The latechurch cantatasbyJohann Sebastian Bacharesacred cantatas he composedafterhis fourth cycleof 1728–29. Whether Bach still composed a fullcantata cyclein the last 20 years of his life is not known, but the extant cantatas of this period written for occasions of theliturgical yearare sometimes referred to as his fifth cycle, as, according tohis obituary,he would have written five such cycles – inasmuch as such cantatas were not late additions to earlier cycles (e.g.chorale cantatasadded to thechorale cantata cycle), or were adopted inhis oratorios.
Other cantatas of this period were written for special occasions such as the 200th anniversary of theAugsburg Confessionin June 1730, funerals and weddings. Some of the information and compositions of this period of writing and performing of cantatas are missing, leading to different ways of presenting and connecting what is known about them by Bach-scholars. For instance, in the 19th centurySpittaconsidered almost all ofBach's chorale cantatasas late cantatas,[1]while later research connected the large majority of them tothe composer's second year in Leipzig(1724–25).[2]
Occasions of the liturgical year
editSeveral groups can be discerned in Bach's cantata production after thePicander cycle:[2]
- Chorale cantatas(see alsoChorale cantata cycle § Chorale cantatas composed after Trinity 1725):
- filling gaps in thechorale cantata cycle(the first two actually composed between the second and the 4th cycle):
- Cantatas for unknown occasions, probably for a wedding at first, possibly later reused for an occasion in the liturgical year, uncertain to which cycle they may have ultimately belonged:
- Possible later additions to thethird cycle:
- Reuse of earlier material that else would only have received a single performance (or no performance at all):[3]
- BWV 157(Purification): originally a funeral cantata (6 February 1727)
- BWV 36(First Sunday of Advent 1726–31):parodyofBWV 36c(secular cantata,1725)
- BWV 248 VI a(Michaelmas 1734?): after first movement ofBWV 1160(secular cantata, 25 August 1731).[4]
- BWV 30(Feast of St. John the Baptistc.1738): parody of theBWV 30a(secular cantata, 1737)
- BWV 191(Christmas 1742?): based on the otherwise probably unperformed Gloria of theMass for the Dresden court, BWV 232 I (1733)
Bach's three extant oratorios also date from this period: theChristmas Oratorio(a set of six cantatas presented in the Christmas season of 1734–35), theAscension Oratorio(1738?, with the dimensions of a single cantata) and theEaster Oratorio(an Easter cantata of 1725 with slight alterations reworked into an Oratorioc.1738).[2]
Several earlier church cantatas were restaged after the period of the Picander cycle, some of them in a new version.
Bach had several students who produced church cantatas during their Leipzig formation years:
- Carl Philipp EmanuelandDolesprovided settings of librettos from thePicander cycle of 1728–29[5][6]
- Around 1745–46 Bach helped copy out performance parts of a cantata byJohann Gottlieb Goldberg[7]
- BWV 217was possibly composed byAltnickol.[8]
| Date | Occasion | Cantata | BWV | Group | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1731-12-02 | 1st Sunday of Advent | Schwingt freudig euch empor | BWV 36, later version | adaptations | Early version1726–29 |
| 1734-12-25 | Christmas | Jauchzet, frohlocket! Auf, preiset die Tage | BWV 248 Part I | Oratorios | Part I ofChristmas Oratorio |
| 1742-12-25? | Christmas | Gloria in excelsis Deo | BWV 191 | adaptations | Based onBWV 232I(1733) |
| after 1740 | Christmas | Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ | BWV 91, 2nd version | Chor. cant. cycle | 5th and 6th mvt. altered |
| 1734-12-26 | 2nd day of Christmas | Und es waren Hirten in derselben Gegend | BWV 248 Part II | Oratorios | Part II ofChristmas Oratorio |
| 1734-12-27 | 3rd day of Christmas | Herrscher des Himmels, erhöre das Lallen | BWV 248 Part III | Oratorios | Part III ofChristmas Oratorio |
| — | Sunday after Christmas | — | — | — | |
| 1735-01-01 | New Year | Fallt mit Danken, fallt mit Loben | BWV 248 Part IV | Oratorios | Part IV ofChristmas Oratorio |
| 1733–34 | Sunday after New Year | Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid | BWV 58, 2nd version | Chor. cant. cycle | Afterearly version(1727) |
| 1735-01-02 | Sunday after New Year | Ehre sei dir, Gott, gesungen | BWV 248 Part V | Oratorios | Part V ofChristmas Oratorio |
