List of church cantatas by liturgical occasion

The following is a list of church cantatas, sorted by the liturgical occasion for which they were composed and performed. The genre was particularly popular in 18th-century Lutheran Germany, although there are later examples.

The liturgical calendar of the German Reformation era had, without counting Reformation Day and days between Palm Sunday and Easter, 72 occasions for which a cantata could be presented. Composers such as Telemann composed cycles of church cantatas comprising all 72 occasions (e.g. Harmonischer Gottes-Dienst). Such a cycle is called an "ideal" cycle, while in any given liturgical year feast days could coincide with Sundays, and the maximum number of Sundays after Epiphany and the maximum number of Sundays after Trinity could not all occur.

In some places, of which Leipzig in Johann Sebastian Bach's time is best known, no concerted music was allowed for the three last Sundays of Advent, nor for the Sundays of Lent (apart when Annunciation fell on a Sunday in that period, or in Holy Week), so the "ideal" year cycle (German: Jahrgang) for such places comprised only 64 cantatas (or 63 without the cantata for Reformation Day).^[1]

As the bulk of extant cantatas were composed for occasions occurring in the liturgical calendar of the German Reformation era, including Passion cantatas for Good Friday, that calendar is followed for the presentation of cantatas in this section. Most cantatas made reference to the content of the readings and to Lutheran hymns appropriate for the occasion. The melodies of such hymns often appeared in cantatas, for example as in the four-part settings concluding Bach's works, or as a cantus firmus in larger choral movements. Other occasions for church cantatas include weddings and funeral services. Thus below also readings and hymns associated with the occasion are listed, for the hymns for instance based on Vopelius' Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch.^[2] Data such as readings and hymns generally apply to Bach's Leipzig: differences may occur in other places, or other times, as indicated.

Advent

Advent is celebrated on the four Sundays before Christmas. Sometimes, as in Leipzig, there was a tempus clausum (silent time: no cantatas performed) for the last three Sundays of Advent.

Christmas to Epiphany

The Christmas season was celebrated from Christmas Day through Epiphany. Three days were observed for Christmas, with a Christmas cantata performed every day. The next feast days were New Year and Epiphany. Sundays may occur between the third day of Christmas and New Year and/or between New Year and Epiphany: thus the period had at least five occasions, or at most seven.

For the Christmas season of 1734–35 Bach composed the Christmas Oratorio in six parts, to be performed as the cantata in the service on the six feast days, three days of Christmas, New Year, the Sunday after New Year and Epiphany (there was no Sunday between the third day of Christmas and New Year in 1734).

Sundays after Epiphany

Depending on the date of Easter, a variable number (up to six) of Sundays occurred between Epiphany and Septuagesima, the third Sunday before Ash Wednesday. The sixth Sunday after Epiphany is extremely rare: in the first half of the 18th century cantatas for this Sunday were only composed in "ideal" cantata cycles, but for instance not by composers such as Bach and Graupner who generally only composed what was to be performed under their direction.

Pre-Lenten Season

There were three Sundays in the Pre-Lenten Season: Septuagesima, Sexagesima and Quinquagesima (the last one also known as Estomihi)

Lent

During Lent, the six Sundays between Ash Wednesday and Easter, "quiet time" was observed in Leipzig. Only the feast of Annunciation was celebrated with a cantata, even if it fell in that time. On Good Friday, a Passion was performed, in most cases rather considered an Oratorio than a cantata. In Graupner's Darmstadt there was also a cantata on Maundy Thursday.

Easter to Pentecost

Eastertide comprises the time up to Pentecost, starting with three days of Easter. There are five Sundays between Easter and Ascension. Ascension is followed by one Sunday before the three feast days of Pentecost.

The Sundays between Easter and Pentecost have Latin names, derived from the beginning of the prescribed readings. For example, the first Sunday after Easter is called Quasimodogeniti. Some sources name the Sunday after Easter the second Sunday in Easter, counting Easter Sunday as the first.

Trinity and the Sundays after Trinity

Trinity is the Sunday after Pentecost. A variable number of Sundays occurs between Trinity and the first Sunday in Advent, a maximum of 27, if Easter is extremely early.

Marian feasts

There are three Marian feast days that are usually observed in the German Reformation era: Purification on 2 February, Annunciation on 25 March and Visitation on 2 July

Feast of John the Baptist

St. John's Day was celebrated on 24 June, with cantatas written by, among others, Bach and Telemann.

Feast of St. Michael

St. Michael's Day was celebrated on 29 September with, for instance, cantatas by Bach and Telemann, but in Graupner's Darmstadt there was apparently no demand for such cantatas.

Feast of St. Stephen

Saint Stephen's Day falls on 26 December, the second day of Christmas, so generally not counted as a separate occasion.

Reformation Day

Reformation Day is celebrated on 31 October and for instance Bach and Graupner wrote cantatas for the occasion. Reformation Day is however not always seen as one of the feasts of the liturgical year: for instance in Telemann's and Picander's ideal cantata cycles the feast day is not mentioned.

Telemann's ideal cycle thus consists of four Sundays of Advent; Seven occasions from Christmas to Epiphany; Nine Sundays between Epiphany and Lent; Six Sundays of Lent; 14 occasions from Easter to Trinity; 27 Sundays after Trinity; Three Marian Feasts, St. John's Day (24 June) and Michaelmas – totalling 72 occasions for which he provided a cantata.

Graupner's church cantatas do not include the sixth Sunday after Epiphany, nor cantatas for St. John's Day or Michaelmas, however there are cantatas for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, which totals 71 occasions from GWV 1101 to 1171, with GWV 1173 indicating Reformation Day cantatas.

Libretto cycles

Several cantata libretto cycles were published in the first half of the 18th century:

• Erdmann Neumeister:
  • Geistliche Cantaten (1702)^[3]
• Anonymous (Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen?)^[4]
  • Sonn- und Fest-Andachten (Meiningen 1704)
• Benjamin Schmolck:
  • Das Saiten-Spiel des Hertzens (1720)^[3]
• Picander:
  • Sammlung Erbaulicher Gedanken (1724–25)
  • Cantaten auf die Sonn- und Fest-Tage durch das gantze Jahr (1728–29)