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Bach Studies: Liturgy, Hymnology, and Theology
Discussions - Part 7

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Leaver Bach Studies: . . . Theology, Chapter 13, Bach and Erdmann Neumeister

William L. Hoffman wrote (November 28, 2021):
Connections between Bach and Erdmann Neumeister, Lutheran pastor and pioneer of the progressive 18th century German sacred cantata (Hymnary.org), are explored in Robin A. Leaver's Bach Studies: . . . Theology, Chapter 13, "Bach and Erdmann Neumeister."¹ In several respects, the paradoxical figure of Neumeister, as Leaver shows, had important influences on the composer. Neumeister possessed impressive credentials as a pastor who preached, taught, and wrote devotional books and hymns while also authoring polemical writings under numerous pseudonyms upholding Lutheran Orthodoxy against other Protestant perspectives as well as Catholic and Jewish, says Leaver (Ibid.; 274). Meanwhile, Neumeister played a large part "in the importation of operatic musical genres into the church, thus creating a new liturgical cantata form," as shown in Leaver's Chapter 5 (see BCW: "Opera in Church"), while being "an ardent anti-Pietist" in Chapter 11 (see BCW: "Three Contemporary Perspectives: Löscher, Rambach, Neumeister"). Leaver's essay considers the Bach-Neumeister encounters at the Weissenfels court, the impact of Lutheran confession and absolution on devotional handbooks as well as on Bach, the Neumeister-Telemann collaboration in Sorau and Hamburg, Bach at Weissenfels and Bach's Neumeister cantatas in Weimar and Leipzig, and Bach's 1720 Hamburg probe as well as further Neumeister influences.

Neumeister, Weissenfels Court

In his Chapter 13 first section, "Neumeister and Weissenfels" (275-79), Leaver shows that Bach and Neumeister "had close and continuing connections with the court of Weissenfels [that] suggests that this was where they first became aware of each other" (275), although the exact date is unknown. Leaver reveals source-critical materials involving Neumeister in proximity to Weissenfels, notably Neumeister's first church-year cantata libretto for Capellmeister Johann Philipp Krieger (c1701), where "the court was noted for its extensive music, both secular and religious" (276). Neumeister served at Weissenfels as court deacon from 1704 to 1706. Neumeister's second major project for the court was the devotional handbook, Der Zugang zum Gnadenstuhle (Access to the throne of grace; Weissenfels: Wehrmann, 1705). Neumeister also published vesper Epistle sermons impacting on the court through 1741, says Leaver (277). The Lutheran observance of private confession and absolution Leaver outlines to show that "the religious sentiments expressed in the devotional handbooks are similar to those found in the cantata libretti of Neumeister and his contemporaries" (279). The next section on "Confession and Absolution" (279-89) shows "It was the devotional exercise that bridged personal piety in the privacy of one's home with the corporate piety manifested in the public worship of the church" (279). "The practice of individual Confession and Absolution as the necessary rite for admission to the Lord's Supper became a significant flash point between Pietists and orthodox in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries," says Leaver (280). The conflict between advocate Valentin Ernst Löscher in Dresden and detractor Joachim Lange in Berlin over the use of the confessional involved "a different approach to piety" and "a radical and fundamental change to Lutheran belief and practice of that time," says Leaver (Ibid.). "In that light something of Neumeister's vehemence against pietism can be understood, if not condoned."