| 1735-01-06 | Epiphany | Herr, wenn die stolzen Feinde schnauben | BWV 248 Part VI | Oratorios | Part VI ofChristmas Oratorio |
| before 1761 | 1st Sunday after Epiphany | Gedenke, Herr, wie es uns gehet | BWV 217/Anh. II 23‑> | BWV Anh. II | Probably spurious |
| — | 2nd Sunday after Epiphany | — | — | — | |
| — | 3rd Sunday after Epiphany | — | — | — | |
| 1735-01-30 | 4th Sunday after Epiphany | Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit | BWV 14 | Chor. cant. cycle | |
| 1731-02-02 | Purification | Ich habe genug | BWV 82, 2nd version | 3rd cycle | Also3rdand4thversions |
| after 1727 | Purification | Ich lasse dich nicht | BWV 157later version | Funeral cantatas | Was a funeral cantata in 1727 |
| — | 5th Sunday after Epiphany | — | — | — | |
| — | 6th Sunday after Epiphany | — | — | — | |
| c.1733–34 | Septuagesima | Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Stande | — | (Picander cycle) | (By C. P. E. Bach) |
| — | Sexagesima | — | — | — | |
| 1728–31 | Estomihi | Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn | BWV 23, 3rd version | Weimar cantatas | C minor, four movements |
| — | Annunciation | — | — | — | |
| c.1738 | Easter | Kommt, eilet und laufet | BWV 249 | Oratorios | Andearlier versions |
| — | Easter Monday | — | — | — | |
| c.1730? | Easter Tuesday | Der Friede sei mit dir | BWV 158 | 2nd cycle? | 2nd/3rd mvt. for Purification? |
| — | Quasimodogeniti | — | — | — | |
| 1731-04-08 | Misericordias Domini | Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt | BWV 112 | Chor. cant. cycle | |
| — | Jubilate | — | — | — | |
| — | Cantate | — | — | — | |
| — | Rogate | — | — | — | |
| 1738-05-15? | Ascension | Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen | BWV 11 | Oratorios | Ascension Oratorio |
| — | Exaudi | — | — | — | |
| 1731-05-13 | Pentecost | Erschallet, ihr Lieder | BWV 172, 3rd version | Weimar cantatas | Weimar v.–1st Leipzig v. |
| 1740? | Pentecost | Raset und brauset | — | (Picander cycle) | (BystudentDoles) |
| — | Pentecost Monday | — | — | — | |
| — | Pentecost Tuesday | — | — | — | |
| 1730-06-04? | Trinity Sunday? | Nun danket alle Gott | BWV 192 | Chorale cantatas? | No clear cycle association |
| — | 1st Sunday after Trinity | — | — | — | |
| — | 2nd Sunday after Trinity | — | — | — | |
| 1738-06-24 | St. John's Day | Freue dich, erlöste Schar | BWV 30 | adaptations | Reworked fromBWV 30a |
| 1745–46 | St. John's Day | Durch die herzliche Barmherzigkeit | — | (students) | (BNB I/G/2: by Goldberg) |
| before 1761 | St. John's Day | Lobt ihn mit Herz und Munde | BWV 220/Anh. II 23‑> | BWV Anh. II | Unknown composer |
| — | 3rd Sunday after Trinity | — | — | — | |
| 1733-07-02? | Visitation | Magnificat in D Major | BWV 243 | Latin church mus. | Also Christmas;1723 in E♭ |
| before 1761 | Visitation | Meine Seele rühmt und preist | BWV 189/Anh. II 23‑> | BWV Anh. II | If byHoffmann:before 1716 |
| 1732-07-06 | 4th Sunday after Trinity | Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ | BWV 177 | Chor. cant. cycle | |
| c.1746–47 | 4th Sunday after Trinity | Barmherziges Herze | BWV 185last version | Weimar cantatas | Three earlier versions |
| c.1732–33 | 5th Sunday after Trinity | Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten | BWV 93later version | Chor. cant. cycle | Two creation periods |
| c.1734 | 5th Sunday after Trinity | Gott hat uns gesegnet mit allerlei | — | (Namenbuch cycle) | (ByStölzel)[9] |
| 1734-08-01 | 6th Sunday after Trinity | Es ist das Heil uns kommen her | BWV 9 | Chor. cant. cycle | |
| c.1734 | 6th Sunday after Trinity | Dies wird sein Name sein | — | (Namenbuch cycle) | (ByStölzel)[9] |
| — | 7th Sunday after Trinity | — | — | — | |
| — | 8th Sunday after Trinity | — | — | — | |
| — | 9th Sunday after Trinity | — | — | — | |
| — | 10th Sunday after Trinity | — | — | — | |
| — | 11th Sunday after Trinity | — | — | — | |
| — | 12th Sunday after Trinity | — | — | — | |
| 1735-09-04 | 13th Sunday after Trinity | O! wie seelig sind die Blicke | — | (Saitenspiel cycle) | (ByStölzel)[10] |
| 1735-09-11 | 14th Sunday after Trinity | Schnöder Aussatz meiner Sünden | — | (Saitenspiel cycle) | (ByStölzel)[10] |
| 1730-09-17 | 15th Sunday after Trinity | Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen | BWV 51 | In ogni Tempo. | Late addition to 3rd cycle? |
| 1735-09-18 | 15th Sunday after Trinity | Sorgen sind die Steine | — | (Saitenspiel cycle) | (ByStölzel)[10] |
| 1735-09-25 | 15th Sunday after Trinity | Mein JEsu deine Vater-Hand | — | (Saitenspiel cycle) | (ByStölzel)[10] |
| 1747-09-17 | 16th Sunday after Trinity | Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben | BWV 8, 2nd version | Chor. cant. cycle | After1st version(1724) |
| — | 17th Sunday after Trinity | — | — | — | |
| c.1732–35 | Michaelmas | Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir | BWV 130, 2nd version | Chor. cant. cycle | After1st version(1724) |
| 1734-09-29? | Michaelmas | [Textless cantata], BWV 248a | BWV 248 VI a | adaptations | AfterBWV 1160(1731) |
| before 1751? | Michaelmas? | Nun ist das Heil und die Kraft | BWV 50 | — | As extant not by Bach? |
| 1734-10-24 | 18th Sunday after Trinity | Herr Christ, der einge Gottessohn | BWV 96later version | Chor. cant. cycle | After 1724 v.; alsoc.1746–47 |
| c.1735? | Reformation Day | Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott | BWV 80, 2nd Leipz. v. | Chor. cant. cycle | AfterBWV 80banda |
| — | 19th Sunday after Trinity | — | — | — | |
| — | 20th Sunday after Trinity | — | — | — | |
| — | 21st Sunday after Trinity | — | — | — | |
| — | 22nd Sunday after Trinity | — | — | — | |
| c.1744–47 | 23rd Sunday after Trinity | Wohl dem, der sich auf seinen Gott | BWV 139later version | Chor. cant. cycle | After 1724 version |
| — | 24th Sunday after Trinity | — | — | — | |
| — | 25th Sunday after Trinity | — | — | — | |
| — | 26th Sunday after Trinity | — | — | — | |
| 1731-11-25 | 27th Sunday after Trinity | Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme | BWV 140 | Chor. cant. cycle |
Advent
editIn Bach's Leipzig there was no concerted church music in the period between the first Sunday ofAdventandChristmas(tempus clausum). The final version ofSchwingt freudig euch empor,BWV 36was first presented on the first Sunday of Advent2 December 1731,with an earlier version of the cantata dated between 1725 and 1730.[11]
Christmas to Epiphany
editFrom Christmas 1734 to Epiphany 1735 Bach presented six cantatas, together known as theChristmas Oratorio(Weihnachts-Oratorium):
- Christmas 25 December 1734:Jauchzet, frohlocket, auf, preiset die Tage,BWV 248I
- Second day of Christmas 26 December 1734:Und es waren Hirten in derselben Gegend,BWV 248II
- Third day of Christmas 27 December 1734:Herrscher des Himmels, erhöre das Lallen,BWV 248III
- New Year 1 January 1735:Fallt mit Danken, fallt mit Loben,BWV 248IV
- Sunday after New Year 2 January 1735:Ehre sei dir, Gott, gesungen,BWV 248V
- Epiphany 6 January 1735:Herr, wenn die stolzen Feinde schnauben,BWV 248VI
TheD Major version of Bach's Magnificatmay have been performed on Christmas from 1733 onwards. Other Christmascompositions with text in Latinare theSanctus in D major, BWV 238(repeat performance in 1735 or later) and the cantataGloria in excelsis Deo,BWV 191(probably first performed in 1745), a composition based on theKyrie–Gloria mass of 1733that would be expanded into hisMass in B Minor.The period after the fourth cantata cycle also saw repeat performances of his earlier Christmas cantatasUnser Mund sei voll Lachens,BWV 110,andGelobet seist du, Jesu Christ,BWV 91,the last one in a new version produced after 1740.[12]Another Christmas cantata,Uns ist ein Kind geboren,BWV 142,was probably not composed by Bach and likely originated before Bach's time in Leipzig.[13]
A new version ofAch Gott, wie manches Herzeleid,BWV 58,was performed on the Sunday after New Year4 January 1733or3 January 1734.[14]This cantata was however added to chorale cantata cycle,[15]even while not completely conforming to the chorale cantata format and in its first version performed on5 January 1727,a year after the bulk of that cycle had been composed.[16]
Between Epiphany and Lent
editGedenke, Herr, wie es uns gehet,BWV 217,a cantata for the first Sunday after Epiphany was probably not composed by Bach.Johann Christoph Altnickolhas been named as its possible composer.[8]
Herr, wie du willt, so schicks mit mir,BWV 73,the cantata for the third Sunday after Epiphany of the first cycle, was restaged at least two times between 1731 and 1750.[citation needed]
Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit,BWV 14,first performed on the fourth Sunday after Epiphany30 January 1735,latest of Bach's extant chorale cantatas, was added to the chorale cantata cycle.[15]
There are no extant cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach for the fifth and sixth Sunday after Epiphany.
