On-line Book Review

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TITLE Handbook to Bach's Sacred Cantata Texts: An Interlinear Translation with Reference Guide to Biblical Quotations and Allusions by Melvin P. Unger. PUBL. DETAILS Lanham, Md. & London: Scarecrow Press, Inc. (1996), xvi+ 776p. Hardback. US$95 ISBN 0-8108-2979-7 TO ORDER Scarecrow Press, Inc. The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing, 15200 NBN Way, Bldg. B, Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17214, USA SUMMARY DESCRIPTION A comprehensive reference book containing both word-for-word English translation of Bach's sacred cantata text and the quotations + allusions from the passages in the bible; comprehensive indices WORKS COVERED BWV 1-200, 248-9; the works no longer considered as Bach's original (i.e. BWV 15, 53, 141-2, 160 and 189) are not discussed, however. READERSHIP Serious scholars, students as well as listeners who feel the need of fuller historical and liturgical background of Bach's cantata text; word-for-word translation of cantata text. RESEARCH  CONTRIBUTION Unique and very significant publication for the study of Bach's cantata text.

Today we know when Bach wrote and performed his cantatas, thanks particularly to the ground-breaking research of Alfred Dürr and Georg von Dadelsen, who established a firm basis on which we now date them. Many more efforts were also put into further research attempting to re-establish the historical and liturgical contexts in which Bach’s works were composed and performed. Through their work, we also come to learn that Bach’s sacred cantatas had their roles in Lutheran liturgical setting. Each cantata was a “musical sermon”, transmitting theological messages to the listeners during the church service. So cantata in itself was a medium to proclaim the Gospel, and from this approach, one can perhaps imagine how carefully the cantata texts were prepared.

Bach's cantata texts contain numerous allusions to the passages in the bible, which proliferates further meanings in listener’s mind. Unfortunately, they are not always clear to most of us today for various reasons; we do not know, for example, the relative popularity of specific allusions in Bach’s time; not all allusions are identifiable any way.

Hence Unger produced this comprehensive handbook for us; it tells us what quotations and allusions there are in every cantata movement, so that we may be able to judge for ourselves how they can interact with music. He provides no further editorial explanations of connections or relationships, as it seems obvious that there is no way to find a definitive answer, as it must surely have been the case in an eighteenth-century setting; so it is up to the individual to make up his or her mind to contemplate what the text could be alluding.
 

The data was presented neatly and systematically, using two-column layout throughout: on the left is cantata text (original text in German with its English translation); on the right is the alluded passages taken from the bible. Bold and italics are used to distinguish the types of text, i.e. attribute for chorale text and text from bible respectively, which are separated from the free passages in normal typeface.

a large reference book measuring c.14x11 inches

In order to follow Unger’s highly compact system, one has to read and understand his three-page “explanatory notes” thoroughly, which is actually quite straightforward. For each cantata movement, the author provides a one-line caption, summarising the literary theme: an innovative idea. There is an alphabetical index at the back, which is also very useful.

His German translation is unique: it is “word for word” translation. Two kinds of brackets, { } and ( ), are used to separate the supplemented text from the verbatim translation, viz. clarifying the meaning and grammatical structure respectively. This enables you to follow Bach's text word by word.

Cantatas are arranged in BWV order, and so it is very easy to find the piece you are after. The volume also includes a set of nine indices as follows:

1. alphabetical index of movement summaries
2. alphabetical index of chorale stanzas
3. index of chorale stanzas appearing more than once
4. index of scriptural quotations and strict paraphrases
5. alphabetical index of librettists
6. index of first performance dates
7. index of cantatas in chronological order
8. index of cantatas in liturgical order
9. alphabetical index of cantatas with chronological order numbers