Recordings of Johann Sebastian Bach’s church cantatas

Abstract

Johann Sebastian Bach’s church cantatas hold a special place among composer’s works. Although they were primarily intended for use in the Lutheran church liturgy in order to deepen the understanding of readings from the Bible, they are at the same time masterpieces of highest artistic value. The cantatas, accompanying Bach throughout his artistic career, became a kaleidoscope of all the forms, techniques, motifs and musical means he employed. Forgotten after the composer’s death, the works were rediscovered in the 20th century. The first chapter of this work is devoted to the description of the cantatas and their performance history. The popularization of Bach’s cantatas was connected with both their inclusion in the concert repertoire and the development of recording industry. The first, single recordings of cantatas come from 1950s. Recordings of cantata cycles began soon after. As around two hundred cantatas survive to this day, each project of recording the complete cycle excites interest among music lovers and professional critics. Until today, only a few recordings of the complete cycle of cantatas have been made, some of which deserve particular attention due to their high artistic value and cognitive significance. A detailed discussion of these selected renditions constitutes the second chapter. Apart from recordings of Bach’s complete cycle, there exists a number of recordings containing variously selected cantatas. Many of these have been internationally recognized as most important masterpieces of world phonography. These works are listed and compared in chapters two and three.