Texts of Bach Cantatas
Discussions - Part 3

Continue from Part 2

Bach's cantata texts : a listing of poetic meter?

Kim Patrick Clow wrote (August 21, 2013):
A friend has asked me off list: is there a listing of Bach's aria texts / cantata texts by poetic meter?

E.g. the number of lines of poetry, number of syllables per line. There are dictionaries of hymns like that 9979, or 668866, or whatever. This is done so you can use a different than normal tune if you're playing two hymns the same day that would normally have the same tune, or just for the sake of variety.

Thanks!

Off topic: New. Cantata texts

Nagamiya Tutomu wrote (April 18, 2015):
Cantata texts based on the NBA.

In addition to the current PDF form, HTML form would be available stepbby step.

A single glance than any explanation. Now go to the page! http://www.kantate.info/cantata_text1-1.htm

Razvan Georgescu wrote (April 18, 2015):
Off topic!

I have to do my thesis about Bach.I want to do something more spiritual then just talking about his music.

Bach is not just music, Bach is something deep and nourishing. There are people (like you and like me) that Bach is like a better world, where we feel the God's presence. I am trying (with my poor and rusty English) to explain my tears, everytime I am listening to Bach and to put this feeling on a paper. Hard thing to do...

I need a bit of help from you.

So, my idea is to ask you some questions and if you can and if you wish, to answer in a sincere and brief way.
Here we go:

1) How would you define the emotions you get from listening to Bach? (3 words)
2) Of course, all of us are listening Bach on a daily basis maybe. We do have lots of knowledge of his music. Nevetheless, is there just ONE single piece of his music that you go back and listen it more often? Which one?
3) Do you know any better way to meditate and to emerge in your self consciousness?
4) If you are to relate Bach's music to a philosopher, of which one do you think ? And why?
That's all by now. Thank you so much for your time! I am really grateful to you for reading this letter.

Phonetic IPA Text

Aryeh Oron wrote (March 6, 2016):
Does any member know the answer the request below?

Thanks,

Daniel Tucker wrote to Aryeh Oron (March 1, 2016):
Hello! I am wondering if you can help me. I am a singer looking for the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) text of the bass aria (So du willst, Herr, Sünde zurechnen, Herr, wer wird bestehen?) from Cantata BWV 131 Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir (From the deep, Lord, cried I, Lord, to thee). In fact I can’t seem to find the IPA for the German texts of any of the cantatas, actually. I’m sure this resource exists and I simply haven’t found it yet. I have checked your website as well as IPA Source to no avail, but I thought you might know of a scholarly database that might have the IPA for the German text of all of the cantatas. Could you please help me?

I hope to hear from you soon! Thank you very much!

Judy Nirmingham wrote (March 6, 2016):
[To Daniel Tucker] Daniel, Have you seen: http://www.speakingbachetal.com/? It gives both IPA transcription and audio file by a native speaker for Cantata 131 (and other cantatas) at: http://www.speakingbachetal.com/directory.aspx?level=3&ItemId=101.

Bach and the Old Testament

John Horrocks wrote (September 21, 2020):
Did Bach write any cantatas on Old Testament subjects?

My impression is that most or all relate to New Testament subjects - Gospels and Epistles Your page https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Read/index.htm only gives Gospel and Epistel references for each Sunday in the calendar

If so does any one know why this is, was the Old Testament not read in Lutheran services of that era? this seems unlikely. Or was it the practice only to have cantatas relating to the new testament?

Did other cantata writers use Old testament themes?

In contrast Handel wrote a number of oratorios on Old Testament subjects - Israel in Eqypt, Jeptha, Solomon etc but they were not for church services

Aryeh Oron wrote (September 21, 2020):
[To John Horrocks] Welcome aboard!

There are numerous cantatas quoting texts from the old testament. For example:
Cantata BWV 196:
https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/BWV196-Eng3P.htm
Psalm 115: 12-15

Cantata BWV 131:
https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/BWV131-Eng3P.htm
Psalm 130

Many cantatas use text from the Old Testament in the opening chorus. For example:
BWV 102:
https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/BWV102-Eng3P.htm
Jeremiah 5: 3

The book "Biblical Quotation and Allusion in the Cantata Libretti of Johann Sebastian Bach" by Melvin Unger (Scarecrow Press, 1997) lists all the uses of Biblical texts (both the Old and New Testament) in Bach Cantatas.
I used this book extensively when I translated the cantata texts into Hebrew almost 20 years ago.

