laudamus te," is a virtuoso piece for Soprano II and solo violin.
The architecture of the Credo - the centerpiece - is remarkable, with Bach deliberately altering the original format to give central importance to key elements of the Christian faith. Bach follows a symmetrical structure that echoes Baroque forms. The Choral Fugue No. 13 is a strict seven-part fugue over a Gregorian melody. The Et incarnatus features descending motifs in the strings, depicting Christ's descent, while the Crucifixus uses a passacaglia style with chromatic descents, expressing pain. The Et resurrexit is a festive orchestral passage that contrasts the suffering with the anticipated glory.

The Sanctus stands out with six voices, including three oboes, in D major, symbolizing the heavenly realms. The Osanna continues in an energetic eight-part double chorus, followed by the tender Benedictus, a tenor aria. The Agnus Dei, with its chromatic half-steps, is thematically related to the Kyrie. The concluding Dona nobis pacem echoes the Gratias of the Gloria, uniting the two parts and transforming the plea for peace into a song of thanksgiving.

The term "Hohe Messe" for Bach's Great Mass was introduced in 1830 by the Berlin musician Adolf Bernhard Marx for the first edition of the choral parts of the composition. Despite its 19th-century origins, this title has persisted, although the historically accurate designation "Mass in B Minor" is beginning to gain ground.

At its core, Bach's B Minor Mass is a culmination of his artistic skill and creative innovation, demonstrating his ability to weave existing materials into a cohesive and rich musical tapestry. With its intricate structure and emotional depth, Bach's B Minor Mass remains a pinnacle of Baroque composition.

Listen to a superb performance by the Netherlands Bach Society, with Jos van Veldhoven, conductor; Hana Blažíková, soprano 1; Anna Reinhold, soprano 2; David Erler, alto; Thomas Hobbs, tenor; Peter Harvey, bass.

Choral Masterworks

Bach (Carl Philipp Emanuel ) - Magnificat (1749)

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788), like his father Johann Sebastian before him, wrote a Magnificat that is considered his choral masterpiece. Composed in 1749, it was his first major choral work. The words of praise to the Virgin Mary are set with an exciting energy, and the work's impact comes from its operatic arias and powerful choruses.

The Magnificat was a regular part of Sunday services in Leipzig, where Carl Philipp Emanuel grew up, sung in German on ordinary Sundays and in Latin on high holidays and Marian feasts. When his father Johan Sebastian's Magnificat was performed in 1723, Carl Philipp Emanuel was nine years old. In 1749, Carl Philipp Emanuel set the text in the same key (D) as his father's and performed it as a cantata in Berlin while serving as harpsichordist at the court of Frederick the Great.

The following anecdote has been recorded about the genesis of the work. In June 1749, while Johann Sebastian Bach was still alive, the City Council of Leipzig was considering a possible successor to the gravely ill Thomaskantor and commissioned Johann Gottlob Harrer, Kapellmeister to the Count of Brühl in Dresden, to compose "test music". Bach suggested to his two highly talented sons, Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emanuel, that they also try to succeed him. While Carl Philipp Emanuel set the Magnificat, Wilhelm Friedemann wrote an Advent cantata. Neither son was successful, however, and Harrer was eventually offered the position of Thomaskantor.

The Magnificat is a fairly large composition, divided into nine sections, requiring SATB soloists and chorus, and a substantial orchestra. The choir is only involved in four of the movements, but has a significant role in those sections. Carl Philipp Emanuel's style is modern and represents a departure from his father's style, with the exception of the concluding double fugue. During his time in Hamburg, he added trumpets and timpani and even placed the work next to his father's B Minor Mass in a concert in 1779. Throughout the 18th century, however, listeners outside Hamburg were almost exclusively familiar with the original version, in which the work was known throughout Europe in numerous copies.

Listen to: Nederlandse Bachvereniging conducted by Shunske Sato (violin)




Choral Masterworks

Bach Cantata Index

Johann Sebastian Bach: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140 (Vocal and Choral Masterworks 14)

Four items by Bach, isn't that too much? Well, no - for it was by systematically listening to Bach's cantatas that I started to like choral music, now almost 11 years ago. Originally, I didn't like music with words, neither opera nor Lieder, but I had (and basically still have) a preference for instrumental music, chamber music and symphonic music - I mean, music without text, pure abstract music. It is still my idea that pure music without words is what makes European classical music great and special. In all other cultures, and also in contemporary popular music, the music consists only of "songs", which are accompanied by instruments. Songs are different from for example a sonata which has its own structural rules - not from outside the music, but from the inside. This emancipation of instruments only occurs in European music, somewhere in the 17th century. The music becomes pure and abstract and only obeys its own rules, not those of a text. So what about choral masterworks? Well, the words do certainly influence the music, but at the same time the music has its own internal rules as well, as these are after all large pieces of music. And Bach does interesting things with words and music in his cantatas...

So here is my favorite Bach cantata: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, "Awake, calls the voice to us." The text is based on the Biblical parable of the wise and foolish virgins. They wait throughout the night with burning lamps for the arrival of the bridegroom. Five of them have brought along extra oil to keep their lamp burning. The others run out of oil and go off to buy some more. The bridegroom arrives while they are away. This is of course an allegory. The wise virgins symbolize faith and vigilance. The arrival of the bridegroom stands for the return of Christ. This moment comes at the precise middle of the cantata, in the famous chorale sung by the tenor, which Bach later transcribed for organ. 

The cantata is based on the Lutheran hymn "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" by Philipp Nicolai (1599), which appears unchanged in movements 1, 4 and 7. As love poetry, the other movements of the cantata were based on the Song of Songs. Now the poems in the Song of Songs are unashamed love poetry, even rather erotic, but the Church in its wisdom also deemed that to be an allegory, of Christ and the Church as bridegroom and bride.

Both the arias in the cantata are dialogues, the soprano and bass soloists representing the bride and bridegroom respectively. The first duet is accompanied by an embellished siciliana line in the violin, perhaps inspired by the "flickering oil lamps" of the text. The two vocalists sing their own text here, but in the second duet they join in parallel lines, symbolizing their union, a technique common in operatic love duets in Bach's time. The second strophe of the chorale, at the center of the cantata, is sung by the tenor against a ritornello theme in the strings, which supposedly reflects the nightwatchmen's joy.

Cantata BWV 140 is one of Bach's best known and loved pieces and surely stands among the greatest of his works. It was one of the first Bach cantatas to be printed in the 19th century.

Bach also made an chorale arrangement for organ (BWV 645) and that is again possibly his best-known organ work, after the Toccata and fugue in D minor BWV 565. It is more or less a literal copy of ‘Zion hört die Wächter singen’, the fourth movement of the present cantata. The viola and violin parts are played in unison in the right hand and the bass parts in the pedal, while the chorale ends up in the tenor. The arrangement is simple - the lack of harmony above the now stark bass is hidden by extra suspensions and other ornaments.

Listen to the Netherlands Bach Society:




Here is the chorale prelude BWV 645 based on the same material, played by Wolfgang Zerer:

Choral Masterworks

Johann Sebastian Bach: St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244

Saint Matthew Passion BWV 244, "Passio Domini Nostri J.C. secundum Matthaeum", ca. 1725-28 / 1729 / 1736

Text and English translation (list of all movements)


Since 1870, the Netherlands has had a rich tradition of annual performances of the St. Matthew Passion. The Netherlands Bach Society was founded in 1921 as a reaction to the popular performances by Willem Mengelberg and the Concertgebouw Orchestra. The founders believed that the St. Matthew should be performed where it belongs - in a church - and (later) in an authentic performance. The annual performance of the Bach Society in Naarden became 'the' Dutch St. Matthew Passion.

The St. Matthew Passion tells the story of Jesus' passion and death as told in the Gospel of Matthew. The narrative is periodically interrupted by recitatives/arias and chorales. Jesus is betrayed, tried, crucified, and buried. The libretto was written by Picander (Christian Friedrich Henrici) in close consultation with Bach himself. At key moments in the story, Bach and Picander added chorales and arias to reflect the biblical story. At such moments, the action is suspended and the events are placed in the theological context of Bach's day.

