Articles
The Union of Music and Theology in the Sacred Compositions of J. S. Bach
Music and Theology in the History of the Church
It is well known that theologian Karl Barth had a profound love for the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It is perhaps less well known, but equally true, that the composer Olivier Messiaen was deeply devoted to the theology of Thomas Aquinas. There have been many such interfaces between theology and music in the history of the Church. But among them, one stands out as particularly sustained and inspired, namely, the union of music and theology found in the sacred compositions of J. S. Bach (1685-1750). Although it seems eminently clear to many music lovers and scholars that Bach was theologically engaged, there is debate and disagreement about the matter of his interaction with theology. This essay will explore this question, arguing that Bach was theologically engaged at a very high level. Evidence for this argument is both in biographical realities and matters internal to Bach�s sacred compositions. Bach's amazing union of music and theology is inspiration for the church today, as pastors, church musicians, and composers continue crafting meaningful and appropriate music for the Church that is grounded in and reflective of her theology.
The Debate: A Theological Engagement with Music in Bach?
In order to understand the debate about Bach�s engagement, or lack of same, with theology, some background is helpful. Although he died in the mid-eighteenth century, Bach did not become famous as a composer until well into the nineteenth century. In fact, Bach came to be so revered during the course of the nineteenth century that a kind of myth was created about him, owing chiefly to the efforts of the German musicologist Philipp Spitta. According to Friedrich Blume, Spitta turned Bach into the great Lutheran cantor, the retrospective champion of tradition, the orthodox preacher of the Bible and the chorale . . . [fostering] the conception of Bach as supremely the church musician, and the ascendancy of the churchman over the musician.1 This portrait of Bach, Blume argues, held sway well into the twentieth century. But in the mid-twentieth century, the portrait of Bach as the fifth evangelist� came under critical scrutiny. The German scholar Alfred Drr, among others, began to craft a case for a radically new view of Bach�s compositional chronology. The most important result of the new timeline concerns the dating of the Leipzig church cantatas, most of which were now thought to have been composed in the first several years that Bach was in Leipzig (i.e., beginning in 1723). Gone was the old view that Bach worked on the church cantatas more or less consistently across the decades in Leipzig (i.e., from 1723 until his death in 1750). With this new conception came some rich conjecture. Some argued that the drop-off in cantata output signaled a disillusionment with church work�and perhaps even with Christianity�on Bach�s behalf. For proponents of the revised view, gone was the mythical conception of Bach as a conservative Lutheran and servant of the church.
What is one to make of this debate? Does one cling to the old view? Or must one adopt the revised one? It seems that a third option is possible: One could accept the new chronology without drawing radical conclusions from it. That is, one could account for Bach's drop-off in cantata output without concluding that he despaired about the truth of Christianity or his vocation as a servant of the church. In this connection, Robin Leaver argues helpfully that the change in compositional habits is more likely to have been caused by the lack of understanding and sympathy on the part of the officialdom in Leipzig2than a rejection of the Christian faith. The view that Bach was engaged with theology throughout his life is bolstered by a number of biographical realities, among them the fact that Bach studied theology in his youth. Moreover, to secure the position as cantor of the Thomasschule in Leipzig in 1723, Bach successfully sustained theological examinations.3 It is also a fact that Bach possessed a large theological library, including various works on Scripture and its interpretation, as well as two sets of the works of Martin Luther.4The only surviving work from his library, the so-called Calov Bible Commentary, indicates that Bach was a careful reader of Scripture. In addition to various underlinings, the three-volume work contains some instructive handwritten comments made by its owner.5
Beyond these biographical realities, further evidence to be found in his sacred compositions themselves suggests that Bach had a deep interest in Lutheran Christianity and theology.6To a sampling of these we now turn.7
Music and Theology in Bach�s Passions and Mass in B Minor
During the years that Bach worked in Leipzig, the city was strongly committed to Lutheran orthodoxy. For the church�s worship, therefore, Bach was expected to follow the theological device of the Lutheran liturgical calendar. After arriving in Leipzig in 1723, therefore, the new music director planned a series of musico-theological works organized around the events and themes of the church year. Chief among these are the several cantata cycles and the passions.