Devotional Handbooks, Chorales

Devotional handbooks such as Neumeister's linked confession with communion, shows Leaver (281), with three sections: daily prayers before confession "and in preparation for participation in communion"; "verbal formulae of confession to be used by the penitent in the confessional"; and "daily prayers following the reception of communion," often with added hymns. Some handbooks had wide circulation, notably those of pastors Johann Friedrich Mayer in Hamburg, Johann Rittmeyer in Helmstedt, and Benjamin Schmolck in Schweidnitz,² who "used the language of Pietism but was rooted in Orthodoxy," says Leaver (Ibid.: 281f). Leaver describes in detail (282-4) Neumeister's liturgical order in Der Zugang involving Saturday Confession Vesper with confession and absolution and including a special cantata libretto (set to music of Krieger?), as well as prayers and another cantata libretto for Sunday Eucharist service found in Weissenfels. "Neumeister also included hymns of his own composition," says Leaver (Ibid.: 284),³ "some of which were parodies of preexisting hymns of others." "In his hymns Neumeister expresses the same religiosity that is found in his cantata libretti: imagery from the biblical Song of Songs, echoes of medieval mysticism,⁴ expressions of gratitude for the love of Christ, and the Passion intertwined with its commemoration in Communion," says Leaver (Ibid: 284f). Then Leaver cites and translates lines from Stanzas 4, 5, and 12 of Neumeister's 12-stanza hymn, Angenehme Fasten-Zeit (Enjoyable Lent, Flickr), which is set to the Passion hymn Jesu Leiden, Pein und Tod or Jesu, deine Passion. The Weissenfels orders are "included in the new hymnal commissioned by Duke Christian on inheriting the dukedom," Leaver says (285f), at Saxe Weissenfels, Hock-Fürstliches Sachsen-Weissenfelsisches Vollständiges Gesang- und Kirchen-Buch… (Weissenfels: Brühl, 1714). At about that time, Bach presented his Hunting Cantata 208 for the Duke's birthday, 27 February 1713 (BCW).⁵ The special Buss-Tagen (penance days) Saturday Confession Vesper at Weissenfels also may have been observed at Mühlhausen where Bach c.1707-08 presented unspecified Cantata 131, Aus der Tiefen rufe ich (Out of the depths I call, Psalm 130), in which "its contents made it particularly appropriate to have been included in a Saturday Vesper service that concluded with Confession and Absolution," Leaver suggests (Ibid.: 286).⁶ Only on special occasions in Weissenfels was Communion celebrated in a Eucharistic service with special music, says Leaver (Ibid.: 286ff, ref. 283f), who discusses at length the possible use of Neumeister's special cantata, O Seelig Vergnügen! (O blissful pleasure). "Here, before the Consecration, Neumeister's cantata libretto anticipates the presence of Christ in the sacrament, registering the emotion that it evokes, the theology it expresses, and the relationship it establishes," says Leaver (Ibid.: 287). Neumeister "made a lasting impression on many aspects of the liturgical, devotional, and musical life of the court," Leaver concludes. "In his later dealings with the court, Bach must have noticed these things even if he was not entirely aware of the extent of Neumeister's influence."

Neumeister, Telemann at Sorau, Hamburg

In Leaver's next section, "Neumeister in Sorau and Hamburg" (Ibid.: 289-91), Neumeister and composer Georg Phillip Telemann (BCW) in Sorau in 1706 "formed a bond of mutual respect, a creative partnership that continued for 40 years or so," says Leaver (Ibid.: 290). Previously, Telemann had provided Leipzig opera singers in 1704 for the Weissenfels court. "It seems that Telemann's settings of Neumeister's two cantata libretti included in Der Zugang" "date from his Sorau years," TVWV 1:42 and TVWV 1:1212.⁷ During these 40 years, "Neumeister supplied Telemann with at least five, complete or partial, annual cycles," says Leaver (Ibid.).⁸ Telemann served the Eisenach court from 1708 to 1712, where he could have met Bach during annual Bach family gatherings and introduced him toNeumeister's cantata texts (Leaver speculation on the Bach-Neumeister connection dating, Ibid.: 291). Telemann served in Frankfurt until 1721 when he became cantor and director of music in Hamburg where Neumeister had served beginning in 1715.

Bach, Weissenfels

Leaver in the next section, "Bach and Weissenfels" (Ibid.: 291-99) begins with an extensive pre-history of Bach connections to the Weissenfels court prior to his 1713 Cantata 208 composition (Ibid.; 291-94) while at the Saxe-Weimar court, with materials involving Bach's earliest connections there (1702-3) and the Bach family involvement there and previously at Sangerhausen and subsequently at Arnstadt (1703-08), as well as the Bach-Anna Magdalena connections with Weissenfels (Ibid.: 298). In the period 1708-12, Bach as organist at Weimar transition from proto-cantatas (vocal concertos) to the contemporary, Neumeister-style cantatas, beginning with BWV 18, Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fällt (Just as the rain and snow fall from heaven, trans. Francis Browne; BCW), for Sexagesimae in 1713 or 1714, and Cantata 61, Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland [I] (Now come, saviour of the gentiles; BCW), for Advent 1714. Biographical materials on Emmanuel Bach's baptism in Weimar (14 March 1714) Leaver provides, with speculation on Telemann's presence (Ibid.: 295f). Cantata 61 libretto is found in Neumeister's third cycle, Geistliches Poesien (Frankfurt, 1714), which Leaver speculates on the source (Ibid.: 296), also noting that Bach used the same printed edition in Leipzig for Cantatas 24 and 28 in 1723 and 1725 (Ibid.).⁹ Next, Leaver studies Bach in Cöthen (Ibid.: 297), beginning at the end of 1717, and the connection to Anna Magdalena at Weissenfels and her family of trumpeters with their marriage (3 December 1721, Ibid.; 298) and further connections to that court (Ibid.: 298f).

