Bach Cantatas
General Discussions -Part 1

Cantata Favorites: Discussion, Food for Thought

William L. Hoffman wrote (October 28, 2020):
The first volume of the three-volume, Die Welt der Bach-Kantaten (The World of the Bach Cantatas),¹ Early Sacred Cantatas, from Arnstadt to Cöthen time (New York: W. W. Norton, 1995; https://www.amazon.com/World-Bach-Cantatas-Early-Selected/dp/0393336743),² celebrates the Ton Koopman compete recording project of both the sacred and secular cantatas, BWV 1-215, etc., with the editorship of Christoph Wolff, probably today's leading Bach scholar. Wolff solicited 14 articles (contributions) in each volume from various other Bach scholars (see below), as well as providing concise liner note commentary to all of Koopman's recordings which use historical instruments (https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Performers/Koopman.htm: "Complete Cantata Cycle"). "Strange as it may sound, in the history of Bach's literature this is the first set of books to deal exclusively with Bach's cantatas," says Koopman in his "Foreword" to vol. 1, Early Sacred Cantatas, from Arnstadt to Cöthen time (vii).

Considering the cantata music, "questions of the diverse kind arise constantly," says Wolff in his "Prefatory Note" (Ibid: viii):
*"What is the role of the cantatas and their development in relation to Bach's overall output?"
*"In what context were they written and how important were they to the composer?"
*"What musical models do they follow, what important comparisons can we draw with pieces of other composers, and what are the specific features of Bach's cantatas?"
*"How are the texts structured, what is their function, and what are the messages they convey?"
*"How are the musical and literary forms related to each other?"
*"What is the explanation for the broad spectrum of different compositional settings for chorus, solo voices, and instruments?"
*"What difficulties do we come across today in performances because of changed conditions.?"

Thus, "The attempt to uncover and try to answer these questions can only result in a better understanding of the works in their historical context," Wolff says (Ibid.). "This, then, is the purpose of the present book: to provide a companion guide that broadens and deepens one's musical experience." Echoing Koopman's thought about the distinction of the World of the Bach Cantatas, Wolff says (Ibid.: xi): "There is no previous introduction to Bach's cantatas comparable to the present one, which comments less on the particular works themselves and focuses more on the wider and deeper context. General historical and biographical aspects, literary and theological points of view, as well as analytical and aesthetic considerations will be mutually complementary in the contributions to this volume and the subsequent two." A newer publication that introduces the music of the cantatas is Hans-Joachim Schulze's Die Bach-Kantaten: Einführungen zu sämtlichen Kantaten Johann Sebastian Bachs.³

Five Cycles of Church Pieces

The Bach cantatas are the most studied and discussed of his collections of music. These center on the five cycles of church pieces involving the three church-year cantata cycles, the fourth cycle of church pieces involving occasional music of joy and sorrow in cantatas for the town council, weddings, funerals and other special occasions, as well as the unique fifth cycle of Christological oratorios (greater cantatas), Latin church music and motets, including various occasional feast-day cantatas also found throughout the first three cycles . Bach's profane cantatas are found in a separate category, BWV 201-216; parody sources BWV 30a, 36a-c, 134a, 173a, 184a, 194a, 249a-b; and 16 works surviving with texts only, now in the BWV³ catalogue, BWV 1147-1163. In addition, the six parts of the Christmas Oratorio as well as the Ascension and Easter Oratorios are considered cantatas, according to Werner Neumann's cantata handbook,⁴ Martin Petzoldt's theological commentary,⁵ and Hans-Joachim Schulze's Die Bach-Kantaten (Ibid.). The basic model for Bach's various categories of sacred music is Georg Philipp Telemann's compositions as compiled in Stephen Zohn's new The Telemann Compendium.⁶ Beginning with his service in Frankfurt at the Barfüßerkirche and as Director of Municipal Music, Telemann began publishing five cycles of church-year cantatas, followed by his tenure from 1721 until his death in 1767 as Cantor and Music Director at Hamburg, where he continued to produce 21 cantata cycles for Frankfurt, other municipalities, and courts (Ibid.: 152), as well as annual oratorio Passions. Beginning in 1723 in Leipzig as Cantor and Music Director, Bach following Telemann's precedence, produced annual cycles of cantatas and annual Passions, sacred music for special occasions, Masses, motets, and chorale collections, as well as secular cantatas.