John Horrocks wrote (September 21, 2020):
[To Aryeh Oron] Thank you very much indeed!

Kim Patrick Clow wrote (September 21, 2020):
John Horrocks wrote:
"Did other cantata writers use Old testament themes?"
Oh absolutely. Johann Friedrich Fasch, Christoph Graupner, Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel and Georg Philipp Telemann are the first names that come to mind but there are many others.

Welcome to the group! (-:

William Hoffman wrote (September 22, 2020):
There were several categories in which Bach set Old Testament texts to music, particularly in response to the Reformation tradition:
psalms (especially penitential) in chorales, in his cantatas and motets.

The psalms are found in the following: Christological Cycles: Penitential/Communion Chorales, http://bach-cantatas.com/Topics/Christological-Cycle.htm: paragraphs "Luther’s Chorales" and "Incarnation Annunciation, Canticles"; Christological Cycles: Penitential/Communion Chorales, http://bach-cantatas.com/Topics/Christological-Cycle.htm; and Chorales: Psalms, Christian Life, Troubles, Thanks, Weddings, http://bach-cantatas.com/Topics/Chorales-8.htm (this is heavy reading).

Some of Bach's finest cantatas use psalms: BWV 131, Psalm 130, de profundis, https://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV131-D7.htm; BWV 1083, Psalm 51, https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Vocal/BWV1083-Gen2.htm: discussion "Introduction to BWV 1083 -- The Dresden Connection?"; BWV 112, Psalm 23, https://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV112-D4.htm; and Cantata 80, Psalm 46 paraphrase, https://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV80-D7.htm: paragraph "Psalm 46, Oculi Reasings." The liturgical introductory psalm motets are found at Motets & Chorales for Events in the Lutheran Church Year, http://www.bach-cantatas.com/LCY/M&C-Table.htm, contributed by Douglas Cowling. In his third cantata cycle in 1726, Bach set the Meinengen/Rudolstdadt cantatas, 18 of Johann Ludwig Bach, which begin with Old Testament quotations (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Ludwig_Bach, as well as Bach's settings in Cantatas 17, 39, 43, 88, 102, 187, http://bach-cantatas.com/LCY/1726.htm.

The motets include OT settings in BWV 1164=Anh.159, Ich lasse dich nicht, du segnest mich denn, Genesis 32:26 (I will not let you go, until you bless me); BWV 228, Isaiah 41:10,43, Discussiin the Week of March 13, 2016 (4th round; BWV and. 159, BWV 228, http://www.bach-cantatas.com/VD/BWV228.htm; BWV 230, after Psalm 117, Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden, Praise the Lord, all the heathens; BWV 225, Psalms 149:1-3 and 150 2,6, Psalm 103 paraphrase, http://www.bach-cantatas.com/VD/BWV225.htm, paragraph "Discussions in the Week of November 20, 2016 (4th round)." Bach was involved in these motets through the Erhard Bodenschatz Florigelium Portense at the Thomas School ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erhard_Bodenschatz, https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Other/Choral-Rep.htm).

Peter Smaill wrote (September 22, 2020):
Interesting question.

BWV 196 has a text derived entirely from the Old Testament, and is one of a small number of Cantata texts which do not mention Jesus.

As it is a wedding Cantata this is perhaps surprising.

The established authority is Helene Werthemann, “ Die Bedeutung der alttestamentlichen Historien in Johann Sebastian Bachs Kantaten”, published at Tuebingen in 1960.

Zachary Uram wrote (September 22, 2020):
[To William Hoffman] Heathens?!

William Hoffman wrote (September 23, 2020):
[To Zachary Uram] The preferred term is "nations," as in the KJV for the shortest of psalms, No.117: "O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever."

Paper

Zachary Uram wrote (December 2, 2020):
“God’s Capellmeister: The Proclamation of Scripture in the Music of Johann Sebastian Bach”, Pacifica 24.2 (2011). Author: Andreas Loewe [Academia], Free Download PDF]