Bach-Neumeister: Hamburg 1720, Leipzig BWV 79

The final two sections of Leaver's Chapter 12, "Bach and Erdmann Neumeister," relate to the iconic meeting of composer and pastor-librettist, "Hamburg 1720" (Ibid.; 299-303), and another connection, "Hamburg and Leipzig," involving two Neumeister sermon anthologies on the Lord's Supper and Baptism found in Bach's personal library, and the influences on the 1725 Reformation Cantata 79, Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild (God the Lord is sun and shield, Ps. 84:12). While the meeting of the two, c.23 November 1720, is a Bachian legend, Leaver provides further sources and special insights into the auditions for the organist at the Jacobikirche where Neumeister, as pastor, condemned the requirement that simony was attached to the election, as related by Johann Mattheson, leading Hamburg musician (BCW). Leaver brings his special insights to bare on Bach's theology, personal library, and further connections between Bach and Neumeister, showing "a commonality in the kind of books they collected and read, and this was something they might have discussed in Hamburg in 1720," he says (Ibid.: 304), books related to "devotional, biblical and specifically Lutheran" topics. Leaver suggests (Ibid.; 305) that the two Neumeister volumes, Lord's Supper (1722) and Baptism (1731), were gifts and that "the most likely person to give them to Bach was the author himself, Erdmann Neumeister." Leaver finds that a "distinctive feature of many of Neumeister's published works" is the verse "God the Lord is sun and shield," which is "the personal summary of his attitude towards his faith and life, as the keynote of his ministry, and therefore he used it extensively in his published works,' he says (Ibid.; 306). The first two movements of Bach's Cantata 79 (BCW) "begin with Neumeister's personal motto," Leaver says, suggesting that "the evidence may not be conclusive but it does point to Neumeister as the possible author of the libretto of Cantata 79. . . ." (Ibid.; 307).¹⁰

ENDNOTES

¹ Robin A. Leaver, Bach Studies: Liturgy, Hymnology, and Theology (Abingdon UK: Routledge, 2021); Amazon.com.
² Gotha Capellmeister Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel set two published cantata cycles of Schmolck, "Saiten-Spiel des Herzens" (String Music of the Heart) and "Das Namenbuch Christi," (Book of Names of Christ), which Bach could have presented in the mid-1730s (BCW, BCW.
³ For Pietist-type hymn composers, see Carl F. Schalk, "The Period of Pietism (c1675-1750)," in "German Hymnody," in Marilyn K. Stulken, Hymnal Companion to the Lutheran Book of Worship (Philadelphia PA: Fortress Press, 1981: 30, paragraph beginning "Other hymnists of the period . . . ."); BCW , scan and Google paste.
⁴ Leaver also discusses the influences of the Songs of Songs and mysticism in Chapter 9, 'Bach and the hymnic aria (189); also see BCW: "Devotional Aria Development."
⁵ Bach later presented another major Duke Christian birthday work, the Shepherds Cantata BWV 249.1(a) in 1725 (YouTube), as well as the homage Cantata BWV 210.1(a), O! angenehme Melodei in Leipzig, 12 January 1729 (Leaver Ibid.; 299); recent scholarship suggests that Bach also may have presented his four pure-hymn undesignated chorale cantatas, BWV 97, 100, 117, and 192, dated to 1730-34, in Weissenfels, while c.15-23 February 1729 Bach was at the court and probably was named honorary Capellmeister (von Haus aus) until 1736 and the death of Duke Christian with the dissolution of the court.
⁶ Three other Bach undesignated, non-liturgical penitential works also date to Mühlhausen: undated BWV 106, "Gottes Zeit ist is die allerbeste Zeit" (God's time is the very-best time), quoting biblical passages and chorales (BCW); undesignated and undated poetic Psalm Cantata BWV 150, “Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich” (For you, Lord, is my longing, Psalm 25:1b (BCW); and the Kyrie “Christe du Lamm Gottes” in F Major, BWV 233a (YouTube, to 6 April 1708, Good Friday Service of Confession and General Absolution (source, BCW: "Mühlhausen Seminal Works."
⁷ Both Telemann cantatas are undesignated but cited in Steven Zohn, The Telemann Compendium (Woodbridge BG: Boydell Press, 2020: 154, 200 respectively; Amazon.com.
⁸ See BCW: "Telemann Cantata Cycles" and "Telemann/Neumeister (Reform) Cantatas"; proto Bach pre-Weimar Cantatas 21, 106, 131, 150 score with commentary, Bärenreiter BA 5940-01, are in preparation by Peter Wollny for the New Edition of the Complete — Revised Edition (NBArev), Bärenreiter.com, with English Preface and summary critical commentary.
⁹ For an accounting of Bach's use of Neumeister texts and the influence of Telemann cantatas using Neumeister texts, see BCW Short Biographies, "Erdmann Neumeister (Librettist)," BCW, and Georg Philipp Telemann (Composer), BCW, with the topic Bach & Other Composers still being explored, BCW.
¹⁰ Leaver in the original version of his Chapter 13 essay, "The Libretto of Bach's Cantata 79: a Conjecture" (BACH 6/1, January 1975: 5, Journal of the Riemenschneider Bach Institute, Berea OH) now "a much expanded revision of part of the article" (Ibid.: Preface, xiiii), initially says, "It seems quite likely that Bach's plan to assemble a five-year cycle of cantatas was inspired by the five-year cycle of Neumeister libretti,* and if so, then an invitation to Neumeister from Bach to write the libretto for the Reformation for his third cycle of cantatas in 1725 seems plausible." *Fünffache Kirchen-Andachten: bestehend in theils eintzeln, theils niemahls gedruckten Arien, Cantaten und Oden auf alle Sonn- und Fest-Tage des gantzen Jahres (Leipzig: Groß, 1717), Google Books.

