On the Cantatas of J.S. Bach

In his more than 200 cantatas Bach interprets the human condition through musical assertion and examination of the relevance of the gospels and epistles of the Christian Bible. Every cantata is discussed in my six book series On the Cantatas of J.S. Bach.

The epistle, which is essentially didactic, is from the Apostolic letters retained in Scripture. The gospel, which is concerned with the life and teachings of Christ, is effectively an exposition of His adherence to principles and the application of action.

Guided by this context, Bach consistently propounds surpassing interpretations of the nature and spirit of life. Though the over-reaching principles are philosophical and ethical, how they apply is determined, ultimately, by the individual.

Book Five of this series examines the 40 surviving cantatas for the Sundays and feast days from Epiphany to Lent, and includes three sacred and two secular wedding cantatas, a cantata for the installation of a town council, and three secular congratulatory cantatas. The religious cantatas are grouped into the period for Epiphany (fourteen cantatas), Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary (four cantatas), the ten cantatas for the pre-Lenten Sundays (Septuagesima, Sexagesima, Quinquagesima), Annunciation (one cantata), and Lent (two cantatas).

Bach, in these, affirms and explains such fundamental aspects as mortal death and immortal re-birth, the manifestation of divinity in human form, and self-assessment and penitential preparation.

It is a personal exploration, both his and mine.