Bach's operas of the soul : a listener's guide to the sacred cantatas / Mark Ringer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ringer, Mark, author.

Series:

Unlocking the masters series ; no. 32

Unlocking the Masters ; v.32

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750. Cantatas--Selections.

Bach, Johann Sebastian.

Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750. Cantatas.

Cantatas, Sacred--History and criticism.

Cantatas, Sacred.

Cantatas, Sacred--Analysis, appreciation.

Cantatas (Bach, Johann Sebastian).

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (233 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Other Title:

Listener's Guide to the Sacred Cantatas

Place of Publication:

Lanham, Maryland : Amadeus Press, [2021]

Summary:

Bach's Operas of the Soul introduces the general music lover to Bach's sacred cantatas. Through brief and accessible essays, Mark Ringer explores these great dramatic musical creations and curates listening experiences to select cantatas with supplemental audio tracks.

Bach's Operas of the Soul is the first introduction for the general music lover to Bach's sacred cantatas to appear in nearly half a century. In clear and accessible language, Mark Ringer examines this vast output of masterpieces as the great musical dramatic creations that they are in order to open these works to a wider audience. Bach's sacred cantatas represent an almost superhuman artistic and spiritual achievement, arguably the richest investment by a great composer within a single genre. But outside of a handful of pieces, they remain a closed book to a majority of serious listeners already familiar with Bach's large-scale religious works. Nevertheless, the same musical-dramatic genius of Bach's Passions is fully evident in virtually all of the composer's sacred cantatas. This book's innovative approach to Bach's Sacred Cantatas is to think of them as sermons in musical-dramatic form, un-staged operas, planned for each occasion of the church year. Bach's ability to dramatize text through music is unmatched throughout history. His era relished dramatic contrast and Bach's use of the human voice offers a constantly changing pallet of vocal colors. The singers play 'roles' throughout the cantatas from penitent sinner, to ardent believer, to Christ himself. The emotions and dramatic situations expressed are as varied as the human condition. This book will be of use to readers interested in opera and vocal music who have already come to love Bach's Passions and who want to familiarize themselves with this wide array of masterpieces.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Introduction. Bach's Sacred Cantatas

Prelude. Bach in the Beginning

1. Anticipation and Celebration: Advent and Christmas

2. New Beginnings and Fulfillment: The New Year to Epiphany

3. Resignation and Resurrection: Lent to Easter

4. Transcendence and Unity: Ascension to Trinity

5. Charity and Curing: The First to the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity

6. Endings and Renewal through Love: The Sixteenth to the Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Trinity

Postlude in Leipzig

Bibliography

Cantata Index

Track List.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-5381-3557-4

9781538135570

OCLC:

1241446090