Cantatas (Telemann)

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Georg Philipp Telemann's cantatas represent a large part of his compositions numerically. In addition to around 1,750 church cantatas, Telemann also wrote chamber cantatas and cantatas in the so-called “theatrical style”.

The cantatas

Telemann's cantatas covered a large part of the needs of German cantors in his day . It has been proven that they were performed in a great many churches, including smaller ones, and are preserved in numerous libraries. Only some of the cantatas are in print.

Telemann often set texts by Erdmann Neumeister to music . Other poets whose texts Telemann put his cantatas are based are Johann Friedrich Helbig , Hermann Ulrich von Lingen , Solomon Franck , Benjamin Neukirch , Michael Richey , Lukas von Bostel , Gottfried Simonis and others, including those with Deut thrusts ends Society were in touch . Apart from the utility cantatas for directly ecclesiastical purposes, Telemann often composed cantatas with humor or descriptions of nature as their content.

In order to meet the requirements of the very numerous smaller churches as well as the teaching purposes for domestic use, Telemann also published collections of cantatas with simpler works, such as Der Harmonische Gottesdienst (1726) and the Evangelical-musical songbook (1730).

The year conception of Telemann's sacred cantatas

Telemann composed many of his sacred cantatas for the same year, as when he left his employers such as the Eisenacher Hof or the city of Frankfurt he had assumed the contractual obligation to deliver a few more cantatas at a time. It was Telemann's concern to give the years a certain cohesion by generally using texts from a single poet for a year and often linking the cantatas with one another through common musical stylistic features. The years are often characterized by descriptive names, which mostly do not come from Telemann himself, but from his contemporaries.

Some years of cantatas identified so far with their first performance dates:

  • Sacred singing and playing, Eisenach 1710/11, Frankfurt 1717/18, also second settings
  • French year, text by Erdmann Neumeister, Eisenach and Frankfurt 1714/15
  • Italian year, Eisenach and Frankfurt 1716/17
  • Simonis' Neues Lied, text by Gottfried Simonis (as a supplement to the first half of the Italian year), Eisenach and Frankfurt 1716/17
  • Sicilian vintage, text by Johann Friedrich Helbig, Eisenach 1718/19, Hamburg 1722/23, Frankfurt 1726/27
  • First year of Lingenscher, text by Hermann Ulrich von Lingen, Eisenach 1720/21
  • Brandenburg vintage, text by Michael Christoph Brandenburg , 1723/24 (fragment)
  • Year without recitative, 1724/25
  • Harmonious service of God, 1725/26
  • Harmonious praise of God 1726/27
  • Emblematic year, 1728 (fragment)
  • Second year of Lingenscher, text by Hermann Ulrich von Lingen, 1728/29
  • Oratory year / Zellian year, 1730/31
  • Stolberg vintage / Behrndt vintage, 1736/37
  • Horn vintage, 1739/40
  • Musical praise of God in the Lord's Church , 1742/43
  • Lied vintage / Lieder devotional vintage 1743/44
  • Engel vintage, text by Daniel Stoppe , Hamburg 1747/48

Some well-known cantatas

Worldly

The schoolmaster (TVWV 20:57)

This cantata (“You boys, open your ears”) is about the singing lesson of an awkward but self-confident cantor with his students. It is a humorous cantata of the “theatrical type” that could be staged. It is only available in an instrumental arrangement by Christoph Ernst Friedrich Weyse , to which further instrumental parts (horns, oboes, etc.) were probably added. Fritz Stein made a reconstruction of the original in which the cantor and boys' choir are accompanied by two violins and a thoroughbass. Due to the unsatisfactory musical quality of this cantata, Telemann's authorship is more than doubtful.

"Canary cantata" (TVWV 20:37)

The correct title of this piece for voice, two melodic instruments (e.g. violins), viola and basso continuo is cantata or mourning music by an art-experienced canary who died to the great chagrin of his master possessoris. (Published for all lovers of noble music. Anno 1737, the 16th October in Hamburg) The cantata is not to be understood as ostensibly ironic, but as thoroughly serious ("Oh dear, my Canarin is dead").