It used to be thought that Bach composed the St. Matthew Passion in 1728 and that it was first performed in the Thomaskirche in Leipzig on April 15, 1729, Good Friday. Today it is believed that the first performance took place on April 11, 1727 (during Good Friday vespers), possibly because Bach made some (minor) changes to the composition in 1728. In 1736 and 1742, Bach again altered the score. In 1736, Bach replaced the simple chorale " Jesum lass ich nicht von mir" BWV 244b with the impressive chorale setting "O Mensch bewein deine Sünde groß", which was originally the opening chorus of the St. John Passion. Today, the 1736 version is considered the final version.

The Passion BWV 244 consists of two parts: the first part ends with the arrest of Jesus and contains 35 movements according to the Bach Werke Verzeichnis (BWV) and 29 movements according to the Neue Bach Ausgabe (NBA). The second part ends with the death of Jesus, including the sealing of the tomb, and consists of 43 and 39 movements, respectively.

The St. Matthew Passion is written for two choirs (groups of singers and instrumentalists). Each choir contains four voices, instruments, and is accompanied by its own continuo group. The Passion follows the method that Bach used in many of his cantatas. There are several main elements:
- Recitatives: the main one is the narrative according to the Gospel of Matthew, sung by the tenor. The characters who speak in the narrative are given their own voices. The arias are also introduced by recitatives. There are two types of recitatives: the recitativo secco (brief, accompanied by long horizontal chords) and the recitativo accompagnato (a recitative in which the accompaniment has a more polyphonic character).
- Chorales: which follow the text and melody of some well-known chorales.
- Arias: personal reactions to the event in verse form, most often in A-B-A form (da capo).
- Choral sections: usually comments from the crowd on the events. At several points in the St. Matthew Passion, the two choirs take on different roles. In six places there is a dialog between believers and eyewitnesses. Chorus I "plays" the role of the "Daughters of Zion," a personification of Jesus' contemporaries and thus eyewitnesses to the story. Choir II represents the "believers" wherever and whenever they are in the world. In other places in St. Matthew's Passion, Chorus I represents the higher, divine, and Chorus II the lower, worldly. In other places, the two choirs are combined into one large chorus.

St. Matthew's Passion has a clear structure. After the great opening chorus, the Evangelist tells the story of Jesus' passion and death with minimal musical accompaniment. This narrative line is interrupted by recitatives, arias, and chorales that allow for individual or collective reflection on the story. St. Matthew's Passion ends with the death and burial of Jesus with the final chorus, "Wir setzen uns mit Tränen nieder."

In the Netherlands it has become customary not to applaud after the performance because of the religious atmosphere of the piece - one does not clap after a church service. Moreover, the ending - the death of Christ - gives no reason for enthusiasm. This tradition still exists for performances in churches, where people usually stand in silence after the performance in appreciation of the performers.
Text and English translation.

Listen to this wonderful performance by the Netherlands Bach Society & Kampen Boys Choir, Jos van Veldhoven, conductor.



Choral Masterworks

Bach Cantata Index

Johann Sebastian Bach: Magnificat (1723)

We would perhaps not immediately associate Bach with a hymn to Mary, but the Feast of the Visitation of Mary was also celebrated in the Lutheran church - and Bach composed his Magnificat for the Maria celebration on July 2, 1723 (the first large choral work that Bach composed after his appointment in Leipzig in the spring of that year). The Magnificat owes its title to the first words in the Latin text "Magnificat anima mea Dominum," ("My soul doth magnify the Lord") and these words are uttered by Mary, when visiting her cousin Elisabeth. Mary visits her cousin at a time that both are pregnant, Mary with Jesus and Elizabeth with John the Baptist. Mary wants to bring divine grace to Elizabeth and her unborn child, for the first time exercising her function as "mediator" between God and man.

The Magnificat has been set to music, often to the Latin text, by many composers. For example, there are settings by Claudio Monteverdi, Heinrich Schütz, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Henry Purcell, Antonio Vivaldi, Domenico Cimarosa and Franz Schubert. This work by Bach is considered the pinnacle of the genre.

Bach rarely used a five-part vocal scoring. Because of this and the Latin, the Magnificat is related to that other rarity, the Mass in B minor. Along with the Lutheran minor masses and sanctuses, they are the only works Bach composed on a Latin text.

Bach reworked his version from 1723 ten years later and at that time also transposed it from E-flat to D. It is one of Bach's best-known vocal works: a grand and demanding work, for five soloists, a five-part choir and with all the instruments available to Bach at the time. It includes 12 movements that are unusually short, each lasting no more than three minutes. But the expressive power of this song of praise about God’s justice is overwhelming. He lets rulers bite the dust while the humble are raised up, and he feeds the hungry while sending away the rich. The text is given warm color by using brass for the martial sounds and woodwind for the more loving passages. The full ensemble plays only at the beginning, in the central section and at the end. In the intervening parts, different vocal and instrumental combinations alternate, in order to support the text as expressively as possible.

Listen to the Netherlands Bach Society conducted by Jos van Veldhoven, playing in the Grote Kerk, Naarden:

Interviews with the performers:
For the interview with soprano Hana Blažíková
For the interview with conductor Jos van Veldhoven
For the interview with cellists Lucia Swarts and Richte van der Meer
For the interview with tenor Thomas Hobbs
For the interview with trumpet player Robert Vanryne


Choral Masterworks

Bach Cantata Index

Johann Sebastian Bach: Coffee Cantata "Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht"

It is often said that Bach didn't do opera. True, perhaps - but his Coffee Cantata  "Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht" is nothing else than a chamber opera, especially when the dramatic possibilities are brought out as skillfully as in this superb performance by the Netherlands Bach Society. And don't tell me that Bach didn't have humor!

Bach was also apparently a coffee enthusiast - so much so that he wrote a composition about the beverage. The Coffee Cantata was written circa 1735 for a musical ensemble called The Collegium Musicum based in Zimmerman’s coffee house in Leipzig - since 1723, the regular performance venue for the best amateur music ensemble of the city, of which Bach acted as leader from 1729 on. The whole cantata seems very much to have been written with the local audience in mind. The culture of drinking coffee spread over Europe from the beginning of the eighteenth century, first to the noble elite and then to the middle classes. Coffee houses sprang up everywhere. In Leipzig, there were more than ten.

Coffee is strongly linked with the Netherlands. From the beginning of the eighteenth century, the Dutch East India Company set up its own coffee plantations in Java, as an alternative to importing coffee from Yemen. This meant that the Dutch were the main suppliers of coffee to Europe at the time Bach wrote his cantata.

In Bach’s day, drinking coffee was not without controversy. The effects of the beverage were unknown as yet and the (male) protectors of morality feared that it would make women not only too headstrong, but also induce an erotic mood in them. Sexual innuendo is never far away in this cantata.

The protagonist is a young vivacious woman named Liesgen who loves coffee. Her killjoy father is, of course, dead set against his daughter having any kind of caffeinated fun. So he tries to ban her from the drink. Liesgen bitterly complains:

    Father sir, but do not be so harsh!
    If I couldn’t, three times a day,
    be allowed to drink my little cup of coffee,
    in my anguish I will turn into
    a shriveled-up roast goat.

    Ah! How sweet coffee tastes,
    more delicious than a thousand kisses,
    milder than muscatel wine.
    Coffee, I have to have coffee,
    and, if someone wants to pamper me,
    ah, then bring me coffee as a gift!

She is prepared to give up parties and fashionable clothing in order to sustain her coffee-drinking habit, but when her father says she will never get a husband, she appears to give in. “Ah, a husband!”, she swoons. But actually, of course, she makes sure that she gets both - daughter and father reconcile when he agrees to have a guaranteed three cups of coffee a day written into her marriage contract.

Do watch this wonderful performance! It was recorded at Radio Kootwijk at De Hoge Veluwe, a national park in the central part of the Netherlands. Performers of the Netherlands Bach Society are: Shunske Sato, violin and direction; Lucie Chartin, soprano; Jan-Willem Schaafsma, tenor; Mattijs van de Woerd, bass; and Marc Pantus, theater concept, direction and design.

