Scholarly Abstractions: Bach Cantatas

Baek, Jung Jin Baek. A Conductor’s Guide to J. S. Bach’s Quinquagesima Cantatas. Doctor of Musical Arts dissertation, University of Cincinnaty College Conservatory of Music, 2012.

 

       Johann Sebastian Bach’s cantatas occupy a significant portion of his output. This document focuses on his four cantatas written for the Quinquagesima Sunday in Leipzig. The first two cantatas (BWV 22 and BWV 23), which were audition pieces for the cantor position in Leipzig (1723), were performed again in the following year as part of his first cantata cycle. The other two surviving cantatas for this Sunday (BWV 127 and BWV 159) are found in his second (1724–25) and fourth (1728–29) cantata cycles. Not only for his audition, but also for the special context of the Quinquagesima Sunday, (the last major religious musical event in Leipzig before the Passion at the Good Friday Vespers), Bach carefully constructed these cantatas to display his considerable musical ability, his attention to text expression, and his knowledge of liturgical and theological issues for the preparation of the Lenten season. This document will provide a conductor’s guide to preparing and conducting these cantatas and examine how Bach achieves his goals of musical and liturgical function within the Lutheran tradition.

 

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