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Bach Studies: Liturgy, Hymnology, and Theology
Discussions - Part 2

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Leaver Chapter 3, "Bach’s Agnus Dei Compositions"

William L. Hoffman wrote (July 11, 2021):
Of the five sequential parts of the Mass Ordinary — Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus-Benedictus-Osanna complex, Agnus Dei — the litany or plea addressed to the symbolic Lamb of God that ends the Mass is possibly the least understood and performed of Bach's liturgical settings. Encompassing the sacrificial Lamb, the sacrifice of Christ, and the sacrament of the altar (communion), the Agnus Dei liturgical sequence (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnus_Dei) with its eucharistic meaning realized in the hands of Bach brings forth a wealth of music that reflects the general Christian plea for mercy, says Robin A. Leaver in his Chapter 3, "Bach’s Agnus Dei Compositions," of his Bach Studies, Part 1 on liturgy.¹ The German Agnus Dei was firmly planted in Lutheran tradition, particularly in Luther's Deutsche Messe, with the symbolic, sacrificial Blood of the Lamb embracing forgiveness and the Eucharist in two vernacular versions, with the closing repeat litany, "miserere nobis" (have mercy on us). This Agnus Dei was first made manifest in Bach's cantatas for the pre-Lenten Estomihi Sunday in Leipzig, beginning in 1723, with a unique, early bi-lingual setting of the Kyrie/Christe du Lamm Gottes, BWV 233a. Estomihi symbolism was continued in Bach's Good Friday Passions of John in the 1725 closing chorus and Matthew in the 1727 opening chorus. This reached fruition in Bach's "Great Catholic" B-minor Mass, beginning with the Missa: Kyrie Gloria, BWV 232^I, of 1733 and culminating in the central Credo and closing Agnus Dei of 1749. During the composition of his Missa tota, Bach also had the opportunity to present music of joy and thanksgiving for special services.

The plea for mercy to the Lamb of God is intoned in the Mass Ordinary opening Kyrie (Wikipedia, YouTube), affirmed within the Gloria (Wikipedia) and inferred in the Credo sequences as found in Bach's setting of the B-minor Mass. The Gloria passage is "Domine Deus . . ." (Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father) "who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, you who take away the sins of the world. Receive our prayer, you who sit at the right hand of the Father, and have mercy on us" (YouTube. The plea "Agnus Dei qui tollis peccata mundi" (Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world) also is alluded to in the Confiteor of the Credo, No. 8 "Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum" (I confess one baptism for the remission of sins, YouTube), especially at the ending reference to "peccatorum" (sins; mm. 120-122), says Leaver (Ibid.: 65).

Agnus Dei Historical Background

The Agnus Dei symbolic sacrifice and sacrament came as the last accepted acclamation of the Mass Ordinary rite, says Leaver in the first section of Chapter 3, "Historical background" (Ibid.: 49), with the Mass palindrome symmetrical mirror-form of opening and closing pleas for mercy encasing the joyous Gloria and Sanctus-Benedictus-Osanna complex and the extended, central Credo, creedal statement. The Agnus Dei from Martin Luther's perspective, "is associated with the action of distribution" of communion, says Leaver (Ibid.: 50) in the next section, "Lutheran eucharistic theology." In Luther's 1523 Formula missae (Wikipedia), during the Ministry (Service) of the Sacrament in festive services, the Latin Agnus Dei is sung at the beginning of the distribution and the German Agnus Dei (Luther's Christe, du Lamm Gottes)² at the end of communion. Luther's Deutsche Messe ³ of 1526 provides details of the Order of Divine Service. Bach set the Mass Ordinary in German Lutheran chorale versions: Kyrie, Kyrie Gott Vater in ewigkeit (Kyrie, God Father in heaven above), BWV 371; Gloria, Allein Gott in der Höh' sei Ehr’ (To God alone on high be glory), BWV 260; Credo, Wir glauben all an einem Gott (We all believe in one God), BWV 437; Sanctus, Jesaja dem Propheten das geschah (Isaiah the Prophet this happened), Bach alternate, Heilig, Heilig (Holy, holy), BWV 325; Agnus Dei, Christe, du Lamm Gottes (Christ, Thou Lamb of God), BWV 23/4, alternate, O Lamm Gottes unschuldig (O Lamb of God spotless), BWV 401; and German Dona nobis Pacem, “Verleih uns Frieden, gnädiglich” (Graciously grant us peace), BWV 126/7, 42/7, 1139.1/6=Anh.4/6, and alternate “Gott, sei uns gnädig und barmherzig” (May God be merciful and compassionate for us), BWV 323.