Die Welt der Bach-Kantaten: Secular, Leipzig Sacred Cantatas

The second volume of Die Welt der Bach-Kantaten focuses on secular cantatas with essays under the category, The Composer in His World: Christoph Wolff, "Bach's Secular Cantatas: Repertory and Context"; Michael Talbot, "The Italian Secular Cantata"; Alberto Basso, "Opera and 'Dramma per Musica'" (Thomas Braatz summary translation, http://bach-cantatas.com/Articles/Opera-Drama[Braatz].htm; Günther Hoppe, "Musical Life at the Cöthen Court"; Hans-Joachim Schulze, "Aristrocratic and Bourgeois Patrons"; Ulrich Leisinger, "Status of Bourgeoise and Nobles"; and Andreas Glöckner, "Bach's Leipzig Collegium Musicum and Its History" (Thomas Braatz summary translation, http://bach-cantatas.com/Articles/Collegium-Musicum[Braatz].htm). The second category of The Works and Their World has these essays: Hans Joachim Kreutzer, "Poets and Poems of Bach's Sacred Cantatas"; Z. Philip Ambrose, "Classical and New Myths in Bach's Secular Cantatas"; Hans-Joachim Schulze, "Cantata Forms and Types"; Hans-Joachim Schulze, "Bach's Parody Process"; Peter Wollny, "Solo Cantatas and Solo Movements"; Daniel R. Melamed, "Choruses, Duets and Instrumental Pieces"; and Ton Koopman, "Aspects of Performance Practice."

The third volume of Die Welt der Bach-Kantaten focuses on the Leipzig church cantatas with essays under the Category, The Composer in His World: Christoph Wolff, "Bach's Leipzig Church Cantatas: Repertoire and Context"; Peter Wollny, "The Sacred Cantatas of Bach's Contemporaries"; Andreas Glöckner, "The Thomaskantorat of Bach's Inauguration - On tradition and History since the Reformation"; Martin Petzoldt, "Liturgy and Music in Leipzig's Main Churches" (Thomas Braatz translation (http://bach-cantatas.com/Articles/Leipzig-Churches-Petzold.pdf); Christoph Wolff, "Bach - Kantor und Kapellmeister"; and Hans-Joachim Schulze, "Texte und Textdichter." The second category of The Works and Their World has these essays: Martin Petzoldt, "Theological Aspects of Bach's Cantatas in Leipzig"; Hans-Joachim Schulze, "Bach's Performance Apparatus - Composition and Organization"; George B. Stauffer, "The Sinfonias"; Daniel R. Melamed, "Choral Movements"; Stephen A. Christ, "Recitatives and Arias"; Christoph Wolff, "Chorales"; Ulrich Leisinger, "Musical Text Interpretation - Continuity and Change."

END NOTES

¹ Christoph Wolff ed., Die Welt der Bach-Kantaten, 3 vols., only the first series of essays was published in English, The World of the Bach Cantatas: Early Sacred Cantatas, from Arnstadt to Cöthen time (New York: W. W. Norton, 1995; https://www.amazon.com/World-Bach-Cantatas-Early-Selected/dp/0393336743, "Look inside," "CONTENTS"). The last two volumes only in German and Dutch (Stuttgart: Metzger: 1997) are: vol. 2, Johann Sebastian Bachs weltliche Kantaten (secular cantatas); and vol. 3, Johann Sebastian Bachs Leipziger Kirchenkantaten (Leipzig church cantatas). The essays by noted Bach scholars are divided into two sections: "The Composer in His World" history and "The Works and Their World" music (https://www.baerenreiter.com/shop/produkt/details/BVK2039/: Inhalt). The publication accompanied Ton Koopman's Erato recordings of the sacred and secular cantatas in chronological order (https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Performers/Koopman.htm) with the three-volume Forewords by Koopman and Prefatory Notes of Wolff.
² The first volume, Early Sacred Cantatas, has essays under the category, The Composer in His World: Christoph Wolff, "Bach's Pre-Leipzig Cantatas: Repertory and Context"; Peter Wollny, "Genre and Styles of Sacred Music around 1700"; Claus Ofner, "Musical Life of the Towns and Courts in Central Germany around 1700"; Andreas Glöckner, "Stages of Bach's Life and Activities"; George Stauffer, "Bach the Organist"; and Hans-Joachim Schulze, "Bach the Composer." The second category of The Works and Their World has these essays: Hans-Joachim Schulze, "Poetry and Poets"; Martin Petzoldt, "Liturgical and Theological Aspects"; Martin Petzoldt, "Bible, Hymnbook, and Worship"; Christoph Wolff, "Choir and Instruments"; Daniel R. Melamed, "Choruses and Chorales"; Peter Wollny, "Arias and Recitatives"; Ulrich Leisinger, "Affections, Rhetoric, and Musical Expression"; and Ton Koopman, "Aspects of Performance Practice."
³ Hans-Joachim Schulze, Die Bach-Kantaten: Einführungen zu sämtlichen Kantaten Johann Sebastian Bachs (The Bach Cantatas: Introductions to all Johann Sebastian Bach Cantatas), 2nd ed., edition Bach-Archiv Leipzig (Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 2006), contents (cantata types), http://www.gbv.de/dms/hebis-darmstadt/toc/177498471.pdf.; purchase, https://www.amazon.com/Die-Bach-Kantaten-Einfuhrungen-Samtlichen-Bach-Archiv/dp/3374023908/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&qid=1603829674&refinements=p_27%3AHans+J+Schulze&s=books&sr=1-3. The categories of cantatas also are found in the NBA Series I, Cantatas, https://www.baerenreiter.com/en/catalogue/complete-editions/bach-johann-sebastian/nba/series-i/#content.
⁴ Werner Neumann, Handbuch der Kantaten Johann Sebastian Bachs (Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1947), through 5th ed. (B&H: Wiesbaden, 1984, https://www.abebooks.com/9783765100543/Handbuch-Kantaten-Johann-Sebastian-Bachs-3765100544/plp). Neumann (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_Neumann) unique, indispensable guide of basic cantata information (date, summary, text, print, scoring, movement incipits and form) by consecutive BWV numbers: BWV 1-216a, 244a, 248, 249, plus partially extant or sketches of 33 cantatas (BWV Anh. deest) now in BWV³ ;(BWV 1147-1163, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_Johann_Sebastian_Bach: "Later"); BWV 248 (233-246), BWV 249 (247f), and BWV 11 (37f).
⁵ Martin Petzoldt, Bach-Kommentar: Theologisch-Musikwissenschaftliche Kommentierung der geistlichen Vokalwerke Johann Sebastian Bachs (Bach Commentary: Theological and musicological commentary on the sacred vocal works of Johann Sebastian Bach); vol. 1, omnes tempore Trinity time cantatas (2004); vol. 2, de tempore cantatas Advent to Trinityfest (2007); vol. 3, festive and occasional cantatas, Passions (2018); and vol. 4, Mass movements, Magnificat, motets (2019) (Stuttgart: Bach Academie; Cassel: Barenreiter). Volume 2 discusses the Christmas Oratorio cantatas, BWV 248^I - 248^VI (II:120ff, 179ff; 235ff; 310ff; 352ff; 387ff), the Easter Oratorio, BWV 249 (II: 691ff), and the Ascension Oratorio, BWV 11 (920ff). Volume 3 considers special liturgical festive, observance and occasional cantatas: the so-called church-year incarnational Marian feasts of purification, annunciation, and visitation; the saints' feasts of John the Baptist and Michael and All-Angels, as well as the annual town council installation, the Lutheran Reformation Festival and Augsburg Confession observances, church and organ dedication (BWV 194), as well as special services of the Lutheran Church and the Catholic Dresden Court (Music of Praise, Thanksgiving: Special Services, http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Topics/Praise.htm: paragraph beginning "Regarding special services . . . ").
⁶ Stephen Zohn, The Telemann Compendium, Boydell Composer Compendium Series (Woodbridge GB, Rochester NY: Boydell, 2020); review, https://www.earlymusicamerica.org/web-articles/book-review-collection-abounds-in-telemann-topics/; purchase, https://www.amazon.com/Telemann-Compendium-Steven-Zohn/dp/1783274468.

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Discussions to come: cantata questions "of the diverse kind" and cantata mini-cycles.

Cantata Question: role and development in overall output

William L. Hoffman wrote (November 8, 2020):
Bach's cantatas play a formidable role and development in his overall output, more so than any other composer, when considering his mastery, experimentation, textual valuing, integration, and unique perspectives. The cantatas are a veritable lexicon of music, embracing both sound and text in a trajectory of varied genres and forms. Some 226 cantatas are extant, providing a wealth of music, with another 16 "lost" works surviving as texts only, found in the new BWV³ catalogue as BWV 1147-63, some with parodied text underlay traceable to previously-existing music. In 1708 in Mühlhausen, the 23-year-old Bach began to forge this impressive undertaking with a group of concerted-style aria-concerto works for special church purposes, uusually apart from the church-year cycle of 62 main and feast-day services (http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV150-D6.htm). These were the beginning of a "well-regulated church music to the glory of God," Bach's proposed calling as a substantial proportion of his legacy (http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Topics/Well-Regulated-Church-Music.htm), found in groups of cantatas composed in Weimar and Cöthen, as well as cycles of sacred music with different structures in Leipzig. Another Bachian innovation was the composer's pursuit of cantata partial "mini-cycles," based upon types of music, musical structures, occasions, librettists, and other defining factors. In addition, Bach created a range of cantata elements, including two-part and double-bill presentations; the use of the divine bass voice of God and Jesus; the deployment of the chorale as dialogue, trope, recitative, aria, chorus, and pure-hymn; the love-dialogue of Jesus and the Soul, as well as dialogue cantatas and movements with symbolic, mythical, and allegorical figures mostly in profane cantatas. In the textual category are of the most diverse third cycle are five published librettist mini-cycles, biblically-texted chorus cantatas, borrowed instrumental materials in introductory sinfonias and vocal movements, and movements with organ obbligato.