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To Come: Leaver, Bach Studies: . . . Theology, Chapter 14, "Bach's Clavierübung III.

Leaver, Bach Studies: . . . Theology, Chapter 14, "Bach's Clavierübung III"

William L. Hoffman wrote (December 11, 2021):
Robin A. Leaver's Bach Studies: Liturgy, Hymnology, and Theology, observes significant Reformation Jubilee events in the life of the Leipzig cantor and keyboard virtuoso. Most important, the third Clavierübung keyboard publication of this omnibus collection involves Leaver's penultimate Chapter 14 essay, "Bach's Clavierübung III," with its 21 extended omnes tempore chorale preludes of settings for a German Organ Missa: Kyrie-Gloria and Lutheran Catechism Hymns, BWV 669-689. These are flanked by the extended trinitarian Prelude and Fugue in E-Flat Major, BWV 552, and closes with four canonical duets, BWV 802-805.¹ Composed in both old and new styles from c1735 to 1739,² the larger pedal preludes probably were intended to be played during appropriate places in the Main Service and Vesper Service of the Word, with the alternate manualiter preludes played possibly during the Main Service of Communion. Four years in the making, this sacred keyboard exercise collection was published in 1739 to observe three Reformation festivals that year for "the bicentenary of the introduction of the Reformation into the city" of Leipzig, says Leaver in his introduction to this essay (Ibid.: 308). First was Pentecost Sunday when Martin Luther preached at the Thomaskirche on 23 May 1539; next was the fixed 12 August celebration "of the acceptance of the Augsburg Confession by Leipzig University"; and third was the traditional fixed date of the annual Reformation festival held on 31 October each year. In addition are the bicentenary of the publication of the Lutheran hymnal in Leipzig that was observed in 1739 Bach's lost, final feast day Pentecost Oratorio, BWV deest, which could have been premiered on 17 May 1739. Bach's penultimate Clavierübung was published in Leipzig for the Michaelmas Fall Fair 1739.³

