Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach

1. 1685 - 1750 - GREATEST COMPOSER OF BAROQUE - PROLIFIC OUTPUT OF COMPOSITIONS - SACRED NATURE FOR CHURCHES - HE HELDDIRECTOR OF MUSIC

   • MOVED TO LEIPZIG TO TAKE CANTOR OF ST THOMAS CHURCH FOR NEXT 27 YEARS - HERE COMPOSED RENOWNED WORKS - INCLUSING PASSIONS
     • CANTATA IS VOCAL COMPOSITION WITH INSTREMENTAL ACCOMPANIEMNT - MANY MOVEMENTS - ORIGINALLY WRITTEN USING BOTH SACRED AND SECULAR TEXTS

2. EIN FESTS BURG IST UNSER GOTT - MIGHTY FORTRESS OF GOD - CHURCH CANTATA BY BACH - BOTH TEXT AND MUSIC ARE BASED ON A LUTHERAN HYMN - WHILST CANTOR - BASED ON MARTIN LUTHERS HYMN - USES CANTUS FIRMUS - "FIXED SONG" PRE EXISTING MELODY FORMED BASIS OF A POLYPHONIC COMPOSIITION

3. DATE OF COMPOSITION UNKNOWN - WRITTEN FOR REFORMATION DAY - FEAST OF PROTESTANT CHIRCH - PEFORMED ETWWEN 1727-31 - PROBABLY COMPOSED WITHER 1723 - OR BETWEEN 1728-31

4. 8 MOVEMENTS

5. FIRST MOVEMENT ----------- SATB CHOIR AND TUTTI ORCHESTRA - VOCAL LINES CLOSELY DOUBLED. HIGHLY CONTRAPTUAL TEXTURE - FUGAL STYLE - GUGAL ENTRIES LAYERED MANNER STARTS IN TENOR - TONAL ANSWER PRESSNTED ON 5TH DEGREE - COUNTERSUBJECT BASED ON HYMN- CANTUS FORMIS

   • BASED ON MARTIN LUTHER HYMN TUNE - CONJUNCT WITH ONLY SMALL 4/5 LEAPS - TRANSPOSED DOWN A FIRTH TO ROVIDE ANSWER - SOME ASSENDING SEQUENCES - SIATONIC WITH SOME CHROMATISM - SATB CHOIR
     • 4/2 SIMPLE QUADRUPLE TIME - RHYTNMS VARY FROM SEMIBREVES TO QUAVERS - MELISMATIC PASSAGES CONTAIN CONTINUOUS QUAVERS - TIED NOTES OCCUR IN MAIN THEME AND GIVE FORWARD DRIVE - OCCASIONAL SOTTED RHYTHMS

6. SECOND MOVEMENT ---------- ARIA IS A DUET FOR SOPRANO AND BASS WITH STRING ACC - OBOE DOUBLES SOPRANO PROVIDES CHORALE MELODY - WITH ORNAMENTATION - BASS SINGS ALSMOST INDPENEDNT ARIA. ORCHESTRA INTRO HAVE MELODY DOMINATED HOMOPHONY - UPPER STRINGS SEMIQUAVER TRIADIC LINE WHILST LOWER STRONGS ACCOMPANY WITH QUAVER OFFBEAT LEAPS AND WALKING BASS - SOPRANO AND BASS HIGHLY CONTRAPTUAL - SOPRANO VARIATION OF ANTUS FORMIS BASS SINING ORNATE MELODY - SOPRANO AND OBOE CREATE A HETROPHONIC TECTURE

   • SOLOISTS LINES ARE SYLABBIC - SOME MORE ANGULAR MOMENTS - BASS LINE HIGHLY SYLABBIC WITH MELISMATIC RUNNING SEMIQUAVERS - MORE ORNATE THAN SOPRANO MELODY - SEQUENCES - TRILL OBOE
     • COMMON TIME - 4/4 - MOTO PERPETUO SEMIQUAVERS USED IN OPENING - RHYTMS PREDOMINENTLY SEMIQUAVERS FOR THE BASS SOLIOST - INTRICATE DECROTAIVE PASSAGEWORK INCLUDES DEMISEMIQUAVERS, DOTTED RHYTHMS - SYNCOPATIONS

7. EIGHTH MOVEMENT ---------- THIS CHORALE IS FOR SATB CHOIR WITH ORCH ACC - EXACTLY D8OUBLES VOCAL LINES - TYPICAL F CHORALE, THE TEXTURE IS HOMOPHONIC

   • TEXT SETTING - VOCAL LINE FREQUCNTLY CONTAINS LONG MELISMATIC PASSAGES - PARTICULARY SEEN IN SECND AND FIRST MOVEMENTS MOVEMENTS BASS SOLO - EIGHTH MOVEMENT CHORALE IS TYPICALLY ENTIRELY SYLABBIC
   • MELODY BEARS RESEMBLANCE OF LUTHERS ORIGINAL HYMN TUNE - MELODY IS CONJUNTC AND DIATONIC - TYPICAL OF HYMN - PCCASSIONAL SMALL LEAPS - SATB CHOIR NARROW RANGE
     • COMMON TIME - 4/4 SIMPLE QUADRUPLE - STARTS WITH AN UPBEAT ANACRUSIS - TYPICAL OF CHORALS - PAUSES ARE PRESENT AT END OF EACH PHRASE WHERE THE CADENCE OCCURS WHICH HALTHS TEMPO - PREDOMINENT RHYTHM IS CROTECHETS - QUAVERS OCCUR WHRE THERE ARE PASSING NOTES

8. HARMONY - CHORDS ARE DIATONIC AND FUNCTIONAL - PERFECT CADENCES ARE FREQUENT USED TO CONFIRM KEY - RARE EXAMPLESOF IMPERFECT IN EIGHTH - LONG TONIC PEDAL NOTE - TYPICAL OF BAROQUE - SUSPENSIONS OCCUR - SECONDRD AND DOMINANT SEVENTHS OCCUR FREQUENTLY - MOST CORDS IN ROOT POSITION OR 1ST INVERSION - SOME SECONDS ARE USED