Blood of Lamb: Forgiveness, Eucharist

The sacrifice of the Blood of the Lamb also was known as the words of administration, "das Blut Jesu Christi," Leaver observes (Ibid.: 51), as part of the understanding of Lutheran Eucharistic theology which emphasizes the following: the Lord's Supper depends on the entire community of faith, with individuals attending as participants, consecrated elements are bread and wine with forgiveness as a gift, and all made effective by the presence of Christ. The entire liturgical sequence of the Agnus Dei as a distribution hymn, says Leaver (Ibid.: 52), is a corporate prayer of the congregation as the "royal priesthood of all believers" (Wikipedia), according to Lutheran theology, and is essentially musica sub communione (music under union). Luther also expanded the application of the Agnus Dei beyond the Roman Mass Ordinary, says Leaver (Ibid.: 53), as a Lutheran corporate eucharistic response entailed in various Lutheran eucharistic hymns: Jesus Christus Unser Heiland, der von uns den Gotteszorn wandt (Jesus Christ, our Savior, who turned God's wrath away from us), BWV 363; Sanctus, Jesaja dem Propheten das geschah, BWV 325; and Psalm 111, Ich danke dem Herrn von ganzem Herzen (I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, CPDL/Wiki), not set by Bach. Other communion hymns not cited in Leaver are Gott set gelobet und gedenedeit (O Lord, we praise Thee, bless Thee, and adore Thee), BWV 322; Mitten wir im Leben sind (In the midst of earthly life), BWV 383 (Leissen appropriate with the German Kyrie or Agnus Dei); and “Nun freut euch lieben Christen gmein (Dear Christians one and all rejoice), BWV 388 (Catechism communion hymn). Other Lutheran communion hymns Leaver cites (Ibid.: 39), are: Es wollt uns Gott genädig sein (May God be gracious to us, Psalm 67), BWV 311, 312, and Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren (Now praise, my soul, the Lord, Psalm 103 paraphrase), BWV 389, 390.

German Agnus Dei: Two Versions

The Latin Agnus Dei begins, "Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi" (Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world), with its concluding litany petition, "miserere nobis" (have mercy on us), said twice, with the final substitute plea of "Dona nobis pacem" (Grant us peace). The two German hymnic versions of the Agnus Dei, Christe, du Lamm Gottes (Christ, Thou Lamb of God, BCW), and the alternate, O Lamm Gottes unschuldig (O Lamb of God spotless, BCW), says Leaver (Ibid.: 53) are <<closely associated with the personal appropriation of forgiveness, the fruit of the Passion of Jesus, "in, with, and under" the eucharistic bread and wine, elements that are individually received within the corporate liturgical context as is signified in the words "Miserere nobis," "Erbarm dich unser"( have mercy upon us).>> The phrase, Erbarm dich mein, o Herre Gott (O God, be merciful to me) is the beginning of Penitential Psalm 51 (Bible Gateway) and the appropriate Lutheran chorale is the same (BCW), BWV 305). The two Agnus Dei German versions are Lenten/Passiontide hymns, says Leaver in the next section, "Bach's Estomihi cantatas." (Ibid.; 53), which Bach set in his Estomihi Cantatas 23/4 and 127/1 (Christe, du Lamm Gottes) and in the Passions. The chorus, Christe, du Lamm Gottes, closes the second version of the St. John Passion in 1725 (YouTube), and the melody is played instrumentally (BCW) in the opening chorus of 1725 Estomihi Cantata 127, Herr Jesu Christ, wahr' Mensch und Gott (Lord Jesus Christ, Truly Man and God (YouTube), while O Lamm Gottes unschuldig (O Lamb of God, innocent, BCW) is a cantus chorale trope in the monumental opening chorus of the 1727 St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244/1, "Kommt, Ihr Tochter, Helft Mir Klagen" (Come, you daughters, help me to lament, O Lamb of God, innocent; YouTube: 02:15).

