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Hidden Allegory in J. S. Bach’s 1724 Trinity Season Linda Gingrich

Linda Gingrich is the artistic director and conductor of Master Chorus Eastside. She holds DMA and MM degrees in choral conducting from the University of Washington, and a BA in voice from Cornish College of the Arts. [email protected]

A HHintint ofof tthehe HHiddenidden ’s penchant for veiled symmetrical forms, intricate puzzles, and monumental patterns has long fascinated many musicians, including myself. The occa- sional intriguing glimpses of these devices in his works piqued my interest, but for a long time remained only an interest. This inter- est sharpened into compelling focus one day when it was pointed out to me that two of his chorale cantatas, performed within a day of one another at different church services in Leipzig, were linked in a curious way.1 The last two measures of the first contained a portion of the melody that opened the second cantata, buried in the bass line, slightly varied because of the four-part harmonization, but recognizable. This hidden, almost witty al- lusion, which essentially made one out of two separate works, captivated me. What drove Bach to create such an esoteric coupling? Did connections exist between other can- tatas, and if so, why? This article is the result of an enthralling study of his second-cycle, Trin- ity season chorale cantatas, a six-month span that yields up abundant evidence of unseen linkages. Like an iceberg, these works conceal some of their substance below the surface, because the connections fuse them into in- terlocking pieces within a larger liturgical framework, grouped, through visible musical devices, into six elegantly invisible allegories, quasi-storylines that reflect the unseen reali- ties of the eternal. Why Bach did this cannot be fully answered, but clues lie in Lutheran theology, the liturgical calendar, the function of musical allegory, and in the cantata connec- tions themselves, which provide tantalizing glimpses into Bach’s endless creativity and boundless imagination.

CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 51 Number 1 7 Hidden Allegory in J. S. Bach’s 1724 Trinity Season Chorale Cantatas

be read both literally and as The Cantata in the analogy, then music, theology’s Lutheran Church servant, could communicate The chief “handmaid of theology” in allegorically in lockstep with the worship service was the cantata. The theological texts.4 Musical service, as instituted by Luther, consisted of allegory operated as a large- two parts, the ministry of the Word, which scale means of expression contained the Bible readings and the sermon, that helped organize surface and the ministry of the sacrament.10 Canta- details, such as forms and tas belonged to the ministry of the Word. tonalities, into a metaphori- They fell between the Gospel reading and cal manifestation, of the text. the sermon, providing a bridge between the It united the tangible and the two, and were considered musical sermons intangible qualities of music and in their own right. Cantatas were bundled theology, allowing them to func- into yearly cycles, one for every Sunday and tion in tandem as signposts of feast day in the Lutheran liturgical calendar, eternity. A long line of Lutheran and were heard weekly, sometimes several musicians, including Bach’s im- times a week. Bach must have valued them mediate predecessor in Leipzig, highly; he wrote over 300 cantatas, mostly (1660 –1722), during his fi rst three years in Leipzig, and embraced Luther’s views, com- invested an extraordinary amount of time bined them with the Baroque and energy in their creation. He integrated belief in musical affekt and the ancient and modern elements and the infl u- primacy of words, and wrote ential text reforms of Lutheran pastor and about and directly allegorized friend (1671–1756) theology in music.5 Some built into this century-old form, and expanded it entire systems of musical al- almost beyond imagining,11 all while writing legory based on theology and at least one cantata a week during most of music theory; for example, many the year. biblical numbers, such as 3, 7, 12 On Sunday, June 11, 1724, one year after and their multiples, often fi gured he fi rst assumed his duties in Leipzig, Bach symbolically in compositions,6 as initiated his second cycle, one he meant did overriding tonal plans, tonal to devote entirely to the , movement in sharp or fl at direc- an innovative idea in cyclic construction. Johann Sebastian Bach tions, ascent/descent patterns, Lutheran , or , were one of instrumentation, and polarized the great gifts of the . Chorales styles or forms. Bach was a child were closely linked to the Sunday scripture Music, the Handmaid of Theology of his time, with a detailed command of readings, were useful for teaching, devotional, 7 The relationship between music and theology at his fi ngertips, and the Lutheran or inspirational purposes, and were such metaphysical tradition and the Baroque a vital part of church life that many con- theology in seventeenth- and eighteenth- 12 century Lutheran was close, impulse toward the fi gurative ingrained in gregants could sing them from memory. often detailed, and vibrant. his soul. The various mottoes he penned in They acted as expressions of faith in the considered worship music highly valu- his scores, even his view of thorough bass, heart language of the people, and injected 2 refl ect his artistic heritage: “[A]nd the aim extraordinary energy into the music of the able, the “handmaid of theology,” a gift 13 whose best purpose was to glorify God and fi nal reason, as of all music, so of the Lutheran church. Chorales had appeared and serve humanity.3 This attitude perme- thorough bass should be none else but the haphazardly in cantatas for decades prior Glory of God and the recreation of the to Bach, but he fused them in a new and ated the development of the Lutheran 8 church service, forged an inseparable mind.” Allegory was a part of his musical purposeful way. His chorale cantatas employ bond between music and worship, and legacy, a primary way to praise God and the stanzas and usually the melody of a single stimulated the thinking of orthodox com- benefi t his neighbor; it would have been chorale. The fi rst and last strophes of the surprising if he had not turned to allegorical hymn text appear verbatim in the outermost posers to a remarkable degree, especially 9 in the area of scriptural interpretation. expression in his music. movements, while the inner strophes are Since, as Luther taught, the Bible could paraphrased in poetic madrigal style in the intervening movements. Musically, the fi rst

