Johann Sebastian Bach: Master of the Sacred Cantata

Johann Sebastian Bach represents the culmination of the Baroque period, and his death marks a turning point in music history. He was the main proponent of the cantata, a musical form performed and sung in Lutheran worship before the sermon. Bach's innovation was to create characters, recitatives, and arias for liturgical music, as seen in his early cantatas, effectively adding a narrative to a drama. The late 17th-century reforms of the Lutheran church allowed for the use of madrigal poetry in liturgical music. Bach never called his works "cantatas," but rather "spiritual harmony," "motets," or "church music," intended to encourage the faithful.

Bach's Cantata Development Across Cities

There are several periods in Bach's life regarding the development of the cantata, corresponding to the cities where he lived:

• Muhlhausen

  During these years, the cantata featured only polyphony or soloists; there was no real reform yet.

• Weimar

  Having previously worked for the church composing liturgical cantatas, Bach now worked for the court, composing secular cantatas. These works were based on events related to the nobility.

• Leipzig

  This is the most interesting period, where the cantata was further developed and produced in greater numbers, resulting in the great cantatas. Bach infused passion into the music of Christ, creating liturgical dramas, with a more developed narrative than in the earlier cantatas about the lives of saints. The cantatas feature prominent characters, but without theatrical interpretation or scenery. Notable works from this period include the St. John Passion and the St. Matthew Passion.

Key Elements of Bach's Cantatas

• The Recitative

  In Bach's work, the recitative is always dry and narrative, sometimes employing specific elements of drama, though never excessively, maintaining a sense of restraint. The evangelist tells the story using this recitative.

• The Chorale

  Similar to a hymn, the chorale is a four-voice harmonization of a German Protestant hymn. It is entirely homophonic and serves as a moment of prayer.

• The Choir

  Characters in the choir utilize more counterpoint, alternating voices in a melodic line. It also employs homophony, like the chorale, and is very sonorous.

• The Aria

  The aria is a moment of contemplation without advancing the story, similar to opera. It is also a moment of prayer, like the chorale, and is sung by a soloist. It always features a melodic instrumental introduction. The aria is often referred to as "da capo," with an ABA structure, where the first part is repeated.