1723 Estomihi Cantatas 22-23

Bach's probe cantatas for the Leipzig cantor position, BWV 22-23 (BCW), on Quinquagesima Estomihi (Sunday before Lent), 7 February 1723, at the Thomaskirche, was a fortuitous occasion with major implications, as Leaver describes (Ibid.: 51-59). Cantata 22, "Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe" (YouTube) begins with Jesus' prophecy of going to Jerusalem and to begin his Passion (Luke 18:31f), a meditation before the sermon: "See, we are going up to Jerusalem / and all will be accomplished / that has been written about the Son of Man." Cantata 22 closes with a traditional chorale, “Ertöt uns durch dein Güte” (Kill us through your kindness), Stanza 5 of Elisabeth Kreutziger’s 1524 “Herr Christ, der einige Gottes Sohn” Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God). Cantata 23, “Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn” (You true God and son of David) (YouTube) was presented later during "the distribution of communion," says Leaver (Ibid.: 55), as musica sub communione, originally the second half of a two-part cantata. The German Agnus Dei, "Christe, du Lamm Gottes,” with its several layers of meaning," says Leaver (Ibid.: 55), was introduced as an instrumental cantus firmus in the second movement, a tenor recitative, "Ach! gehe nicht vorüber" (Ah! do not pass by), and fully stated in the closing chorale chorus (No. 4) with instrumental interludes. Leaver cites four layers of meaning in the German Agnus Dei in Cantata 23. First is the blind man in the Gospel pericope, who cries out, "Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me" (erbarme dich mein; Luke 18:38); second, "Bach was drawing specific attention to the Eucharist," says Leaver (Ibid.; 55); third, the eucharistic healing of the blind man; and fourth, the corporate forgiveness of sin from Christ. The chorale chorus Bach added in Leipzig just before the premiere of Cantata 23, possibly "a reworking of an earlier composition," says Leaver (Ibid.; 57), possibly the lost "Weimar/Gotha Passion," BWV deest (Wikipedia). Bach's four compositions for Estomihi Sunday (BWV 22, 23, 127, 159), "are among his most profound compositions," says Leaver (Ibid.; 54), as "Bach explores in each of these cantatas different aspects of this [pre-lenten] Passion Sunday in many ingenious ways." Bach's treatment of the German Agnus Dei three petitions in the chorale chorus is symbolic and progressive: mercy (forgiveness) "is requested," "mercy is accomplished in the suffering and death of Jesus," and "the peace of forgiveness is received" while the "lack of tension at the end of the German Agnus Dei underlines the prayer for peace: "Gib uns dein' Frieden. Amen." (grant us your peace. Amen.).⁴ The first two pleas for mercy are also a reference "to the Passion of Jesus, which lies at the heart of the Eucharist," says Leaver (Ibid.; 59).

Bach "Kyrie/Christe, du Lamm Gottes," BWV 233a

Bach's use of the bilingual setting opening Latin Kyrie and closing German Agnus Dei in his Kyrie, BWV 233a,⁵ "is an interesting intertwining of the first and last texts of the Ordinary of the Mass," says Leaver (Ibid.: 59), as liturgical prayers with similar petitions of mercy in the next section, "Agnus Dei combined with Kyrie." The music interpolates in motet style (five-part texture [SSATB] with three-voice fugal Kyrie) the sung canto of the German Agnus Dei, "Christe, du Lamm Gottes” (Christ, thou Lamb of God, score BCW), dating as early as 6 April 1708 ⁶ in a Good Friday service of confession and general absolution in Mühlhausen, displaying Bach's early compositional versatility and imagination as musica sub communione, says Leaver (Ibid.: 60). The Kyrie from the Litany in the vocal bass and continuo has the Latin text "Kyrie-Christe-Kyrie eleison" (Lord, Christ, Lord have mercy on us) "from Luther's Deutsche Messe (1526) and Luther's Deutsche Litanie (1529)." In the late 1730s, Bach placed the Kyrie, BWV 233a, at the beginning of his Missa: Kyrie-Gloria in F Major, BWV 233, with the canto assigned instrumentally to pairs of horns and oboes (YouTube, BCW. Luther's German Litany⁷ was assembled from the Roman Litany of All Saints, omitting prayers to the saints and for the dead, in Latin and German versions, with a Luther melody (Klug's Wittenburg Hymnal of 1533). It begins with the Kyrie eleison and concludes with the German Agnus Dei, with internal sections devoted to prayers from the forces of evil, the life of Jesus Christ, human existence, the Holy Christian Church, civil authority, public intercession, and forgiveness and prosperity.