The first version ofIch habe genug,BWV 82,had been performed on the Feast of Purification2 February 1727.[17]This version for soprano, flute, strings and continuo inE minoris associated withBach's third cantata cycle,or alternatively the period "between the third and the fourth cycles".[3]After 1729 Bach produced three further versions of this cantata: a version inC Minorforbass,oboe, strings and continuo, for performance in 1731, a third version for Bass or mezzo and a fourth version with an additionaloboe da caccia.[18]Komm, du süße Todesstunde,BWV 161is aWeimar cantatafor the 16th Sunday after Trinity.[19]In the mid-1730s Bach had its score copied, adding "item Festo Purific Mariae" (also for the Feast of Purification) to the header of the manuscript.[20]AlsoMit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin,BWV 125,the chorale cantata from 1725, was probably restaged afterc.1735.[21]Ich lasse dich nicht, du segnest mich denn,BWV 157was a funeral cantata in 1727: later it was transformed into a cantata for Purification, a feast that always fell between Epiphany and Lent.[22]
For Septuagesima (third Sunday before Lent) 1727 Bach had composedIch bin vergnügt mit meinem Glücke,BWV 84,a cantata on a libretto that two years later appeared in a very different form ina libretto cyclepublished byPicander.The 1727 cantata is however rather associated with Bach's third cantata cycle than with his fourth cantata cycle, which were settings of the librettos Picander had published for church services in 1728–29.[23]However, a few years laterCarl Philipp Emanuel Bach,still living with his father in Leipzig, set the three first movements of the 1729 version of Picander's libretto for Septuagesima,Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Stande.[5]
Bach restaged his first cycle Sexagesima cantataLeichtgesinnte Flattergeister,BWV 181,around 1743–46.[24]
In the period from 1728 to 1731 Bach produced the final C minor version of his Weimar Estomihi cantataDu wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn,BWV 23,in four movements.[25]
From Lent to Trinity
editIn Lent only two occasions allowed for concerted music:
- Annunciation (25 March, moved forward to Palm Sunday if that date fell in Good Week) – no known performance of an Annunciation cantata by Bach after 1728.
- Good Friday, on which day aPassionwas performed. The only new Passion Bach appears to have composed after 1729 is his (lost)St Mark Passion,BWV 247,staged on Good Friday 1731 and 1744. Bach's Passion settings are however not seen as cantatas.
Der Himmel lacht! Die Erde jubilieret,BWV 31was an Easter cantata Bach had composed in Weimar. He had already restaged it duringhis first year in Leipzig,and did so again on Easter25 March 1731.Apart from that he expanded his Easter cantata from 1725,Kommt, eilet und laufet,BWV 249into an oratorio (several versions), and restaged it multiple times in the last 20 years of his office as Thomaskantor.
For Easter Monday,Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden,BWV 6,andErfreut euch, ihr Herzen,BWV 66,belonging to the second and the first cantata cycle respectively, were both restaged more than once after 1729.
Der Friede sei mit dir,BWV 158is a possibly incomplete Easter Tuesday cantata. Its second and third movement (from a total of only four movements) seem to be derived from an earlier Purification cantata.[26]It may have been performed as Easter Tuesday cantata ofthe second cycle(no other cantata for that occasion in 1725 extant) and/or shortly after the 4th cycle. Another Easter Tuesday cantata,Ein Herz, das seinen Jesum lebend weiß,BWV 134,belonging to the first cycle, was restaged27 March 1731,and probably also12 April 1735.
Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats,BWV 42,a cantata from the second cycle for the first Sunday after Easter (Quasimodogeniti), was restaged1 April 1731.
Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt,BWV 112,premiered on the second Sunday after Easter (Misericordias Domini)8 April 1731,is a late addition to the chorale cantata cycle.
Ihr werdet weinen und heulen,BWV 103,a cantata for the third Sunday after Easter (Jubilate) on avon Zieglerlibretto, was probably restaged15 April 1731.[27]For the next two Sundays (Cantateand Rogate) it is not known which cantatas Bach may have performed in the last 20 years of his life.