To illustrate Bach's careful and deliberate use of theology in his sacred music, consider some of the features of the passions. Well schooled as he was in biblical text and Christian theology, especially the Lutheran leitmotif of the theology of the cross, Bach produced some of his greatest�and some of Western music's greatest�compositions for Good Friday. In addition to the expressive and superbly crafted music in the passions, there is also a wealth of theological material found in them. Reflecting different emphases in Luther's view of Christ�s work and death on the cross, Bach�s two surviving passions�the St. Matthew Passion(1727) and the St. John Passion(1724)�embody two
different views of the atonement. The satisfaction view, which came into being in the Middle Ages via St. Anselm, holds that Christ died on the cross in order to meet the demands of divine justice and righteousness given the reality of sin. This view is on display in the St. Matthew Passion. The ransom view, which came into being in patristic Christianity, holds that Christ died on the cross in order to free sinners in bondage to sin, death, and the devil. One finds this view expressed in the St. John Passion.8
In the longer and more famous of the two passions, the St. Matthew Passion, Bach intends to summon three responses in his listener: compassion (i.e., literal suffering with Christ); conviction (i.e., of sin, which leads to death, and the consequent need for redemption); and imitation (i.e., cross-bearing). In other words, in eminent Lutheran fashion, Bach underscores the cost of human redemption vis-a-vis sin and creates a keen awareness of Christ's undertaking on behalf of humanity a cluster of theological truths also emphasized by the satisfaction view of the atonement. Consider the closing choral number of Part One (No. 29)�one of several places in the work where the satisfaction view can be discerned:
O Mensch, bewein dein S�nde gro�,
O human being, weep for your great sin,
Darum Christus seins Vaters Scho�
For which Christ his Father�s bosom
�u�ert und kam auf Erden;
Left and came to earth;
Von einer Jungfrau rein und zart
Of a virgin pure and mild
F�r uns er hie geboren ward,
For us he was born here,
Er wollt der Mittler werden.
He wanted to be the mediator.
Den Toten er das Leben gab
To the dead he gave life
Und legt darbei all Krankheit ab,
And thereby set aside all sickness
Bis sich die Zeit herdrange,
Until the time arrived,
Dass er f�r uns geopfert w�rd,
That he was offered up for us,
Tr�g unsrer S�nden schwere B�rd
Carried the heavy burden of our sin
Wohl an dem Kreuze lange.
Even to the cross.
But Bach also endeavors to emphasize the importance of dying�and ultimately of rising with Christ. How he connects the paradigmatic death of Christ with individual human death can be seen in the St. Matthew Passionin Bach's response to Jesus' last words. After the evangelist sings in No. 61 that Christ cried out and departed, Bach's immediate response (No. 62) is a chorale�a communal confession of faith�that utilizes the melody of the famous passion chorale O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden� / O Sacred Head Now Wounded�:
Wenn ich einmal soll scheiden,
When I shall once depart,
So scheide nicht von mir,
Depart not from me,
Wenn ich den Tod soll leiden,
When I shall suffer death
So tritt du denn herfr!
Then come and stand by me!
Wenn mir am allerbngsten
When the greatest fear
Wird um das Herze sein,
Shall surround my heart,
So rei mich aus den ngsten
So tear me from my fears
Kraft deiner Angst und Pein!
By the power of your fear and pain!
In the remainder of the work, Bach follows the post-mortem passion narrative in the Gospel of Matthew and then points out the connection between the two Adams in No. 64, and in so doing shows himself to be a good Pauline, Augustinian Lutheran: Am Abend, da es khle war, Ward Adams Fallen offenbar; Am Abend drcket ihn der Heiland nieder / In the evening, when it was cool, [the first] Adam's fall was made manifest; In the evening the Savior [the second Adam] overpowered it. Bach ends the work with the believer clinging to the cross and calling to Christ in the grave, wishing him rest. Interestingly, there is no obvious indication of resurrection at the end of the St. Matthew Passion. This absence may well be rooted in the satisfaction view of the atonement, which has a relatively lower estimate of the resurrection than the ransom view of the atonement.
In the St. John Passion, in reflecting on the cosmic significance of Christ�s death, Bach reflects cosmic themes in the Gospel of John itself. He begins this work (No. 1) with a threefold cry addressed to the Lord (Herr), asking to be shown that even in suffering and lowliness, Christ will be shown to be the glorified and triumphant Son of the triune God. Here Bach hints at the ransom view of the atonement, which emphasizes Christ's defeat of the powers of sin, evil, and death�a point Bach makes at various junctures in the St. John Passion. When he comes to the point in the narrative in the Gospel of John where Christ speaks his final words, Bach writes a most moving aria for alto on the last words spoken by Christ, accompanied by a sole, mournful viola da gamba (No. 30: Es ist vollbracht� / It is finished�). In this lament, there is a sudden shift (tempo, dynamics) to the theme of triumph (�Der Held aus Juda siegt mit Macht� / Judea's hero conquers with power�), consistent with the ransom view of the atonement, and then a return to the lament. Then the evangelist declares that Christ bowed his head and departed. Here Bach masterfully pauses for a moment of deeply searching individual theological reflection accompanied by background choral singing (cf. the purely communal response of the St. Matthew Passion) dominated by a single, deep voice. In an aria for bass with choir, Bach indicates the intimate relation between the death of the incarnate Son of God and the deaths of all sons and daughters of God. In so doing, he asks his own central question concerning the �last enemy� (1 Cor. 15:26), which is answered by the bowed head of the voiceless, crucified Christ�an image that Bach movingly reads as an affirmative answer to his line of questioning, to his faith in search of understanding (No. 32):
(Bass)
Mein teurer Heiland, la dich fragen,
My precious Savior let me ask you,
Da du nunmehr ans Kreuz geschlagen
Now that you are nailed to the cross
Und selbst gesaget: Es ist vollbracht
And yourself said: It is fulfilled
Bin ich vom Sterben frei gemacht?
Am I now from death made free?
Kann ich durch deine Pein und Sterben
Can I through your pain and death
Das Himmelreich ererben?
