Timothy Blunk

Dr. Russell Stinson

MUS 570-03

Studies in Bach Reception

10/28/15

Thoughts on Bach’s “Jesu, der du meine Seele”

J.S. Bach is known universally for his secular and sacred music. Though any work by

Bach stands well on its own, Bach’s devout Lutheranism places much of his body of work into

greater context. The Majority of professional posts held by Bach brought him into influential

roles within the church. From early duties as church organist, through appointments to

provide weekly church music for liturgical services at Leipzig, Bach always sought to create

music “to the glory of God alone”. Bach’s duties at Leipzig were numerous and must have

stretched him thin. His official title was Thomaskantor of the Thomasschule, and his duties

included leading classes in latin, directing the choir, and providing a cantata for service every

Sunday. These sacred cantatas would be some of his most celebrated works.

A cantata is a work for voice and instruments. Bach composed cantatas during much of

his life, but his greatest output happened during his appointment at Leipzig. All in all, we have

about 200 works of this genre, though many more have been lost. The work ”Jesu, der du

meine Seele” was composed for the fourteenth Sunday after Trinity (premiered on September

10th, 1724). It is a chorale cantata, built around a hymn of the same name by Johann Rist.

This piece is striking in its dramatic content, not only via the subject matter of the hymn, arias,

and recitative, but by the near operatic way this music is given to the listener. As noted by

Sarah Fuller in “European Musical Heritage, 800-1750” the pieces “fuses German Lutheran

traditions… with Italian secular genres, particularly solo cantata and opera”. I agree with this
sentiment about the music when considering the treatment of the recitative in this piece.

Unlike traditional church cantatas the recitative in “Jesu, der du meine Seele” serves not only

to set the scene, but also is fundamentally musical and “deeply expressive”. Each takes the

form of an arioso at the end, rather than maintaining a strictly speech-like pattern.

In Joseph Kerman’s “Opera as Drama”, an argument is made citing the recitative as a

distinguishing factor in the consideration of this piece. Kerman calls Bach the “greatest

recitative writer of the baroque [after Monteverdi]” and even draws parallel of “Metastasian”

writing within his style. Though it is doubtful that Bach knew Pietro Metastasio during his

lifetime, it is possible that he was acquainted with his libretti and emulated his dramatic

technique. This sentiment is meant to point out the way Bach writes within a dramatic idiom

where he highlights moments of introspection and feeling with Arias and moves drama

forward using recitative. Kerman also touches on the inclusion of arioso elements in the

recitative by commenting on the return of the chorale text within the second recitative and

underlining the forward musical/dramatic characteristic of this inclusion.

Bach is renowned to be the culmination of baroque music. This is partly through his

amalgamation of musical styles from across the European continent. Various regional styles

of dance make appearances in his suites, specific rhythms would lead to an entire piece of

music being colloquially known as The French Suite, and his cantatas, oratorios, and

passions invite direct comparisons to Italian operatic tradition. In Robert L. Marshall’s “The

Music of Johann Sebastian Bach” he calls this a “universality” and expands on this idea for an

entire chapter- he cites the cantata “Jesu, der du meine Seele” (it’s opening chorus in

particular) as one of the finest examples of this synthesis of styles.

Some of these details may be lost on the listener if they do not know what finer details

to look for. I don’t believe this detracts from the beauty or the impact of the piece. Rather, I

feel this adds to the contemplative nature of the work. I gave the piece a “blind” first listen
and it was only after reading the above cited texts that I realized there was recitative in the

piece. This is the melodious composition of the recitative at work, and also the fact that they

seem to morph into the proceeding movements. Since this work exists not on the stage, but

within the devout listener’s mind, it makes sense that the emphasis on who/where the text is

being delivered from would be distorted/deemphasized. I received the work as a beautiful

piece of pure music, rather than feeling like there was an underlying drama occurring in an

indecipherable language. If Bach can do this within the context of a poignant piece of liturgical

music, then that speaks to the true “universality” of his musical language.

Sources:

Fuller, Sarah. "18th Century Vocal." European Musical Heritage. 1st ed. New York: McGraw-Hill,

1987. 514-46. Print.

Kerman, Joseph. "The Dark Ages." Opera as Drama. Berkeley: U of California, 1988. 51-55. Print.

Marshall, Robert Lewis. "On Bach's Universality." The Music of Johann Sebastian Bach: The Sources,

the Style, the Significance. New York: Schirmer, 1989. 76-79. Print.

Ton Koopman/Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir. J.S. Bach Cantatas Vol. 12. 2002. CD.