There are 52 chorale cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach surviving in at least one complete version. Around 40 of these were composed during his second year as Thomaskantor in Leipzig, which started after Trinity Sunday 4 June 1724, and form the backbone of his chorale cantata cycle. The eldest known cantata by Bach, an early version of Christ lag in Todes Banden, BWV 4, presumably written in 1707, was a chorale cantata. The last chorale cantata he wrote in his second year in Leipzig was Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, BWV 1, first performed on Palm Sunday, 25 March 1725. In the ten years after that he wrote at least a dozen further chorale cantatas and other cantatas that were added to his chorale cantata cycle.
Lutheran hymns, also known as chorales, have a prominent place in the liturgy of that denomination. A chorale cantata is a church cantata based on a single hymn, both its text and tune. Bach was not the first to compose them, but for his 1724-25 second Leipzig cantata cycle he developed a specific format: in this format the opening movement is a chorale fantasia on the first stanza of the hymn, with the hymn tune appearing as a cantus firmus. The last movement is a four-part harmonisation of the chorale tune for the choir, with the last stanza of the hymn as text. While the text of the stanzas used for the outer movements was retained unchanged, the text of the inner movements of the cantata, a succession of recitatives alternating with arias, was paraphrased from the inner stanzas of the hymn.
See also: Chorale cantata. Martin Luther advocated the use of vernacular hymns during services. He wrote several himself, also worked on their tunes, and helped publish the first Lutheran hymnal, the German: [[Achtliederbuch]], containing four of his hymns, in 1524.
Leipzig had a strong tradition of sacred hymns. In 1690, the minister of the German: [[Thomaskirche]]|italic=unset, Johann Benedikt Carpzov, had announced that he would preach not only on the Gospel but also on a related "good, beautiful, old, evangelical and Lutheran hymn", and that Johann Schelle, then the director of music, would perform the hymn before the sermon.
Bach's duties as an organist included accompanying congregational singing, and he was familiar with the Lutheran hymns. Some of Bach's earliest church cantatas include chorale settings, although he usually incorporates them into just one or two movements. Hymn stanzas are most typically included in his cantatas as the closing four-part chorale. In his passions, Bach used chorale settings to complete a scene.
Before Bach chorale cantatas, that is, cantatas entirely based on both the text and the melody of a single Lutheran hymn, had been composed by among others Samuel Scheidt, Johann Erasmus Kindermann, Johann Pachelbel and Dieterich Buxtehude. Sebastian Knüpfer, Johann Schelle and Johann Kuhnau, Bach's predecessors as Thomaskantor, had composed them. Contemporary to Bach, Christoph Graupner and Georg Philipp Telemann were composers of chorale cantatas.
From his appointment as Thomaskantor in Leipzig end of May 1723 to Trinity Sunday a year later Bach had been presenting the church cantatas for each Sunday and holiday of the liturgical year, his first annual cycle of cantatas. His ensuing second cycle started with a stretch of at least 40 new chorale cantatas, up to Palm Sunday of 1725. A week later, for Easter, he presented a revised version of the early Christ lag in Todes Banden chorale cantata.
The oldest known chorale cantate by Bach, which may well have been the first cantata he composed, was likely composed in 1707 for a presentation in Mühlhausen. All further extant chorale cantatas were composed in Leipzig. There Bach started composing chorale cantatas as part of his second cantata cycle in 1724, a year after having been appointed as Thomaskantor. Up to at least 1735 he amended that cycle transforming it into what is known as his chorale cantata cycle. With its 52 extant cantatas for known occasions, out of 64 for a full cantata cycle in a city like Leipzig where during the largest part of advent and lent a silent time was observed, the cycle however remains incomplete.