German libretto at Wikisource.

Choral Masterworks

Easter Oratorio (Linking to Bach)

Bach was busy around Easter in 1725. After playing again his first passion, the St John Passion, on the Friday (it had been written and debuted the year before), on Sunday followed the oratorio 'Kommt, eilet und laufet.' This Easter oratorio is a substantial work of about 40 minutes, longer than the average cantata. The start is formed by a Sinfonia with leading roles for three trumpets and timpani - victorious music. But before the singers get going, Bach recalls Jesus’s death with a melancholy Adagio in B minor for solo traverso and strings.

Listen to this great performance by the Netherlands Bach Society in the Walloon Church in Amsterdam (Jos van Veldhoven, conductor; Maria Keohane, soprano; Damien Guillon, alto; Thomas Hobbs, tenor; Sebastian Myrus, bass).

St John Passion (Linking to Bach)

The Netherlands Bach Society was formed in 1921, in reaction to the performances of the St Matthew Passion by Willem Mengelberg and the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in which everything was wrong: a large symphony orchestra playing on modern instruments (that didn't exist in that form in the time of Bach), and in a contemporary style. The founders of the Bach Society believed that Bach should be performed where it belonged – in a church, and with forces appropriate to it. This has given rise to the annual performance by the Bach Society of the St Matthew Passion in the Grote Kerk in Naarden - now a hallowed Dutch tradition.

In 2017, the Netherlands Bach Society also performed the St John Passion in the Grote Kerk, as they always do in a historically correct style. Compared to the St Matthew Passion, the St John's Passion is dramatic rather than contemplative thanks to its frequent short choral interjections, but above all it is based on a different "ideology": Christ is seen as a deity, the eternal ruler of the world, who carries out a predetermined mission on earth, and not a fellow human being who suffers tragically. 

Read more about the St John passion in my blog: https://adblankestijn.blogspot.com/2022/03/bach-cantatas-st-john-passion-johannes.html

Here is the St John Passion, played by the Netherlands Bach Society (conductor: Jos van Veldhoven).

Bach: St. John Passion (1724)

Written during Bach's first year as director of church music in Leipzig, it was premiered on April 7, 1724, at Good Friday Vespers in the Church of St. Nicholas. The structure of the work is in two halves intended to flank a sermon. The anonymous libretto is based almost literally on the Gospel of John in Luther's translation (chapters 18 and 19) and presents the story from four different perspectives:

- Narrative perspective, expressed in the recitatives of the Evangelist and the characters, as well as in the dramatic choral parts (turbae);
- The contemplative perspective of the individual(s), expressed in the mostly lyrical arias;
- The devotional perspective of the congregation, in the form of well-known evangelical hymns (chorales);
- The exhortative perspective, embodied in the elaborate opening and closing choruses.

Bach continued to make changes to the St. John Passion, so that today there are four different versions (1724, 1725, 1728, and 1749). The St. John Passion is often compared to the St. Matthew Passion, which Bach would write a few years later. The St. John Passion is musically more dramatic and less contemplative (and perhaps less refined). This is because the Gospel of John is more dynamic than the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus in John is more of an actor and less of a prophet and teacher. Bach masterfully expressed the character of the St. John Passion in his music.

For John, Jesus is first and foremost the Son of God, carrying out a preordained mission on earth at the behest of his heavenly Father. Christ is presented as the eternal and omnipresent ruler who stands outside of human concepts of time. This characterization of Jesus by John is set down by Bach right at the beginning in the opening chorus, where there is no reference to His coming passion, but only to His kingship: "Herr, unser Herrscher."."

Jesus' suffering is also not a painful human suffering, but a necessary phase of his return to heaven: the crucifixion as the mechanical means by which the Son returns to the Father. The arrest of Jesus is treated very briefly. The inner conflicts of the Gethsemane prayer are absent, as is the kiss of the traitor Judas Iscariot. Instead, Jesus reveals himself to the servants of the high priests and asks them to spare his disciples. During the interrogation by Pontius Pilate, Jesus appears superior and indifferent to his fate: he refuses to make statements or answer with counter-questions. Even in the crucifixion scene, he appears sovereign and unaffected by human suffering. He carries his cross himself and does not have to endure ridicule. Instead, while still on the cross, he instructs his favorite disciple to take care of his mother. Finally, according to John, Jesus' last words are triumphant: "It is finished."

[Crucifixion with St John and Mary, Bartolomeo Cesi, 1590-1600]

PART I
(1) Opening chorus: "Herr, unser Herrscher ..." ("Lord, our master, ...")
(2-5) Arrest in the Kidron Valley (John 18:1-11)
(6-14) Denial, palace of the high priest Kaiphas (John 18:12–27)

Part II
(15-26) Court hearing with Pontius Pilate (John 18:28–40 and John 19:1–22)
(27-37) Crucifixion and death, Golgotha (John 19:23–30)
(38-39) Burial (John 19:31–42)
(40) Closing chorale: Ach Herr, lass dein lieb Engelein ... (O Lord, let your dear little angels ...)

Text & translation

Right at the beginning of the opening chorus, the woodwinds play the three notes E flat, D flat and G flat, which stands for "Soli (E flat) Deo (D) Gloria (G)": Bach is dedicating the composition directly to God.

The fierce character of the Gospel of John is interpreted by Bach through the use of so-called turbae: dramatic choruses in which Bach expresses the emotions of hateful people, hypocritical scribes, indifferent soldiers and teasing bystanders - true paintings in music. Bach uses this technique fourteen times in the St. John Passion.

The work has a deliberate symmetry. At the center of the five parts is the trial, with the confrontation between Jesus, Pilate, and the crowd. This trial scene is the central point of St. John's narrative, since it is here that Christ's kingship is judged. It is also the turning point of the story: Pilate withdraws; the outcome has now become inevitable. It is not the death of Jesus that is the dramatic climax, but the human actions that lead to it. In the middle of the trial, a chorale (22) interrupts the argument, which is a discussion of freedom and imprisonment. It is surrounded by two choral movements, both of which not only call for the crucifixion of Jesus, but also use the same musical motifs, the second time intensified. Again, in a repetition of similar musical material, a preceding Turba chorus explains the law, while a corresponding movement reminds Pilate of the emperor whose authority is challenged by someone who calls himself a king.

As noted above, the centerpiece of the work is (22), the chorale "Durch dein Gefängnis, Gottes Sohn" - we gain freedom through Christ's captivity. As the true Son of God, Jesus is glorified even in his passion.

What comes through in the performance is the inexorability of the events: everything happens with almost clockwork precision, in direct and necessary fulfillment of a preordained order.

Listen to: Van Veldhoven | Netherlands Bach Society




Choral Masterworks

Bach Cantata Index

Bach Secular Cantatas (67): Congratulatory Cantatas (BWV 208, 1127, 173a, 134a, 36c, 205, 207, 213, 214, 215, 207a, 206, 36b, 30a & 212)

So-called "secular cantatas" were composed on the occasion of academic functions of the University of Leipzig, or namedays and birthdays among the nobility, Some 15 congratulatory cantatas have been preserved, but we know, partly from textbooks that have come down to us, that there must have been many more. As these cantatas were linked in the text to a specific person or event, it was not possible to perform them again, so they were often not preserved.

But Bach did something else. When he especially liked the music he had composed, he would reuse the music for a sacred cantata, providing the notes with a different text (the opposite also happened sometimes, but that must have been when Bach had not time to write something new). So the music of Bach's best secular cantatas has found its way into some his his best church cantatas - a good example is the Christmas Oratorio, which was wholly based on previous, secular work. 

In fact, "secular" was mainly a matter of reason and text, because in a musical sense it is hardly possible to distinguish between Bach's liturgical music and his secular music.

We have the following cantatas containing a congratulation:

Weimar (1708 to 1717) - 2 congratulatory cantatas preserved
First as organist and from 1714 Konzertmeister at the ducal court, where Bach had the chance to work with a large contingent of professional musicians. In this period Bach wrote two congratulatory cantatas, the so-called Hunt Cantata, and a recently discovered strophic aria "Alles mit Gott und nichts ohn' ihn." The first was for the birthday of Duke Christian of Saxe-Weissenfels, the second one for the birthday of Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar.