8 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 51 Number 1 movement is nearly always a substantial cho- are so rich and varied that space allows for The Opening Sequences: rale fantasia, the last movement consists of a only a cursory examination of but a few of and Act I the many linkages. But even a limited glance simple four-part arrangement of the chorale, Bach was apparently well aware that his opens fascinating vistas into Bach’s creative and the inner numbers are made up of freely concept broke new ground, for he inaugu- processes. conceived and , sometimes rated the cycle with a dramatic fl ourish, and with another hymn-based choral movement as the centerpiece. No one knows why Bach inaugurated a chorale cantata cycle, nor why he suddenly stopped writing chorale canta- tas before the second cycle was complete. The last one appeared on March 25, 1725, the fi nal Sunday before Easter. After that, he returned to the style of cantata he had used in his fi rst cycle. It has been speculated that his librettist may have moved or died, or that the pastor changed his sermon series.14 In any case, in subsequent years he composed a few chorale cantatas to fi ll the gaps in the cycle, but he never completed the task. Luther College welcomes Dr. Allen Linda Martin The Trinity Season Cantorei The liturgical year was of utmost impor- Hightower tance in Bach’s cantatas, for it infl uenced his choice of texts and hymns, and shaped his to our choral cyclic construction.15 The calendar is divided into four seasons, beginning with faculty through Epiphany, then Lent and Easter, through , and clos- Dr. Allen Hightower joins Luther’s internationally ing with the Trinity season, which occupies acclaimed choral program as director of choral Weston Noble fully half of the church year, from late spring activities, touring and recording with the legendary Professor Emeritus through fall. Unlike the other seasons, which Nordic . With advanced degrees from UCLA focus on Christ’s earthly life, it concentrates and the Eastman School of Music, Dr. Hightower has on issues relevant to the life of the church.16 been a student of Bev Henson, Donald Neuen, and Paul Salamunovich. Dr. Hightower comes to Luther Early-season topics center on doctrines, from Texas, where he served as director of choral such as crossbearing or resisting tempta- activities at Sam Houston State University and music tion, and in mid-season shift to antitheses director of the Houston Masterworks Chorus. of faith: judgment versus mercy, faith versus Luther’s choral program comprises three upper-class doubt, worldliness versus eternal values. In mixed touring , two first-year choirs, and an the autumn the fi nal weeks look to the Last upper-class women’s choir. Well over 500 singers Dr. Sandra Peter Judgment and Christ’s second coming, which from these ensembles combine with the college’s Aurora at Luther then, in an ever-renewing circle, merge into instrumental forces for five annual Cathedral Choir the Advent remembrance of Christ’s fi rst performances. This event’s public television broadcast coming. These themes strongly colored garnered a regional Emmy for “Best Special Event Coverage” in 2008. the Trinity-season chorale cantatas, and af- fected the ways in which Bach approached Nearly 1,000 student-musicians study with Luther’s his concealed allegorical construction. For 52-member music faculty, which includes 4 choral even as he addressed the devotional needs conductors, 12 voice teachers, and a vocal coach. It all adds up to one of the largest collegiate music of each Sunday and feast day, he seems to programs in the world! have reached for something monumental: an extended series of individual cantatas, Dr. Timothy Peter each complete in itself, and at the same Norsemen time aligned with its neighbors into six Collegiate Chorale metaphorical sequences, grouped under http://music.luther.edu the unifying banner of the chorale cantata form. (Table 1) The tools that shape them

CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 51 Number 1 9 Hidden Allegory in J. S. Bach’s 1724 Trinity Season Chorale Cantatas

Table 1

1st Sequence

1st Sunday 2nd Sunday St. John's Day 3rd Sunday June 11 June 18 Saturday, June 24 June 25 BWV 20 BBWVWV 2 BWV 7 BWV 135 Danger-hell! Danger-heresy! Baptism into Christ Penitential F d e (Phrygian) a/e French overture Motet Fantasia Melody in soprano Melody in alto Melody in tenor Melody in bass Chiastic form 4th movement number Final mvmt doxology symbolism Shared bass melody ↔ Shared bass melody 2nd Sequence

4th Sunday 5th Sunday 6th Sunday 7th Sunday July 2 July 9 July 16 July 23 BWV 10 BWV 93 ? BWV 113 Praise for salvation Trust God Penitential g c g Chant-based chorale Per omnes versus Magnifi cat Chiastic form Chiastic form 5th mvmt - A/T duet 4th mvmt - S/A duet Chorale in trumpet Chorale in strings Final mvmt doxology Final mvmt doxology 3rd Sequence 8th Sunday 9th Sunday 10th Sunday 11th Sunday July 30 Aug 6 Aug 13 Aug 20 BWV 178 BWV 94 BWV 101 BWV 130 Faith vs. rationalism Faith vs. worldliness Judgment Penitential a D d b 7 mvmts 8 mvmts 7 mvmts 8 mvmts Chorale presence in Chorale presence in Chorale presence in Chorale presence in inner mvmts inner mvmts inner mvmts inner mvmts Chiastic form

