Cantatas

"Vol. II ... consists primarily of selected movements from the cantatas of W.F. Bach, followed by translations of the texts of these movements and a critical commentary." --- Vita. --- Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Rochester, 1981.The extant vocal works of Wilhelm Friedemann Bach comprise approximately one-third of his total musical output. One secular and twenty-three church cantatas constitute the largest part of his vocal music, accounting for nearly nine-tenths of that repertoire. In the present study three main goals are set: 1. To convey more specific information about the cantatas of Friedemann Bach, 2. to place them in historical context, and 3. to provide some large-scale musical examples of these works, including an edition of an unpublished cantata in its entirety. The discussion of the cantatas is presented in Volume I; Volume II contains the musical excerpts. In Volume 1, Chapter I, there is a general discussion of Friedemann Bach's cantatas and of the German church cantata. The second chapter is devoted to an analysis of several movements of various cantatas, selected on the basis of their diversity and coverage of all types of movements found. A brief overview of his instrumental works and a comparison of these with the cantatas are presented in Chapter III. Finally, in the Conclusion a comparison of Friedemann Bach's cantatas with those of Johann Sebastian Bach reveals some new stylistic trends, characteristic of the mid-eighteenth century