Köthen (1717–1723) - 2 congratulatory cantatas preserved
Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen, hired Bach to serve as his Kapellmeister (director of music) in 1717. Prince Leopold, himself a musician, appreciated Bach's talents, paid him well and gave him considerable latitude in composing and performing. The prince was a Calvinist and did not use elaborate music in his worship; accordingly, most of Bach's work from this period was secular, such as the secular cantata BWV 134a. Bach also wrote Durchlauchtster Leopold, BWV 173a to celebrate the 28th birthday of Leopold von Anhalt-Köthen on December 10, either in 1720 or 1722.

Leipzig - Cantata cycle years (1723–1729) - 3 congratulatory cantatas preserved
- BWV 36c (1725) was written as a secular cantata for the birthday of an unknown older teacher at the Thomasschule. Bach reused parts of the cantata in two other secular cantatas, and in a church cantata for the first Sunday in Advent, Schwingt freudig euch empor, BWV 36 - see below for the complex relationship in the BWV 36 family of cantatas.
- BWV 205 (1725) was written for the name-day of a popular Leipzig professor; it was ordered from Bach by his students who performed it in front of his house.
- BWV 207 (1726) was ordered by the Collegium Musicum in Leipzig to honor a young genius, who at age 28 was going to be inaugurated as professor.

Leipzig - Middle years (1730–1739) - 7 congratulatory cantatas preserved
In the 1730s Bach wrote a large number of occasional works.
- BWV 213 (1733) was composed for the birthday of Friedrich Christian, son of the Elector of Saxony. It was performed on September 5 in Gottfried Zimmermann's coffee garden in Leipzig.
- BWV 214 (1733) celebrates the birthday of the Electress Maria Josepha of Saxony and was performed on December 8, 1933 at Gottfried Zimmermann's coffee-house.
- BWV 215 (1734) was written for an open-air performance at the market in Leipzig, October 5, 1734 in the evening at 9 a.m., in honor of the visit of the Saxon Elector and Polish King August III.

- BWV 207a (1735) was written for the nameday of King Augustus III, Elector of Saxony.
- BWV 206 (1736) was composed for the visit of Elector Friedrich Augustus II to Leipzig in October 1734, but in fact first performed on 7th October 1736 to celebrate the same elector's birthday.
- BWV 36b was written in October 1735 as a birthday offering to the Leipzig university professor Johann Florens Rivinus (1681-1755). It was based on BWV 36c.
- BWV 30a (1737) was designed as a homage cantata for Johann Christian von Hennicke (1681-1752), who had been ennobled in 1728 and was now taking possession of his fief at Wiederau, some 20 km SW of Leipzig. 

Leipzig - Final years  (1740–1750) - 1 congratulatory cantata preserved
BWV 212 (1742), the so-called Peasant Cantata. Written to mark the inauguration of the rule of Carl Heinrich von Dieskau (1706-82) over certain villages in the immediate surroundings of Leipzig. One of these was Klein-Zschocher, probably the location of the cantata's first performance on 30 August 1742.

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)

 

[Friedrich Christian, dedicatee of BWV 213]

Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd, BWV 208, February 23, 1713

Recitative (Diana, soprano): Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd!
Aria (Diana, soprano): Jagen ist die Lust der Götter
Recitative (Endymion, tenor): Wie, schönste Göttin? wie?
Aria (Endymion, tenor): Willst du dich nicht mehr ergötzen
Recitative (Diana and Endymion): Ich liebe dich zwar noch!
Recitative (Pan, bass): Ich, der ich sonst ein Gott
Aria (Pan): Ein Fürst ist seines Landes
Recitative (Pales, soprano): Soll dann der Pales Opfer hier das letzte sein?
Aria (Pales): Schafe können sicher weiden
Recitative (Diana): So stimmt mit ein und lasst des Tages Lust volkommen sein
Chorus: Lebe, Sonne dieser Erden
Aria (Diana and Endymion): Entzücket uns beide, ihr Strahlen der Freude
Aria (Pales: Weil die wollenreichen Herden
Aria (Pan): Ihr Felder und Auen, lass grünend euch schauen
Chorus: Ihr lieblichste Blicke, ihr freudige Stunden

"All that I love is the merry hunt"
Text & translation

Scored for four vocalist soloists: Diana, soprano I, Pales, soprano II, Endymion, tenor, Pan, bass, two horns, two recorders, two oboes, taille, bassoon, two violins, viola, cello, violone, and continuo. So far as is known, it is Bach's earliest work featuring horns.

This is a magnificent piece, one of Bach's most popular secular cantatas, written for the birthday of Duke Christian of Saxe-Weissenfels on February 23, 1713. The aria "Schafe können sicher weiden" is its most familiar part. The text, however, is rather silly, with a celebration of the hunt and Duke Christian's greatness by a number of Greek gods and goddesses.

The cantata was performed in Weissenfels in the evening after a hunting party. Christian is mentioned four times in Salomon Franck's libretto for the cantata and is equated with the classical deity Pan. Hunting is characterized as an activity suitable for princes. Franck was the Weimar court poet, and it is likely that the Hunting Cantata was intended by Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar as a gift for Christian. For Christian's 43rd birthday in 1725, Bach wrote the shepherds' cantata "Entfliehet, verschwindet, entweichet, ihr Sorgen," BWV 249a; its music is lost but survives as the parody setting of the Easter Oratorio. In 1729, Bach wrote "O angenehme Melodei," BWV 210a, for the Duke's visit to Leipzig.

Diana opens the work with a recitative and aria praising the hunt, and Endymion laments her obsession with hunting, after which they both decide to celebrate Duke Christian's birthday feast. Pan, the god of flocks and shepherds, then joins in the Duke's praise with a very fine aria, "A prince is the Pan of his land," accompanied by a pair of oboes and an oboe da caccia. A laudatory recitative by Pales, the goddess of crops and pastures, then leads into one of Bach's most famous arias, "Sheep May Safely Graze. But make no mistake, despite the glorious music, this is not an agricultural paean, but rather a celebration of benevolent despotism! Next we have a choral fugue with an instrumental ritornello in which each voice offers congratulations to the Duke. A duet by Diana and Endymion is followed by a delightful aria by Pales (later reused as "Mein gläubiges Herze" in the cantata BWV 68). Then another aria by Pan, after which the final chorus (later parodied in the sacred cantata BWV 149) brings things to a glorious close.

It has been argued that the first movement of the early form of the first Brandenburg Concerto, BWV 1046a, was originally an introduction to that cantata. The key is correct, and such an introduction would have been standard practice, the argument goes. This means that some performances begin with a surprise. Another short piece by Bach that is sometimes used as an introduction to a cantata is the 1712 Canonic Trio Sonata in F major (BWV 1040) for oboe, violin, and continuo, which Bach also incorporated into the soprano aria of the Hunting Cantata. Sometimes the minuet of BWV 1046a is added at the end as table music, with the argument that this would also have been common practice.

BWV 208 was later to provide the parody model for another birthday cantata, BWV 208a, but the music for the latter has been lost. It's thought that 208a was a simple revision (to a slightly different text) of BWV 208. While living in Leipzig, Bach arranged music from two arias for the church cantata "Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt," BWV 68 (composed in 1725), and the final chorus for "Man singet mit Freuden vom Sieg," BWV 149 (1728 or 1729).

Video: J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German) - Dialogue "Bach weltlich" (in German)

Alles mit Gott und nichts ohn' ihn, BWV 1127, October 1713

Aria (soprano) Alles mit Gott und nichts ohn' ihn

"Everything with God and nothing without him"
Text & translation

Scored for soprano, two violins, viola, cello, and continuo.

This is not really a cantata, but a strophic aria, which was discovered in May 2005 by the German music researcher Michael Maul. It concerned a previously unknown manuscript by Bach that was in the library of Duchess Anna Amalia in Weimar. For this reason, the aria has a high BWV number (in 2006 it was even the highest number as Bach's most recently discovered work, until the organ piece 'Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns Halt' (BWV 1128) was discovered in 2008.