4th Sequence

12th Sunday 13th Sunday 14th Sunday 15th Sunday 16th Sunday Michaelmas Aug 27 Sep 3 Sep 10 Sep 17 Sep 24 Friday, Sep 29 ? BWV 33 BWV 78 BWV 99 BWV 8 BWV 130 Penitential g G E C a 1st mvmt 1st mvmt Liturgical shift: Festive Passacaglia, number transformed ostinato death & resurrection 14th Sunday hymn symbolism Chiastic form 3rd mvmt - A , 2nd mvmt S/A duet, 5th mvmt S/A duet, 4th mvmt S/T duet, step motive step motive step motive Final mvmt - 2 stanzas 5th mvmt - T/B duet 5th Sequence

17th Sunday 18th Sunday 19th Sunday 20th Sunday Oct 1 Oct 8 Oct 15 Oct 22 BWV 114 BWV 96 BWV 5 BWV 180 Penitential Joyful Penitential Joyful g F g F Chiastic form Chiastic form Eucharist Water images Light images Water images Water and Light images 4th mvmt hymn quote 2nd mvmt hymn quote 4th mvmt hymn quote 3rd mvmt hymn quote

6th Sequence

21st Sunday 22nd Sunday 23rd Sunday 24th Sunday 25th Sunday Oct 29 Nov 5 Nov 12 Nov 19 Nov 26 BWV 38 BWV 115 BWV 139 BWV 26 BWV 116 e G E a A Descent/ascent pattern Ascent/descent pattern Descent/ascent pattern Ascent/descent pattern Ascent/descent pattern 4th mvmt 4th mvmt hymn text 4th mvmt hymn text 3rd mvmt hymn tune 5th mvmt trio 4th mvmt trio

10 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 51 Number 1 then applied several metaphorical patterns Table 2 to shape his fi rst four cantatas into a caution- ary but hopeful allegory. As if consciously drawing the curtain on act one, Cantata 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 20, O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort, begins with e G e a e e e the favored theatrical opener of the day, a chorale B aria T recit. T aria B recit. A aria chorale French overture. Then an extraordinarily 3/4 and diverse array of styles unfolds across the fi rst 9/8 movements of the next three cantatas: an archaic polyphonic motet for Cantata 2, Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein, a virtuoso duo- violin concerto for Cantata 7, Christ unser Herr zum Jordan Kam, and a contemporary for Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder, Cantata 135 (Table 1). Antitheses within unifi ed design were an important tool in the allegorical palette, and often conveyed double metrical notation, 3/4 and 9/8, the bringing the corporate confession down to confl ict in matters of faith.17 only such occurrence in the Trinity season an unmistakably personal level. Bach clearly This panorama of forms calls attention cantatas. He thus may well represent two cultivates the thread of thought from the to the struggle toward belief portrayed in theological principles: the Trinity in the triple previous day, made possible by the serendipi- the texts: 20/1 depicts the perils of hell, 2/1 meters, and the Incarnation in the united tous convergence of dates between the two bemoans the dangers of heresy, 7/1 presents operation of the two meters. The last two cantatas; St. John’s Day occurred on Saturday salvation through Christ’s sacrifi cial death, measures of Cantata 7 contain the most that year, placing their performances within and 135/1 embraces penitential faith. Bach artful touch of all. Christ’s blood heals the twenty-four hours of one another. Faith then then stamps these same movements with wrongs that we have committed, the text triumphs, penitence is lovingly accepted, the an unprecedented treatment of the hymn declares, and above this corporate admission devil is rendered powerless, and Cantata tunes18 The melody appears as usual in the of sin Bach placed the bass line mentioned 135 ends with a doxology of praise to the soprano in 20/1, but then it drops to the in the introduction to this article (Figure God who provides salvation for all, a suitable 21 alto in 2/1, to the tenor in 7/1, and to the 1). Although altered, it is recognizably akin denouement for the entire sequence. bass in 135/1, an unheard of descent pat- to the hymn melody that opens Cantata 135 The second group, which spans the tern that not only further binds the group, (Figure 2). And the words that accompany fourth through the seventh Sundays, pres- but may also musically mimic a gesture of this phrase, likewise sung by the basses, de- ents an analytical problem. Bach was out surrender. Tonality comes into play as well; clare, “Ah Lord, I am a poor sinner,” thereby of town for the sixth Sunday and did not the two “danger” cantatas, 20 and 2, share a relative major/minor key relationship, F major and D minor, while the two “faith” cantatas, 7 and 135, share a tonic/dominant key relationship, E minor and A minor (with a strong E emphasis).19 Against this back- drop, Bach spotlights Cantata 7 by crafting the seven-movement work into a chiasm, a symmetrical form balanced horizontally on either side of an axis movement (Table 2). Its central fourth movement is surrounded by recitatives, which are in turn surrounded by arias, which are in turn enclosed by chorale settings, all in E minor or the relative major, G. The A minor fourth movement cuts through these outspread arms like the center post of the cross. Why this cross-like image? Cantata 7 was composed for the feast day of St. John the Baptist, but Bach ignored John’s life and instead used John’s mission,20 the inauguration of Jesus’ ministry, as a spring- board into the heart of his message, Christ’s saving death on the cross. He then further weights the central aria by employing a

CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 51 Number 1 11 Hidden Allegory in J. S. Bach’s 1724 Trinity Season Chorale Cantatas