Background: Lutheran Practice

Leaver's "Bach's Clavierübung III" essay is divided into seven sections, beginning with background on the "Reformation in Leipzig" (Ibid.: 309-12) and "Luther's Preaching" (Ibid.: 321f), followed by the components of the collection: "The Trinitarian preludes" (Organ Mass and Prelude and Fugue, Ibid.; 314-16), "Luther's catechisms" textual basis (316f), "The Large Catechism settings" (Ibid.: 317-20), "The Small Catechism settings (Ibid.: 322-24), and "The four Duets." (Leaver's related final Chapter 15, "Bach and the anniversaries of the Reformation," covers Bach's Reformation cantatas, historical background, Reformation Cantata 63, 1717 Reformation bicentenary, and Cantata 50 as a Reformation work.) Initially, Lutheran Germany in Thuringia and Saxony involving the ruling dynastic house of Wettin formed the bulwark of the Reformation with two initial branches, Lutheran Ernestine and Catholic Albertine, as outlined by Leaver (Ibid.: 309). Luther himself brought the Reformation to Leipzig in 1539 when "the Word of God was preached" as doctrine and "the Sacrament was administered and celebrated as a Christian Mass" of worship, says Leaver (Ibid.), citing Albertine elector, Duke Henry (1473-1541), who changed Saxony's religious affiliation from Catholic to Lutheran. "A new [Leipziger] Gesangbuch was issued in Leipzig for the use of the newly reformed congregations" in 1539, says Leaver (Ibid.), and it included Luther's Deutsche Messe"⁴ (Leipzig: Valentine Schumann, 1539).

Worship, Doctrine

The "two main elements of Bach's Clavierübung III," says Leaver (Ibid.; 310), are "the reformed way of worship that comprises the Mass settings (BWV 669-770), and the reformed doctrine by the catechism preludes (BWV 678-89)." Thus, "liturgical reforms and doctrinal considerations, as expressed in Luther's catechism, were intertwined" (Ibid.). Also in 1539 was the publication of the Agenda, or Kirchen-Ordnung [BCW], a directory of the basic forms of Lutheran worship "but was mainly concerned for the weekly Gottesdienst [church service] for Sunday worship," says Leaver (Ibid.), based on Luther's Deutsche Messe. It "was part of Bach's responsibility as cantor to teach the Latin version of Luther's Small Catechism [Wikipedia] in the Thomasschule on Saturday mornings," he says (Ibid.). The Sunday morning Gottesdienst celebration of communion and the Sunday afternoon Vespergottesdienst service of the word, closing with a reading and expounding on part of the catechism, could include selections from the Clavierübung III, says Leaver (Idid.: 311). "With the exception of the four Duets (BWV 802-805), all the pieces are appropriate for either liturgy," he says (Ibid.). Usage of the Mass and Catechism preludes (BWV 669-689) in both services is based upon Bach's prescribed Leipzig hymnbook,⁵ Leaver shows (Ibid.; 311f)). In the next Chapter 14, section, "Luther's preaching" (Ibid.; 312-16), Leaver outlines the main catechism teaching found in Luther's Pentecost Saturday vesper sermon at the Pleissenburg castle in Leipzig, 23 May 1539, in which the true Christian church observes the Ten Commandments, prays the Lord's Prayer, Baptism is understood, forgiveness assured, the Sacrament administered, and "the Trinitarian faith is confessed" (Ibid.: 312), advocating "the Trinity of God and the substance of the teaching of the catechism" (Ibid.: 313), suggesting that the sermon "strongly influenced" Clavierübung III. Bach "had a deep regard for the writings of Luther," says Leaver (Ibid.), as shown in his theological library with volumes on Luther's writings, including biblical commentary, table talk, sermons, and theological writings. Leaver describes with special insight the theological meaning of each prelude.

Clavierübung III: Trinitarian Preludes

The next section, "Trinitarian preludes" (Ibid.: 314-16), examines both the longer and shorter prelude forms of the Trinitarian hymns for the Hauptgottesdienst Kyrie-Gloria melodies opening tri-partite Kyrie-Christe-Kyrie Eleison, based on the Kyrie-trope Fons bonitatis in which Bach sets the German-language versions representing the Trinity, "Kyrie Gott Vater in Ewigkeit," "Christe aller Welt Trost," "Kyrie Gott heiliger Geist," and in the Gloria in excelsis Deo, "Allein Gott in her Höh sei' Ehr." The third-person Kyrie pedal prelude, BWV 671 (YouTube), has "particularly powerful treatment," Leaver notes (Ibid.: 314), since Luther's sermon at the Pentecost festival of the Holy Spirit begins "The reform movement in Leipzig" in 1539. Reinforcing the Trinitarian principles are the triple-time signatures in the Kyrie (3/4, 6/8, 9/8) manualiter group (BWV 672-4) and in the Gloria (3/4, 6/8 and 9/8) group (BWV 675-7). Also significant is the use in the 15Gesangbuch of the High-German version of the words and melody, appearing for the first time. The Saxon Agenda of 1539 provides for two forms of main services: more elaborate in churches in cities and towns and simpler forms in village churches. "In these preludes Bach has provided for both situations," Leaver observes (Ibid.: 316).