It is an occasional work that Bach composed in 1713 for the 52nd birthday of his employer Wilhelm Ernst. This count employed Bach as court organist between 1708 and 1717. The aria is based on the duke's motto, "Omnia cum Deo et nihil sine eo" (everything with God and nothing without him). The twelve stanzas were rhymed together by pastor Johann Anthon Mylius, Superintendent of Buttstädt, a town in the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar.

The poem is an acrostic, a technique very common in such congratulatory poetry. Bach, at the time employed as court organist by the Duke, set Mylius's ode as an aria in strophic form, that is a melody for soprano accompanied by continuo for the stanzas, alternating with a ritornello for strings and continuo. When all stanzas are sung, a performance of the work takes around 45 to 50 minutes, but as the music is repeated each time, that gets rather boring, so usually only a few stanzas are performed. Wikipedia has detailed information on the poem and the acrostic technique.

Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar became famous for his break with Bach. Bach worked in Weimar since 1708 as court organist and concert master. When the duke passed Bach at the appointment of a new Hofkapellmeister, Bach resigned his post. Willem Ernst felt offended and had Bach imprisoned for four weeks before he fired him. Bach then left for Anhalt-Köthen. Because of this mishap, Willem Ernst has the reputation in Bach's biographies of being an authoritarian culture barbarian.

Video: Bach-Archiv Leipzig

Durchlauchtster Leopold, BWV 173a, 1720-22, December 10

    Recitative (soprano): Durchlauchtster Leopold
    Aria (soprano): Güldner Sonnen frohe Stunden
    Aria (bass): Leopolds Vortrefflichkeiten
    Aria (soprano, bass): Unter seinem Purpursaum
    Recitative (soprano, bass): Durchlauchtigster, den Anhalt Vater nennt
    Aria (soprano): So schau dies holden Tages Licht
    Aria (bass): Dein Name gleich der Sonnen geh
    Chorus (soprano, bass): Nimm auch, großer Fürst, uns auf

"Illustrious Leopold"
Text & translation

Scored for soprano, bass, two traversos, strings, and continuo.

Bach composed this cantata (also called serenata) for performance in Köthen on December 10, 1720 or 1722, to celebrate the 28th birthday of Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen. The cantata is one of a series of congratulatory works that Bach wrote for this patron. Some of these are lost, while others, such as "Der Himmel dacht auf Anhalts Ruhm und Glück," BWV 66.1, can be reconstructed because Bach later reused the music. "Durchlauchtster Leopold" is unusual in that it has survived in its entirety.

The music is unpretentious, the instrumentation modest. The unknown poet wrote in eight movements. The first recitative addresses "Durchlauchtster Leopold". The two vocal parts may have been allegorical figures, as in the Hunting Cantata, but are not identified as such in the text.

Perhaps as early as 1723, the text and original music were parodied as the Pentecost Cantata BWV 173. Movement 7 was used in BWV 175.

Audio: Koopman

Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht, BWV 134a, 1717-23

"Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht"  (Recitative, tenor and alto)
"Auf, Sterbliche, lasset ein Jauchzen ertönen" (Aria, tenor)
"So bald, als dir die Sternen hold" (Recitative, tenor and alto)
"Es streiten, es siegen, die künftigen Zeiten" (Aria, alto and tenor)
"Bedenke nur, beglücktes Land" (Recitative, alto and tenor)
"Der Zeiten Herr hat viel vergnügte Stunden" (Aria, alto)
"Hilf, Höchster, hilf, daß mich die Menschen preisen" (Recitative, tenor and alto)
"Ergetzet auf Erden, erfreuet von oben" (chorus)

"Time, which creates the days and years"
Text & translation

Scored for alto and tenor, SATB choir, 2 oboes, 2 violins, viola & continuo.

Bach composed this cantata in Köthen, where he served at the court of Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen, between 1717 and 1723. Of the twelve cantatas Bach is said to have composed during his six years in Köthen, only a few have survived, including the above cantata, "Durchlauchtster Leopold." The congratulatory cantatas were performed as serenatas or evening serenades. Their style is similar to the opera of the time and includes dance-like music. The present cantata was also performed as a New Year's cantata in 1719. It is based on words by Christian Friedrich Hunold, an academic at the University of Halle,  and takes the form of a dialogue between two allegorical figures, Time and Divine Providence, representing the past and the future, respectively. Bach set the words in eight movements, alternating recitatives and arias, culminating in a choral finale. Most of the movements are duets for solo voices, an alto as Divine Providence and a tenor as Time.

The present cantata served as a parody model for the church cantata 134 for the Third Easter in 1724.

Audio: Koopman

Schwingt freudig euch empor, BWV 36c, 1725

    Coro: Schwingt freudig euch empor
    Recitative (tenor): Ein Herz, in zärtlichem Empfinden
    Aria (tenor): Die Liebe führt mit sanften Schritten
    Recitative (bass): Du bist es ja
    Aria (bass): Der Tag, der dich vordem gebar
    Recitative (soprano): Nur dieses Einz'ge sorgen wir
    Aria (soprano): Auch mit gedämpften, schwachen Stimmen
    Recitative (tenor): Bei solchen freudenvollen Stunden
    Chorus & Recitatives (soprano, tenor, bass): Wie die Jahre sich verneuen

"Soar up joyfully on high"
Text & translation

Scored for three soloists—soprano, tenor and bass—a four-part choir, two oboes d'amore, two violins, viola, viola d'amore and basso continuo.

Bach wrote several works for celebrations of the Leipzig University. This cantata was probably composed in 1725 as a homage to one of the composer's academic colleagues, but it is not known which. Johann Burckhard Mencke and Johann Heinrich Ernesti (the septuagenarian rector of the Thomasschule) have been suggested as possible recipients. There is evidence that the cantata was performed in April or May that year.

In 1726 Bach revived the piece for the birthday of Princess Charlotte Friedrike Wilhelmine of Anhalt-Köthen, the second wife of his former employer, Prince Leopold (BWV 36a), again on a text by Picander (who published the text the following year). And in 1735 Bach made a third version  as a birthday offering to the Leipzig University professor Andreas Florens Rivinus (1681-1755) who that year had become rector of the university (BWV 36b, see below).

To make things more complicated, the first two secular cantatas were parodied in BWV 36, "Schwingt freudig euch empor," performed in Leipzig in 1731 for the first Sunday in Advent. The complex history of this work is indicative of Bach's own high regard for it. True to the title, the opening chorus is in gavotte form and the whole cantata is very joyous.

Audio: Berliner Solisten

Zerreisset, zersprenget, zertrümmert die Gruft, BWV 205, August 3, 1725

    Chorus: Zerreißet, zersprenget, zertrümmert die Gruft
    Recitative (bass): Ja! ja! Die Stunden sind nunmehro nah
    Aria (bass): Wie will ich lustig lachen
    Recitative (tenor): Gefürcht'ter Aeolus
    Aria (tenor): Frische Schatten, meine Freude
    Recitative (bass): Beinahe wirst du mich bewegen
    Aria (alto): Können nicht die roten Wangen
    Duet recitative (alto and soprano): So willst du, grimmger Aeolus
    Aria (soprano): Angenehmer Zephyrus
    Duet recitative (soprano and bass): Mein Aeolus
    Aria (bass): Zurücke, zurücke, geflügelten Winde
    Trio recitative (soprano, alto, tenor): Was Lust!
    Duet aria (alto and tenor): Zweig und Äste
    Recitative (soprano): Ja, ja! ich lad euch selbst zu dieser Feier ein
    Chorus: Vivat August

"Tear apart, burst open, shatter the vault"
Text & translation

Scored for four solo voices – Pallas as soprano, Pomona as alto, Zephyrus as tenor, and Aeolus as bass – a four-part choir, three trumpets, timpani, two horns, two flutes, two oboes, oboe d'amore, two violins, viola, viola d'amore, viola da gamba, and basso continuo.

