Chapter 19 Musical Sermons: Bach and the Lutheran Cantata
•Download as PPT, PDF•
1 like•2,227 views
Johann Sebastian Bach and the Lutheran Cantata
Recommended
Recommended
More Related Content
What's hot
What's hot (20)
Similar to Chapter 19 Musical Sermons: Bach and the Lutheran Cantata
Similar to Chapter 19 Musical Sermons: Bach and the Lutheran Cantata (20)
More from Laura Riddle
More from Laura Riddle (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
Chapter 19 Musical Sermons: Bach and the Lutheran Cantata
- 1. THE ENJOYMENT OF MUSIC ESSENTIAL LISTENING EDITION by Kristine Forney Andrew Dell’Antonio Joseph Machlis SECOND EDITION Lecture Slides
- 2. Chapter 17 Musical Sermons: Bach and the Lutheran Cantata
- 3. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) • Most prominent composer of Baroque Period • Born in Eisenach, Germany; family with many musicians • Culminating figure of the Baroque style • Career in northern Germany • Devout Lutheran • Secular and church patrons during career
- 4. Johann Sebastian Bach (1684-1750) • Composed music at three locations during career (a few famous works composed at each) – Weimar--music for church services – Cöthen--The Well-Tempered Clavier and 6 Brandenburg Concertos – Leipzig--Mass in b minor, the cantata, Wachet Auf (“A Mighty Fortress is Our God”), St. Matthew Passion, 2 and 3-part Inventions for harpsichord
- 5. Johann Sebastian Bach • First wife, Maria Barbara, dies • Marries Anna Magdalena, for which he wrote book of keyboard music, still used today
- 6. Johann Sebastian Bach Other Important Works • St. Matthew Passion--for vocalists and orchestra • The Well-Tempered Clavier--Books 1 and 2--two sets of preludes and fugues in all 24 of the major and minor keys • Toccata and Fugue in D minor--for keyboard • Chorale Prelude (Wachet Auf)--an organ version of one movement of his Cantata #140 (a chorale prelude was played prior to singing the hymn on which it was based)
- 7. The Lutheran Chorale and Cantata • Cantata (Italian “to sing”) • Vocal genre for solo singers and instrumental accompaniment • Based on lyric, dramatic, or narrative poetry
- 8. The Baroque Cantata and Oratorio Bach and the Church Cantata • Sacred cantatas for the Lutheran church • Sacred cantatas • Secular cantatas • Multimovement works
- 9. Baroque Cantata: General Characteristics • Featured soloists, chorus, and orchestra • Similar in style to an oratorio, but much shorter • Sacred cantatas – Usually glorified New Testament subjects – Often based on a Lutheran Chorale (a 4-part hymn sung by the congregation) • Secular cantatas – Based popular stories and themes – Otherwise, like sacred cantatas
- 10. The Church Cantata • Performed in worship service • 1700-Influence of Erdmann Neumister – Theologian & poet who introduced subjective, meditative texts not of Biblical liturgical origin – Designed for use in arias or duets, in addition to choruses based on the Chorale
- 11. The Baroque Cantata and Oratorio Bach and the Church Cantata • Chorale • Martin Luther • Early hymns: in unison • Later hymns: 4-part harmony, soprano melody • Unifying thread of the Protestant cantatas
- 12. Bach’s Cantatas at Leipzig • 58 per year • Small orchestra: 18-24 players • Approx. 200 cantatas preserved (not numbered by Bach, but by editors) • All use chorale melody as basis for each movement • Typically have five to eight movements • Several choral numbers, recitatives, arias
- 13. Bach and the Church Cantata Duties at Leipzig • Church • University collegium musicum
- 14. Cantata No. 140 Wachet Auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Wake Up, Call the Voices) • Performed Sunday Before Advent • Text: Matthew 25: 1-13, parable of 5 wise, 5 foolish virgins • Message: Be prepared and vigilant, for you don’t know when God will call • Seven sections total
- 15. Chapter 17: Johann Sebastian Bach Cantata 140 • Two movements presented here--the first and the last – First movement = polyphonic – Fourth movement = homophonic • This entire piece is a cantata--a work sung during a service of worship – Based on a hymn tune – Hymn tune is known as a chorale when sung in 4-part harmony
- 16. Johann Sebastian Bach Cantata 140--Movement 1 • An opening chorus • Dotted rhythms (long-short-long-short) make this sound like a march (similar to a French Overture). • Upper voice has the melody in very long notes. • Elaborate lines of counterpoint are weaved with the lower voices and the orchestra. • Form: also in Bar Form, but long pauses between sung sections are filled in by the orchestra. • Form: uses the ritornello principle--each vocal chorale section is followed by an orchestra ritornello section. – Ritornello 1 -->Chorale A --> Ritornello 2 --> Chorale A (again) --> Ritornello 3 --> Chorale B --> Ritornello 4