Estomihi Sunday, Good Friday

The next section in Leaver's Chapter 3, "Bach’s Agnus Dei Compositions," deals with "Estomihi and Good Friday," showing that Cantata 23 was repeated in 1724 while BWV 127 was premiered on Estomihi in 1725 with the German Agnus Dei intoned instrumentally in the opening chorus, while on Good Friday 1725, Bach presented the second version of the St. John Passion, BWV 245.2, ending with the extended chorale, "Christe, du Lamm Gottes," from BWV 23/4. "Thus in 1725 Bach used the familiar Christe, du Lamm Gottes melody to bridge the whole season of Lent" says Leaver (Ibid.: 61), with its focus on prayer for mercy and peace, which also is the substance of the Agnus Dei." This version of the St. John Passion began with the opening chorus, the chorale fantasia O Mensch bewein dein Sünde gross⁸ (Oh man, bewail your great sin), possibly, originally from the 1717 Weimar/Gotha Passion and inserted in 1736 to close Part 1 of the St. Matthew Passion. The entire new version of the St. John Passion added chorales to open and close as well as three internal arias, BWV 245a-c, No. 11+. "Himmel reiße, Welt erbebe" (Heaven, tear apart; world, quake); No. 13. "Zerschmettert mich, ihr Felsen und ihr Hügel" (Crush me, you rocks and hills), No. 19. "Ach, windet euch nicht so, geplagte Seelen" (Oh, don't squirm like that, troubled souls), respectively (texts possibly by Christoph Birkmann),⁹ which together transformed the theological perspective of the singular John Gospel Passion, from the Christus Victor concept of Christ's sacrificial atonement to the substitution theory (Wikipedia) in the synoptic Gospels. This 1725 chorale version of the John Passion oratorio was the final entry in Bach's 1724-25 incomplete second church year cycle of chorale cantatas (Wikipedia). The German Agnus Dei alternate, "O Lamm Gottes unschuldig" (O Lamb of God spotless) "shared the same eucharistic associations as Christe, du Lamm Gottes, and perhaps more intensively so of this use on Good Friday, the day of the Passion," says Leaver (Ibid.: 62). This makes "reference to the Crucifixion in terms of the image of Isaiah 53," part of the Suffering Servant, (Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Bible Gareway) or the Introit Psalm 22:1-21, Deus, Deus meus (My God, my God; A Cry of Anguish, Bible Gareway), "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?," These are the two alternate liturgical readings on which the Good Friday Vespers sermon is based (BCW: "German Agnus Dei, Pulpit Hymn"). The opening chorus of the St. Matthew Passion urges the Daughters (of Zion) to lament the Bridegroom (Braütigam), a reference to the parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 25:1-13, which is "symbolic of the eucharist," says Leaver. This chorus "represents the whole of the Passion, in its unfolding details, from the perspective of the Eucharist, the means by which the communicants receive the fruits of the Passion."¹⁰

B-Minor Mass: Agnus Dei; Thanksgiving Music

For the completion of his B-Minor Mass in 1749, Bach turned to a "poignant aria for his setting of the Latin Agnus Dei," observes Leaver in his final section of Chapter 3, "The Agnus Dei in the B-minor Mass" (Ibid.: 64ff). The alto aria, No. 4 "Ach bleibe doch" (Ah, stay yet, YouTube), from the c1738 Ascension Oratorio, BWV 11, is a second generation parody by contrafactum from the 1725 lost wedding cantata, "Auf, süß entzückende Gewalt" (Up, sweet-enchanting force and power), BWV 1163=Anh. 196 (Gottsched text only extant). It "is not a simple reworking of the earlier form; almost a quarter of this movement [BWV 11/4] was newly composed music" (YouTube). The "new material was created for the three-fold statement of the invocation, 'Agnus Dei,' with its relative clause, 'qui tollis peccata (mundi),' of the liturgical prayer." "This two-part [canonic] texture recalls the central movement of the Gloria : Domine Deus . . . Agnus Dei (BWV 232 /8)," a duet (YouTube) in which the tenor refers to the Domine Deus (Lord God) while the soprano sings "Domine Fili unigenete Jesu Christe altissime" (the only begotten son Jesus Christ most high). This is "symbolic of the relationship of the Second Person of the Godhead to the First," says Leaver (Ibid.: 65). Both this B-minor Mass "Domine Deus" duet and the aria "Agnus Dei," BW 232^IV/4, "are linked in their references to the Second Person of the Godhead as the Agnus Dei, the Lamb of God," and both "share the same symbolism, that is the identification of the Lamb of God as the Son of God, who is present in the sacrament of the altar." For the final petition of the Agnus Dei, "Dona nobis pacem" (Grant us peace), Bach in his Missa tota conclusion, renews a Baroque tradition of musical repetition in the same Latin work involving two separate texts but with similar affect.¹¹ He borrows the Gloria chorus, No. 7, "Gratias agimus tibi" (We give thanks to Thee, YouTube), a contrafactum from the opening chorus of the 1731 Town Council Cantata 29, "Wir danken dir, Gott" (We thank thee God, Psalm 75:2; YouTube), for the closing "Dona nobis pacem" (Grant us peace, YouTube). Bach was observing Lutheran tradition, says Leaver, in the Deutsche Messe of 1526 (Wikipedia: "Order of Luther's Deutsche Messe"), at the end of the Eucharist, before the closing Aaronic Benediction (Wikipedia), "The Lord bless you and keep you," which ends with the phrase, "and give to you peace," is a thanksgiving collect which begins, "Wir danken dir, allmächtiger Herr Gott" (We give thanks to you, almighty God), Leaver points out. This "association of similar expressions of thanksgiving in Luther's post-Communion collect, in constant use in Leipzig,"¹² possibly "gave him the idea of repeating this thanksgiving music for the Dona nobis pacem." "In these two final movements of the Mass, Bach therefore echoes both the Kyrie, in the chromaticism of the Agnus Dei, and the Gloria, in the reuse of the Gratias agimus first part of the Mass for Dona nobis pacem," Leaver concludes.