Bach composed the secular cantata BWV 205 at the request of Leipzig students, who performed it in front of the house of the popular professor Dr August Friedrich Müller (1684-1761), lawyer and philosopher, on his name day, 3 August 1725. The scene, outside in the Catherinenstraße by torchlight, with possibly the largest orchestra that Bach ever assembled, must have been spectacular.

The text was written by Bach's fixed librettist Picander and is a paraphrase of a section of Virgil's Aeneid. In the opening chorus the winds complain of having been confined during summer. In his opening recitative, Aeolus (bass), ruler of the winds in Greek mythology, agrees to release them, as summer is passing, and in the next aria looks forward to the havoc they will cause. In a series of recitatives and arias the god of evening breezes, Zephyrus (tenor), the goddess of fruit trees, Pomona (alto), and the goddess of wisdom, Pallas (soprano - an alluring aria), call in turn on him to delay. Aeolus is at first unwilling, but when he finally learns of the reason for their requests - so that they may join in Müller's name-day celebrations - he relents and commands the winds to be calm in a gloriously accompanied aria. All then join in an exultant chorus to greet Müller. With its 15 movements and colorful orchestration this is a very substantial work.

Some years later Bach parodied the music to a new text in praise of Augustus III, King of Poland in BWV 205a. Also the music of the duet between Pomona and Zephyrus re-appeared in the wedding cantata BWV 216 and the music of Pallas's aria was put to use in the sacred cantata BWV 171. Incidentally, Bach's son, Wilhelm Friedemann later re-parodied the work in Hallé in praise of Friedrich II of Prussia.

Audio: Jacobs

 

Vereinigte Zwietracht der wechselnden Saiten, BWV 207, December 11, 1726

    March
    Chorus: Vereinigte Zwietracht der wechselnden Saiten
    Recitative (tenor): Wen treibt ein edler Trieb zu dem, was Ehre heißt
    Aria (tenor): Zieht euren Fuß nur nicht zurücke
    Duet recitative (bass and soprano): Dem nur allein
    Duet aria (bass and soprano): Den soll mein Lorbeer schützend decken
    Recitative (alto): Es ist kein leeres Wort, kein ohne Grund erregtes Hoffen
    Aria (alto): Ätzet dieses Angedenken
    Recitative (SATB): Ihr Schläfrigen, herbei
    Chorus: Kortte lebe, Kortte blühe

"United discords of quivering strings"
Text & translation

Scored four solo singers who represent allegorical figures: Glück (Fortune, soprano), Dankbarkeit (Thankfulness, alto), Fleiß (Diligence, tenor), and Ehre (Honour, bass). The cantata also features a four-part choir for the movements framing a sequence of recitatives and arias. Bach orchestrated it festively with three trumpets, timpani, two transverse flutes, two oboes d'amore, taille, two violins, viola, and basso continuo.

Bach wrote the secular cantata "Vereinigte Zwietracht der wechselnden Saiten" in 1726 on behalf of the student music company Collegium Musicum, of which he himself would become the conductor in 1729. It is a tribute music for the young, 28-year-old Dr Gottlieb Kortte (1698 - 1731) who accepted his promotion to professor of Roman Law at the Leipzig University with his inaugural speech on 11 December. The piece will probably have been performed in the evening of that 11th December, under the direction of the then conductor of the Collegium Musicum, the organist of the Neukirche, Balthasar Schott. The young Kortte was very popular with his students and the lavish tribute must have cost them a lot of money.

Vereinigte Zwietracht, along with a number of other secular cantatas such as BWV 205, 206, 213, 214 and 215, is described as a Dramma per Musica, the then designation for "opera". The soloists play roles of allegorical characters, in this case resp. Happiness (soprano), Gratitude (alto), Zeal (tenor) and Honor (bass). However, there is so little interaction between the characters that the result is very little dramatic in nature.

The instrumental line-up is luxurious: three trumpets, timpani, three oboes, two flutes, strings and continuo. Structurally two choirs frame two arias with recitatives and at the center a duet for bass and soprano. The "united discords" in the title points at the intellectual ideal of "concordia discors," the common dispute at the university, a combination of opposites, connecting it with the musical ideal of the "quivering strings." The opening chorus is familiar from the third movement of the Brandenburg Concerto No 1. It is a festive opening for this celebratory cantata.

Bach reused the music for the name-day of King Augustus III, Elector of Saxony, probably on August 3, 1735 (BWV 207a, "Auf, schmetternde Töne der muntern Trompeten"). Included with the material of BWV 207a is a splendid march that deserves to be much better known. 

Audio: Musica Antiqua Köln

Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen, BWV 213, September 5, 1733

    Chorus: Laßt uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen
    Recitative (alto): Und wo? Wo ist die rechte Bahn
    Aria (soprano): Schlafe, mein Liebster, und pflege der Ruh
    Duet recitative (soprano, tenor): Auf! folge meiner Bahn
    Aria (alto): Treues Echo dieser Orten
    Recitative (tenor): Mein hoffnungsvoller Held
    Aria (tenor): Auf meinen Flügeln sollst du schweben
    Recitative (tenor): Die weiche Wollust locket zwar
    Aria (alto): Ich will dich nicht hören
    Duet recitative (alto, tenor): Geliebte Tugend, du allein
    Duet aria (alto, tenor): Ich bin deine, du bist meine
    Recitative (bass): Schaut, Götter, dieses ist ein Bild
    Chorus: Lust der Volker, Lust der Deinen

"Let's take care, let's keep watch" (Hercules at the Crossroads)
Text & translation

The cantata has four vocal soloists: Lust (soprano), Hercules (alto), Virtue (tenor), and Mercury (bass). It is also scored for a four-part choir, two horns, oboe d'amore, two oboes, two violins, two violas (or viola and bassoon), and basso continuo.

The music of BWV 213 is well known, since the opening chorus and all the arias were later parodied in various places in the Christmas Oratorio BWV 248. The work was composed as a cantata in honor of Friederich Christian, son of the Elector of Saxony, for his birthday in 1733 and was performed in Gottfried Zimmermann's coffee garden in Leipzig, the setting for many of Bach's Collegium Musicum concerts. The libretto by Picander is an enormously sycophantic piece. The eleven-year-old prince is compared to the mythological hero Hercules (alto) as he makes his choice between the rough but right path (suggested by Virtue, tenor) and the smooth but wrong path (suggested by Pleasure, soprano). Mercury (bass) acts as narrator and makes the connection between Hercules and the prince.

The opening chorus (later to appear as BWV 248/36) sets the scene with the Council of the Gods praising the prince's future with lullaby-like chordal instrumental accompaniment. In the first recitative, Hercules (alto) establishes the crossroads at which he finds himself: a choice between the right path and following his desires. Pleasure (soprano), in a wonderfully seductive aria, urges him to "follow the lure of lustful thoughts. It is perhaps surprising that this seductive music became the wonderful "Sleep" aria in BWV 248/19. In the next recitative, pleasure is challenged by virtue (tenor). Next, Hercules shows his vaccination between them in an aria that adopts the "echo" form prominent in early Italian opera: another alto voice engages in an imitative exchange with Hercules and the instrumental lines (later used as BWV 248/39). In an exuberant aria, Virtue then implores Hercules to follow the right path (BWV 248/41) and not succumb to the temptations of pleasure. Hercules is persuaded in an energetic aria (later BWV 248/4) and expresses his conviction to follow Virtue's advice. He then sings a long duet aria with Virtue, which has the character of a love song (later BWV 248/29). A pompous recitative by Mercury (bass) glorifying the dedicatee leads into the final chorus, a gavotte.

This fine work is unfortunately overshadowed by the Christmas Oratorio, for which most of the music (except the final chorus) was borrowed. Knowing the Christmas Oratorio well makes it difficult to appreciate the very different use to which this music was originally put.

Video: Il Gardellino (conducted by Peter Van Heyghen)

Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten!, BWV 214, December 8, 1733

    Chorus: "Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten!"
    Recitative (tenor): "Heut ist der Tag, wo jeder sich erfreuen mag"
    Aria (soprano): "Blast die wohlgegriffnen Flöten"
    Recitative (soprano): "Mein knallendes Metall"
    Aria (alto): "Fromme Musen! meine Glieder!"
    Recitative (alto): "Unsre Königin im Lande"
    Aria (basso): "Kron und Preis gekrönter Damen"
    Recitative (basso): "So dringe in das weite Erdenrund"
    Chorus: "Blühet, ihr Linden in Sachsen, wie Zedern!"

