Accessible Bach Cantatas for Church Choirs Comprised of Amateur Singers and BWV 133 as Demonstration

Abstract

Johann Sebastian Bach composed five annual sets of sacred cantatas based on the Lutheran liturgical calendar. Bach carefully constructed cantatas with his exceptional musical ability and deep theological understanding to enhance the sermon of the given day. Nevertheless, Bach cantatas have often been left unperformed in modern churches due to the intricacy of the vocal parts, limited resources in modern churches and historical instruments that are no longer readily available. The purpose of this study is to explore accessible Bach cantatas for church choirs comprised of amateur singers. Through the research process, about thirty-five cantatas were revealed to be relatively accessible. The selections are discussed under the following five categories to elucidate general features and facilitate their performance by church choirs: style, orchestration, Baroque instruments, substitution of modern instruments, and issue of vocal range. The last chapter specifically discusses BWV 133, one of the most approachable cantatas, to demonstrate how Bach achieved the spiritual goal of the given day through musical interpretation of the text and his theological acumen. Many church choirs are unfamiliar with Bach cantatas. However, once they work through the whole rehearsal process and completely master an approachable cantata, they will gain confidence to perform more difficult works in the future. In this way, more of Bach’s church cantatas will be heard beyond concert halls, and in the setting for which they were originally intended.