Ino (TVWV 20:41)

Cantata from 1765 for soprano, 2 flutes, 2 horns, string orchestra and thoroughbass, whose drama and expressiveness are often compared to Gluck's musical tragedies; especially the accompanied recitatives are worked out in this regard. The text (“Where to, where should I go”) comes from Karl Wilhelm Ramler .
  • The Melancholicus (TVWV 20:44): “Am I so utterly abandoned”; written for high voice, violin etc.
  • The Order of Women (TVWV 20:49): “You pleasant order of women”; written for soprano, 2 violins etc.
  • Die Landlust (TVWV 20:33): Cantata No. 5 (“In you, you green meadows”) from the collection of six cantatas based on various poems , Hamburg, approx. 1735/39. Written for high voice, flute etc.
  • In a valley, surrounded by tall oaks (TVWV 20:22): Cantata No. 6 from the collection "Six Cantatas According to Different Seals", Hamburg, 1731. Written for medium voice, recorder, 2 violins, viola etc.
  • Sweet hope when I ask (TVWV 20:70): Cantata for high voice, 2 bassoons, 2 violins, viola etc.

Spiritually

  • the Advent cantatas Open the gates wide (1719, TWV 1: 1074), Tell the daughter Zion (1722, TVWV 1: 1235), Hosanna to the son David (1744, TVWV 1: 809) and Tell the desperate hearts (1726, TVWV 1 : 1233)
  • the Christmas cantatas The godly secret is literally great (1742, TVWV 1: 1020), see! I proclaim great joy to you (1761, TVWV 1: 1334) and the Lord has revealed (1762, TVWV 1: 262)
  • the Christmas and New Year cantata Auf Zion! And leave in hallowed halls (1761, TVWV 1: 109)

See also

literature

  • Wolf Hobohm: Telemann as a cantata composer - attempting an order and typology of his years. In: "Now a Polish song makes the world jump." Telemann and others in the musical landscape of Saxony and Poland (= Arolser Contributions to Music Research. Volume 6). Sinzig 1998, pp. 29-52.
  • Wolf Hobohm: Telemann's years of cantatas based on Neumeister texts. Dating, clients, designs. In: Henrike Rucker (Ed.): Erdmann Neumeister (1671–1756). Pioneer of the Protestant church cantata (= Weissenfels cultural traditions. 2). Hain, Weimar 2000, ISBN 3-930215-51-9 , pp. 111-134.
  • Werner Menke: Thematic index of the vocal works by Georg Philipp Telemann.
    • Volume 1, Cantatas for Divine Service Use . 2nd edition Vittorio Klostermann, Frankfurt a. M. 1988. ISBN 3-465-01835-4 .
    • Volume 2, cantatas for church inaugurations, introductions to preachers, funerals, passions, spiritual. Oratorios, psalms, motets, masses, magnificat, wedding serenades, comp. For birthdays, works for political celebrations, compositions for the Hamburg and Altona schools, captain's music, secular cantatas, operas, opera interludes and prologues, worldly. Oratorios, textbooks, odes, songs. 2nd edition Vittorio Klostermann, Frankfurt a. M. 1995. ISBN 3-465-02829-5 .
  • Ute Poetzsch-Seban: The church music by Georg Philipp Telemann and Erdmann Neumeister. On the history of the Protestant church cantata in the first half of the 18th century (= writings on Central German music history. Volume 13). Ortus musikverlag, Beeskow 2006. ISBN 3-937788-06-9 .
  • Christiane Jungius: Telemanns Frankfurter Kantatenzyklen (= Swiss contributions to music research. Volume 12). Bärenreiter, Kassel, Basel, London, New York, Praha 2008. ISBN 978-3-7618-1998-2 .
  • Brit Reipsch: On Georg Philipp Telemann's annual thinking - presented with examples of sacred cantatas by Eisenach poets. In: "Now a Polish song makes the world jump." Telemann and others in the musical landscape of Saxony and Poland (= Arolser Contributions to Music Research. Volume 6). Sinzig 1998, pp. 63-76.

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