"Resound Drums, ring out Trumpets"
Text & translation

The work features four vocal soloists who represent allegorical figures: Bellona (soprano), Pallas (alto), Irene (tenor), and Fama (bass). It is further scored for four-part choir (SATB), three trumpets, timpani, two flutes, two oboes, oboe d'amore, two violins, viola and basso continuo.

This cantata was written for the birthday of Maria Josepha of Austria, wife of August III, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. The cantata was performed on December 8, 1733, probably at the Zimmerman Coffeehouse in Leipzig, where Bach regularly performed with his Collegium Musicum. This is another dramma per musica. It is based on a libretto by an unknown author.

Bach composed Tönet, ihr Pauken! in 1733, ten years after he became Thomaskantor in Leipzig, director of music for the major churches in the city in the Electorate of Saxony. That year Augustus succeeded his father as Elector of Saxony. Bach had hopes of being appointed composer to his court, which was based in Dresden. Bach wrote six congratulatory cantatas for the Saxon court. Unfortunately, he never received this position.

In the cantata, the dedicatee is addressed by allegorical figures representing Roman and Greek goddesses of war and peace (Bellona, Pallas, Irene, and Fama) who convey congratulations to the queen. Choral movements frame a series of alternating recitatives and arias. The cantata begins with a grand opening chorus in which timpani, trumpets, and strings are called upon to congratulate the birthday queen. Bach would later reuse this opening chorus as the opening chorus of the first cantata of the Christmas Oratorio, entitled "Jauchzet, frohlocket, auf, preiset die Tage" (BWV 248/1). The four solo voices then take turns congratulating the queen from their own perspectives, until they unite again in the final chorus, which ends with a "Long may she live!

In addition to the opening chorus, Bach also reused arias 5 and 7 and the final chorus in the Christmas Oratorio.

Video: Collegium 1704/ Luks

Preise dein Glücke, gesegnetes Sachsen, BWV 215, October 5 1734

    Chorus: Preise dein Glücke, gesegnetes Sachsen

    Recitative (tenor): Wie kommen wir, großmächtigster August

    Aria (tenor): Freilich trotzt Augustus' Name

    Recitative (bass): Was hat dich sonst, Sarmatien, bewogen

    Aria (bass): Rase nur, verwegner Schwarm

    Recitative (soprano): Ja, ja! Gott ist uns noch mit seiner Hülfe nah

    Aria (soprano): Durch die von Eifer entflammeten Waffen

    Recitative (soprano, tenor, bass): Laß doch, o teurer Landesvater, zu

    Chorus: Stifter der Reiche, Beherrscher der Kronen

"Value your good fortune, blessed Saxony"
Text & translation

Scored for three soloists, soprano, tenor and bass, two four-part choirs, and a festive orchestra of three trumpets and timpani, two flauto traverso, two oboes, two violins, viola and basso continuo.

Cantata performed on the occasion of a visit by the Saxon Elector and Polish King August III, premiered in Leipzig on October 5, 1734. The visit, announced at short notice, was used by the students of the Collegium musicum of the University of Leipzig to perform evening music for the prince as part of a celebratory torchlight procession in front of the Apel house where he was staying. The text was written by the Magister Johann Christoph Clauder. Bach had very little time to compose, possibly only three days. It is therefore assumed that he resorted to existing works in the parody process. However, in this case it would have to be lost pieces, since the music cannot be traced to any other Bach composition.

BWV 215 stands out from other baroque cantatas of homage and congratulations, which almost always uncritically praise the fame and wisdom of the regent with reference to ancient mythology, insofar as the poet specifically refers to recent historical events, as August III did not reach the Polish throne without resistance, but first had to defeat an adversary.

As is often the case in the Baroque era, the royal power is represented musically by kettledrums and trumpets, which gives the work its solemn atmosphere. It is noticeable that the opening movement is designed as a double choir. Years later, the music of this movement was used again in the "Osanna in excelsis" of the B minor Mass. Bach also reworked the soprano aria for the Christmas Oratorio. Most of the recitatives are unusually elaborate: in the final recitative movement, the three solo parts are accompanied by all instrument groups. In the section assigned to the bass part, timpani and trumpets are impressively used for interjections that onomatopoeically depict the horrors of war.

Video: J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German) - Explanation in English "Bach Factory"

Auf, schmetternde Töne der muntern Trompeten, BWV 207a, August 3, 1735

    Chorus: Auf, schmetternde Töne der muntern Trompeten
    Recitative (tenor): Die stille Pleiße spielt
    Aria (tenor): Augustus' Namenstages Schimmer
    Duet recitative (soprano and bass): Augustus' Wohl
    Duet aria (soprano and bass) and ritornello: Mich kann die süße Ruhe laben
    Recitative (alto): Augustus schützt die frohen Felder
    Aria (alto): Preiset, späte Folgezeiten
    Recitative (SATB): Ihr Fröhlichen, herbei
    Chorus: August lebe
    March

"Arise resounding notes of cheerful trumpets"
Text & translation

Scored for soprano, alto, tenor, and bass soloists, four-part choir, three trumpets, timpani, two flauto traverso, two oboes d'amore, tenor oboe (taille), bassoon, two violins, viola, and basso continuo.

Cantata for the nameday of King Augustus III, Elector of Saxony. As the music is mostly borrowed from BWV 207, we will only discuss it briefly.

The librettist is unknown. The soloists probably represent allegorical or mythological figures. Since the original text has not been preserved, one can only guess which soloist embodies what. It is possible that the soprano represents peace, the bass war, and the tenor represents wisdom or the city of Leipzig.

The cantata is largely based on BWV 207; the recitative movements 2, 4 and 6 are new compositions. The march probably came about when the cantata was being performed.

The cantata opens with a spectacular chorus, in fact an adaptation of the third movement of the first Brandenburg concerto, BWV 1046, with the natural horns of the concerto being replaced by trumpets. In the duet for bass and soprano the peaceful state of Saxony is applauded.

Video: Netherlands Bach Society

Schleicht, spielende Wellen, und murmelt gelinde!, BWV 206, October 7, 1736

    Chorus: Schleicht, spielende Wellen, und murmelt gelinde
    Recitative (bass): O glückliche Veränderung
    Aria (bass): Schleuß des Janustempels Türen
    Recitative (tenor): So recht! beglückter Weichselstrom
    Aria (tenor): Jede Woge meiner Wellen
    Recitative (alto): Ich nehm zugleich an deiner Freude teil
    Aria (alto): Reis von Habsburgs hohem Stamme
    Recitative (soprano): Verzeiht, Bemooste Häupter starker Ströme
    Aria (soprano): Hört doch! der sanften Flöten Chor
    Recitative (SATB): Ich muss, ich will gehorsam sein
    Chorus: Die himmlische Vorsicht der ewigen Güte

"Glide, sparkling waves and murmur softly"
Text & translation

The cantata features four solo vocal parts, representing rivers: Pleiße (soprano), Donau (alto), Elbe (tenor), and Weichsel (bass). The cantata is also scored for four-part choir, three flutes, two oboes, two oboes d'amore, three trumpets, timpani, 1st and 2nd violins, violas, and basso continuo.

This cantata was composed for the visit of Elector Frederick Augustus II to Leipzig in October 1734, but was first performed on October 7, 1736, to celebrate his birthday. Frederick Augustus resided in Dresden, but it was customary to celebrate his birthday and other court events in Leipzig. A second performance took place in 1740.

The librettist of the work is unknown, but was probably Picander. The cantata is one of the works Bach wrote for celebrations at the University of Leipzig. The text is typically silly, with four rivers trying to outdo each other in praising Augustus, until they all come together in joint praise of their master.