- 17. Cantata 140-Movement 1 • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC35GS88Oq
- 20. Johann Sebastian Bach Cantata 140--Movement 4 • Tenors; violins, violas in unison; continue • Chorale tune returns • Upper voice has the melody in very long notes. • Ritornello; dance-like, for the procession of the maidens as they “all follow to the joyful hall and share in the Lord’s supper.” • Melody repeated and varied • Faster rhythmic values than opening movment; broken into component phrases linked by instrumental melody
- 21. Cantata 140-Movement 4 • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1rUz0GM-N
- 23. by Kristine Forney Andrew Dell’Antonio Joseph Machlis Lecture Slides SECOND EDITION THE ENJOYMENT OF MUSIC ESSENTIAL LISTENING EDITION http://wwnorton.com/web/enjoyess2
Editor's Notes
- ■ Lutheran musical worship is structured around specific congregational hymns, known as chorales, which are specific to each Sunday service. ■ The church cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach were mostly written for the Lutheran church service; they are multimovement works with solo arias, recitatives, and choruses, all with orchestral accompaniment. ■ Bach’s cantata Wachet auf (Sleepers, Awake) is based on a well-known Lutheran chorale tune.
- Johann Sebastian Bach (1685- 1750) was the culminating figure of the Baroque style. He was born to a musical family and made his career in Northern Germany. He became known as an organist and composer. He was employed by secular and church patrons throughout his career. He was a devout Lutheran. His two marriages produced at least 19 children, most of whom did not survive infancy. Four of his sons became leading composers of the next generation. .
- The cantata (from the Italian word cantare —to sing) is a mulitmovement work consisting of arias, recitatives and choruses with orchestral accompaniment. Cantatas could be both sacred and secular, being based on lyric, dramatic, or narrative poetry. The sacred cantata was a staple of the Lutheran church service. Artwork: St. Thomas’s Church and choir school in Leipzig where J. S. Bach worked from 1723 until his death in 1750.
- The sacred cantata was part of the Lutheran church service, possessing a sacred theme that was related to the sermon, prayers, and Gospel reading for the day. Most Sundays, holidays, and special occasions of the year required their own cantata. J. S. Bach wrote both sacred cantatas for the Lutheran church and secular cantatas upon request. Bach’s cantatas are, as typical of this vocal genre, multimovement works with solo arias, recitatives, and choruses, all with orchestral accompaniment. Listen to the contrasting style of the American composer, William Billings. He was mostly self-taught and presents a sound contrasting to that of J. S. Bach.
- A chorale is a hymn tune specifically associated with German Protestantism. As one of his reforms, Martin Luther required that the congregation participate in the service. Thus, Luther began the practice of having church services be in German (the vernacular) rather than in Latin. The hymns were originally sung in unison, but later written in 4-part harmony to be sung by the choir. The melody was in the soprano part so that the congregation could hear it clearly and join in the singing. The sacred cantatas are often musically and textually based on these chorale tunes. Listen to the contrasting style of the American composer, William Billings. He was mostly self-taught and presents a sound contrasting to that of J.S. Bach.
- At the age of thirty-eight, Bach was appointed to one of the most important music positions in Germany—cantor at St. Thomas’s Church. In his own words, Bach’s duties at Leipzig included the following: “Whereas the Honorable and Most Wise Council of this Town of Leipzig have engaged me as Cantor of the St. Thomas School . . . I shall set the boys a shining example . . . serve the school industriously, . . . bring the music in both the principal churches of this town into good estate, . . . faithfully instruct the boys not only in vocal but also in instrumental music . . . arrange the music so that it shall not last too long, and shall . . . not make an operatic impression, but rather incite the listeners to devotion. In 1729, Bach was appointed to an additional post in Leipzig: director of the collegium musicum—a group of university students and musicians that gave regular concerts. Further undertakings included travel to test and inaugurate new organs and composition outside of his regular duties. Artwork: An evening outdoor concert in 1744 by the collegium musicum of Jena, Germany
- Listening Guide 8—Bach: Wachet auf
- Listening Guide 8—Bach: Wachet auf
- Listening Guide 8—Bach: Wachet auf