Leipzig with the Thomaskirche steeple compose a cantata for that day,22 thus the lieben Gott läßt walten, for the fi fth Sunday, out bottomless gratitude to the Trinity for narrative stream for the group is obscured. and compelling connections exist between its unending love and care. Nevertheless, several characteristics set it them. Both are symmetrical in structure, In his third metaphorical group, for the apart from the fi rst sequence (Table 1). Most and it is rare to fi nd two such next to one eighth through the eleventh Sundays, Bach intriguing are the two cantatas that enclose another. Both also employ their respective expanded some of the practices he estab- the series, for both employ a single distinctive hymn tunes in an inner movement duet in a lished in the fi rst two sequences even as he feature that makes them unique in the Trinity patently similar fashion. In 10/5, the chorale explored an interlocking design (Table 1). season.23 Cantata 10, Meine Seel erhebt den sounds in the trumpet while the alto and ten- An alternating grid of tonal relationships and Herren, for the fourth Sunday, uses a hymn or sing in of God’s ready help, numbers of movements supports a message unlike any of the others, one that grew out and in 93/4 the chorale sounds in the strings of confl ict and resolution that may have been of a Catholic chant. Its text comes from while soprano and alto sing in counterpoint driven, in part, by Leipzig practice. The tenth Luke 1:46– 56, the Magnifi cat; it survived the of God’s ready help. Furthermore, both the Sunday was traditionally devoted to warn- Reformation, with an appended doxology, as cantatas and the duets share a tonic/domi- ings concerning God’s wrath toward those part of the Lutheran Vespers service, and was nant key relationship, G minor and C minor who reject Him, and a penitential hymn writ- given a four-part harmonization by Johann respectively. In spite of the missing cantata, ten in a devastating plague year was closely 24 Hermann Schein in 1627. Was willst du dich a fl ow is traceable: Cantata 10’s heartfelt associated with the day. Bach chose that betrüben, BWV 107, for the seventh Sunday, joy in salvation moves easily into Cantata hymn as the basis for his tenth-Sunday can- uses a libretto unlike any of the others, a ver- 93’s recognition of God’s care in tribulation, tata and shaped his sequence around it. The batim quotation of the entire hymn with no which melds with the acknowledgement in series as a whole moves progressively from paraphrasing, related to the old-fashioned per Cantata 107 that God’s will is best. As was threats to faith to God’s impending judgment omnes versus form. Both are also addressed often his practice, Bach ended the series with to repentance, while the most conspicuous to meine Seele, “my soul,” a designation not something unusual, a 6/8, fi nal-movement allegorical tools are the alternating pattern of often heard in the Trinity season libretti. Next doxology, with brief instrumental interludes numbers of movements—7, 8, 7, 8—and the to Cantata 10 lies Cantata 93, Wer nur den interspersed throughout, that, in tandem central role of the key of D. The two seven- with Cantata 10’s closing doxology, pours movement cantatas, Wo Gott der Herr nicht

12 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 51 Number 1 bei uns hält, BWV 178 and Nimm von uns, or descents, for example. But most intrigu- compositions at vital theological moments, as Herr, du treuer Gott, BWV 101, exhibit the ing of all is the confl uence of the fourteenth, if signing his name.25 The fourteenth Sunday fi res of judgment, while the two eight-move- fi fteenth and sixteenth Sundays, which may may well be such a moment, for Cantata ment cantatas, Was frag ich nach der Welt, have provided Bach with the climactic sil- 78, Jesu, der du meine Seele, is a towering BWV 94 and Herr Jesu Christ, du höchstes houette he desired, because each of them work that embraces the Passion of Christ Gut, BWV 113, seek the Savior in penitence represents an important allegorical or liturgi- in intensely contrite and personal terms. and joy; each pairing is further strengthened cal signpost. The number 14 was a signature And Bach may have made a very deliberate through their close tonal relationships. At the number that Bach sometimes tucked into his hymn choice in preparation for this Sunday, same time, the two central works, 94 and 101, use D major/minor to connect the two main theological ideas: it is better to choose Jesus (Cantata 94), for His death protects against God’s deserved judgment (Cantata 101). The group is further tied together by Choral Music at Penn State Bach’s singular treatment of the chorale Tradition Excellence Opportunity tunes in the inner movements. They appear more often in this sequence than in any other, and always strikingly interlaced with in various ways. Finally, the chiastic form of Cantata 101, for the tenth Sunday, marks the center of gravity. Its cross-like sym- metry acts as the hidden counterweight to the work’s external theme, that all deserve God’s wrath, and symbolizes the promise that surfaces throughout, via carefully se- lected chorale quotations, that Jesus’ bitter death is the ransom for the world. Then, as in the fi rst sequence, the last cantata opens with a very personal confession of sin and ends with the joy of a forgiven soul, washed clean, lovingly accepted by God, and free from all fear of wrath.

Central Sequence: Act II Since the Trinity season was long, Bach may have sought to give shape, a sense of climax, to his monumental structure. The fourth group, which stretches across Degrees the middle of the season, may well have Ph.D. in Music Education presented him with such an opportunity. Master of Music in Choral Conducting Like the second sequence, it presents an Bachelor of Music Education analytical challenge, for the cantata for the twelfth Sunday, the fi rst of the series, is Bachelor of Music missing (Table 1). Nonetheless, several alle- gorical tools defi ne it as a unit. For example, vividly pictorial walking-bass motives fi gure in movements in three adjacent cantatas, 33/3, 78/2, and 99/5; all three present the believer in various attitudes of an often stumbling but ultimately unswerving pursuit of faith. Lynn Christopher Anthony Jayne And a string of duets suddenly appears in a Drafall Kiver Leach Glocke season that has seen few of them: 33/5, 78/2, 99/5, and 130/4. All occupy metaphorically signifi cant moments, such as the peaks or troughs of multi-movement tonal ascents www.music.psu.eduwww

CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 51 Number 1 13 Hidden Allegory in J. S. Bach’s 1724 Trinity Season Chorale Cantatas

saves His faithful ones. Unlike Cantata 78, the instruments rather than the voices carry the focus in the opening movement, but this serves to spot- light a bass motive which transforms the lament of the previous week into a cheerful major-mode dance (Figure 4). The two works share a further association through their duets: both Table 3 are for soprano and alto, and both address the fl eshly weakness of the believer over expressive walking- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 g B fl at c g E fl at c g bass step-motives that depict their Chorale S/A aria T recit T aria B recit B aria Chorale fi rm resolve to follow Jesus. Like passacaglia Step motive two sides of the same allegorical Number coin, these two cantatas may well symbolism Hasten to Confession, Guilt I give my Conscience Eternity form a deliberately placed, two-part Saved by Jesus! surrender cancelled heart quieted with declaration of faith. Jesus' death Christ In sheer size, scope and weight there is no other work in the season quite like Cantata 78, and its team- ing with Cantata 99 marks a vibrant for he shifted a fourteenth-Sunday chorale work for the following week, the fi fteenth high point in the calendar. The passacaglia to the thirteenth Sunday to use as the basis Sunday of the twenty-fi ve in the Trinity form may add yet another emblematic layer, for remorseful Cantata 33, Allein zu dir, Herr season. This Sunday straddles a fascinating for it often served as the fi nale to a ballet Jesu Christ, and then chose a profoundly mathematical ratio, the golden section, that or opera, especially when combined with 31 penitential hymn for Cantata 78, one that magical near-two-thirds point (here of the a chorus. Perhaps Bach used it to close does not appear in any contemporary list number twenty-fi ve), which often appeared the curtain on the fi rst two-thirds of the of suitable fourteenth-Sunday chorales.26 as a climactic apex in Medieval, Renaissance season, for with the sixteenth Sunday the The enormous fi rst–movement passacaglia, and Baroque arts.30 The confl uence of the liturgical thrust traditionally turned toward set to a fervent statement of faith, contains fourteenth and fi fteenth Sundays may have the consideration of death and resurrection an extraordinary convergence of national been irresistible to Bach, for Cantata 78’s in preparation for the imminent Advent sea- 32 and historical infl uences: French sarabande sorrowful G-minor Passion emphasis bonds son. He introduced the topic with Liebster rhythm, stile antico motet form, Italian con- tonally with Cantata 99, Was Gott tut, das Gott, wenn werd ich sterben, BWV 8, a work certo-style ritornellos, and , ist wohlgetan, and its forthright G-major that sets the hope of heaven against the all governed by a nearly relentless lamento- declaration of trust in the God who does all fear of death, dressed in a key that seldom bass ostinato whose drooping chromaticism things well. Like Cantata 78 the text is deeply appears in the cantatas, E major, one that exemplifi es Christ’s sufferings (Figure 3).27 personal, and a cross casts a shadow over carries strongly positive associations and Numbers appear to play a major role:28 the work, but this time it is the daily cross usually marks the outer limits of Bach’s tonal 33 to name just two examples, the ostinato of the believer, tempered by the God who palette. Motion upward or downward repeats 27 times,29 a multiple of 3 that fi gures symbolically in other Bach works, and it disappears 3 times, for a total of 21 bars, at texts that speak of the completion of Christ’s redemptive work. The cantata’s chiastic structure once again embodies the cross with G minor as tonal pillars, and mirrored forms that fl ow to and from the joyful release from guilt in the central aria (Table 3). But another thought-provoking association lies in the tonal and thematic relationship between Cantata 78 and the