Inherit the kingdom of heaven?
Ist aller Welt Erl sung da?
Is all the world's salvation at hand?
Du kannst vor Schmerzen zwar nichts sagen,
You cannot even speak because of pain,
Doch neigest du das Haupt
Yet you bow your head
Und sprichst stillschweigend: Ja!
And speak silently: Yes!
(Choir)
Jesu, du der warest tot,
Jesus, you who were dead
Lebest nun ohn� Ende,
Live now without end,
In der letzten Todesnot
In the final despair of death
Nirgend mich hinwende,
Never turn me anywhere,
Als zu dir, der mich vers�hnt.
But to you, who reconciles me.
O mein trauter Herre!
O my faithful Lord!
Gib mir nur, was du verdient,
Give me only what you have earned,
Mehr ich nicht begehre.
More I do not ask.
In the rest of the work, Bach completes his musical account of the passion narrative in the Gospel of John, emphasizing the cosmic proportions that have unfolded and the sorrow of the believer in witnessing the death of Christ. He ends the St. John Passionwith a theology of hope, with clear reference to the idea of resurrection. In the concluding movement (No. 40: �Ach Herr, la� dein lieb Engelein� / �O Lord, let your dear little angel�) the text expresses a desire for the soul to be carried to Abraham�s bosom, there to await awakening from death�a clear indicator of the Christian view that Christ�s death is the end of all death, that his resurrection guarantees the believer�s resurrection.
The theological connection between Christ�s death and resurrection and the believer�s death and resurrection is also emphasized by Bach in what might be thought of as his summa theologiae in miniature, the Mass in B Minor. This work, compiled near the end of Bach�s life, does not
fit in with the Lutheran church calendar. It does, however, reflect Bach�s ongoing concern with the union of music and theology. In the Credo, his setting of the Nicene Creed, the Christocentric Bach depicts the mystery of the incarnation and laments the crucifixion, which the composer places at the very center of the Credo. The piece ends almost inaudibly. After a short moment of silence, he releases all the forces at his disposal and bursts out with a choral Et resurrexit:
Et resurrexit tertia die
And he arose on the third day
secundum scripturas,
according to the Scriptures,
et ascendit in coelum,
and ascended into heaven,
sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris,
sitting at the right hand of the God the Father
et iterum venturus est cum gloria
and he shall come again with glory
judicare vivos et mortuos,
to judge the living and the dead,
cuius regni non erit finis.
whose kingdom shall have no end.
When he ends the Credo with Et expecto resurrectionem (�And I look for the resurrection [of the dead]�), Bach clearly seeks to remind the listener of the connection between Christ�s death and resurrection and the believer�s own, for the second part of this choral movement is melodically similar to and composed in the same key as Et resurrexit. Like Et resurrexit, the instrumentation of Et expecto resurrectionem�s second part features trumpets and tympani:9
Et expecto resurrectionem
And I look for the resurrection [of the dead]
et vitam venturi saeculi,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
The foregoing are a few examples of many others that show how carefully and deliberately Bach went about the work of integrating music and theology. Taking into account the objective evidence reviewed above as well as the internal evidence afforded by the compositions themselves, then, the general conclusion that music and theology were closely and intentionally connected for Bach seems irresistible.
The Ongoing Legacy of Bach for the Christian Church
Music and theology are closely connected in the life of the Christian church. Every Sunday during worship, congregations hear the word of the Lord, sing God�s praises, lament life�s woes, and confess their faith. As ministers of music and leaders of worship go about their work of planning the musico-theological events known as worship services, they are well advised to consult the works of Bach, either for actual use in worship or as inspiration for their own planning or composition. The corpus is inexhaustible�and, sadly�seemingly little consulted or sufficiently
appreciated. Bach may not be the fifth evangelist, but he is the first among composers who sought to bring music and theology into blessed union with one another. He has a great deal to teach the church of all ages. Take up and read. Take up and hear.
ENDNOTES
1. Friedrich Blume, �Outlines of a New Picture of Bach,� Music and Letters44, no. 3 (July 1963): 216.
2. Robin Leaver, J.S. Bach and Scripture: Glosses from the Calov Bible Commentary (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing, 1985), 14.
3. See Hans T. David and Arthur Mendel, eds., The New Bach Reader: A Life of Johann Sebastian Bach in Letters and Documents, rev. and enl. by Christoph Wolff (New York: W.W. Norton, 2000), 105.
4. See David and Mendel, New Bach Reader, 253�54.
5. See Leaver, J.S. Bach and Scripture, passim.
6. For a general description of the Lutheran tradition and its significance for Bach, see Robin A. Leaver, �Music and Lutheranism,� in The Cambridge Companion to Bach, ed. John Butt (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1997), 35�45.
7. For the texts of Bach�s sacred works, see �Bach Contatas website,� www.bach-cantatas.com/. In what follows, translations from German and Latin, aimed at literal accuracy, are my own.
8. See Jaroslav Pelikan, Bach among the Theologians (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1986), 89�115.
9. See George B. Stauffer, Bach: The Mass in B Minor: The Great Catholic Mass(New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2003), 125�44.
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