for which religious occasion was bachs cantata wachet auf written

How was Bach’s cantata reformed?

Mar 02, 2020 · "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" (literally: Awake, the voice is calling us) is a Lutheran hymn written in German by Philipp Nicolai, first published in 1599 together with "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern". Considering this, what is …

Why did Bach write the cantata Wachet auf die Stimme?

Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme ('Awake, calls the voice to us'), BWV 140, also known as Sleepers Wake, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach, regarded as one of his most mature and popular sacred cantatas. He composed the chorale cantata in Leipzig for the 27th Sunday after Trinity and first performed it on 25 November 1731.

When was Bach's Wachet auf written?

Oct 30, 2016 · Composed for the occasion of the 27th Sunday after Trinity, it was first performed on 25 November 1731 at the Nikolaikirche in Leipzig. To give it its full title: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Awake, calls the voice to us), it is also known as Sleepers Wake.

Is there such a thing as an authentic listener to Bach’s cantatas?

Bach's famous cantata was written in 1731 as music to be included in a church service - despite its simplicity, it's now one of Bach's most famous in the genre thanks to its inclusion of a well-known tune. The opening words of this cantata, Wachet auf, which translates as ‘Sleepers Awake’, contains a tune written by a Lutheran pastor called Philipp Nicolai.

Why was Wachet auf written?

While he was lying around anticipating his death, he recorded his mediations in a journal. When to his surprise he recovered from his illness, he wrote two hymns (“Wachet auf” and “Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern”) and attached them to the journal he kept during the plague.

For what church did JS Bach write his cantatas?

the Lutheran churchThroughout his life as a musician, Johann Sebastian Bach composed cantatas for both secular and sacred use. His church cantatas are cantatas which he composed for use in the Lutheran church, mainly intended for the occasions of the liturgical year.

When was Bach's cantata written?

Bach's earliest cantatas were written possibly from 1707, the year he moved to Mühlhausen, although he may have begun composing them at his previous post in Arnstadt. He began regular composition of church cantatas in Weimar between 1708 and 1717, writing one cantata per month.

For Which church did JS Bach write his cantatas a Roman Catholic b Lutheran C Church of England D Calvinist?

Bach wrote most of his cantatas for the Lutheran church. B. Many of Bach's cantatas are based on Lutheran chorale or hymn tunes.

Who were Bach's cantatas written for?

Text of Bach's sacred cantatas Music was expected for all Sundays and holidays except the quiet times (tempus clausum) of Advent and Lent; the cantatas were supposed to reflect the readings. Many opening movements are based on quotations from the Bible, such as Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen, BWV 65, from Isaiah 60:6.

Was Bach a Catholic?

During his time in Italy, he converted from Lutheranism to Catholicism and devoted much time to the composition of church music, including music for a Requiem Mass and a Te Deum. His first major work was a Mass, which received an excellent performance and acclaim in 1757.

Why are the Bach cantatas important?

Devotional poetry, biblical quotations and verses from Lutheran hymns, all strong on emotion and vivid expressions of mankind's suffering, were used by Bach as cantata texts. The published sources of words provided scope for choruses, solo songs, dramatic recitatives and congregational hymns.

What language was Bach's cantatas written?

Bach wrote masterfully in German, Latin and Italian. I'm sure if a commission had appeared, he could have written a French opera or an English Te Deum.

Where was the cantata originally developed?

northern GermanyThe cantata, as developed in northern Germany in the 17th century, often relied only...

What was J.S. Bach's religion?

Lutheran theologyHe is the composer of moving works of sacred music. His compositions show a deep understanding of Lutheran theology. Admirers have even labeled him the “Fifth Evangelist.” And yet, we don't know much about Bach's own faith.

Who wrote the chorale text and tune on which J.S. Bach based his Wachet Auf cantata?

Dieterich Buxtehude composed two cantatas based on the hymn, BuxWV 100 and BuxWV 101. Johann Sebastian Bach based his chorale cantata Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140, on the hymn and derived one of the Schübler Chorales, BWV 645, from the cantata's central movement.

What is a cantata in a church?

The term “cantata,” invented in Italy in the 17th century, refers to music written for voice and instruments. It applies broadly to works for solo voice, multiple soloists, or vocal ensemble, with instrumental accompaniment.

What is a cantata in a church?

The term “cantata,” invented in Italy in the 17th century, refers to music written for voice and instruments. It applies broadly to works for solo voice, multiple soloists, or vocal ensemble, with instrumental accompaniment.

Who wrote the cantatas?

J.S. BachThe word cantata is best known to many through the works of J.S. Bach, although he called them by such older terms as motetto, concerto, or ode (the name cantata was applied by 19th-century editors) and rejected the superficial style that often characterized the form.

What is the Bach cantata for today?

1st Sunday after Ascension Day or Exaudi.

What is Bach's most famous cantata from his time at the church of St Blaise?

Gott ist mein König (God is my King), BWV 71, is a cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach written in Mühlhausen when the composer was 22 years old....Gott ist mein König, BWV 71.Gott ist mein KönigTitle page of the first edition, Bach's only cantata with an extant printOccasionRatswechsel, the inauguration of a new town council8 more rows

Who directs the Oxford Bach Soloists in Wachet Auf?

On 20 November Tom Hammond-Davies directs the Oxford Bach Soloists in a performance of Bach’s famous cantata Wachet Auf! described by the scholar Klaus Hofmann as one of the composer’s ‘most beautiful, most mature and, at the same time, most popular sacred cantatas’.

How many soloists did Bach have?

Bach scored the work for three vocal soloists (soprano, tenor, bass), a four-part choir and a Baroque instrumental ensemble of horn, two oboes, taille (a Baroque tenor oboe), violino piccolo, strings and basso continuo including bassoon. The first page of the bassoon part in Bach’s hand from the archives of the Thomaskirche.

How many cantatas did Bach write?

Bach composed probably around 300 cantatas, of which about 200 are extant today. A formidable figure, yet not remarkable by the standards of the day – the output of composers such as Graupner (with a total of some 2000 cantatas) and Telemann could be considered to make Bach look lazy.

What is Bach's last cantata?

Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme BWV 140. ​. One of the last cantatas Bach is known to have written, BWV 140 is also one of the most popular. Dating from 1731, it was written for the 27th Sunday after Trinity, a date in the church calendar only possible when Easter falls early.

Who was Sebastian Bach's brother?

Another Bach to play an important role in Sebastian’s formative years was also a Johann Christoph, his eldest brother (1671-1721), who took the orphan into his home after the boy had lost both his parents by the age of ten.

Where did Johann Sebastian Bach go to school?

By the time Bach went to Lüneburg in 1700 to complete his academic and musical education as a choral scholar, he was thus already familiar with an exceptionally broad repertoire. The musical life of the region in which Bach grew up was centred around three dominating forces – church, court and town.

Who was Bach's father?

As Stadtpfeifer or town musician of Eisenach, Bach’s father Ambrosius was involved with all three. Although a less distinguished position than that of cantor (who was responsible for the organisation of church music and education), it was none the less a respected post.

What is the Weimar cantata?

Another brief Weimar cantata, again an example of the experiments with varied styles being made by Bach at this time. Composed in 1714 for the first Sunday in Advent, it is one of two cantatas bearing the same name, the other, No. 62, dating from exactly ten years later and forming part of Bach’s second Leipzig cycle. The text paraphrases Luther’s famous Advent hymn of the same name. The magnificent opening chorus imaginatively superimposes the chorale melody onto an orchestral French overture. There are only two arias, a graceful Italianate da capo for tenor, the other an exquisitely tender invitation by the soprano to the coming Saviour to enter her heart. Cantata No. 61 is deservedly one of the most popular of Bach’s cantatas, it therefore being unsurprising that it has been recorded by most of today’s outstanding Bach directors.

What is the theme of the chorale cantata?

Only loosely connected with the Gospel of the day (the healing of the ten lepers), its theme is that of the redemption of the sinner through the suffering of Jesus. The opening G minor chorus is one of Bach’s greatest, a huge tragic fantasia on the chorale theme (heard in the soprano line) over a profoundly moving falling chromatic ostinato bass. In the succeeding duet for soprano and alto, the “hastening, feeble but eager steps” of the text are vividly illustrated by the continuo’s relentless forward movement and the use of canonic imitation between the two vocal parts. The anguished tenor recitative that follows (“Ah, I am a child of sin”) has an intensity as could be found in any opera, but the succeeding aria with flute obbligato finds solace in Jesus’ sacrifice. The final solo sections are for the bass, the first a vivid and highly flexible accompanied recitative, the second a resolute aria confidently asserting the strength of the redeemed Christian.