14 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 51 Number 1 through relative major and minor keys or series, until they combine in the culminating forgiven sinner then leaves the dark cave of through increasing or decreasing numbers of work, Cantata 180. But in the midst of this sin in Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele BWV 180 sharps or fl ats was a fundamental allegorical fl uctuation a sequential pattern occurs; a and enters the kingdom of light, thirsting for tool.34 Here Bach leaps upward from the single chorale quotation appears in an inner the Eucharist, as the third-movement chorale fl at realm of Cantata 78 through the one- movement of each work, always carefully quote makes plain. Even as the series moves sharp key of Cantata 99 to soar above fear placed to spotlight its subject. steadily from sin to forgiveness to God’s and straight toward a high-sharp heaven. This multi-layered blueprint forges a kingdom, one can imagine Bach’s congrega- Just as striking is the manner in which he metaphorical storyline that zigzags through tion moving forward to the Communion leaps tonally downward, back to earth in a apparently contrasting ideas on a purposeful table on the twentieth Sunday, rejoicing in sense, to C-major Cantata 130, Herr Gott, drive to the fi nale on the twentieth Sunday, the coming kingdom. dich loben alle wir, for the following Friday, the day traditionally given over to anticipa- With the last fi ve cantatas of the Trinity the feast of the Archangel Michael. This was tion of the kingdom of God. It begins with season, Bach completed the fi nal prepara- an important feast day that honored angelic sin as death, likened to the toxic disease of tions for the celebration of Christ’s fi rst protectors, and its festive tone seems far dropsy, or fl uid retention, from the day’s Advent by turning to a deadly serious removed from the sequence. Yet several Gospel account, in Ach lieben Christen, seid consideration of Christ’s Second Advent. musical metaphors anchor it in place. Once getrost, BWV 114. The chorale quote in the He did so by accentuating the end of time, again a duet occupies a prominent position, axis fourth movement paradoxically under- the transience of life, and the effi cacy of the fourth movement, which emphasizes lines death as the path to life, and its chiastic repentance. Vocal trios act as bookends for angel assistance. The key of C completes the form points to the cross as that pathway. In the sequence and the key of E serves as C-major triad outlined by the keys of Canta- Cantata 96, Herr Christ, der einge Gottessohn, the allegorical center of the group, giving tas 99 and 8, and thus links the three works Christ shines as the bright morning star, the shape and structure to the whole (Table 1). in a triptych that addresses the rewards of Incarnate One as the second-movement The fi rst two cantatas pair their story lines faith. Finally, the unusual two-stanza ending hymn quote illuminates, since it was His de- through related tonalities: deep distress over movement of Cantata 130 signals the fi n- scent to earth that led to His sacrifi cial death sin (E-Phrygian Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu ish of a freewheeling series that moves via on the cross. Cantata 5, Wo soll lich fl iehen dir, BWV 38), for judgment day looms near allegorical means from lowly penitence to hin, plunges into a sorrowful contemplation (G-major Mache dich, mein Geist, bereit, BWV vibrant expressions of faith to the heights of sin, but the hymn quotation in the fourth 115). Both also use a broad tonal ascent or of heaven and back to earth again, to shape movement highlights forgiveness as Christ’s descent to their fourth movements, which an unforgettable climax and a new direction cleansing blood, like water, washes away sin address forgiveness, and then emphasize this for the season. and buries it in His grave. with a hymn quotation. (Table 4) The last This life-through-death release lies very two cantatas pair their story lines through near the mathematical golden section, for it the key of A; life is fl eeting (A-minor Ach wie Ending Sequences: occurs in the seventeenth movement of the fl üchtig, ach wie nichtig, BWV 26), but God Closing the Circle entire twenty-seven-movement group. The saves from death (A-major Du Friedefürst, For the seventeenth through the twentieth Sundays Bach moved fully into preparation for Advent, and his Table 4 fi fth sequence abounds in a series of Cantata 38 pendulum-like swings that undergird the antitheses so typical of this part Mvmt 1 Mvmt 2 Mvmt 3 Mvmt 4 Mvmt 5 Mvmt 6 of the Trinity season (Table 1). Most Deep mourning Man is sinful Word of Hour of Morning of Good Shepherd noticeable is the oscillation of keys e Comfort deliverance Comfort ➘ chorale e between G-minor and F-major can- C tune tatas, which matches their thematic ➘ a oscillation between penitence and joy. ➘ ➘ d d This is buttressed by their structures, which rock between symmetrical Cantata 115 and asymmetrical forms. Even or- chestral motives participate; while Mvmt 1 Mvmt 2 Mvmt 3 Mvmt 4 Mvmt 5 Mvmt 6 the fi rst-movement motives of the Watch! Don't be Seek Watch! G-minor works are drawn from their Wake up! God's Pray! caught forgiveness grace Pray! respective hymns, the fi rst-movement unawares! b b motives of the F-major works are freely conceived. Water and light im- G G ➘ (chorale ➘ G ages fi gure strongly in the texts, again e ➘ text) in an alternating pattern across the

CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 51 Number 1 15 Hidden Allegory in J. S. Bach’s 1724 Trinity Season Chorale Cantatas

Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 116). Cantata 26, the death of His Son. even invite the audience to join in, in order darkest of the fi ve, has no inner-movement to familiarize them with melody and words. hymn quotation to lighten its almost unre- Highlighting the hymn texts in some way in lenting hopelessness, but 116/3 employs the Performance Considerations the concert program (or church bulletin, for hymn melody to call attention to a plea for As fascinating as these metaphorical that matter) could emphasize their struc- mercy. Both also apply tonal ascents, similar narratives are, what are we as conductors tural importance; the same could apply to to Cantata 115, to mark their climactic to make of them? Are they relevant to allegorically signifi cant movements. It would fourth movements: death destroys (26/4), modern performance? Some may argue be quite interesting to experiment with but God’s love provides salvation (116/4). At that the hidden allegories are too obscure some direct theatrical effects. For instance, the balance point of the series, Cantata 139’s to be of value. It seems likely, however, that ascent/descent patterns might be enhanced high-sharp E major relates to both ends of discernment of the unseen activity can aid through synchronous lighting changes, sym- the sequence, and embraces all through its the ebb and fl ow, the shifting weights and metrical forms accentuated through shifts core message in the fourth movement, pre- emphases, of the unfolding story line, and in soloist’s positions, allegorically weighted ceded by a multi-movement tonal descent stimulate an imaginative, even an adventur- movements underlined via staging or lighting. and undergirded by a hymn quotation: God ous, performance. Our undeniably visually- and entertainment- is the sinner’s friend. Most fascinating are the The starting point for interpretational oriented audiences may well respond to trios by which Bach frames the sequence. considerations must begin with recognition such cues, and with their help rediscover the This is their fi rst appearance in the Trinity cantata’s artistry and communicative power. season, and two of the only three times of the cantata’s original function as a servant they are employed in all of the second-cycle of theology. A church performance that placed it between the relevant Gospel read- chorale cantatas; this alone makes them The Question Remains conspicuous, but there is more. They mark ing and the sermon, and allowed all three to the turning point of multi-movement ascent/ work together as they were originally meant This all too brief tour through Bach’s descent patterns, and contain two doctrines to do, might recapture that sense of mis- second-cycle Trinity season chorale cantatas 37 Bach seldom fails to highlight, the moment sion, especially if sung in the congregation’s still leads back to the question posed in the of deliverance from sin in 38/5, and the mo- native tongue. Original language versus ver- introduction; why did Bach create such a ment of congregational repentance in 116/4. nacular is an age-old debate, but a vernacular complex, multi-layered, monumental meet- Their structure is remarkably similar, and performance is certainly in keeping with the ing point between the seen and the unseen? built in a way that underscores the numbers spirit of the cantatas. Infusing the service Certainly his was a strongly Christian culture, 3 and 5: both are set for three voices, employ with the chorale in prelude, postlude, and, one that valued and expected allegorically three motives, and repeat these motives in congregational singing, could awaken the and rhetorically driven musical expression. contrapuntally either three or fi ve times in listener’s ears to its enlightening presence in And, certainly Bach seems to have had a 35 a descending circle of fi fths. The Trinitar- the work. A sequence of linked cantatas per- clear sense of his purpose in life, as evi- ian signifi cance of the number 3 has been formed on the Sundays for which they were denced by mottos such as soli Deo gloria [to addressed above. In number symbolism, the intended could ground the works in the God’s glory alone] which he often penned in number 5 can refer to the fi ve wounds of his scores, and by such memos as “In praise 36 church calendar and bolster the long-range Christ on the cross; it is noteworthy that allegory, especially if all texts were made of the Almighty’s will and for my neighbor’s both movements underline deliverance available ahead of time, as Bach did with his greater skill” which he jotted on the title through the sacrifi cial death of the Savior. congregations. He usually packaged them in page of the Orgelbüchlein. He was also an Bach’s congregation was now well prepared bundles of up to six cantatas,38 which gave exceptional teacher and avid puzzlemaker, for Advent: life is short, judgment is coming, the hearers a chance to read all the libretti in and must have enjoyed lacing his works but the Friend of sinners has provided a advance as preparation for the services. But with buried nuggets to be discovered by his way of escape for the penitent through the most of us will experience the cantatas in pupils and listeners. Perhaps, however, the concert, far removed from their eighteenth- most telling clue can be found in the note he century Lutheran context, with diverse scribbled in the margin of his personal Calov audiences that may be unfamiliar with the Bible, next to II Chronicles 5:12–13, the *ODGGH0XVLF3XEOLFDWLRQV musical, theological, even the literal, language moment when God’s glory fi lled Solomon’s 7KH&KRUDO0XVLFRI%UDGOH\1HOVRQ of the work. A fertile area for creativity may Temple at the height of choral praises: “With 7H[WE\2OLYHU:HQGHOO+ROPHV lie in combining several connected cantatas a devotional music God is always present 39 ³6ZHHW$UH7KH/LSV´ in one performance along the lines of the with His grace.” It would seem that, for ZZZ*ODGGH0XVLFFRPVZHHWKWP Bach, his musical sermons, devotional mu- a+HDUDQHYRFDWLYHUHFRUGLQJa Christmas . The chorus could sing the chorales prior to the cantata presentations, sic of the highest order, became the place

16 CHORAL JOURNAL Volume 51 Number 1 where the eternal met the here and now, Chorales,” in The World of the Bach Cantatas, Bach: The Sources, The Style, The Signifi cance and demanded his utmost skill. They must be vol. I, 162– 64. (New York: Schirmer Books, 1989), 76– 79. 13 28 perfect in every detail, for Bach’s audience lay Jaroslav Pelikan, Bach Among the Theologians Bach’s use of numbers is a controversial topic. For (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1986), 28. varying views, see Ruth Tatlow, Bach and the beyond the confi nes of the church building; 14 perhaps his true audience was, fi nally and For discussions of the various ideas concerning Riddle of the Number Alphabet, (Cambridge, the librettist, see Alfred Dürr, The Cantatas England: Cambridge University Press, 1991), ultimately, an audience of “one.” of J. S. Bach: With Their Librettos in German- Marshall, The Music of Bach, 10, Pelikan,