Possibly the inspiration for starting a chorale cantata cycle in 1724 is linked to it being exactly two centuries after the publication of the first Lutheran hymnals. The first of these early hymnals is the Achtliederbuch, containing eight hymns and five melodies. Four chorale cantatas use text and/or melody of a hymn in that early publication (BWV 2, 9, 38 and 117). Another 1524 hymnal is the Erfurt Enchiridion: BWV 62, 91, 96, 114, 121 and 178 are based on hymns from that publication. BWV 14, and 125 were based on hymns from Eyn geystlich Gesangk Buchleyn, also published in 1524.
The usual format of Bach's chorale cantatas is:
In Bach's time the congregation would have sung during some of the services in which the cantatas were performed, but it is not known whether the congregation would have joined the choir in singing the chorales in the cantatas themselves. On the other hand, although Bach's chorale arrangements can be tricky for amateur singers, sometimes in 21st-century performances of the cantatas and passions audience participation is encouraged. For example, the Monteverdi Choir encouraged audience participation in a 2013 performance of the German: Christ lag in Todes Banden cantata.
| column | content | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BG | The numbers refer to the 44 cantatas that survived the 18th century as performance parts kept in Leipzig: the list follows Dörffel in the 27th volume of the Bach Gesellschaft (BG) publication.[1] | |
| 2 | K (basic order) | K numbers of the chronological Zwang catalogue for Bach's cantatas: this catalogue keeps the bulk of the chorale cantatas together in the range K 74–114. This catalogue places the Reformation Day cantata Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, for 31 October, between the chorale cantatas for Trinity XXI and for Trinity XXII in 1724, instead of a few years later as most other scholars do.[2] | |
| 3 | BWV | Number of the cantata in the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (Bach works catalogue) | |
| 4 | cantata | Name of the cantata, by incipit . Links go to the separate article on the cantata. | |
| 5 | occasion | Indicates for which occasion in the liturgical year Bach's church cantata was written. | |
| 6 | BD | Bach Digital (BD): this column contains external links to the "Bach Digital Work" pages on the cantatas at the bach-digital.de website. Such webpages contain links to various primary sources, including early manuscripts (e.g. Bach's autographs when extant), and the cantata text. Not listed as chorale cantatas at that website:[3]
| |
| 7 | date | Date(s) of the first and/or other early stagings of the cantata. Links go to chronological entries in the list below | |
| 8 | hymn | Indicates the Lutheran hymn on which the cantata is based, represented by the hymn's Zahn number when available (some hymns have more than one melody associated with it, the Zahn number is a unique identification of the Hymn tune used in the cantata). A few minor spelling variations aside, the name of the hymn is identical to the name of the cantata given in column 4. Links go to the article on the hymn. | |
| 9 | year | Year associated with the hymn, typically the year of first publication. A horizontal line separates the year associated with the hymn's text from the year associated with the hymn's melody (if different). Links go to entries in the list below that add details about the hymn. | |
| 10 | text by ----tune by | Author of the hymn text and composer of the hymn melody, separated by a horizontal line (if different). Links go to articles on the author and/or composer of the hymn. | |