The text discusses four important rivers associated with the houses of Saxony and Poland. The rivers are represented by the four soloists, each with a recitative and an aria. The opening chorus, "Glide playful waves," is a beautiful, lilting triple meter suggesting the waves of the rivers. A busy bass aria represents the Vistula, Poland's largest river. He sings about August as a peacemaker. The tenor is the Elbe, the river that flows through the Dresden residence. He tells the Poles that they can borrow August as king for a while, but they cannot keep him. The alto follows with the Danube, a reference to the Habsburg family of August's wife, Maria Josepha. Perhaps it is no coincidence that Bach uses two oboes d'amore when mentioning August's marriage. The list is completed by the soprano representing the Pleisse, the relatively small river that flows through Leipzig. She tries to reconcile the conflicting interests of the various hereditary lands, following the example of the harmony of the soft flutes - three, unique in Bach's oeuvre - that accompany her. Saxony and Poland must share August as brothers, and the proud Habsburg Empire must join in the anthem. Finally, the final chorus is another tremendous triple meter dance.

Video: Netherlands Bach Society - Interview conductor Jos van Veldhoven

Die Freude reget sich, BWV 36b, October 1735

    Chorus: Die Freude reget sich
    Recitative (tenor): Ihr seht, wie sich das Glücke
    Aria (tenor): Aus Gottes milden Vaterhänden
    Recitative (alto): Die Freunde sind vergnügt
    Aria (alto): Das Gute, das dein Gott beschert
    Recitative (soprano): Wenn sich die Welt mit deinem Ruhme trägt
    Aria (soprano): Auch mit gedämpften, schwachen Stimmen
    Chorus and recitative (tenor, alto, soprano): Was wir dir vor Glücke gönnen

"Joy awakens"
Text & translation

Draws on material Bach had composed more than a decade earlier for the cantata Schwingt freudig euch empor, BWV 36a. Written for celebrations of the Leipzig University, the text pays homage to Johann Florenz Rivinius, who was appointed Rector of Leipzig University in October 1735. The cantata was probably performed in the university church, the Paulinerkirche. Picander must have been the author of the adaptation for the university celebration.

The cantata consists of an opening and a closing chorus, with three recitative / aria pairs in between, for tenor, alto and soprano in succession. BWV 36b differs from older versions by the appearance of a traverso that is missing elsewhere. The closing choir is missing from the church cantata BWV 36.

The cantata is unusual in being a secular work which was parodied as a sacred work and then, some five years later again as a secular work. Bach's parodies are usually secular to sacred rather than sacred to secular. The explanation given for the prevalence of secular to sacred parodies is that occasional secular works such as birthday cantatas had a single use and then Bach was able to reuse them as sacred works.

Audio: Unger

Angenehmes Wiederau, BWV 30a, September 28, 1737

    Chorus: Angenehmes Wiederau
    Recitative (bass, soprano, alto, tenor): So ziehen wir
    Aria (bass): Willkommen im Heil, willkommen in Freuden
    Recitative (alto): Da heute dir, gepriesner Hennicke
    Aria (alto): Was die Seele kann ergötzen
    Recitative (bass): Und wie ich jederzeit bedacht
    Aria (bass): Ich will dich halten
    Recitative (soprano): Und obwohl sonst der Unbestand
    Aria (soprano): Eilt, ihr Stunden, wie ihr wollt
    Recitative (tenor): So recht! ihr seid mir werte Gäste
    Aria (tenor): So, wie ich die Tropfen zolle
    Recitative (soprano, bass, alto): Drum, angenehmes Wiederau
    Chorus: Angenehmes Wiederau

"Charming Wiederau"
Text & translation

Scored for basso continuo, along with four vocal soloists (soprano as Zeit (Time), alto as Glück (Good Fortune), tenor as Elster (River Elster), bass as Schicksal (Fate)) and four-part choir.

Homage cantata for Johann Christian von Hennicke (1681-1752), who had been ennobled in 1728 and was now taking possession of his fief at Wiederau, some 20 km SW of Leipzig. The work was performed on 28 September at Hennicke's Wiederau manor. The libretto was written by Picander, a frequent collaborator of Bach.

The “plot” is a dialogue between four allegorical figures, Fate (bass), Fortune (alto), Time (soprano) and the river Elster (tenor). This refers to the White Elster, which, coming from the Bohemian Elster Mountains, flows through the Wiederauer Feldmark to Leipzig and flows into the Saale near Halle. After an opening chorus made resplendent by the sound of three trumpets and drums, the four soloists take turns to praise Hennicke in a series of recitatives and arias, outbidding each other. The majority of the movements have a dance character.

Perhaps Bach already had in mind the reuse of the music for a church cantata when composing it. In any case, with the exception of the recitatives and Aria No. 11, all movements with new text were included in the cantata for St. John's Day (BWV 30).

Audio: Leonhardt

Mer Hahn en neue Oberkeet, BWV 212, August 30, 1742

    Overture (A major- A minor- A major)
    Duet aria: Mer hahn en neue Oberkeet (A major)
    Duet recitative: Nu, Mieke, gib dein Guschel immer her (A major)
    Aria (soprano): Ach, es schmeckt doch gar zu gut (A major)
    Recitative (bass): Der Herr ist gut: Allein der Schösser (D major)
    Aria (bass): Ach, Herr Schösser, geht nicht gar zu schlimm (D major)
    Recitative (soprano): Es bleibt dabei (B minor)
    Aria (soprano): Unser trefflicher (B minor)
    Duet recitative: Er hilft uns allen, alt und jung
    Aria (soprano): Das ist galant (G major)
    Recitative (bass): Und unsre gnädge Frau
    Aria (bass): Fünfzig Taler bares Geld (B-flat major)
    Recitative (soprano): Im Ernst ein Wort!
    Aria (soprano): Klein-Zschocher müsse (A major)
    Recitative (bass): Das ist zu klug vor dich
    Aria (bass): Es nehme zehntausend Dukaten (G major)
    Recitative (soprano): Das klingt zu liederlich
    Aria (soprano): Gib, Schöne (D major)
    Recitative (bass): Du hast wohl recht
    Aria (bass): Dein Wachstum sei feste und lache vor Lust! (A major)
    Duet recitative: Und damit sei es auch genung
    Aria (soprano): Und dass ihr's alle wisst (B minor)
    Duet recitative: Mein Schatz, erraten!
    Chorus: Wir gehen nun, wo der Dudelsack (F major)

"We have a new Lord of the Manor" (Peasant Cantata)
Text & translation

Scored for two voices: the farmer (bass) and Mieke (soprano). The instrumentation includes a string trio of violin, viola and basso continuo, accompanied by a flute, horn and second violin respectively.

Tribute music for Carl Heinrich von Dieskau (1706-1782), the Leipzig tax director and as such the superior of the lyricist/tax official C. F. Henrici (Picander). Dieskau celebrated his thirty-sixth birthday at the manor Klein-Zschocher near Leipzig with a huge fireworks display and accepted the homage of the peasants, as was customary at that time. The text has popular, crude and sometimes ironic features and alludes to a number of local people and events of the time (e.g. violation of the fishing law), with the neighboring towns of Knauthain and Cospuden being mentioned.

The plot is as follows. During the festivities, the chamberlain has beer poured. This is the occasion for a conversation between an unnamed farmer (bass) and the farmer's wife Mieke (soprano). They are happy about the festival, exchange erotic suggestions, some ambiguous, some explicit, and also talk about the tax collector's machinations. The main theme, however, is the praise of Lord Dieskau; his wife and her thriftiness are also mentioned. In some places, the Upper Saxon dialect is used ("Guschel" = mouth, "Dahlen" = love game, "Satchel" = belly, "prinkel" = little, "new shock" = 60 groschen).

In keeping with the character of the text, Bach created a relatively simple composition with short sentences and mostly simple accompaniment in a mixture of folk and urban genres, a true "cantata burlesque". He makes frequent use of popular dance forms and folk melodies. The overture consists of a sequence of different court dances without transitions.

The peasant cantata is the Bach cantata with the latest ascertainable date of origin.

Check out the video below from the Swiss Bach Foundation - it is a great performance!

Video: J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German) - The location on the Chäserrugg

Bach Cantata Index