- Inter-faculty Studies in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
- Bachelor's degree, first cycle programme, Computer Science
- Bachelor's degree, first cycle programme, Mathematics
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Computer Science
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Mathematics
Bach and His First Leipzig Cantata Cycle 3106-BACHKL-OG
The lecture will be devoted to J.S. Bach’s first annual cycle of cantatas.
It will address the following topics:
- the circumstances and context of J.S. Bach’s appointment as Cantor at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig;
- Bach’s duties as Cantor and the organization of his work;
- the musical landscape of Leipzig during Bach’s time;
- the form of the cantata, its role and place in Lutheran worship in Leipzig during the first half of the 18th century;
- the reflection of the liturgical year in Bach’s cantata compositions;
- an overview of Bach’s cantata output prior to his arrival in Leipzig in 1723;
- the sources of Bach’s cantata compositions, the texts, and their
librettists;
- a discussion of Bach’s most representative cantatas from his first
Leipzig cycle – including musical analysis and an explanation of the fundamental elements of Bach’s musical language.
The lecture will be illustrated with audio examples selected to
complement the content of each session, featuring the best currently available recordings.
It is assumed that participants will have a basic knowledge of musical notation and a general interest in the works of J.S. Bach.
Type of course
Mode
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Students will study in detail J.S. Bach’s cantata compositions created
during his first year as Cantor at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. As a
result of the lecture, they should gain an understanding of the meaning of
Bach’s cantata output and its liturgical as well as aesthetic functions.
Assessment criteria
Attendance at lectures is a prerequisite for passing the course. The lecture will be graded on the basis of an oral interview at the end of the semester.
The following elements will be assessed:
1/ mastery of the material discussed during all lectures and acquired from the required reading;
2/ the ability to connect facts, draw conclusions, and consider issues in a problem-oriented manner.
Bibliography
general literature:
Christoph Wolff, Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician, Oxford
2000;
Alfred Dürr, The Cantatas of J. S. Bach: With Their Librettos in German-
English Parallel Text, Oxford 2005.
Additional literature and possible online materials will be provided during
the course.
Additional information
Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes:
- Inter-faculty Studies in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
- Bachelor's degree, first cycle programme, Computer Science
- Bachelor's degree, first cycle programme, Mathematics
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Computer Science
- Master's degree, second cycle programme, Mathematics
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: