Joy-Sorrow Cycle of Occasional Sacred, Profane Music
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Joy-Sorrow Cycle of Occasional Sacred, Profane Music

William L. Hoffman wrote (December 12, 2018):
It is possible that a cycle of some 84 “well-regulated” church pieces of Bach involve sacred and possibly profane cantatas and motets which, although not part of the church year, were presented at special civic events of joy and sorrow. These were presented at designated services, specifically for the annual inauguration of the town councils in Mühlhausen (1708-10) and Leipzig (1723-1749), as well as weddings, particularly full bridal Masses with cantatas, and the separate category of memorial services as music of sorrow. Joy-sorrow music is motivated in the Johannine theme of Jesus' farewell discourse to his disciples that their sorrow at his departure from the earth will change to joy (John 16:20b) when he returns at the end of time in judgement, finally in the eschatological "End Times" sense (John 16:16-23. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+16%3A16-23&version=KJV. This theme is particularly apparent in the liturgical readings for the omnes tempore (Ordinary Time) second half of the church year when the reading often begins with a harsh refection on an Old Testament law and finally moves to the grace of the gospel, reflected in Bach's musical treatment in his cantatas from an opening austere motet or vox Dei admonition to a closing congregational hymn prayer of thanksgiving. A fine example is Cantata BWV 105, "Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht mit deinem Knecht" (Lord, do not go into court with your servant, Psalm 143:2; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8g-9zXv1O8, http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV105-D4.htm), for the 9th Sunday after Trinity1723.

Although Bach's occasional works were not part of the 1750 estate division of three cycles of cantatas for the church year, nonetheless also were distributed primarily to Bach’s two oldest sons, Friedemann and Emmanuel. In addition is the category of sacred Leipzig special services of allegiance and thanksgiving to the governing Catholic Saxon Court are as special observances of the bicentennial of the Reformation, most notably the Augsburg Confession in 1730, and Leipzig’s acceptance of the Reformation in 1739. In the last category are some identifiable works and other of speculation while this occasional music of joy and sorrow often involved parody or new text underlay, including contrafaction or substitution of German for the original Mass Ordinary Latin text.

During the final span of four decades, Bach created a body of some 84 musical works of joy and sorrow for special occasions, including some 52 non-liturgical cantatas for events that paid homage to various profane dignitaries and persons of rank, although many survive only as texts with no music. Together, these two groups could constitute a cycle of joy and sorrow pieces. Bach seemed adept at and accustomed to all kinds of experiences in the service of higher authority while he sometimes struggled with conflict and vexations in Weimar with the court and Leipzig with the town council and the Thomas School director. Meanwhile, Bach seized new opportunities driven by a deep desire to create and present music well-regulated church music soli Deo gloria

While Bach made no distinction between sacred and secular compositions, both being devotional and affirmative, posterity began a century after his death conveniently to categorize his legacy, based on a general description found in his Obituary of 1750/52. This legacy of manuscript scores and parts sets, stored in his cantor's office in shelves at the St. Thomas School, constituted five annual cycles (Jahrgänge) of church pieces for all the 58 Sundays and holidays of the church year, defining the core of his service. Next came the second, most diverse grouping, a miscellaneous category of oratorios, Latin Church Music, "and secular cantatas (dramata), serenade music for birthdays, name days and funerals, and wedding cantatas (Brautmessen); and also several comic vocal pieces." The two remaining categories of vocal music were "Five Passions, of which one is for double chorus" and "Some double-chorus motets" of sorrow and joy. In the immediate estate division between the two oldest sons, Wilhelm Friedemann and Carl Philipp Emanuel, both received the church pieces (cantatas) yielding three extant cycles, while Emanuel residing in Berlin secured almost all of the second, miscellaneous category, while the Passions also were divided between the two, leaving the numerous sorrow and joy motets, some undesignated cantatas and a wealth of instrumental music remaining in Leipzig at the school, with his family or with his circle of students and colleagues.

The music of joy and sorrow was focused in civic and personal celebration involving 12 annual Town Council installations (BWV 71, 1138.l, 1138.2, 119, ?137, 69a, 1139.1, 193, 120.1, 1140, 29, 1141), six special services of joy and thanksgiving (BWV 233a, 248a, 191, 190, 120.3, 1139.2), seven sacred and profane weddings (BWV 34.2, 120.2, 195.1, 197,2, 250-252; 202, 210, 216), four undesignated pure-hymn cantatas (BWV 97, 100, 117, 192), as well as the sorrowful music that includes motets (BWV226-230, 118, and Anh. 159) and five penitential (BWV 106, 131, 150, 196, 1083) and seven (BWV 106, 1143, BC D1, BWV 157, 1136, 198 and 1143) memorial/funeral cantatas. Underlying this was the Johannine concept articulated in Jesus' Farewell Discourse to his disciples, John 16:16-23 (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+16%3A16-23&version=KJV), that in eschatological time Jesus will be united with the Father and the Spirit and embrace union with humanity. The disciples sorrow will be turned to joy (verse 20): "Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy." Implicit in this statement is the fusion of sorrow and joy as found in Ecclesiastes 3:4: “A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” Bach was able in his closing "rest in the grave" choruses to blend lyrics of sorrow to music in triple-time dance-styles in his three Passion oratorios: John, "Ruht wohl, ihr heiligen Gebeine" (Rest in peace, you sacred limbs), as a menuett https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmjjbc4zvzM; Matthew, "Wir setzen uns mit Tränen nieder" (We sit down with tears), as a saraband (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTN_hOuqLqI), and Mark, "Bey deinem Grab und Leichen-Stein / Will ich mich stets, mein Jesus, weiden" (By thy rock grave and great tombstone, will I myself, my Jesus, pasture), as a gigue.

By 1850, Bach's music of joy and sorrow was catalogued by Carl Ludwig Hilgenfeldt¹ as 21 occasional (Gelegenheit) cantatas which actually mixed profane pieces with sacred ones presented in occasional services such as weddings (BWV 195 and 197) and the installation of the Town council (BWV 29 and BWV 120). The list also included two parodies from profane works, BWV 173 for Pentecost Monday, and BWV 36 for Advent, as well as Cantata 194, organ dedication and Trinity 1, as well as two funeral works with poetic texts, the 1727 Funeral Ode Cantata 198 and the 1729 BWV 244a parody for Prince Leopold of Köthen (details, http://bach-cantatas.com/Topics/Joy-Sorrow-Occasional-Cycle.htm). Cantata 202 followed wedding cantatas BWV 195, 197 and 210, and preceded BWV 204, Contentment, and the comic Cantatas BWV 212 (Peasant) and 211 (Coffee). Some joyous secular cantatas have spiritual qualities, such as the Hunt Cantata 208, Contentment Cantata 204, and the the two domestic comedies, BWV 211 an212. Two secular 1727 Homage Cantatas have music which may have modeled music in the B Minor Mass: BWV 1156=Anh. 9 'Entfernet euch, ihr heitern Sterne' [Disperse yourselves, ye stars serenely]; and BWV 193a, "Ihr Häuser des Himmels, ihr scheinenden Lichter" (Ye houses of heaven, ye radiant torches), details, see http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Vocal/BWV232-Gen18.htm).

In addition, several organ preludes and fugues were composed in Leipzig to open and close special, occasional services: Prelude & Fugue in E-Flat, BWV 552, Clavierübung III 1739 German Organ Mass & Catechism, for catechism services; Prelude and Fugue in B Minor, BWV 544, for the Saxon Electress Christiane Eberhardine memorial service in 1727; and Prelude and Fugue in C Major, BWV 545, for an unknown special service as well as the 10th Sunday after Trinity. The Prelude and Fugue in E Minor, BWV 548, may have been composed for a memorial service. Most of the other so-called secular, non-chorale organ works, BWV 525-591, often involving fugues and found in the Bach Compendium J 1-83, Free-Organ Works (http://www.bach-cantatas.com/NVD/CompleteOrgan.pdf) often were composed for organ recitals held on Sunday afternoons.

Bach Compendium Occasional Cantatas

The occasional cantatas were catalogued in 1988 in the Bach Compendium, Work Group B: Sacred Works for Special Occasions (http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Ref/IndexRef-BC-B.htm). Of these 32 mostly cantatas, some surviving only with texts are 11 are joyous works for the town council installation in Mühlhausen and Leipzig while five survive only as texts with no music (BWV1138.1=BC B2, 1139=Anh. 4, BWV 1140=Anh. 3, BWV 1141=Anh. 193, BC B 9, and BWV 1144=Anh. 14, four for Town Council and BWV 1144 for a sacred wedding The new Bach Works catalogue, Bach Werke Verzeichnis 3, accepts 11 various works (BWV 1138, 1142, 1144, 1156, 1136, 1143, 1139, 1140, 1141, 1144, and 1147) previously catalogued as Anhang (Appendix) or deest (no designation) from BWV 1135 to 1163 (http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Topics/BWVSystem-4.htm), to be published by Verlag Breitkopf & Härtel in 2020, editor Christine Blanken (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis).

BC

BWV

BGA

NBA

Year

Title / Comments

Town Council Election

B 1

71

XVIII

I/32.1

1708

Gott ist mein König

[B 2]

Vorwort Nr. 10 [?]

-

2^nd cantata for the Mühlhäusen Town Council (text & music lost)

B 3

119

XXIV

I/32.1

1723

Preise, Jerusalem, den Herrn

[B 4a]

Anh 4

-

1726/1727

Wünschet Jerusalem Glück (earlier version, music lost) → B 29

[B 4b]

Anh 4

-

1741

Wünschet Jerusalem Glück (later version, music lost) → B 29

B 5

193

XLI

I/32.1

1726

Ihr Tore zu Zion (incomplete) → G 15

B 6

120

XXIV

I/32.2

1728

Gott, man lobet dich in der Stille → B 15, B 28

[B 7]

Anh 3

-

1730

Gott, gieb Dein Gerichte dem Könige (music lost)

B 8

29

V/1

I/32.2

1731

Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir

[B 9]

Deest

Herrscher des Himmels, König der Ehren (music preserved only in the prototype of G 1)

B 10

69

XVI

I/32.2

1747-49

Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele [II] → A 123

Wedding Mass

B 11

196

XIII/1

I/33

1708

Der Herr denket an uns

[B 12]

Anh 14

-

1725

Sein Segen fließt daher wie ein Strom (music lost)

B 13

34a

XLI

I/33

1726

O ewiges Feuer, o Ursprung der Liebe (incomplete) → A 84

[B 14a]

195

XIII/1

I/33

1727-1731

Dem Gerechten muß das Licht immer wieder aufgehen (1^st version)

B 14b

195

XIII/1

I/33

1742

Dem Gerechten muß das Licht immer wieder aufgehen (2^nd version)

B 14c

195

XIII/1

I/33

1748-1749

Dem Gerechten muß das Licht immer wieder aufgehen (latest version)

B 15

120a

XLI

I/33

1729?

Herr Gott, Beherrscher aller Dinge (incomplete) → B 9, B 28

B 16

197

XIII/1

I/33

1736-1737

Gott ist unsre Zuversicht

B 17

250-252

Three Wedding Chorales:
1. Was Gott tut das ist wohlgetan
2. Sei Lob und Ehr' Dem höchsten Gut
3. Nun danket alle Gott

A 187

117

XXIV

I/34

1728-1731