ENDNOTES

¹ Robin A. Leaver, Bach Studies: Liturgy, Hymnology, and Theology (Abingdon UK: Routledge, 2021); Amazon.com; discussions, BCW.
² Luther's Christe, du Lamm Gottes: melody, BCW; text, BCW; discussion, Wikipedia.
³ Luther's Deutsche Messe: details, BCW; Order of Divine Service, Lutherans Online (Internet Archive). Ein Choralbuch, German Mass (BCW: CH-8 Edition Bachakademie Vol. 81, A Book of Chorale-Settings for German Mass; recording, YouTube).
⁴ Cantata 23 full text and "Note on the text" found at BCW, the "Note" from Robin A. Leaver, “Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn,” in Oxford Composer Companions: J.S. Bach (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999: 145f); music, YouTube.
⁵ BWV 233a, Kyrie/Christe, du Lamm Gottes: music, YouTube; Bach Digital score, Bach Digital; parts, Bach Digital; discussion, BCW: "Discussions in the Week of June 5, 2016 (4th round)."
⁶ 1708 dating of BWV 233a, see Marcus Rathey, “Zur Datierung einger Vokalwerke Bachs in den Jahren 1707 and 1708,” in Bach Jahrbuch 2006: 65ff); Bach-Jahrbuch.
⁷ Luther's German Litany: text, Hymnary.org; discussion, Lutheran-Reformation.org; explanation, Bryan D. Spinks, "Luther's Other Major Liturgical Reforms, I. The Divine Office, and the German Litany and 'Latin Litany Corrected'," Church Service Society; German text, English translation; Bach's usage in BWV 18/3 and 41/5, BCW; documentation: The Hymns of Martin Luther, ed. Peter C. Reske (St. Louis Mo; Concordia, 2016: 54-59); "The German Litany and The Latin Litany Corrected," trans. Paul Zeller Strodach, rev. Ulrich S. Leupold, in Luther's Works, Vol 53: "Liturgy and Hymns," ed. Ulrich S. Leupold (PhiPA: Fortress, 1965: 153-170).
⁸ O Mensch bewein dein Sünde gross: music, YouTube; text, BCW: No. 29.
⁹ Source, Christine Blanken, "A Cantata-Text Cycle of 1728 from Nuremberg: A preliminary report on a discovery relating to J. S. Bach’s so-called ‘Third Annual Cycle," in Understanding Bach, 10, 9–30, © Bach Network UK 2015: 28f), Bach Nerwork: paragraph beginning "Before I conclude. . . ."; article with illustrations, BCW; BWV 245.2, Wikipedia; lyrics, Bach Digital; article, Institute of Sacred Music at Yale University.
¹⁰ See also, William L. Hoffman, Spiritual Sources of Bach's St. Matthew Passion, BCW.
¹¹ Baroque musical repetition example: Vivaldi "Gloria," RV 589, opening chorus (YouTube) and penultimate chorus, "Quoniam tu solus sanctus" (YouTube).\
¹² Leipzig thanksgiving tradition: Between 1730 and 1746, especially in 1739, Bach created special music of praise and thanksgiving (see BCW, paragraph beginning "Regarding special services,").

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To Come: Leaver, Bach Liturgy, Chapter 4, "Bach’s Parody Process: From Cantata to Missa."

Peter Smaill wrote (July 15, 2021):
[To Willian Hoffman] Will refers to the eucharistic hymn, "O Lamm Gottes unschuldig", an elaboration on the meaning of the Agnus Dei.

If in any doubt as to the impact and significance of this German reference to the Agnus Dei, the recording by John Butt and Dunedin Consort of the entire liturgical seetting for Good Friday, centred on the St John Passion BWV 245, can be recommended. In this reconstruction, which was partnered by Robin Leaver, the singing is preceded by the organ setting BWV 618, and then the incipit declaimed solo, with alternating harmonised and unison congregational verses.