| Color | Signifies | |
|---|---|---|
| yellow | The libretto of the cantata consists exclusively of unmodified hymn text | |
| orange-brown | Not a chorale cantata in the strict sense, but seen as part of the cycle |
| BG | K | BWV | cantata | occasion | date | BD | hymn | year | text by ----tune by | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| data-sort-value="18" | 17 | 4 | 4 | Christ lag in Todes Banden | data-sort-value="1707-04-24" | 7012a | 1524 | Luther | ||||
| data-sort-value="23" | 21 | 74 | 20 | O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort | data-sort-value="1724-06-11" | 11 Jun 1724 | 5820 | 1642----1642/1653 | ||||
| data-sort-value="24" | 22 | 75 | 2 | Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein | data-sort-value="1724-06-18" | 18 Jun 1724 | 4431 | 1524 | ||||
| data-sort-value="25" | 23 | 76 | 7 | Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam | data-sort-value="1724-06-24" | 24 Jun 1724 | 7246 | 1541 | Luther----Walter? | |||
| data-sort-value="26" | 77 | 135 | Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder | data-sort-value="1724-06-25" | 25 Jun 1724 | 5385a | 1597 | Schneegass ----Hassler | ||||
| data-sort-value="31" | 27 | 78 | 10 | Meine Seel erhebt den Herren | data-sort-value="1724-07-02" | 2 Jul 1724 | German Magnificat | 1522---- | Luther ----Luther? | |||
| data-sort-value="29" | 25 | 79 | 93 | Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten | data-sort-value="1724-07-09" | 9 Jul 1724 | 2778 | 1657 | Neumark ---- | |||
| data-sort-value="32" | 28 | 80 | 107 | Was willst du dich betrüben | data-sort-value="1724-07-23" | 23 Jul 1724 | 5264b | 1630 | Heermann---- | |||
| data-sort-value="33" | 29 | 81 | 178 | Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält | data-sort-value="1724-07-30" | 30 Jul 1724 | 4441a | 1524 | Jonas---- | |||
| data-sort-value="34" | 30 | 82 | 94 | Was frag ich nach der Welt | data-sort-value="1724-08-06" | 6 Aug 1724 | 5206b | 1664 | ||||
| data-sort-value="35" | 31 | 83 | 101 | Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott | data-sort-value="1724-08-13" | 13 Aug 1724 | 2561 | 1584 | Moller ----Luther? | |||
| data-sort-value="36" | 84 | 113 | Herr Jesu Christ, du höchstes Gut | data-sort-value="1724-08-20" | 20 Aug 1724 | 4486 | 1588 | Ringwaldt | ||||
| data-sort-value="38" | 33 | 85 | 33 | Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ | data-sort-value="1724-09-03" | 3 Sep 1724 | 7292b | 1540----1512 | Hubert ----Hofhaimer | |||
| data-sort-value="39" | 34 | 86 | 78 | Jesu, der du meine Seele | data-sort-value="1724-09-10" | 10 Sep 1724 | 6804 | 1642 | Rist ---- | |||
| data-sort-value="40" | 35 | 87 | 99 | Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan | data-sort-value="1724-09-17" | 17 Sep 1724 | 5629 | 1674 | Rodigast ----Gastorius | |||
| data-sort-value="41" | 36 | 88 | 8 | Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben? | data-sort-value="1724-09-24" | 24 Sep 1724 | 6634 | ----bef. 1697 | Neumann ----Vetter | |||
| data-sort-value="42" | 89 | 130 | Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir | data-sort-value="1724-09-29" | 29 Sep 1724 and later | 368 | 1554 | |||||
| data-sort-value="43" | 37 | 90 | 114 | Ach, lieben Christen, seid getrost | data-sort-value="1724-10-01" | 1 Oct 1724 | 4441a | 1561----1524 | Gigas ---- | |||
| data-sort-value="44" | 38 | 91 | 96 | Herr Christ, der einge Gottessohn | data-sort-value="1724-10-08" | 8 Oct 1724 | 4297a | 1524----1455 | Cruciger ---- | |||
| data-sort-value="45" | 39 | 92 | 5 | Wo soll ich fliehen hin | data-sort-value="1724-10-15" | 15 Oct 1724 | 2177 | 1630 | Heermann ---- | |||
| data-sort-value="46" | 93 | 180 | Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele | data-sort-value="1724-10-22" | 22 Oct 1724 | 6923 | 1649 | Franck, J. ---- | ||||
| data-sort-value="47" | 40 | 94 | 38 | Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir | data-sort-value="1724-10-29" | 29 Oct 1724 | 4437 | 1524 | Luther---- | |||
| data-sort-value="48" | 95 | 80b 80 | Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott | data-sort-value="1727-10-31" | 7377 | Luther | ||||||
| data-sort-value="49" | 96 | 115 | Mache dich, mein Geist, bereit | data-sort-value="1724-11-05" | 5 Nov 1724 | 6274a | 1695 | Freystein---- | ||||
| data-sort-value="51" | 41 | 97 | 139 | Wohl dem, der sich auf seinen Gott | data-sort-value="1724-11-12" | 12 Nov 1724 | 2383 | 1692 | Rube---- | |||
| data-sort-value="52" | 42 | 98 | 26 | Ach wie flüchtig, ach wie nichtig | data-sort-value="1724-11-19" | 19 Nov 1724 | 1887b | 1652 | ||||
| data-sort-value="53" | 43 | 99 | 116 | Du Friedefürst, Herr Jesu Christ | data-sort-value="1724-11-26" | 26 Nov 1724 | 4373 | 1601 | Ebert---- | |||
| data-sort-value="1" | 1 | 100 | 62 | Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland | data-sort-value="1724-12-03" | 3 Dec 1724 | 1174 | 1524 | Luther---- | |||
| data-sort-value="2" | 2 | 101 | 91 | Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ | data-sort-value="1724-12-25" | 25 Dec 1724 and later | 1947 | 1524 | Luther ---- | |||
| data-sort-value="3" | 3 | 102 | 121 | Christum wir sollen loben schon | data-sort-value="1724-12-26" | 26 Dec 1724 | 297c | 1524 | Luther---- | |||
| data-sort-value="4" | 4 | 103 | 133 | Ich freue mich in dir | data-sort-value="1724-12-27" | 27 Dec 1724 | 5187 | 1697 | Ziegler---- | |||
| data-sort-value="5" | 5 | 104 | 122 | Das neugeborne Kindelein | data-sort-value="1724-12-31" | 31 Dec 1724 | 1597 | Schneegass | ||||
| data-sort-value="6" | 6 | 105 | 41 | Jesu, nun sei gepreiset | data-sort-value="1725-01-01" | 1 Jan 1725 | 8477a | 1539 | Hermann ---- | |||
| data-sort-value="8" | 8 | 106 | 123 | Liebster Immanuel, Herzog der Frommen | data-sort-value="1725-01-06" | 6 Jan 1725 | 1679 | Fritsch---- | ||||
| data-sort-value="9" | 9 | 107 | 124 | Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht | data-sort-value="1725-01-07" | 7 Jan 1725 | 3449 | 1658 | Keymann----Hammerschmidt | |||
| data-sort-value="10" | 10 | 108 | 3 | Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid | data-sort-value="1725-01-14" | 14 Jan 1725 | 533a | 1587----1455 | Moller---- | |||
| data-sort-value="11" | 109 | 111 | Was mein Gott will, das g'scheh allzeit | data-sort-value="1725-01-21" | 21 Jan 1725 | 7568[4] | 1547 1555----1528 | Albert of Prussia----de Sermisy | ||||
| data-sort-value="14" | 13 | 110 | 92 | Ich hab in Gottes Herz und Sinn | data-sort-value="1725-01-28" | 28 Jan 1725 | 7568 | 1647----1528 | ||||
| data-sort-value="13" | 12 | 111 | 125 | Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin | data-sort-value="1725-02-02" | 2 Feb 1725 | 3986 | 1524 | Luther | |||
| data-sort-value="15" | 14 | 112 | 126 | Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort | data-sort-value="1725-02-04" | 4 Feb 1725 | 350 | 1541 | ||||
| data-sort-value="16" | 15 | 113 | 127 | Herr Jesu Christ, wahr' Mensch und Gott | data-sort-value="1725-02-11" | 11 Feb 1725 | 2570 | 1557----1551 | Eber----Bourgeois?[5] | |||
| data-sort-value="17" | 16 | 114 | 1 | Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern | Palm Sunday | data-sort-value="1725-03-25" | 25 Mar 1725 | 8359 | 1599 | |||