English Parallel Text, rev. and trans. by Richard Theologians, 32-34, and Leaver, “Number D.P. Jones (Oxford: Oxford University Press, Associations in the Structure of Bach’s Credo, NOTES 2005), 32– 33, Günther Stiller, J. S. Bach and BWV 232” BACH: The Quarterly Journal of the Liturgical Life in Leipzig, ed. Robin Leaver, Riemenschneider Bach Institute, vol. 7, no. 3 1 George Bozarth, private communication. trans. Herbert J. A. Bouman, Daniel F. Poellot, (July 1976): 17– 24. 2 Robin Leaver, J. S. Bach as Preacher: His and Hilton C. Oswald, (St. Louis: Concordia, 29 Dürr, Cantatas, 526. Dürr does not give his bar and Music in Worship (St. Louis: Concordia 1984), 218– 20, and Hans-Joachim Schulze, count, but see also Leahy, “Cantata BWV Publishing, 1984), 14. “Texts und Textdichter, in Die Welt der 78,” 33, for her count of the bars, and my 3 See Eric Chafe, Analyzing Bach Cantatas (Oxford: Bach-Kantaten,” ed. Christoph Wolff, vol. 3 dissertation, “The Seen and the Unseen: Oxford University Press, 2000), 26, and Hans (Stuttgart, 1999), 116. Cantata texts in Bach’s Hidden Allegorical Links in the Trinity Season David and Arthur Mendel, eds., The New Bach time were usually written by clergymen, Chorale Cantatas of J. S. Bach” (Ph.D. diss., Reader, revised and enlarged by Christoph although it is possible that Bach himself University of Washington, 2008), 70n, for a Wolff (New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1998), created them. slightly different bar count. 16 –17. 15 See Chafe, Analyzing, 11–12, and Pelikan, 30 To fi nd the golden section, multiply a number 4 The ideas in this paragraph are condensed from Theologians, 3, 10– 11. by .618. Chafe’s, Analyzing, xv, 3–11, 23–26, 30 –34, 16 Chafe, Analyzing, 12, for this and the following. 31 Klaus Hoffmann, from the liner notes for BWV 78, Tonal Allegory in the Vocal Music of J. S. Bach 17 Chafe, Tonal Allegory, 4 – 5, 24– 25. 99, 114, trans. by Andrew Barnett and William (Berkley: University of California Press, 1991), 18 Alfred Dürr, The Cantatas of J. S. Bach: With Their Jewson, Bach Collegium Japan, CD 1361, 6. 8–15, and “Luther’s ‘Analogy of Faith’ in Librettos in German-English Parallel Text, rev. 32 Chafe, Analyzing, 14. Bach’s ,” Dialogue 24 (spring, and trans. by Richard D. P. Jones (Oxford: 33 Chafe, Allegory, 152n, 153. 1985):96 –101. Oxford University Press, 2005), 390, 404, 414, 34 Chafe, Analyzing, 28– 32. 5 Chafe, Analyzing, 23 – 25, 30–31. 686. Dürr may have been the fi rst to spot 35 Chafe, Allegory, 198 and 219– 20. See also 6 For more on number symbolism in antiquity these two prominent patterns. Gingrich, “The Seen and the Unseen,” for and its possible connections to Bach’s music, 19 Bach obscures A minor and emphasizes E a more detailed description of the circle-of- see John Bertalot, “Number Symbolism in throughout the fi rst movement, in the fi rst fi fths descents. Bach Part I,” Musical Opinion (August 1981): measure, at many points, and even 36 Robin A. Leaver, “Number Associations,” 20. 413–15; idem, “Spirituality and Symbolism at the fi nal cadence. He does so in the last 37 See Dürr, Cantatas, for the relevant Gospel in the Music of J. S. Bach,” Organist’s Review movement as well, although A minor is more readings of all the cantatas. 86 (Part 1 August 2000): 222–25, (Part 2 apparent there. Interestingly, Dürr indentifi es 38 Christoph Wolff, Johann Sebastian Bach: The November 2000): 331–35; Timothy Smith, “J. the cantata as E minor; see Cantatas, p. 412. Learned Musician (New York, W.W. Norton, S. Bach the Symbolist,” Journal of Church Music 20 Ibid., 686. 2000), 259. 27 (September 1985): 8– 13, 46. 21 Cantata 7’s E-Phrygian chorale tune uses a raised 39 David and Mendel, New Bach Reader, 161. 7 ♯ See David and Mendel, New Bach Reader, 253– sixth. Bach places the C in the key signature 254, for a listing of the extensive theological of the last movement, hence the two-sharp holdings in Bach’s library. signature. 8 Ibid., 16– 17. 22 Ibid., 438. 9 Chafe, Analyzing, 31. 23 Ibid., 678 and 446. 10 Leaver, “The Liturgical Place and Homiletic 24 Ibid., 483. See also Leaver, “Bach, Hymns, and Purpose of Bach’s Cantatas,” Worship 59 Hymnbooks,” The Hymn 36, no. 4 (October (1985): 194– 95. 1985): 7. 11 CHOIR ROBES David and Mendel, New Bach Reader, 14 – 15. 25 In the natural order alphabet, A=1, B=2, etc. Regarding Neumeister’s reforms, see Charles EXPERT $ 95 Thus, BACH =14. TAILORING 35 &UP Sanford Terry, Johann Sebastian Bach: Cantata 26 Ulrich Leisinger, forward to BWV 33, Allein zu Finest fabrics including permanent Texts, Sacred and Secular, with a Reconstruction dir, Herr Jesu Christ, trans. John Coombs, press and wash & wear. Superior of the Leipzig Liturgy of His Period (London: (Leipzig: Carus ed. 31.033, 2003), 2, and quality. Free color catalog and fabric swatches on request. Constable & Co., 1926), 4, and , Anne Leahy, “The Opening Chorus of “Genres and Styles of Sacred Music Around GUARANTEED SATISFACTION Cantata BWV 78, Jesu, der du meine Seele; Call Toll Free: 1-800-826-8612 and After 1700,” in The World of the Bach Another Example of Bach’s Interest in Matter Cantatas, ed. Christoph Wolff, vol. 1, Johann Soteriological,” BACH: The Quarterly Journal of Sebastian Bach’s Early Sacred Cantatas (New the Riemenschneider Bach Institute 30 (Spring- York: W.W. Norton, 1995), 26. Summer 1999):29. www.rcgown.com 12 Daniel R. Melamed, “Cantata Choruses and 27 Robert L. Marshall, The Music of Johann Sebastian P.O. Box 8988-CJ Jacksonville, FL 32211

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