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William L. Hoffman wrote (May 27, 2024):
Bach completed his first cantata cycle in the spring of 1724 (Carus-Verlag) with the three-day Pentecost feasts and the final Trinity Sunday feast, taking advantage of every compositional opportunity with hallmark works (BCW). As cantor, the annual church cycles involve the following: a heterogeneous first cycle reusing existing works; a unique, homogeneous second cycle of chorale cantatas; and another heterogeneous third cycle of primarily personal solo cantatas and biblical chorus works (BCW). There were two other cycles of church pieces: a joy-sorrow cycle of occasional sacred and profane music (BCW, primarily wedding Masses and funeral works, and a Christological cycle of major works (mostly oratorios) and Latin Church Music (BCW), as well as the annual Good Friday vespers oratorio Passion and the annual cantata installation of the Leipzig Town Council, his employer. As Leipzig director of music, Bach created profane congratulatory cantatas, BWV 201-16, 20 special festival pieces for Leipzig University (Universität Leipzig) and unique, special services (BCW). At the same time, Bach created mini-sacred cycles from special texts (BCW) while today the Bachfest Leipzig (Bach-Archiv Leipzig: News) is presenting "Musical Explorations, 'BACH for Future'': New Cantatas, Pasticcios, Adaptations (BCW).
Johannine Trilogy Planned
During the closing 1724 Easter-Pentecost season which completed the school year for St. Thomas, Bach was formulating a work schedule that was both unique and flexible. The Gospel of John inspired various works: a Johannine Trilogy for Passion, Resurrection, Farewell Discourse with the St. John Passion, BWV 245, which was presented in three distinct theological versions; a mini-cycle of nine cantatas of Leipzig poetess Christiane Mariane von Ziegler (BCW, from Jubilate (BWV 103) to Trinity Sunday (BWV 176); plans for the second, chorale cantata cycle (BCW scroll down to "Chorale Cantata Cycle"; BCW: scroll down to "CHORLE CANTATA CYCLE") with a librettist for the internal stanza paraphrases (Bach's invention); plans for a second Passion Oratorio according to Matthew (BCW), with a poetic libretto by Picander (BCW, BCW); and besides Picander as the librettist for the Matthew and Mark Passions, Picander-texted profane celebratory Cantatas BWV 249a, 36, 201, 205-07, 211-213, 216 (BCW).
Pentecost Sunday Double Bill
The Pentecost Sunday 1724 cantata double bill (BWV 172, 59) was a hallmark event in which Bach sought to establish the importance of Pentecost in the Lutheran tradition. Bach selectively recycled music from previous compositions dating to Cöthen and Weimar, most notably the revival double-bill for Pentecost Sunday, 28 May 1724: festive chorus Cantata 172, "Erschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten" (Resound now, ye lyrics, ring out now, ye lyres!, Z. Philip Ambrose trans.; BCW, Annotated Score w/ Analysis (M. Unger), set to a Salomo Franck unpublished text, and Cantata 59, "Wer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten" [I] (He who loves me will keep my commandments, Jn. 14:23, trans. Ambrose; BCW, YouTube). Cantata 172 set the standard for Pentecost music with at least six performances of different versions1 while Cantata 59 as a transitional work advanced important core elements such as the dialogue aria affirming Cöthen compositional procedure "before early 1723,"" says Hans-Joachim Schulze,2 which was expanded to an opening chorus in Cantata 74, while emphasizing a utilitarian work with its designation “Für alle Fälle” (For all situations) and its use as early as Weimar for Pentecost Sunday, 16 May 1716 and in Carlsbad for Pentecost Sunday 5 June 1718. "It appears that Bach began composition of Pentecost Cantata 59 before Pentecost Sunday (5 June), score D-B P 161, Bohemian watermark (Bach Digital), says Peter Wollny.3 No music presented in Carlsbad is documented.
Feast Day Cantatas; Internal, External Challenges
As Bach planned the feast day cantatas for Easter, Pentecost, and Trinity he eschewed composing oratorios (great cantatas) in favor of existing materials). He encountered two challenges, one internal and the other external. Internally, Bach was able to muster and exploit the earlier two-dozen church year cantatas composed in Weimar, primarily from texts of Court poet Salomo Franck (BCW) spread throughout the cycle, beginning with the omnes tempore (ordinary time) second half of the church year on the teachings of Jesus Christ and concluding with the de tempore (propers times) first half on his life and impact. Bach also had sketches and individual movements composed in Cöthen (BCW: section "Undated"), as well as six substantial, profane vocal serenades that through the process of parody (new text underlay) could be expanded through chorales for some Easter-Pentecost Christological feast days when he was completing his first year in Leipzig: Easter Monday, 4-10-1724, Cantata 66.2, "Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen" (Rejoice, all ye spirits, trans. Z Philip Ambrose; BCW, YouTube); Easter Tuesday, 4-11-1724, Cantata 134.2, "Ein Herz, das seinen Jesum lebend weiß" (A heart which doth its Jesus clearly know, trans. Ambrose; BCW, YouTube); Pentecost Sunday, 5-29-24, double bill,; Pentecost Monday, 5-29-1724, Cantata 173.2, "Erhöhtes Fleisch und Blut" (Exalted flesh and blood, trans. Ambrose; BCW, YouTube); Pentecost Tuesday, 5-30-1724, Cantata 184.2, "Erwünschtes Freudenlicht" (O welcome light of joy, trans. Ambrose; BCW; YouTube); Trinitatisfest, 6-4-1724, Cantata 194.3, "Höchsterwünschtes Freudenfest" (O most lovely feast of joy, trans. Ambrose; BCW, YouTube). Bach performed Trinity Sunday 1724 as a double bill with parody BWV 194.3 and a revival of Weimar Cantata BWV 165 O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad (O Holy Spirit's water bath, Ambrose trans.; BCW).The external challenges involved Bach's responsibilities as St. Thomas cantor and a variety of governing oversight and restrictions, primarily from Bach's employer, the Leipzig Town Council. Bach was required to submit in advance his texts for the church year cantatas for their approval while the Lutheran Consistory rarely was concerned since Bach passed the required Theological Exam on 8 May 1723. The council also held the purse strings, notably for funds to improve the quality of music, as well as the requirements and restrictions for the cantor and the St. Thomas School Superintendent, particularly the still unpublished school regulations which caused Bach to "agreeing to a significant reduction in his fees," says Michael Maul in his monograph of the St. Thomas School choir.4
Johannine Theology Mini-Cycle
While Bach was working during Lent 1724 on the oratorio Passion of St. John, BWV 245 (BCW), he probably began considering expanded cantatas as feast day oratorios during the three-day festivals of Easter, Christmas, and Pentecost. Instead of citing the designated Gospel and Epistle readings in recitatives and ariosi for these services, he began to explored the madrigalian poetic texts in the choruses and arias, emphasizing the listener's responses to the textual principles in these services, especially as they were adapted as new text underlay in parodies from Cöthen serenades (cited above). Bach commissioned Ziegler's seven cantata text settings at Lent 1724 as part of his pending Johannine Theology mini-cycle, which he was able to employ during the 1724-25 chorale cantata cycle with the second version of the St. John Passion, BWV 245.2, the Easter Oratorio, BWV 249a=245.2, and the Ziegler texts of Jesus' Farewell Discourse to his Disciples, which had begun in the Gospel dictum for Pentecost Sunday, "Wer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten" (If a man loves me, he will keep my word," John 14:23-31 (BCW), which is the preamble to Jesus' discourse. <<For Pentecost, Bach seems to have emphasized appropriate church hymns beyond serviceable texts that make perfunctory references to the New Testament Gospel and Epistle lessons with intrinsic themes of fidelity, inspiration, and commitment. In Bach’s time, the story of Pentecost and the Holy Spirit are told not in the Gospel lessons but in the Epistle lessons: Pentecost Sunday, Acts 2:1-13 (The Coming of the Holy Spirit); Pentecost Monday, Acts 10:44-48 (The Gentiles Receive the Holy Spirit); and Pentecost Tuesday, Acts 8:14-17 (Holy Spirit in Sumaria). The Gospel lessons are: Pentecost Sunday, John 14: 23-31, "Promise of the Paraclete"; Pentecost Monday, John 3:16 (God so loved the world); Pentecost Tuesday, John 10:1-10 (Parable of the sheep)>> (source, BCW paragraph beginning "For the Pentecost. . . ."). For the second and third days of the Pentecost Festival, Monday and Tuesday, Bach turned from celebratory to more intimate music while restricting his creative efforts. In the first cycle, May 29-30, 1723, Bach parodied Cöthen serenades, possibly to his own new text underlay (?with the help of Picander), with Cantatas BWV 173, “Erhöhtes Fleisch und Blut” (Exalted flesh and blood), and BWV 184 “Erwünschtes Freudenlicht” (Longed-for light of joy). In the second cycle, May 21-22, 1725, Bach used original texts of Ziegler with John’s Gospel dicta for Cantatas BWV 68 “Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt” (God so loved the world, John 3:16), and Cantata BWV 175, “Er rufet seinen Schafen mit Namen” (He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out, John 10:1).
First Cantata Cycle End: Trinity Sunday
Bach completed his first cantata cycles on Trinity Sunday, 4 June 1724, with his penultimate double bill of Cantatas 194 (a parody) and 165 (Weimar repeat), adding substance to this feast day observance. A week later, on the 1st Sunday after Trinity, 11 June 1724, to commence hs 2nd cycle, he produced one of his last two-part Cantatas, BWV 20, "O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort" [I] (Eternity, thou thundrous word, trans.Ambrose).
ENDNOTES
1 BWV 172 versions (Details, BCW): "Composed"
1st performance, May 20, 1714, Weimar, BWV 172.1 in C Major
2nd performance, 1717-1723 - ? Composed Cöthen; 1 June 1721 Leipzig, Kuhnau performed
3rd Performance, May 28, 1724 - Leipzig, BWV 172.2 in D Major
4th Performance, May 13, 1731 - Leipzig, BWV 172.3, in C Major
5th Performance, after 1731 - Leipzig (performed in Delitsch, 29 May 1735)
Mel Unger notes: Annotated Score w/ Analysis.
2 Hans-Joachim Schulze: essay "Wer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten BWV 59" (Illinois Library: penultimate paragraph beginning "Bach composed this text. . . . [Illinkis Library]); source, Hans-Joachim Schulze, Commentaries on the Cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach: A Selective Guide, trans. James A. Brokaw II (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2024: xii); Amazon.com); discussion, "Bach Cantatas, Essays, Poets, Parodies" (BCW).
3 Peter Wollny, Überlegungen zu einem Köthener Vokalwerken J. S. Bachs" (Reflections on some Köthen vocal works of J. S. Bach), in Bach Jahrbuch 106 (2020), Google Books.
4 Michael Maul, IV, 'Odd Authorities with Little Interest in Music,' in Bach's Famous Choir: The Saint Thomas Scchool in Leipzig, 1212-1804, trasn. Richard Howe (Woodbridge GB: Boydell Press, 2018: 164), Amazon.com)
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To Come: Chorale Cantata 2nd Cycle
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