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On the Musically Theological in J.S. Bach's Church Cantatas Swarthmore College Works Music Faculty Works Music Spring 2002 On The Musically Theological In J.S. Bach's Church Cantatas Michael Marissen Swarthmore College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-music Part of the Music Commons Recommended Citation Michael Marissen. (2002). "On The Musically Theological In J.S. Bach's Church Cantatas". Lutheran Quarterly. Volume 16, Issue 1. 48-64. https://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-music/31 This work is brought to you for free by Swarthmore College Libraries' Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Music Faculty Works by an authorized administrator of Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. On the Musically TheologicalTheological in Jinj. S. S.Bach Bach's s Church CantatasCantatas by MICHAELMICHAEL MARISSENMARISSEN ROMROM INFORMALINFORMAL INTERNETINTERNET DISCUSSIODISCUSSIO~N GROUPSGROUPS ttoo specializespecializedd ac­ac­ Fademicademic conferencesconferences andand publicationspublications,, anan ongoinongoingg debatdebatee hahass ragedraged onon whetherwhether J.S.J. S. BachBach oughtought toto bebe consideredconsidered a purelypurely artisticartistic oror alsoalso a religiousreligious figure. 11 A recentlyrecently formedformed grougroupp ooff scholarsscholars,, thethe Internationale Arbeitsgemeinschqft Arbeitsgemeinschaft fifr für theologische theologische Bachforsclumg, Bachforschung, made mad e upup mostlymostly ofof GermanGerman theologians,theologians, hahass madmadee significansignificantt contribu­contribu­ tionstions towardtoward understandingunderstanding thethe religioureligiouss contextcontextss ofof Bach'Bach'ss litur­litur­ gicalgical music. 2 TheseThese writerswriters hayehave nonott entirelentirelyy capturedcaptured ththee attentionattention oror respectrespect ofof thethe widerwider worldworld ooff BacBachh scholarshipscholarship,, howeverhowever,, prob­prob­ ablyably atat leastleast inin partpart becausebecause,, withwith a fewfew exceptions,3 theitheirr worworkk hahass focusedfocused muchmuch moremore onon Bach'sBach's librettolibrettoss thathann hihiss musicamusicall settingsettingss ofof 4 them. -l AlthoughAlthough thethe CanadianCanadian musicologismusicologistt EriEricc ChafeChafe hahass nownow publishepublishedd a majormajor studystudy thatthat doedoess integratintegratee extensivextensivee theologicaltheological andand musicalmusical analysisanalysis ofof Bach'sBach's liturgicalliturgical vocavocall works, 5 advocateadvocatess ofof purelypurely aestheticaesthetic contemplatio:icontemplation havhavee oftenoften continuedcontinued ttoo bbee quickquick toto criticizecriticize anyany formform ofof theologicaltheological BachBach researchresearch.. TheTheyy arguarguee thatthat Bach'sBach's rolrolee consistedconsisted onlyonly inin givingivingg musicamusicall expressioexpressionn ttoo assignedassigned texts;6 andand sincesince itit isis Bach'sBach's first-ratefirst-rate musicamusicall settingssettings,, nonott hihiss ar­ar­ tisticallytistically second-ratesecond-rate cantatacantata librettos,librettos, thathatt typicalltypicallyy exciteexcite modernmodern interest,interest, thethe verbalverbal contentcontent ofof hihiss vocavocall worksworks,, theologicatheologicall oorr oth­oth­ erwise,erwise, becomesbecomes ofof nono realreal import.import. ArgumentArgumentss againsagainstt aann exclu­exclu­ sivelysively aestheticaesthetic approachapproach havehave occasionalloccasionallyy beebeenn advancedadvanced byby appealingappealing toto thethe explanatoryexplanatory powepowerr ofof LutheraLutherann theologtheologyy forfor in­in­ terpretingterpreting Bach'sBach's secularsecular instrumentalinstrumental musimusicc (i.e.,(i.e., a repertorrepertoryy inin whichwhich itit isis notnot a mattermatter ofof text-setting).-text-setting)." InIn ththee presenpresentt essayessay,, I \.Youldwould likelike toto putput forwardforward thethe notionotionn thathatt Bach'Bach'ss musicamusicall settingssettings ofof churchchurch cantatacantata poetrypoetry cancan projecprojectt theologicatheologicall meaningmeaningss thathatt areare differentdifferent fromfrom thosethose arrivedarrived atat bbyy simplysimply readinreadingg hihiss librettos.librettos. InIn soso picturinpicturingg BachBach asas a sorsortt ofof musical-religioumusical-religiouss interpreter,interpreter, mymy goalgoal isis onlyonly toto gaingain a deeperdeeper understandinunderstandingg ooff Bach'Bach'ss com­com­ positions.positions. TheThe biographicabiographicall questionquestion ofof whethewhetherr oorr nonott BachBach him-him- 4-1-88 LCTHER..