Understanding Bach and how his illuminations of daily life, especially in his 219 cantatas, relate to today’s world can be difficult. All these cantatas and what they offer are discussed in my six book series On the Cantatas of J.S. Bach; and, in doing so, also demonstrate that the enduring purpose of art is to bring before us the awareness that the earthly reality we have come into is almost too beautiful to bear, and too beautiful not to lose.
Bach interprets the human condition through the assertion and musical examination of the relevance of the gospels and epistles of the Christian Bible. The Baroque cantata and, still now, the contemporary liturgy are based upon these prescriptive texts. The epistle, which is essentially didactic, is from the Apostolic letters retained in Scripture. The gospel is concerned with the life and teachings of Christ, and is essentially expository of an individual application of action. It is in his cantatas that Bach consistently propounds many surpassing interpretations of the nature and spirit of life. Though the over-reaching principles are philosophical and ethical, but how they apply is determined, ultimately, by the individual.
Book One of this six part series examines the 35 cantatas Bach composed to affirm the fundamental aspects of the Sundays and feast days of Trinity I to VII, such as the relationship of money to morality, and the correlation between personal identity and the need to understand others. It is a personal exploration. It is written for those who seek the same. Whether you are religious or irreligious, musician or not, to participate in this exploration, buy this book now.