Luther's Catechisms, Bach's Settings.

The catechism prelude settings are based upon the vernacular German hymns which grew out of Luther's Large and Small Catechisms of 1529, the former for pastors and teachers, the latter for children and young people, both described in the Lutheran Formula of Concord (1580) as "a Bible of the Laity, in which every thing is summarized that is treated in detail in Holy Scripture," says Leaver's translation (Ibid.). In the title of his collection, "Bach especially draws attention to the catechism" in the "Vospielen über die catechismus," Leaver notes (Ibid.). In Luther's Short Preface to the Large Catechism which Leaver cites (Ibid.: 317), "Luther had requested that the basic teachings be taught in sermons" as well as in appropriate hymns which he later completed "on all six chief parts of the catechism" (Commandments, Creed, Lord's Prayer, Baptism, Confession, and Lord's Supper — all set twice for pedal and manualiter). The Catechism section of the Clavierübung III begins with the Ten Commandment hymn, “Dies sind die heilgen zehn Gebot” (These are the ten commandments), BWV 678, a trio in triple-time 6/4 setting representing the Trinity (YouTube), "which produced from within itself the Law, the Ten Commandments, symbolized by the canonic [two-part] form of the melody," "representing the two tablets of stone on which the commandments were inscribed.'' Next is the Creed, "Wir glauben all an einem Gott," BWV 680 (YouTube), as a three-part fugue. The first words of the chorale text (BCW) refer to God as "Schöpfer" (Creator) and Leaver suggests (Ibid.; 318) that Bach believed "that the creation is an external action of the entire Trinity." "When Bach set the Trinitarian creedal hymn, his first thought was for the creativity of God in giving and sustaining life." The setting of the Lord's Prayer, “Vater unser im Himmelreich” (Our Father in the heavenly kingdom), BWV 682 (music, YouTube; text, BCW), is a trio in 3/4 time, also with canon at the octave, says Leaver (Ibid.: 318f), showing the content and form of the prayer while the opening four notes represent the sign of the cross.

Three Required Sacraments

Following the commandment/prayer settings are Luther’s trilogy of Catechism Christological chorales in canonical form, describing his three required sacraments: Baptism, “Christ, unser Herr, zum Jordan kam” (Christ, our Lord, to the Jordan came); Penitence, “Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir” (From deep affliction I cry out to you, Psalm 130); and the Eucharist, “Jesus Christus, unser Heiland” (Jesus Christ, our Savior). The Baptism hymn, BWV 684 (music, YouTube; text, BCW), also is set as a trio in 4/4 with running sixteenth notes with "a double significance," says leaver (Ibid.; 319): the waters of Baptism and the operation of the Holy Spirit," based upon the Trinitarian formula, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (Wikipedia), the sign of the cross, which is pronounced during Baptism and the sprinkling of water. Not technically part of the catechism, Luther's Confession hymn is a metrical version of penitential Psalm 130 [de profundis], "the classic penitential hymn," says Leaver (Ibid.: 319f), “Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir” (From deep affliction I cry out to you).⁶ The Clavierübung III setting, BWV 686 (music, YouTube; text, BCW), "is unique among Bach's organ works in its true six-part writing," he says (Ibid.: 320), where "Confession is linked to the Ten Commandments and the Lord's Prayer." The elaborate ending "seems to symbolize that after confession comes the assurance of forgiveness in absolution," says Leaver (Ibid.). Another cross motive of four notes opens the Eucharist hymn, “Jesus Christus, unser Heiland,⁷ der von uns den Gottes Zorn wandt" (Christ Jesus, our Redeemer born, Who from us did God's anger turn), BWV 688 (music, YouTube; text, BCW). Luther in the last section of his Catechism takes the reformer Jan Huss' Bohemian Brethren setting of the Latin Jesus Christus nostra salus as a starting point for a “broader theological understanding of the Lord’s Supper as the surety of God's grace in forgiveness,” says Leaver in another essay on "Jesus Christus." Leaver discusses two related themes in this large-scale two-part invention in 3/4 time: "determined waking" and "Christ's victory of the cross" (Ibid. 320f). The "walking," Leaver suggests, relates to Isaiah 63:2-3 (Bible Gateway), a prophecy of Christ's victory over death and sin, especially in Luther's Theology of the Cross.⁸