\]';"LUTHERAN QC\RTERLYQUARTERLY YolumeXYIVolume XVI (2<M12(21102\Ì THETHE MUSICALLMUSICALLYY THEOLOGICALTHEOLOGICAL ININ BACH"SBACHS CANTATACANT AT ASS 4-1-99 selfself sincerelysincerely heldheld whateverwhatever religiousreligious viewsviews mighmightt bbee projecteprojectedd inin hishis workworkss isis a relatedrelated butbut somewhatsomewhat differentdifferent mattermatter,, anandd iitt willwill notnot bebe pursuepursuedd here.here. MyMy methomethodd willwill deliberatelydeliberately bbee mormoree sug­sug­ gestivegestive thanthan exhaustive.exhaustive. RatherRather thanthan seekingseeking a full-blownfull-blown,, unifiedunified theorytheory ofof thethe theologicaltheological aspectsaspects ofof Bach'sBach's musicmusic,, I wilwilll simplysimply illustrateillustrate a fewfew waywayss inin whichwhich theologytheology andand compositiocompositionn mighmightt bebe readread asas interacting,interacting, mutuallymutually productivproductivee forces.forces. TheologicalTheological approachesapproaches admittedlyadmittedly runrun thethe risriskk ooff leavinleavingg somesome readersreaders withwith thethe feelingfeeling thatthat virtuallyvirtually anythinganything coulcouldd bbee "dem­"dem­ onstrated."onstrated." ForFor interdisciplinaryinterdisciplinary work,work, oneone mighmightt prefepreferr philoso­philoso­ phyphy toto theology.theology. JohnJohn Butt,Butt, forfor example,example, hashas declaredeclaredd thathatt "God"God whowho waswas centralcentral toto Bach'sBach's lifelife asas anan activeactive andand devoutdevout LutheraLutherann iiss notnot alwaysalways thethe samesame asas thethe GodGod ofof hishis compositionalcompositional minmindd . Bach'sBach's compositionalcompositional mindmind cancan bebe illuminated-ifilluminated—if iitt cannotcannot di­di­ rectlyrectly bebe explained-byexplained—by analogyanalogy withwith thethe metaphysicsmetaphysics ofof rationalistrationalist philosopherphilosopherss ofof thethe seventeenthseventeenth andand eighteentheighteenth centuries[.]"8 1I fearfear thatthat philosophicalphilosophical approachesapproaches toto Bach,Bach, whilwhilee intellectuallyintellectually appeal­appeal­ ing,ing, maymay involveinvolve tootoo manmanyy problemsproblems ofof contextualcontextual plausibility.plausibility. DoeDoess Bach'sBach's thoughtthought actuallyactually coincidecoincide withwith SpinozaSpinoza andand Leibniz?Leibniz? I wonderwonder ifif thethe issueissue isis analogousanalogous toto whatwhat SchweitzerSchweitzer hadhad toto saysay aboutabout scholarsscholars whwhoo trytry toto explainexplain thethe apostleapostle Paul'Paul'ss ververyy JewishJewish thoughtthought primarilyprimarily onon thethe basisbasis ofof Hellenism:Hellenism: thetheyy areare,, hhee sayssays,, "like"like a manman ,vhowho shouldshould bringbring waterwater fromfrom a longlong distancedistance inin leakyleaky 9 watering-canswatering-cans inin orderorder toto waterwater a gardengarden lyinglying besidbesidee a stream.stream." " 9 ThereThere cancan inin anyany eventevent hardlyhardly bebe anyany doubtdoubt thathatt BachBach wawass familiarfamiliar withwith thethe basicbasic tenetstenets ofof LutheranLutheran theology.theology7. BeforeBefore hhee coulcouldd assumeassume hishis pospostt asas cantorcantor inin Leipzig,Leipzig, hehe hadhad toto bebe testedtested oonn hihiss knowledgeknowledge 10 ofof LutheranismLutheranism asas itit isis systematizedsystematized inin thethe Book of Concord ( I(1580). 580). 10 ItIt isis alsoalso importantimportant toto knowknow thatthat BachBach ownedowned a largelarge collectiocollectionn ofof BibleBible commentariescommentaries andand sermons, 1111 includingincluding severaseverall setsetss ooff Luther's Luther's collectedcollected worksworks asas wellwell asas thethe CalovCalov BibleBible Commentary.12Commentary.12 Bach'sBach's copycopy ofof thethe CalovCalov BibleBible iiss nownow keptkept atat ththee ConcordiaConcordia SeminarySeminary LibraryLibrary inin St.St. Louis,Louis, Missouri. 1133 ScientificScientific researchresearch hahass determineddetermined thatthat thethe chemicalchemical contentcontent ofof thethe inksinks inin thethe extensivextensivee underliningsunderlinings inin thisthis BibleBible iiss thethe samesame aass thatthat ofof thethe manymany marginamarginall commentscomments whosewhose handwritinghandwriting characteristicscharacteristics werewere identifiedidentified witwithh Bach'Bach'ss byby Dr.Dr. Hans-JoachimHans-Joachim SchulzeSchulze ofof thethe Bach-Archiv,Bach-Archiv, Leipzig.1144 5050 LUTHERANLUTHERAN QUARTERLYQUARTERLY The Pastoral and and Meine Meine Seufzer, Seufzer , meinemeine Tranen Tränen (BWV(BWV 13)13) GrimGrim indeedindeed areare thethe sentimentssentiments expressedexpressed inin thethe openingopening ariaaria fromfrom Bach'Bach'ss churchchurch cantata,cantata, Meine~Heine Seufzer, meinemeine Thinen Tränen (BWV (BWV 13): 13) : MeinMemee Seufzer,Seufzer, meinmemee TranenTranen MyMy sighs,sighs, mmyy tearstears KonnenKönnen mchtnicht zuzu zahlenzahlen
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