Chorale cantata
Encyclopedia
In music
, a chorale cantata is a sacred composition for voices and instruments, principally from the German
Baroque
era, in which the organizing principle is the words and music to a chorale
. Usually a chorale cantata is in multiple movements or parts. Most chorale cantatas were written between approximately 1650 and 1750. By far the most famous are by J.S. Bach
, especially the cantatas
composed in his second annual cycle of cantatas, started in Leipzig in 1724.
, an earlier form much used by Samuel Scheidt
in the early 17th century, which incorporated elements of the Venetian School, such as the concertato
style, into the liturgical music of the Protestant Reformation
. Later the chorale cantata developed into three general forms:
Most compositions in this genre were never published. It was common at the time for composers to write for local performances; often the composer and the music director at a church were the same person, and the music was written, copied, and performed in short order, and remained in manuscript. Probably over 95% of all compositions of this type have been lost.
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, a chorale cantata is a sacred composition for voices and instruments, principally from the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Baroque
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
era, in which the organizing principle is the words and music to a chorale
Chorale
A chorale was originally a hymn sung by a Christian congregation. In certain modern usage, this term may also include classical settings of such hymns and works of a similar character....
. Usually a chorale cantata is in multiple movements or parts. Most chorale cantatas were written between approximately 1650 and 1750. By far the most famous are by J.S. Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
, especially the cantatas
Bach cantata
Bach cantata became a term for a cantata of the German Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach who was a prolific writer of the genre. Although many of his works are lost, around 200 cantatas survived....
composed in his second annual cycle of cantatas, started in Leipzig in 1724.
Description
The chorale cantata developed out of the chorale concertoChorale concerto
In music, a chorale concerto is a short sacred composition for one or more voices and instruments, principally from the very early German Baroque era...
, an earlier form much used by Samuel Scheidt
Samuel Scheidt
Samuel Scheidt was a German composer, organist and teacher of the early Baroque era.-Biography:...
in the early 17th century, which incorporated elements of the Venetian School, such as the concertato
Concertato
Concertato is a term in early Baroque music referring to either a genre or a style of music in which groups of instruments or voices share a melody, usually in alternation, and almost always over a basso continuo...
style, into the liturgical music of the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
. Later the chorale cantata developed into three general forms:
- a form in which each verse (stropheStropheA strophe forms the first part of the ode in Ancient Greek tragedy, followed by the antistrophe and epode. In its original Greek setting, "strophe, antistrophe and epode were a kind of stanza framed only for the music," as John Milton wrote in the preface to Samson Agonistes, with the strophe...
) of the chorale was developed as an independent movement; - a form in which the chorale appeared in some of the movements, perhaps only two, and the other parts of the cantata used other texts; and
- the version pioneered by J.S. Bach, in which the first and last movements use the first and last strophes of the chorale, but the inner movements—perhaps ariaAriaAn aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
and recitativeRecitativeRecitative , also known by its Italian name "recitativo" , is a style of delivery in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms of ordinary speech...
—use paraphrases of the actual chorale text. Typically the beginning and ending movements use all the instrumental and vocal forces, while the interior movements are for smaller groups.
Most compositions in this genre were never published. It was common at the time for composers to write for local performances; often the composer and the music director at a church were the same person, and the music was written, copied, and performed in short order, and remained in manuscript. Probably over 95% of all compositions of this type have been lost.
Baroque
- Samuel ScheidtSamuel ScheidtSamuel Scheidt was a German composer, organist and teacher of the early Baroque era.-Biography:...
- Johann Andreas HerbstJohann Andreas HerbstJohann Andreas Herbst was a German composer and music theorist of the early Baroque era. He was a contemporary of Michael Praetorius and Heinrich Schütz, and like them, assisted in importing the grand Venetian style and the other features of the early Baroque into Protestant Germany.- Life :He...
- Johann Erasmus KindermannJohann Erasmus KindermannJohann Erasmus Kindermann was a German Baroque organist and composer. He was the most important composer of the Nuremberg school in the first half of the 17th century.-Life:...
- Franz TunderFranz TunderFranz Tunder was a German composer and organist of the early to middle Baroque era. He was an important link between the early German Baroque style which was based on Venetian models, and the later Baroque style which culminated in the music of J.S...
- Nicolaus BruhnsNicolaus BruhnsNicolaus Bruhns was a German organist, violinist, and composer. He was one of the most prominent organists and composers of his generation.-Life:...
- Dieterich BuxtehudeDieterich BuxtehudeDieterich Buxtehude was a German-Danish organist and composer of the Baroque period. His organ works represent a central part of the standard organ repertoire and are frequently performed at recitals and in church services...
- Johann KriegerJohann KriegerJohann Philipp Krieger was a German Baroque composer and organist. He was the elder brother of Johann Krieger.-Early years:...
- Sebastian KnüpferSebastian KnüpferSebastian Knüpfer was a German composer. He was the cantor of the Thomanerchor in Leipzig from 1657 to 1676, and director of the city’s music.-Life:...
- Johann SchelleJohann SchelleJohann Schelle was a German baroque composer.Schelle was born in Geising and died in Leipzig. He was the cantor of the Thomanerchor from 1677 to 1701....
- Johann PachelbelJohann PachelbelJohann Pachelbel was a German Baroque composer, organist and teacher, who brought the south German organ tradition to its peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secular music, and his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude and fugue have earned him a place among the most...
- Johann RosenmüllerJohann RosenmüllerJohann Rosenmüller , was a German Baroque composer, who played a part in transmitting Italian musical styles to the north....
- Johannes Crüger
- Joachim Gerstenbüttel
- Georg Bronner
- Christoph GraupnerChristoph GraupnerChristoph Graupner was a German harpsichordist and composer of high Baroque music who lived and worked at the same time as Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Philipp Telemann and George Frideric Handel.-Graupner's life:Born in Hartmannsdorf near Kirchberg in Saxony, Graupner received his first musical...
- Johann KuhnauJohann KuhnauJohann Kuhnau was a German composer, organist and harpsichordist.-Biography :Kuhnau was born in Geising, Saxony. He grew up in a religious Lutheran family. At age nine, he auditioned successfully for the Kreuzschule in Dresden...
- Georg Philipp TelemannGeorg Philipp TelemannGeorg Philipp Telemann was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family's wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hildesheim, Telemann entered the University of Leipzig to study law, but eventually...
- Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...