An intriguing footnote on this chorale occurs in Joseph Herl's " Worship Wars in Early Lutheranism".:

" Christian Gerber (Historie der Kirchen-Ceremonie in Sachsen) reports that in 1732 , when begging was still in full swing in Saxony, beggars would often bellow " O Lamm Gottes unschuldig" in front of houses at the top of their voices. One beggar in Zeitz with a particularly unpleasant voice used to yell out that hymn at the door of the Chancellor von Seckendorff, who finally asked him not to sing and he would still get his alms; but the beggar was much offended, and the townspeople thought badly of the chancellor for trying to deny the poor man his song".

Leaver, Bach Liturgy, Chapter 4, "Bach’s Parody Process: From Cantata to Missa."

William L. Hoffman wrote (July 19, 2021):
The first category of Bach Studies by Robin A. Leaver¹ deals with five chapters on the topic of Liturgy, beginning with the trajectory of 1. "Bach's cantata and the liturgical year," 2. "Bach's music and the Leipzig liturgy," and 3. "Bach's Agnus Dei compositions." Bach's sacred music fully embraced the Lutheran Liturgy in Leipzig as he applied these teachings to his music, often though the process of transformation through parody (new text underlay) as found in Chapter 4, "Bach’s Parody Process: From Cantata to Missa."¹ Leaver examines Bach's Four so-called Lutheran "Short Masses" (Missae Breve), BWV 233-236, with special attention to the Missa in F, BWV 234, beginning with a brief study of their genesis from Leipzig cantatas to their parody reception history, sometimes a process still scholarly criticized today. Next is an examination of the Missae structures and individual movements with their liturgical implications related to the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God), "Qui tollis peccata mundi (who takes away the sins of the world), with the litany plea for mercy (miserere nobis, erbrame dich uns, have mercy on us). Three examples of Missae theological-liturgical connections cited in Leaver's essay are the use of musical notation in the sign of the cross (chiasmus), the bilingual conflation of the opening Kyrie Eleison and closing German Agnus Dei in the early Kyrie, BWV 233a, and the liturgical connections in the original Cantata 67/6 scena, Friede sei mit euch (Peace be with you), a blessing/greeting, and the Greater Doxology, Gloria in excelsis Deo of Missa in F, BWV 234, with the Christus Victor sacrificial atonement concept through trumpet-like affirmation in Bach arias. The Gloria settings as well as the closing Agnus Dei involve the related liturgical concepts of forgiveness, peace, and the Lord's Supper, with the theological underpinnings in the Gospel accounts of Jesus' Incarnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. Finally is a brief post-script on thanksgiving and further studies.

Initially, Bach in Leipzig from 1723 to 1727 set three church-year cycles ( Wikipedia) of 60 cantatas as musical sermons while he also pursued the extended cantata or sacred oratorio, beginning with the Passion oratorio settings of the Gospels of John (1724) and Matthew (1727), as well as the Easter Oratorio in 1725, a virtual parody of a secular serenade. By 1730, Bach had made a dramatic compositional shift to secular works and the directorship of the Collegium musicum while beginning to create sacred music for his Christological Cycle (BCW). In 1731, Bach presented his third and final Passion according to Mark, BWV 247, another virtual parody, and the next year began his exploration of Latin Church Music with another virtual parody, the Missa: Kyrie-Gloria, BWV 232^I. In the mid-1730s, Bach began to compile feast day parody oratorios for Christmas, BWV 248 (1734-5), Ascension, BWV 11 (1738); Easter, BWV 249.4 (1738); and possibly Pentecost, BWV deest (1739). In the later 1730s, Bach c.1738 also compiled four Lutheran Masses, Missae: Kyrie-Gloria, BWV 233-236 ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyrie–Gloria_masses,_BWV_233–236; copy, Google paste). This collection is the subject of Leaver's Chapter 4, "Bach’s Parody Process: From Cantata to Missa."