Law-Gospel, Sorrow to Joy; Small Catechism Settings

The six large settings in Clavierübung III can be divided into two musical/theological groups, says Leaver (Ibid.: 321): "strict contrapuntal, grave in mood with various canonic devices (BWV 678, 682, 686), and those that are freer in form and lighter in mood (680, 684, 688)." Luther's central theological concept is that of justification by grace through God's faith alone (sola fide; see Wikipedia: "Justification by faith") through the distinction between the Law (Old Testament) and Gospel (New Testament),⁹ in which the "Law condemns sin: the Gospel offers salvation through Faith in Christ and his sacrifice on the cross," says Leaver (Ibid.: 322), with a cross motive in the three "Gospel" preludes as outlined in Leaver (Ibid.). In the "Small Catechism settings" section (Ibid.: 322-24), Leaver shows that these settings also are substantial, such as in the use of thematic repetition in the Ten Commandments fughetta prelude, BWV 679 (YouTube). Bach's Credo, BWV 681 (YouTube) is a three-voiced fughetta super "in honor of the Triune God," says Leaver (Ibid.: 323), set as "a diminutive French Overture," which is bi-partite prelude and fugue, often with regal overtones (see BCW). The prelude on the Lord's Prayer, BWV 683 (YouTube) "is a confident little piece," echoing Luther's words, while the Baptism hymn, BWV 685 (YouTube), "is more profound" with Trinitarian symbolism in three themes and inversions. The Confession prelude, BWV 687 (YouTube), also has thematic imitation in inversion, in which the "confession of sin is answered by the assurance of forgiveness," he says (Ibid: 324). The Communion hymn setting, BWV 689 (YouTube), uses four-voice fugal treatment, which Leaver suggests relates to the Words of Institution (Wikipedia) found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Paul (1 Corinthians 11:23-25, Bible Gateway). Concludes Leaver (Ibid.): "In his double treatment of the six-chorales," Bach emphasizes the catechisms as well as "the doctrines presented in them."

Four Canonic Duets

In the final section of Chapter 14 on the Clavierübung III, "The four Duets" (Ibid.: 324-27), Leaver considers the "enigma" of the concluding canonical four Duets, BWV 802-05 (Wikipedia Google scan and paste), two-part harpsichord pieces.¹⁰ Leaver reviews and dismisses previous suggestions that they represent the four gospels or four elements of communion or that they "were included simply to fill up available space" in the printing (Ibid.; 325). Returning to the Vopelius Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch, Leaver shows that Luther Small Catechism "has a tenfold structure" involving the six main parts (Ten Commandments, Creed, Lord's Prayer, Baptism, Confession, Communion) and four "prayers included at the end of the catechism" (Morning Songs, Evening Songs,¹¹ Before Meals, After Meals) but not set by Bach in the Clavierübung III as organ preludes. Bach's term "Duetto" on the title page, Leaver points out (Ibid.: 325), is used in vocal music to refer works such as dialogue cantatas as "conversations between the believer and Christ [FN 67: particularly Cantatas 32, 49, 58, and 58], and thus epitomizes the activity of prayer," rather than the six main parts as "an important part of church life," Leaver emphasizes (Ibid.: 326). Instead, prayers "are activities which one performs in the intimacy of the home" where fathers were encouraged to teach their children the Small Catechism (Luther and His World: 2nd 'graph, beginning "The Small Catechism . . . ."). Leaver cites the use of the sign of the cross motive in the Baptism longer prelude, BWV 684, which "prepares for the opening four notes of the final fugue (BWV 552:2), which also form a cross motive" (BCW). "The recurring theme of both of Luther's catechisms is the necessity of a constant daily practice," both of the Christian faith and "to be a proficient keyboard player," Leaver says (Ibid.: 327), with both head and finger knowledge through daily practice. A more specifically didactic perspective on the four Duets in found in David Humphreys’ monograph, The Esoteric Structure of Bach’s Clavierübung III.¹² The four Duetti, says Humphreys (Ibid.: 8f), represent Luther’s Catechism teaching rules: 1. maintaining the form of the essential teaching text, BWV 802 as a straightforward 3/8 two-part invention; 2. maintaining the form of the commentary for better understanding, BWV 803, a 2/4 strict fugue; 3. enhancing the pupil’s understanding of religious texts through the Greater Catechism, BWV 804, a 12/8 siciliano style simple fugue; and 4. applying the teachings through devotional, periodic use of the communion sacrament, BWV 805, a regular, two-part fugue in 4/4 that in its melody, harmony, and rhythm expresses errancy and then conformity.

