Bach's Cantata movement 1

Seite 1

Bach's cantata movement 1:

context:

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was a big member of the church and was a recognised composer of lutheren church music. a Cantata is a vocal piece of music with instrumental accompaniment and has many movements.

Ein feste burg ist unser Gott (a mighty fortress is our god) was written by Bach most likely in 1723. This cantata has 8 movements we are studying 1,2 and 8.

Performing forces and their handling:

is scored or 4 vocalists - soprano, alto, tenor and bass, 3 oboes and violin 1 and 2, he also adds a cello and violone which was unusual.

first movement - SATB choir and tutti orchestra. orchestra doubles the vocal line a lot.

second movement- duet for soprano and bass with string accompaniment and oboe solo. oboe doubles the chorale melody on the soprano line but adds some ornamentation. the bass in singing a completely different part.

8th movement- 4 part SATB choir with orchestral accompaniment which doubles the vocal lines.

Texture:

first movement- written in a fugal style and is very contrapuntal, in the beginning there are fugal entries in each vocal part building up from tenor, alto, soprano then bass. the subject is presented in the tenor part in bars 1-3 and then in the soprano part in bar 6. the tonal answer is on the fifth degree of the scale and there is a countersubject which is based on the second phrase of the luther hymn.

second movement- the orchestral introduction have a melody dominated homophony with the upper strings playing a semiquaver line while the lower strings play a walking bass and quaver off beats.

8th movement- homophonic chordal, typical of a chorale.

Text setting:

the vocal lines are often very melismatic in the first and second movements. the 8th movement is enitrely syllabic typical of a chorale.

Melody:

has a cantus firmus which is the main tune forming the basis of the polyphomic composition. this cantata is based on martin luther's tune composed in 1529. the melody starts with repeated tonic notes in D major before falling a fourth to the dominant and rising back to the tonic.