TheAscension Oratorio,Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen,BWV 11, was first performed on19 May 1735.[28]For the Sunday after Ascension (Exaudi) it is not known which cantatas Bach may have performed after the second cycle (1725).
The third version ofErschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten!BWV 172,a Weimar cantata, was first performed on Pentecost13 May 1731(second Leipzig version). The libretto for the Pentecost cantata of the 1728–29 Picander cycle,Raset und brauset ihr hefftigen Windewas set byJohann Friedrich Doles,then a student of Bach, in 1740. The cantata was possibly performed in Leipzig at the time.[6]
Erhöhtes Fleisch und Blut,BWV 173,a cantata for Pentecost Monday composed between the third and the fourth cycles, andErwünschtes Freudenlicht,BWV 184,a first cycle cantata for Pentecost Tuesday, were restaged 14 and15 May 1731respectively.[3]
The incomplete cantataNun danket alle Gott,BWV 192,possibly aTrinity Sundaychorale cantata premiered4 June 1730,was probably not composed for Leipzig.[29]Whether it can be associated with any cycle is unclear.[2]An earlier Trinity Sunday cantata,Höchsterwünschtes Freudenfest,BWV 192,had already seen three different versions before its second version (1724) was given a repeat performance on20 May 1731.[30]
Between Trinity and Advent
editIt is not known which cantatas Bach may have performed on the first, second and third Sundays after Trinity in the last 20 years of his life.
Freue dich, erlöste Schar,BWV 30was first performed on the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist,24 June 1738.It was a parody of the secular cantataBWV 30a,premiered in 1737.Picanderprobably wrote the librettos, as well for the original composition as for the parody.[31]Durch die herzliche Barmherzigkeitis a cantata for St. John's Day composed byJohann Gottlieb Goldbergfor which Bach helped copy out performance parts around 1745–46.[7][32]Lobt ihn mit Herz und Munde,BWV 220is a St. John's Day cantata by an unknown composer.[33]Its oldest manuscript went lost but existed before 1761.[34]
Meine Seele rühmt und preist,BWV 189is a cantata for Visitation (2 July), using a German paraphrase of the Magnificat as text. It is dated to before 1761, based on what remains from its 18th-century sources. Likely it was however composed byMelchior Hoffmann,in 1715 at the latest.[35]Around 1733 Bach produced theD Majorversion ofhis Magnificat,which he possibly performed on Visitation2 July 1733.[36]
Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ,BWV 177,a per omnes versus chorale cantata first performed on the fourth Sunday after Trinity6 July 1732,is a late addition to the chorale cantata cycle.[37][15]Barmherziges Herze der ewigen Liebe,BWV 185is a Weimar cantata for the fourth Sunday after Trinity existing in four versions, the last of which was produced in Leipzig around 1746–47.[38]
Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten,BWV 93is a chorale cantata for the fifth Sunday after Trinity, first presented in Bach's second year in Leipzig. Around 1732–33 he restaged it in a modified version.[39]
Es ist das Heil uns kommen her,BWV 9is a chorale cantata for the sixth Sunday after Trinity, first presented on20 July 1732and added to the chorale cantata cycle.[40][15]
It is not known which cantatas Bach may have performed after 1729 on the seventh and eighth Sundays after Trinity.
Was frag ich nach der Welt,BWV 94,a chorale cantata for the ninth Sunday after Trinity, first performed in Bach's second year in Leipzig, was probably restaged around 1732–35.[41]Tue Rechnung! Donnerwort,BWV 168,a 1725 cantata for the same occasion, was possibly restaged after 1745.[42]
For the tenth to thirteenth Sundays after Trinity it is not known which cantatas may have been performed in Leipzig after 1729.
The chorale cantata for the 14th Sunday after TrinityJesu, der du meine Seele,BWV 78,first performed in 1724, was restaged after 1735.[43]
Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen,BWV 51,first performed on the 15th Sunday after Trinity17 September 1730,was designated for that Sunday or for any occasion.[44]
Komm, du süße Todesstunde,BWV 161, a cantata for the 16th Sunday after Trinity or Purification, also exists in a later (Leipzig?) version, which was however probably not produced by the composer.[45]For the 16th Sunday after trinity17 September 1747Bach produced a second version in D major of the chorale cantataLiebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben?BWV 8.Its first version, in E major, had been premiered in 1724.[46]
No performances of a cantata for the 17th Sunday after Trinity have been identified in Bach's last 20 years in Leipzig.
The chorale cantataHerr Gott, dich loben alle wir,BWV 130,forMichaelmas,premiered in 1724, was restaged in a modified version around 1732–35.[47]BWV 248 VI a(also indicated as BWV 248a) is a fragment of a namelessMichaeliskantate(Michaelmas cantata), likely first performed in 1734, shortly before its music was almost entirely adopted in the last part of theChristmas Oratorio(BWV 248 VI)[48][49]Michaelmas has also been suggested for (the cantata fragment?)Nun ist das Heil und die Kraft,BWV 50,which has however an unclear origin.[50]
Herr Christ, der einge Gottessohn,BWV 96,a chorale cantata for the 18th Sunday after Trinity, first performed in 1724, was given a repeat performance with a modified orchestration on24 October 1734.The cantata was further restaged around 1746–47.[51]
Bach's final version of the Reformation Day cantataEin feste Burg ist unser Gott,BWV 80may have originated around 1735.[52]An earlier Leipzig version of the cantata, BWV 80b, was written 1727–31.[53]
For the 19th to 22nd Sundays after Trinity no performed cantatas have been identified in Bach's last 20 years in Leipzig.
A modified version of the 1724 chorale cantataWohl dem, der sich auf seinen Gott,BWV 139for the 23rd Sunday after Trinity was presented around 1744–47.[54]
No further cantatas performed on Sundays after Trinity are known for the period 1730–49, until the 27th and last possible Sunday after Trinity: on that Sunday in 1731 Bach premieredWachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme,BWV 140,a late addition to the chorale cantata cycle.[55]
Other occasions
editThis sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(August 2016) |
New council
editThe election or inauguration of a new town council was celebrated with a service. Normally this was an annual event. The cantata written for such celebrations were indicated with the term "Ratswechsel" (changing of the council) or "Ratswahl" (election of the council). InLeipzigthe service was held at theNikolaikircheon the Monday followingBartholomew(Bartholomäus), 24 August.
Bach's Leipzig Ratswahl cantatas include:[2]
- Before 1730:
- Preise, Jerusalem, den Herrn, BWV 119,30 August 1723
- Wünschet Jerusalem Glück, BWV Anh. 4,27 August 1725 (only Picander's text extant)
- Ihr Tore zu Zion,BWV 193(incomplete), 25 August 1727[56]
- Bach's last 20 years in Leipzig
- Gott, gib dein Gerichte dem Könige,BWV 1140(formerlyBWV Anh. 3), 28 August 1730 (only Picander's text extant)[57]
- Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir, BWV 29,27 August 1731 (reused 31 August 1739 and 24 August 1749)
- (BWV 137,chorale cantata for Trinity XII: "A performance on 25.8.1732 (Spitta II, p. 286f. and others) on the occasion of inauguration of the new city council is not proved." )[58]
- Herrscher des Himmels, König der Ehren, BWV Anh. 193,28 August 1740 (only text extant)
- Gott, man lobet dich in der Stille, BWV 120,29 August 1742
- Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele, BWV 69,1743–48 (adapted from BWV 69a)
200th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession
edit25 June 1730 was 200 years after theAugsburg Confession.In Leipzig the occasion was remembered by a three-day festival.Picanderwrote three cantata librettos (later published inErnst-Schertzhaffte und Satyrische Gedichte,Vol. III, 1732), one for each day of the celebration. Johann Sebastian Bach set these librettos. The music of these settings is however largely lost:[2][59][60]
- Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied,BWV 190a(25 June 1730,BDW00231– music lost but presumably borrowed from movements 1, 2, 3 and 5 ofBWV 190)
- Gott, man lobet dich in der Stille,BWV 120b(26 June 1730,BDW00147– music lost but partially reconstructable fromBWV 120,120a,232II/9 and1019a)
- Wünschet Jerusalem Glück,BWV Anh.4a (27 June 1730,BDW01312– music lost, probably based on the —equally lost— cantataBWV Anh. 4)
Wedding
editLeipzig church cantatas for weddings include:[2]
- Sein Segen fließt daher wie ein Strom, BWV Anh. 14,12 February 1725 (lost)
- Auf, süß entzückende Gewalt, BWV Anh. 196,27 November 1725 (music lost)
- O ewiges Feuer, o Ursprung der Liebe,BWV 34a,after1 June 1727(incomplete)[61]
- Der Herr ist freundlich dem, der auf ihn harret, BWV Anh. 21118 January 1729 (music lost)
- Vergnügende Flammen, verdoppelt die Macht, BWV Anh. 212,26 July 1729 (music lost)
- Herr Gott, Beherrscher aller Dinge, BWV 120a,1729? (adapted from BWV 120, partly lost)
- Dem Gerechten muß das Licht, BWV 195,1727–31?
- Gott ist unsre Zuversicht, BWV 197,1736/37 (partly based on 197a)
- BWV 117(1728–31) –BWV 192(1730) –BWV 97(1734) –BWV 100(c.1734–35): (parts of?) chorale cantatas that were possibly initially intended as wedding cantatas (see above).
Apart from church cantatas for weddings Bach also composed secular wedding cantatas such asBWV 202and210.
Funeral
editFuneral music of Bach's Leipzig period includes:[2]
- On6 February 1727,at the funeral of J. C. von Ponickau inPomßen,a cantata in two parts was presented:
- Part I:Ich lasse dich nicht, du segnest mich denn,BWV 157,later reused as a cantata for Purification, see above.
- Part II:Liebster Gott, vergisst du mich,BWV Anh. 209,a lost cantata, composed on a 1711 libretto for the seventh Sunday after Trinity by G. C. Lehms. The cantata may have been composed in the Weimar period, or in the period between the second and the fourth cycle (possibly even as a Trinity XV cantata).[62][63][64]
- Klagt, Kinder, klagt es aller Welt,BWV 244a,24 March 1729,memorial service for Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen (the lost music of this cantata is related to theSt Matthew Passion)
- Schließt die Gruft! ihr Trauerglocken,BWV Anh. 16(1735, music lost)[65]
- Mein Gott, nimm die gerechte Seele,BWV Anh. 17(music lost)[66]
Apart from church cantatas for funerals, Bach also composed secular mourning music (Trauer-Ode,BWV 198,17 October 1727) and several funeral motets (e.g.O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht,BWV 118,c.1736–37).
Reception
editMost of the cantatas of Bach's last 20 years in Leipzig probably went to Halle withWilhelm Friedemann Bach,where many of them became lost.[10]Extant parts of Bach's late cantata production include:
- Late additions to the chorale cantata cycle: this cycle remained in Leipzig.[15]Considering almost all chorale cantatas as late compositions, Spitta discussed them extensively in his 19th-century Bach-biography.[1]
- (Cantatas transformed into) oratorios: these were conserved in Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's legacy.
- Revised versions of cantatas composed for earlier cantata cycles.
- Cantatas composed for occasions outside the liturgical calendar (e.g. sacred cantatas for weddings), cantatas largely consisting of re-used material originally not composed for occasions of the liturgical calendar (e.g. BWV 191), and arrangements of compositions by others (e.g. BWV 200).
- Cantatas composed by students in the period they were tutored by Bach.
Whether there ever was a consistent fifth cycle of cantatas composed by Bach in the last twenty years of his life remains a matter of speculation: evidence of such a cycle is remote and circumstantial, but it is a returning topic in scholarly literature.[10]
References
edit- ^abPhilipp Spitta,translated by Clara Bell and J.A. Fuller Maitland. Book V: The Final Period of Bach's Life and Work, ChapterIII: "The later Chorale Cantatas"pp. 64–108inJohann Sebastian Bach: His Work and Influence on the Music of Germany, 1685–1750Volume 3.Novello & Co.1884–1885.
- ^abcdefghAlfred Dürr;Richard D. P. Jones(6 July 2006).The Cantatas of J. S. Bach: With Their Librettos in German-English Parallel Text.OUP Oxford.ISBN978-0-19-929776-4."Introduction", pp. 29–45
- ^abcTatiana Shabalina"Recent Discoveries in St Petersburg and their Meaning for the Understanding of Bach’s Cantatas"pp. 77-99 inUnderstanding Bach4,2009
- ^Bach DigitalWorks00315and01318
- ^abBDW09341atBach Digital
- ^abDaniel R. Melamed."J. F. Doles's Setting of a Picander Libretto and J. S. Bach's Teaching of Vocal Composition"inThe Journal of Musicology,Vol. 14, No. 4 (Autumn, 1996), pp. 453-474.University of California Press
- ^abD-B Mus. ms. 7918atBach Digital
- ^abBDW00274atBach Digital
- ^abGlöckner 2009.
- ^abcdefPfau 2008.