Postscript.

Bach’s motivation for composing Clavierübung III involved four agendas, suggests Peter Williams:¹³ 1. Organ recital plan for a Sunday afternoon; 2. Practical settings of Lutheran liturgy and doctrine for use in actual services; 3. Compilation of French, Italian, and German musical idioms from stile antico to modern styles; and 4. Learned study of counterpoint and invention, found in Bach’s final decade of studies in the Art of the Fugue, the Musical Offering, Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2, and Canonic Variations.

ENDNOTES

¹ Robin A. Leaver, Bach Studies: Liturgy, Hymnology, and Theology (Abingdon UK: Routledge, 2021); Amazon.com.
² "Gregory Butler* reconstructs the prepublication history of Bach’s compositional activity in three layers," says Yo Tomita in his 2000 liner notes to the Masaaki Suzuki recording (BCW): <<It emerged that an earlier version of the collection contained the entire Missa settings and the pedaliter catechism chorales only (Layer 1). The scope of the work was then expanded sometime prior to the beginning of work on the engraving around late 1738 (Layer 2). This included the prelude and fugue that frame the collection and manualiter catechism settings. And finally, in the summer 1739, the four duets were added (Layer 3).>> *Gregory Butler, Bach's Clavier-Übung III: The Making of a Print (Raleigh NC: Duke University Press, 1990: Chapter 1, Genesis, 3-20), Amazon.com.
³ Bach's four Clavierübung publications, 1731-41, Wikipedia. Clavierübung III (BCW); (Wikipedia, Wikipedia); BML General Discussion (BCW); recording and music, YouTube.
⁴ See "Luther’s Deutsche Messe, Other Liturgical Chorales," BML BCW).
⁵ Bach's prescribed hymnbook: Gottfried Vopelius, Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch (Leipzig: Klinger, 1682), Digitale Sammlungen.
⁶ Bach set Luther's “Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir” as a chorale cantata, BWV 38, for the 21st Sunday after Trinity 1724 (BCW) and also set Luther's translation of Psalm 130 as an early vocal concerto, BWV 131, “Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir” (Out of the depths I cry, Lord, to you; BCW), which is appropriate for the Lenten Sunday, Invocavit, says Michael Maul (MDR).
⁷ See Robin A. Leaver, "Jesus Christus unser Heiland," in Luther's Liturgical Music: Principles and Implications (Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans, 2017: 156ff), Amazon.com: Look inside, Contents: v); the eight chapters of Part II, Musical Catechesis (Nos. 4-11), Leaver covers in depth Bach's six Catechism hymns, as well as two doctrinal, related chorales, beginning with "Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort" (Preserve us, Lord, with your word), and closing with "Nun freut euch, lieben Christen gmein" (Dear Christians, one and all, rejoice).
⁸ Luther's Theology of the Cross (Wikipedia), as applied to Bach's three extent Passion oratorios on John, Matthew, and Mark, particularly relates to the suffering (passion) of Jesus in the Garden and on the cross, with the alternate Good Friday Vespers readings, Isaiah Chapter 53, focusing on "The Suffering Servant," and Psalm 22, called "The Psalm of Suffering" or "A Cry of Anguish" (source, BCW).
⁹ Bach's sacred cantatas as musical sermons often begin with an Old Testament Law quotation in the first half and with a New Testament quotation in the second part, particularly in the first cycle of 1723-24, often moving from sorrow to joy, as described in Alfred Dürr's The Cantatas of J. S. Bach: With Their Librettos in German-English Parallel Text, rev. & trans. Richard D. P. Jones (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005: 27), Amazon.com.
¹⁰ Four Duets, 802-05: BCW Details & Discography, BCW, recording, YouTube.
¹¹ See Luther’s Deutsche Messe, Other Liturgical Chorales, BCW: "Catechism Morning, Evening Songs."
¹² David Humphreys, The Esoteric Structure of Bach’s Clavierübung III (Cardiff GB: University College Cardiff Press, 1983).
¹³ Williams, “Background and Genesis: Clavierübung III,” Chapter 1, Bach: The Goldberg Variations, Cambridge Music Handbooks (Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press, 2001: 25f), Amazon.com.

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To Come: Leaver, Bach Studies: . . . Theology, Chapter 15, "Bach and anniversaries of the Reformation".

Continue on Part 8