| data-sort-value="50" | 122 | 128 | Auf Christi Himmelfahrt allein | data-sort-value="1725-05-10" | 10 May 1725 | 4457 | 1661 | Sonnemann ---- | ||||
| data-sort-value="21" | 19 | 125 | 68 | Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt | data-sort-value="1725-05-21" | 21 May 1725 | 5920 | 1675 | Liscow----Vopelius | |||
| data-sort-value="27" | data-sort-value="127" | deest | Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ | data-sort-value="1725-06-17" | 17 Jun 1725 | 7400 | 1529?/31 | Agricola---- | ||||
| data-sort-value="37" | 32 | 129 | 137 | Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren | data-sort-value="1725-08-19" | 19 Aug 1725 | 1912a | 1680 | Neander | |||
| data-sort-value="22" | 20 | 142 | 129 | Gelobet sei der Herr, mein Gott | data-sort-value="1727-06-08" | 8 Jun 1727 | 5206b | 1665 | Olearius ---- | |||
| data-sort-value="7" | 7 | 161 | 58 | Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid | data-sort-value="1727-01-05" | 533a | 1587/1610----c.1455 | Moller/Behm---- | ||||
| data-sort-value="55" | 172 | 117 | Sei Lob und Ehr dem höchsten Gut | data-sort-value="1729-12-31" | 1728–1731 | 4430 | 1673----1524 | |||||
| data-sort-value="56" | 181 | 192 | Nun danket alle Gott | data-sort-value="1730-07-01" | 1730 | 5142 | 1636----1647 | Rinkart ----Crüger | ||||
| data-sort-value="19" | 18 | 182 | 112 | Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt | data-sort-value="1731-04-08" | 8 Apr 1731 | 4457 | 1530 | Meuslin----Decius | |||
| data-sort-value="54" | 44 | 184 | 140 | Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme | data-sort-value="1731-11-25" | 25 Nov 1731 | 8405 | 1599 | Nicolai | |||
| data-sort-value="28" | 24 | 186 | 177 | Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ | data-sort-value="1732-07-06" | 6 Jul 1732 | 7400 | 1529?/31 | Agricola---- | |||
| data-sort-value="30" | 26 | 187 | 9 | Es ist das Heil uns kommen her | data-sort-value="1732-07-20" | 20 Jul 1732 | 4430 | 1524 | Speratus ---- | |||
| data-sort-value="57" | 188 | 100 | Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan | data-sort-value="1733-12-31" | 1732–1735 | 5629 | 1674 | |||||
| data-sort-value="58" | 189 | 97 | In allen meinen Taten | ? | data-sort-value="1734-07-25" | 25 Jul 1734? | 2293b | 1633 | Fleming---- | |||
| data-sort-value="12" | 11 | 196 | 14 | Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit | data-sort-value="1735-01-30" | 30 Jan 1735 | 1524 | Luther---- |
During his first year in Leipzig Bach presented a reworked version of his 1707 Easter cantata in Leipzig:
(Easter): German: Christ lag in Todes Banden, BWV 4 (K 4), Leipzig version, first performance. Bach changed the last movement to reflect the current one (4-part Chorale setting). The first version (1707 & 1708) had the last verse (last movement) using the same music as the 1st verse (2nd movement).The first four chorale cantatas presented in 1724 appear to form a set: Bach gave the cantus firmus of the chorale tune to the soprano in the first, to the alto in the second, to the tenor in the third, and to the bass in the fourth. He varied the style of chorale fantasia in those four cantatas: French Overture in BWV 20, Chorale motet in BWV 2, Italian concerto in BWV 7, and vocal and instrumental counterpoint in BWV 135.
Two cantatas opening with a chorale fantasia usually grouped with the chorale cantatas
After Trinity 1725 Bach added further cantatas to the chorale cantata cycle, at least up to 1735:
For some chorale cantatas, written from 1728 to 1735, it is not known for which occasion they were written, and whether they were intended to belong to a cycle: