Johann Sebastian Bach: His Life, Art, and WorkForkel, Johann Nikolaus
History
Johann Sebastian Bach: His Life, Art, and Work
Forkel, Johann Nikolaus
Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750; Composers -- Germany -- Biography
1. Five complete sets of church Cantatas for the Sundays and
Festivals of the year.(299)
2. Five compositions for Holy Week, one of which is for double
chorus.(300)
3. Several Oratorios,(301) Masses,(302) a _Magnificat,_ settings of
the Sanctus,(303) compositions for birthdays and Saints’ Days,(304)
funerals,(305) marriages,(306) and some Italian Cantatas.(307)
4. Several Motets for single and double chorus.(308)
Most of these works are now dispersed. The Church Cantatas were divided
between his elder sons after their composer’s death. Wilhelm Friedemann
had the larger share because, being organist at Halle, he could make use
of them. Later, circumstances compelled him to part with them gradually.
I know of no other collection of Bach’s larger choral works. There exist,
however, eight or ten Motets for double chorus, but they are dispersed in
various hands.(309) In the collection bequeathed by the Princess Amalia of
Prussia to the Joachimsthal Gymnasium at Berlin there are some of Bach’s
vocal compositions.(310) Their number is not considerable, but among them
are the following:
1. Twenty-one Church Cantatas.(311) In one of them, set to the
words, _Schlage doch, gewünschte Stunde,_(312) the composer
introduces a bell obbligato. From that fact we may conclude that
the Cantata was not composed in the period of Bach’s maturity,(313)
for the use of bells is of doubtful taste.
2. Two Masses for five voices with instrumental accompaniment.(314)
3. A Mass for double chorus, the first being accompanied by Strings
and the second by wind instruments.(315)
4. A _Passion,_ for double Chorus,(316) the text by Picander.(317)
5. A _Sanctus,_ for four voices and instrumental accompaniment.(318)
6. A Motet, for four voices, _Aus tiefer Noth schrei ich zu
dir._(319)
7. A Motet for five voices, _Jesu, meine Freude._
8. Four Motets, for eight voices in double chorus:
(a) _Fürchte dich nicht, ich bin dei dir._
(b) _Der Geist hilft unserer Schwachheit auf._
(c) _Komm, Jesu, komm._
(d) _Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied._(320)
9. A detached four-part fugal chorus, _Nimm was dein ist, und gehe
hin._(321)
10. A bucolic Cantata, with Recitatives, Aria, Duet, and Chorus. A
note is prefixed to it.(322)
On the MS. of the last-named Cantata and of the Mass for double
chorus (No. 3 supra) there is a note by Kirnberger analysing the
skill and merit of the compositions.
CHAPTER X. BACH’S MANUSCRIPTS
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