This Mühlhausen early music of joy and sorrow laid the groundwork for his legacy of a variety of works for special services involving weddings, town council installations, funerals, memorials, and special observances. In essence, Bach's sacred cantatas are considered musical sermons while the secular works are viewed as profane expressions of tributes tpeople, places, and purposes while the distinction between the two categories can be blurred — all of it composed "Soli Deo gloria" (to the glory of God alone). Bach's first milestone cantata was BWV 4, Christ lag in Todesbanden (Christ lay in death's bonds), probably his Mühlhausen test piece (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_lag_in_Todes_Banden,_BWV_4), which exploits a variety of genres: sinfonia, chorus, duet, trio aria, recitative, and plain chorale (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43drQ_KRtyg). Meanwhile, Bach exploited the Lutheran chorale beyond its instrumental application in the divine service, culminating in the unique genre of chorale cantata for his second church-year cycle in Leipzig (1724-25).

Pre-Weimar Music, Organ Influences in Cantatas

During this early, pre-Weimar period, Bach compiled the Neumeister Chorales (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neumeister_Collection) and the Orgelbüchlein Chorales (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orgelbüchlein) as templates of the church-year chorales sung in specific services. When Bach "faced the task of writing vocal music for the first time in Mühlhausen and Weimar, he drew heavily on his experience as an organist, says George B. Stauffer.¹ "In the world of the 'early' cantatas, the figure of Bach the organist," with his early training, first jobs as an organist, and extensive composition of free and chorale-based works, as well as growing experience in organ construction, expansion, repair, and restoration (http://bach-cantatas.com/NVD/Organ-Music-Family.htm). In particular are the impact of Bach's early composition of organ partitas. chorale variations and free pieces for keyboard (http://bach-cantatas.com/NVD/Keyboard-Music-Early.htm). As organist in Arnstadt (1703-1707), Bach learned from Buxtehude organ improvisation and extensive vocal Advent "Abendmusik," observes Stauffer (Ibid.: 79), and composed his "Capriccio on the Departure of a Beloved Brother," BWV 992 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7hXnRD4ojU)

Compositional Applications

Bach had limited opportunity to compose cantatas in Mühlhausen, perhaps due to the lack of accomplished instrumental and vocal performers. Thus, after a year, he found the opportunity in 1708, beginning as Chamber and Court Organist at the Saxe-Weimar Court. Initially, Bach focused on organ works and transcriptions of other composers, learning compositional "tighter structural and contrapuntal control" and "part writing and motivic unification," Stauffer says (Ibid.: 82). Besides shaping "procedures for elaborating [musical] materials," he says in his section, "The Organist as Cantata Composer" (Ibid.: 84-91), Bach utilized organ composition influences such as its obbligato role in Cantata 71 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-EzWqW7IJQ), "a brilliant, innovative work" (Ibid.: 85) with "affected echo passages" (Ibid. 86); "unison string writing" in Cantatas 196/3, 150/3 and 18/4; as well as "thematic similarities" between BWV 536/2 and 152/1, and between BWV 541/2 and BWV 21/2. "Perhaps the most important feature Bach adopted from the keyboard is the permutation fugue," he suggests (Ibid.: 90), such as the choruses in Cantatas 71/3,7, 131/5 closing, 21/6 and 11 closings, and 182/8. The two most likely candidates for Bach's "lost" Mühlhausen Town Council commissions for 1709 and 1710, BWV 1138.1 and 1138.2, composed in Weimar, are festive Cantata 143 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iec9sGR1LnM), and the Psalm choruses in "per ogni tempo" Cantata 21/1, 6, 9, and 11 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln9MBa8lXV4). "The later works, in addition to showing a distinct shift from North German to Italian models, display a far greater mastery of part-writing and counterpoint," says Stauffer (Ibid.: 91). Between 1708 and 1714, "his skill as a vocal composer grew considerably." Bach also began performing extended works of other composers, learning from hands-on experience, such as the so-called Keiser St. Mark Passion (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mark_Passion_(attributed_to_Keiser), says Petzoldt (Ib id.: 116), which he reperformed in Leipzig in 1726 and the late 1740s.

Mastering Art of Composition

By 1713, Bach was mastering the art of composition with his first substantive, milestone "modern" cantata, BWV 208, known as the "Hunt Cantata" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwc_cy8Fl_s, https://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV208-D5.htm, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weimar_cantata_(Bach)). As the basic German cantata was being developed, Bach added an instrumental introduction, known as a sinfonia, music which also could be recycled and extended as instrumental concertos. Bach obviously treasured Cantata 208 as he reperformed it at least twice more to honor Weimar and Dresden royalty with slight adjustments in the texts. During this process, he sought a variety of permutations and combinations, eventually fashioning a range of instrumental cantata sinfonias for a multiplicity of occasions and applications (http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV1045-D2.htm) while displaying overall compositional quality over quantity in both breadth and depth. Bach began fashioning cantatas monthly in Weimar (http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Topics/Weimar-Cantatas.htm), all two dozen being revived and updated in Leipzig reperformances for inclusion in his first church-year cycle (1723-24). Meanwhile Bach in Weimar created parallel organ works in free form (preludes and fugues) and extended chorales in the "Great 18," which would solidify his cantata writing in Leipzig. "During these years [1708-1714], Bach underwent an astonishing development as a composer," says Hans-Joachim Schulze.² "(T)hanks to the inexhaustible abundance of his creative talent, his secure sense of form, and his superior skill, " he created a repertory of astonishing variety," beginning in 1714 with large-scale church cantatas (BWV 182, 12, 172) every four weeks.

Bach added recitatives and arias "of the madrigal type" in Weimar, says Schulze in another essay,³ as the "modern" German cantata became established, based upon the Italian operatic influence (i.e. da capo arias) of Erdmann Neumeister's mixed-textual form librettos as well as the Meinengen/Rudolstadt librettos of 1703 with "biblical quotations, a chorale, verse, recitatives, and arias" found in the 19 cantatas of Johann Ludwig Bach and Sebastian's third-cycle cantatas (BWV 17, 39, 43, 88,102, 187) in 1726. Bach relied on the Weimar court poet Salomo Franck (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salomon_Franck) in cycles of 1715-1717 for a variety of works occasionally without chorales (BWV 132, 152) but with biblical texts (182, 12, 172, 21). He also experimented with a variety of texts by Neumeister (BWV 18, 24, 28, 59, 61), Georg Christian Lehms solo cantatas (54, 199, 1136=Anh.209), and Johann Michael Heineccius Christmas Cantata 63. In Mühlhausen Bach had begun experimenting with chorale tropes with biblical passages in a dialogue fashion (BWV 106/2d, 131/2, 5 in a metatext), observes Martin Petzoldt,⁴ as well as symmetrical (palindrome) form — techniques he would perfect inthe Leipzig oratorio Passions, as well as dance influences. Then in Weimar Bach turned to solo works during Trinity Time, as he would in Leipzig when intimate works were most appropriate. Cantata 199 is another singular work that shows Bach's mastery of form and content, particularly as Bach used various devices to demonstrate the technique of "moving the affections" in the final aria, "Wie freudig ist mein Herz" (How joyful is my heart, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOkneMyCLsQ), reinforced in gigue-stye 12/8 meter and "major key diatonic figuration," observes Bettina Varwig.⁵ At the end of 1717, Bach began setting a new Franck cycle in Advent, returning to large-scale works (BWV 70a, 186a, 147a), observes Petzoldt (Ibid.: 121). Another ingredient Bach introduced into his Weimar cantatas was the Vox Dei (Voice of God) in the arioso, "Siehe, ich stehe vor der Tür und klopfe an" (See, I stand before the door and knock, Rev. 320; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY2O_sJRL5c), from Advent Cantata 61/4, "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland" (Now come, saviour of the gentiles).

Cöthen Instrumental Music, Serenades

In Cöthen, Bach focused on instrumental music for harpsichord and other instruments (violin, cello, flute sonatas and suites), as well as ensemble concertos and suites. Some of these works provided Bach with synthesis materials for his cantatas, particularly movements for sinfonias and adaptations of cantatas choruses and arias in the third cantata cycle (1725-27) and beyond (see below). The Cöthen vocal music involved annual serenades for the governing Prince Leopold's birthday on December 10 and New Year's Day (https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Articles/HoffmanBachDramaII.htm#P3), the secular pieces with religious overtones.⁶ One sacred cantata survives with text only, BWV 1147=Anh. 5 (https://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWVAnh5.htm), which may have influenced Leipzig music such as Cantata 190 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz9yf0fvaQc) and the Gloria in excelsis Deo of the B-Minor Mass (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p16wOPrX7Rk). Bach in Cöthen also composed a dance suite, BWV 194a (https://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV194-D4.htm), which was adapted with vocal parts in Leipzig as sacred Cantata 194 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-GQp32SHp4). As he had done in Weimar, Bach in Cöthen composed cantatas with a plan to recycle them into his Leipzig church-year cycles, revising the Weimar works for new services (BWV 70, 147, 182, 80) and parodying five Cöthen serenades for Easter-Trinityfest season in 1724: BWV 66a, 134a (Easter), BWV 173a, BWV 184a (Pentecost), and 194a (Trinityfest). This music is vested with elements of the dance and allegorical/symbolic dialogue (http://bach-cantatas.com/Articles/HoffmanBachDramaII.htm#P3: see paragraph beginning "Alfred Dürr (Bach Cantatas, p. 21f . . . "), ingredients found later especially in the mid-1730s Dresden Court drammi per musica (BWV 213-215) as parody stock for the Christmas Oratorio. These were the beginning of Bach's technique of parody (new-text underlay), culminating in the St. Mark Passion (1731), the 1733 Missa: Kyrie-Gloria, BWV 232^I, and in the later 1730s in the feast day oratorios (BWV 248, 249, 11) and Missae: Kyrie-Gloria, BWV 233-236.

Leipzig: Three Sacred Cantata Cycles

Bach began presenting his sacred cantatas in Leipzig with his first cycle in 1723-24, with some 26 reperformances, including some revisions/expansions, and 36 new compositions constituting an initial, homogeneous cycle (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bach%27s_first_cantata_cycle). He adopted a rhetorical structure similar to the Neumeister and Meinengen pattern of opening chorus (possibly set to biblical text), two alternating internal pairs of recitative-aria, with a closing plain chorale. He composed cantatas a musical sermons in three variant groups: 1. the basic pattern, 2. insertion of an internal plain chorale, and 3. internal chorale without second recitative, according to Alfred Dürr:⁷ No. 1, biblical words-recitative-aria-recitative-aria-chorale (middle-late Trinity Time, 2nd Sunday after Easter); No. 2, biblical words-recitative-chorale-aria-recitative-aria-chorale (from late Trinity to Easter); and No. 3, biblical words, aria-chorale, recitative, aria, chorale (pre-Lenten Septuagesimae to Easter, and the Reformation Festival). Among other characteristics are six two-part cantatas (BWV 75, 76, 21, 147, 186, and 70) and 11 cantata double-bills, often using cantatas from Weimar and Cöthen (BWV 22-23, 24-185, 179-199, 161-95, 80b-163, 143-190, 18-181, 182-1135=Anh. 199, 158-134, 172-59, and 165-194), presented before and after the service sermon. Other features included a bass solo (see BWV 61/4 above, Weimar) using a biblical dictum, vox Dei for the voice of God and Vox Christi for the voice of Christ (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vox_Christi) in all three cantata cycles, growing out of the Passion, says Dürr (Ibid.: 28f), composed in Weimar more as recitatives (BWV 18/2, 183/3, 172/2, and alto, BWV 12/3), in Leipzig more between aria and arioso, usually undesignated. "After the large choral cantatas of the first few weeks — from the 22nd Sunday after Trinity onwards — these movements become more frequent, either with orchestral accompaniment (BWV 89/1, 166/1, 86/1) or with continuo only (BWV 153/3, 154/5, 81/4), says Dürr (Ibid.). "Related movements with special features of their own are BWV 83/2 and 67/6. Similar pieces occur in the cantatas for the following years." Another feature is the love dialogue between the Soul (believer) in the alto voice, and Jesus, in the bass voice,⁸ as well as other dialogue cantatas (BWV 33, 39, 47, 57-59, 152), both sacred and secular with symbolic, mythical, or allegorical figures (http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Topics/Dialogue-Cantatas.htm), also found in the St. Matthew Passion (Believer/Church, Daughters of Zion). Bach in his first Leipzig cycle began experimenting with various forms of chorale elements, some in dialogue: instrumental and vocal tropes, recitatives, chorale choruses, sometimes called "chorale fantasias," and elaborate closing chorale choruses (BWV 75/7,14, 76/7=14, 25/6 and 49/6 in two parts; 22/5, 23/4, 48/7, and 190/7 in different arrangements of the same chorale; and 77/6, 25/6, 48/7, and 107/7 in wordless instrumental chorales sounded in choruses (see http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Topics/Cycle-2.htm: paragraphs "Genesis of Chorale Cantata Cycle," and "Chorale Cantata Elements."Textual Elements: Librettists, Gospel Patterns
There are two fundamental textual elements in Bach's first cantata cycle: music set to distinctive patterns of particular librettists, although only the Neumeister setting (BWV 24) is identified, the rest are conjectural, as well as thematic patterns in Bach's gospels for Trinity Time involve four parables, paired miracles and teachings, and paired parables, teachings and miracles (http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Topics/Cycle-1.htm: "Thematic Patterns in Bach's Gospels"). There is no source-critical evidence to confirm the identity of librettists of Bach's first cantata cycle, as well as the second (chorale) cycle, while the third heterogeneous cycle is based on various identifiable poets found in publications which suggests several factors. his Leipzig predecessors Johann Kuhnau and Johann Schelle, Bach relied on talented local writers such as church pastors, poets, students, and university faculty. Bach apparently played a major role in the selection and utilization of specific texts, including the format, chorale stanza, and biblical texts as well as collaboration with poets such as Picander and Mariane von Zegler involving theological themes and parody of existing music with new text underlay (see http://www.uvm.edu/~classics/faculty/bach/authors.html#LIBRETTISTS).⁹ The most studied of possible librettists is Christian Weiss Sr., St. Thomas Pastor (1717-1737) and Bach's confessor (https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Weiss-Christian.htm). The librettist(s) of the incomplete second cycle of chorale cantatas (1724-25, etc.; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chorale_cantata_(Bach)), who wrote verse paraphrases of the internal stanzas which Bach set to music, continue to be studied, as well as the reasons for the abrupt cycle ending and the various forms of the chorale cantatas (see http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Books/B0221-2.htm: see "Chorale Cantata Types "). The Ziegler nine Easter season-texted cantatas (https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Ziegler.htm; Jubilate to Triniityfest, BWV 103, 108, 87, 128, 183, 74, 68, 175, 176) are usually placed in the second cycle since they follow consecutively after the chorale cantatas in the spring of 1725. However, an examination of the church-cycle manuscript estate distribution of 1750 clearly shows the pattern of the first and third cycle between sons Friedemann and Emanuel of the scores and parts sets also shows the works' group (BWV 103 to 176, https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Ziegler.htm: see "Published Works:"), Emanuel receiving the scores and Friedemann the parts sets, while the chorale cantatas were generally distributed with scores to Friedemann and parts sets to Anna Magdalena (then to the Thomas School).
The Ziegler cantatas placed in the third cycle (1725-27, etc.; http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Topics/Cycle-3-P02.htm, https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Church_cantatas_of_Bach%27s_third_to_fifth_year_in_Leipzig) constitute a virtually complete cycle — and Bach's most varied — except for the 4th Sunday after Epiphany and the 2nd to 4th Sundays after Trinity, with possibly 48 librettists identified. In addition to Ziegler nine cantatas, other mini-cycles are found composed between 1725 and 1727 to texts of the following librettists: Christoph Birkmann, eight cantatas (BWV 49, 52, 55, 56, 58, 82, 98, 169; https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Birkmann-Christoph.htm), Georg Christian Lehms, nine cantatas (BWV 13, 16, 32, 35, 57, 110, 151, 170, 1135-Anh. 209; https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Lehms.htm), Rudolstadt/Meinengen (Helms), seven cantatas (https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Helm.htm; BWV 17, 39, 43, 45, 88, 102, BWV 187) and Johann Ludwig Bach (substitute 1726, https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Bach-Johann-Ludwig.htm, JLB 1-19); as well as five Picander (BWV 19, 157, 84, 30, 249, 145); five possibly Weiss (BWV 6, 42, 85, 79, 76a); three Salomo Franck (BWV 168, 164, 72); Neumeister, BWV 27, and Johann Friedrich Helbig, BWV 47. An accounting of later-composed cantatas is found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_church_cantatas_by_Johann_Sebastian_Bach. Confirmed dates for performances between 1725 and 1727 are found at http://bach-cantatas.com/LCY/1725.htm, http://bach-cantatas.com/LCY/1726.htm. Still to be accounted for in the third cycle are St. John's Feast, BWV 30 (?Picander); Visitation, BWV 143 (liturgy) or BWV 76a; Trinity II (?Weiss); Trinity III, BWV 177 early version (https://www.bach-digital.de/receive/BachDigitalWork_work_00001669?lang=en); Trinity XV, BWV 1135=Anh.209 (Lehms) and BWV 51; Easter Sunday, BWV 249 (Picander); Easter Monday, BWV 6 (?Weiss); Easter Tuesday, BWV 145 (Picander); 1st Sunday after Easter, BWV 42 (?Weiss); 2nd Sunday after Easter, BWV 85 (?Weiss); and Reformation, BWV 79 (?Weiss). The final four (BWV 6, 42, 85, 79) feature the initial form from the first cycle as an optional carry-over.

Third Cycle Varied Features

Besides the various "mini-cycles" of different librettists, the cantatas in the third cycle, which overlap into music presented in 1728 and 1729, have certain distinct features, Dürr observes (Ibid.: 37f), particularly the solo voice cantatas (http://bach-cantatas.com/Order-2014.htm). Bach's seven two-part Rudolstadt cantatas open with a chorus set to an Old Testament text, and the second part beginning with a New Testament text, both parts interspersed with a recitative-aria pairing.

Another form is the dialogue (Jesus-Soul) in four cantatas (BWV 57, 32, 49, 58). There also are five solo cantatas (BWV 169, 56, 55, 82, 158) that have a line of text that recurs later in the piece. Another group are cantatas using borrowed (previously-existing) instrumental materials, says Dürr (Ibid.: 38) from concertos and suites and arranged as sinfonias, arias, and choruses with mostly organ obbligato (BWV 110/1=1069/1; 146/1/2=1051/1/2; 35/1/2/3=1059/1,2,3 (presumed); 169/1/5=1053/1,2; 49/1=1053/3; and 52/1=1046a/1. Subsequently in 1728-31, Bach used the same process to create sinfonias in BWV 188/1=1052/3; 156/1=1056/2; 174/1=1048/1; 120a/4, 29/4=1006/1. In 1728-29, says Dürr (Ibid.: 39), Bach composed an apparent mini-cycle using Picander texts (BWV 149, 188, 197a, 171, 156, 159, 145, 174) for special services.

This last iteration of his cantata cycles also shows Bach utilizing instrumental materials in certain cantatas which emphasize the role of the cantatas and their development in relation to Bach's overall output, a practice probably unique to Bach when he began to cease composing weekly service cantatas in 1729 and began to take up the parody process of new-text underlay, prominent in the later Baroque, most notably with Handel. In the final two decades of his tenure in Leipzig, he balanced the fruits of his instrumental music with those of his vocal music. He published keyboard music and sought to perfect the art of counterpoint. Having virtually compiled three impressive cantata cycles as the core of a "well-regulated church music to the glory of God," he molded the two perspectives of instrumental and vocal music into a balance of studied contrapuntal publications while fulfilling his sacred calling with expanded oratorios for the feast days and Passion works in a Christological cycle that embraced Latin church music, motets and chorales, as well as completing a fifth joy and sorrow cycle annual Town Council service cantatas and special observances — all made possible through the ingredients and teaching of his musical sermons and celebratory cantatas.

END NOTES

¹ George B. Stauffer, "Bach the Organist," in The World of the Bach Cantatas: Early Sacred Cantatas, from Arnstadt to Cöthen time, ed. Christoph Wolff (New York: W. W. Norton, 1995: 77; https://www.amazon.com/World-Bach-Cantatas-Early-Selected/dp/0393336743, "Look inside," "CONTENTS").
² Hans-Joachim Schulze, "Bach the Composer," in The World of the Bach Cantatas: Early Sacred Cantatas (Ibid.: 96).
³ Hans-Joachim Schulze, "Poetry and Poets," in The World of the Bach Cantatas: Early Sacred Cantatas (Ibid.: 104f).
⁴ Martin Petzoldt, "Liturgical and Theological Aspects," in The World of the Bach Cantatas: Early Sacred Cantatas (Ibid.: 110f).
⁵ Bettina Varwig (with Johann Butt, Ruth Tatlow), "Zur Recreation des Gemüths" (To the Recreation of the Mind/Spirit), "Bach and Emotion," in Bach Network: Discussing Bach (October 2020, https://bachnetwork.org/db1/transcript.pdf: 3); further reading, Bettina Varwig, "Heartfelt Musicking: the Physiology of a Bach Cantata," in Representations, 143/1 (2018), 36–62, https://online.ucpress.edu/representations/article-abstract/143/1/36/67160/Heartfelt-MusickingThe-Physiology-of-a-Bach?redirectedFrom=fulltext.
⁶ See Marcus Rathey, "The 'Theology' of Bach’s Cöthen Cantatas: Rethinking the Dichotomy of Sacred versus Secular," Journal of Musicological Research, Volume 35, 2016/4: 275-298, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01411896.2016.1228358.
⁷ Alfred Dürr, Introduction, "The Development of the Bach Cantatas," in The Cantatas of J. S. Bach, English Edition. revised & trans, Richard D. P. Jones (New York: Oxford University Press. 2005: 27), https://www.amazon.com/Cantatas-J-Bach-Librettos-German-English/dp/0199297762: "Look inside").
⁸ See Isabella van Elferen, "Mystical Love in the German Baroque: Theology, Poetry, Music; Contextual Bach Studies No. 2, ed. Robin A. Leaver (Lanham MD: Scarecrow Press, 2009), https://www.amazon.com/Mystical-Love-German-Baroque-published/dp/B00Y2UNDD0: "Look inside").
⁹The most significant study of Bach librettists is Harald Streck, Die Verkunst in den Poetischen Texten zu den Kantaten J. S. Bachs, Hamburger Beitrige zur Musikwissenschaft V (The Artistry in the Poetic Texts for J. S. Bach's Cantatas (Dissertation: Universität Hamburg, 1971), cited in Artur Hirsch, "Johann Sebastian Bach's Cantatas in Chronological Order," in Bach, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Jul 1973), pp. 18-35; https://www.scribd.com/doc/247883330/Bach-Volume-4-Issue-3-1973-Doi-10-2307-2F41639901-Artur-Hirsch-Johann-Sebastian-Bach-s-Cantatas-in-Chronological-Order; Streck identifies many poets on the basis of style, technique of verse, and language," says Hirsch (Ibid.: 16). A slim but informative study at the time (1966) of the known Bach librettists is James Day, The Literary Background to Bach's Cantatas (London: Dover, 1966), https://www.amazon.com/Literary-Background-Bachs-Cantatas/dp/B0006BO8PG.

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To Come: Diverse question: Cantata models, comparisons with other composers, specific features.

Continue on Part 2