Lutheran Masses: Genesis, Parody Reception History

Reception history initially viewed parody as a pejorative activity in the 19th century, particularly the Christmas Oratorio and the "Lutheran Masses" (Missae Breves), the latter heavily criticized by Albert Schweitzer in his Bach biography² as self-plagiarism. Bach "to a large extent made these [Smaller] Masses up out of cantatas, says Schweitzer (Ibid.: II, 326). "The adaptations are perfunctory and occasionally quite nonsensical." These four settings, lasting about 20 minutes in comparison to 55 minutes with BWV 232^I, presumably also were intended for liturgical use on feast days in Leipzig. Although some Bach scholars continue to question whether Bach parody is overrated,³ this collection of "Short Masses" is being taken seriously by scholars, particularly from the perspective of transformation led by Leaver, as studied in Uri Golomb's monograph,⁴ and recordings by major Bach ensembles. As Leaver "points out, the Missae were composed at a time when Bach was engaged in a series of retrospective projects," says Golomb (Ibid.: 2), " – including both the revision of existing works (e.g., the Passions) and the compilation of comprehensive anthologies (e.g., the Schübler organ chorales and the second part of the Well-Tempered Clavier). These collection were meant, inter alia, to preserve Bach’s best music in a more enduring form." "As well as preserving some of his finest vocalmusic in these four Missae, Bach was also making the music available in a more accessible form," says Leaver in his essay (Ibid.: 67). A cantata sermon, linked to the propers (Gospel and/or Epistle) of a particular service, had limited use, while movements "recast into settings of the Kyrie and Gloria," he observes (Ibid.: 70), " — that is in liturgical terms being changes from Proper to Ordinary — then the music could be performed several times during the church year: at Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, Trinity, and on other special feast days when a concerted Missa was required."

Missae Structures, Individual Movements

Turning to the structures and individual movements of the parodies with their liturgical implications ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyrie–Gloria_masses,_BWV_233–236; copy, Google paste), Leaver shows (Ibid.: 68ff) that pairs of Short Masses — BWV 233 and 234, BWV 235-236 — have similar parody palindrome structures, central movements, and cantata sources, and probably were composed at the same time, c.1738-39, as a collection. The central Gloria movements pairs in BWV 235-236 relate to the Son (Fili) or Lamb of God (Agnus Dei) while the comparable ones in BWV 233-234 "are settings of the relative clause" "Qui tollis peccata mundi (who takes away the sins of the world). The four Glorias (YouTube) are similar to the B-Minor Mass Gloria (YouTube) but here "the symmetry takes on a more complex form" of nine movements of five choruses alternating with four arias, while in the Shorter Mass Glorias there are the customary opening and closing choruses of Gloria in excelsis Deo and Cum sancto Spiritu with three internal composite aria movements. "At the center of the Gloria of these Masses is the acknowledgement of the redemption of Christ and the prayer for mercy and forgiveness," says Leaver (Ibid.; 69): "Qui tollis peccata Mundi, miserere nobis, suscipe deprecationem nostram" ("who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, receive our prayer"), settings that are parodies of earlier cantata movements: BWV 232/8 = BWV 46/1; BWV 233/4 = BWV 102/3; BWV 234/4 = BWV 179/5. "The argument that asserts that Bach's Lutheran Missae are works of lesser significance because they are made up of reworkings of earlier cantata movements, while at the same time the B-minor Mass is extolled for its greatness, is therefore untenable," says Leaver (Ibid.: 69). "The four Lutheran Missae, while not reaching the grandeur of the B-minor Mass, nevertheless represent, in the main, careful and eloquent reworkings of earlier music, and therefore demand the close attention of Bach scholars and performers." Bach's "criteria for selecting movements to be reused," says Leaver (Ibid.: 70), through parody contrafactum was very intentional, purposeful, and complex.

Three Theological-Liturgical Connections

Besides preserving quality music of similar affect, Bach "was as much concerned with the theological and liturgical connections," with three examples of theological-liturgical connections in the Latin Church Music of Bach. One is the transformation of the opening chorus of early (1714) Cantata 12, "Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen" (Weeping, lamentation, worry, apprehension; BCW trans. Francis Browne), to the Crucifixus in the Credo of the B-minor Mass that shows that the entrance of the voices is "a disguised sign of the cross on the score of tenor, soprano, bass and alto voices (BWV 12/1 mm. 1-7"; YouTube: 3:05), says Leaver (Ibid.; 70f). In the B-minor Missa tota, the Crucifixus is the central movement (No. 17) in the Credo (mvts. 13-20), and "the underlying motif remained the same" (YouTube). This pattern is called "chiastic" or cross-like (Wikipedia), a device that also permeates the movement sequences in Bach's St. John Passion, as first described by Bach scholar Friedrich Smend (Bach-Jahrbuch), which he also called "Herzstück" (centerpiece; see BCW: BCML discussion section beginning "Thomas Braatz wrote (April 3, 2006):"). In addition to the cross-like notational symbolism from Cantata 18 are two other examples of theological-liturgical connections in the Latin Church Music of Bach, says Leaver (Ibid.; 71ff). One is the very early bilingual chorale fantasia setting of the Latin Kyrie and the canto of the German Agnus Dei, in Christe, du Lamm Gottes, Kyrie in F Major, BWV 233a,⁵ repeated instrumentally to open the complete Missa: Kyrie-Gloria in F, BWV 233 (YouTube), in the late 1730s and particularly the four Lutheran Masses, and the feast-day oratorios appropriate for the 1739 Reformationsfest celebration.⁶ The third example is the significant connections in the opening Gloria movement (YouTube) in the Missa in A, BWV 234, a reworking of Quasimodogeniti (1st Sunday after Easter 1724) Cantata 67, "Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ" (Keep in memory Jesus Christ, trans. Francis Browne), scena (no. 6), the repeated "Frieda sei mit euch" (YouTube). Cantata 67 closes with the chorale "Du Friedefürst, Herr Jesu Christ" (You Prince of Peace, Lord Jesus Christ), the resurrected Savior, says Leaver (Ibid.: 72). This is preceded by two operatic-like scena: an alto recitative (nos. 3, 5) with intermediate chorale (no. 4), "Erschienen ist der herrlich Tag" (Dawned is the glorious day, tr. Leaver), "celebrating Christ's Easter victory," followed by (no. 6), the victorious bass arioso (Vox Christi) with Christ's Upper Room disciples placid blessing/greeting, "Friede sei mit euch" (Peace be with you; day's gospel, John 20:19), interspersed with the "angular and energetic," says Leaver (Ibid.: 75), chorus (SAT) communal dialogue response, "Wohl uns! Jesus hilft uns kämpfen" (How fortunate we are! Jesus helps us to fight; BCW).

