J.S. Bach and his Cantatas Trivia Quiz

Answer: A multi-movement work predominantly for vocal forces

A cantata is shorter than an oratorio.

Answer: More than 200

For a period of several years, Bach produced nearly one cantata every week. It can be stated without fear of contradiction that they constitute the densest production of masterly music of all time.

Answer: Leipzig

Though Bach produced some cantatas earlier in his career, the vast majority of them were written while he was Director Musices (Director of Music) in this theocratic Lutheran city.

Answer: St. Thomas

St. Thomas, already quite old in the time of Bach, was the largest and most important church in Leipzig. He was also responsible for the music at the churches of St. Nicholas and St. Peter.

Answer: Spoken text

Recitatives occur in virtually every cantata. Instrumental movements are rare but exist (they are sometimes arrangements of other Bach works). A typical context for Jesus "singing" would be in a dialogue between Jesus and the soul.

Answer: cantus firmus

The cantus firmus technique dates back to the very earliest days of polyphonic music. In many of Bach's cantatas, the opening chorus includes the chorale melody complete in one voice while the other voices and instruments pursue the main concerted idea of the movement. An obbligato is a solo instrumental line in a vocal movement, a ritornello is the "returning" musical idea that occurs between phrases of a vocal movement, and continuo refers to the harmonic continuity maintained by the constant accompaniment of all movements with organ/harpsichord and cello/double bass.

Answer: Instruments were used in the motets only for doubling the voices.

The cantatas were written mostly for Sunday services, while the motets, though also religious in nature, were for special occasions such as important funerals. Because the motets rely on instruments only to double the parts, they are sometimes sung a capella.

Answer: Drinking coffee

When coffee was introduced to Europe it was more controversial than tobacco at the time. Bach was himself an enthusiastic pipe smoker. Laziness (Faulheit) was commonly cited as a vice in the 18th century; Haydn wrote a song about it.

Answer: They were arbitrarily given the first numbers in the edition.

Apparently the editors at the Bach Gesellschaft (Bach Society) who produced the Bach Werk Verzeichniss (BWV--Catalog of the Works of Bach), just grabbed up cantatas in convenient bunches according to the availability of manuscripts. Thus BWV 3 (Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein--Lord God, look down from heaven) was written much later than BWV 4 (Christ lag in Todesbanden--Christ lay in death's bonds).

The correct ordering of the cantatas was only undertaken as a scholarly project in the second half of the 20th century.

Answer: 1721-1730

Bach's dates are 1685-1750. In his earlier years, he concentrated on music for the harpsichord, organ, and various instrumental combinations. In his last years, he continued to serve at Leipzig, but devoted his compositional efforts to grand compilations intended for publication, such as the Klavieruebung ("Keyboard Practice," in four parts), The Musical Offering, and the Art of the Fugue.