- ^BDW00047and00048atBach Digital
- ^D-B Mus. ms. Bach P 869atBach Digital
- ^Classical NetUns ist ein Kind geboren (Unto us a child is born),Classical Net, 1998
- ^BDW00073atBach Digital
- ^abcdeAlfred Dörffel.Bach-Gesellschaft AusgabeVolume 27:Thematisches Verzeichniss der Kirchencantaten No. 1–120.Breitkopf & Härtel,1878. Introduction, pp. V–IX
- ^BDW00074atBach Digital
- ^BDW00103atBach Digital
- ^BDW00104,00105and00106atBach Digital
- ^BDW00195atBach Digital
- ^D-B Mus. ms. Bach P 124atBach Digital
- ^BDW00152atBach Digital
- ^BDW00191atBach Digital
- ^Alfred Dürr;Richard D. P. Jones(6 July 2006).The Cantatas of J. S. Bach: With Their Librettos in German-English Parallel Text.OUP Oxford.ISBN978-0-19-929776-4.pp. 36–41
- ^BDW00219atBach Digital
- ^BDW00030atBach Digital
- ^BDW00192atBach Digital
- ^BDW00128atBach Digital
- ^BDW00013atBach Digital
- ^BDW00233atBach Digital
- ^BDW00236,00237and00238atBach Digital
- ^BDW00038and00039atBach Digital
- ^BDW09155atBach Digital
- ^BDW00277atBach Digital
- ^Verschollen BWV 220 (1), BreitkopfatBach Digital
- ^D-LEsta 21081/7372 Nr. 7and BDW00229atBach Digital
- ^D-B Mus. ms. Bach P 39and BDW00302atBach Digital
- ^BDW00215atBach Digital
- ^D-B Mus. ms. Bach St 4and BDW00224atBach Digital
- ^D-LEb Thomana 93, Faszikel 1and BDW00118atBach Digital
- ^BDW00011atBach Digital
- ^BDW00119atBach Digital
- ^BDW00203atBach Digital
- ^BDW00097atBach Digital
- ^BDW00066atBach Digital
- ^BDW00196atBach Digital
- ^BDW00010and00009atBach Digital
- ^CH-CObodmer Ms.11625and BDW00158/00159atBach Digital
- ^Bossuyt, Ignace[in French](2004).Johann Sebastian Bach, Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248).Translated by Bull, Stratton. Foreword byPhilippe Herreweghe.Leuven:Leuven University Press.p.35.ISBN9789058674210.
- ^D-B Mus.ms. Bach St 112 VI, Fascicle 1atBach Digital
- ^BDW00065atBach Digital
- ^BDW00121atBach Digital
- ^Dürr/Jones o.c.,p. 709
- ^F-Ppo A. Mickiewicz Rkp. 973–RUS-SPsc BWV 80b–US-PRscheide (o. Sign.) BWV 80b– BDW00101atBach Digital
- ^BDW00171atBach Digital
- ^BDW00172atBach Digital
- ^Work00234atBach Digital
- ^Work01310atBach Digital.
- ^Work00169atBach Digital
- ^Picander(=Christian Friedrich Henrici).Ernst-Schertzhaffte und Satyrische Gedichte,Volume III.Leipzig: Joh. Theod. Boetii Tochter (1732; 2nd printing 1737),pp. 73–79
- ^New Bach Edition(Bärenreiter). Volume 34:Kirchenkantaten verschiedener, teils unbekannter BestimmunginSeries I: Cantatas
- ^BDW00044and00045atBach Digital
- ^BWV2a,p. 456
- ^BDW01520atBach Digital
- ^Christine Blanken."A Cantata-Text Cycle of 1728 from Nuremberg: a Preliminary Report on a Discovery relating to J. S. Bach's so-called 'Third Annual Cantata Cycle'", pp. 9–30inUnderstanding Bach,Vol. 10, 2015.
- ^BDW01324atBach Digital
- ^BDW01325atBach Digital
Sources
edit- Glöckner, Andreas (2009)."Ein weiterer Kantatenjahrgang Gottfried Heinrich Stölzels in Bachs Aufführungsrepertoire?"[Is there another cantata cycle by Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel that belonged to Bach’s performance repertoire?]. InWollny, Peter(ed.).Bach-Jahrbuch 2009[Bach Yearbook 2009].Bach-Jahrbuch(in German). Vol. 95.Neue Bachgesellschaft.Leipzig:Evangelische Verlagsanstalt.pp. 95–115.doi:10.13141/bjb.v2009.ISBN978-3-374-02749-1.ISSN0084-7682.
- Pfau, Marc-Roderich (2008)."Ein unbekanntes Leipziger Kantatentextheft aus dem Jahr 1735: Neues zum Thema Bach und Stölzel"[An unknown Leipzig cantata text publication from the year 1735: News regarding Bach and Stölzel]. InWollny, Peter(ed.).Bach-Jahrbuch 2008[Bach Yearbook 2008].Bach-Jahrbuch(in German). Vol. 94.Neue Bachgesellschaft.Leipzig:Evangelische Verlagsanstalt.pp. 99–122.doi:10.13141/bjb.v2008.ISBN978-3-374-02668-5.ISSN0084-7682.
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