Christus Victor, Trumpet Affirmation

This Cantata 67/6 second scena is Bach's rearrangement as the opening "Gloria in excelsis Deo," BWV 234/2 with the comparative texts (Ibid.: 79).⁷ "Bach is here reflecting on the dynamic aspects of atonement," says Leaver (Ibid,: 73), "understood by the early Greek fathers of the church" and "enunciated by Luther" as the Christus Victor concept of atonement in which Jesus' sacrifice on Good Friday becomes Christ's victory through his resurrection on Easter Sunday. Thus, death and hell "were necessarily swallowed up by him in a mighty duel (stupendo duello), says Leaver (Ibid.: 74), an echo of the Easter sequence, Victimae paschali laudes (sacrificial praises to the passover victim), "also found in the fourth stanza of Luther's Easter hymn Christ lag in Todesbanden (Christ lay in death's bonds; trans. F. Browne), "Es war ein wunderlicher Krieg" (It was a strange battle; full text, BCW). Trumpet-like fanfares reinforce the Christus Victor theme, based on 1 Corinthians 15:52 (Bible Gateway), notably in the bass arias in Ascension Cantata 43/7, "Er ists, der ganz allein" (He is the one who by himself, YouTube), and the Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248/7, Grosse Herr, o starker König" (Great Lord, Mighty King; YouTube). Another is the middle section of the modified da capo alto aria, (no. 30) "Es ist vollbracht!" (It is accomplished!), beginning with "Der Held aus Juda siegt mit Mach" (The hero from Judah triumphs in his might; YouTybe), in the St. John Passion.

Forgiveness, Peace, Lord's Supper

Returning to three of Bach's Short Mass "Gloria" settings, BWV 232-234, Leaver points out (Ibid.: 75) that the "common focal point" "center of gravity," Qui tollis peccata Mundi (who takes aways the sins of the wold),⁷ forgiveness annunciated in the mass Ordinary Gloria and repeated in the Agnus Dei, "is also the heart of the Lord's Supper itself," he says (Ibid.: 76). "Since Bach made theological and liturgical links between the original cantata movements and their adaptations within these later Mass settings,⁸ it is possible that they already had eucharistic associations for the composer before he reworked them for the new context." Meanwhile, Luther's Latin/German Litany embraces in the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) the repeated pleas of miserere nobis (have mercy on us, erbarm dich uns), followed by the petition Dona nobis pacem (grant us peace, gib unser Friede). In his Formula missae of 1523,⁹ says Leaver (Ibid.; 76), Luther directs that after the Lord's Prayer in the Mass Ordinary, the greeting "the peace of the Lord" is a "public absolution of the sins of the communicants" in preparation for the Lord's table (communion). In his Deutsche Messe (1526), Luther says the closing Agnus Dei can be sung after the Words of Institution. "There were, therefore, two liturgical expressions of peace associated with the distribution of communion: the third petition of Agnus Dei: Dona nobis pacem" ("Verleih uns deinen Frieden" — "Grant us thy peace"), and the greeting "Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum" ("Der Friede des Herren sei mit euch Allen" — "The Peace of the Lord be with you all"). This Agnus Dei with its "Dona nobis pacem" in the closing of the B-minor Mass will be understood as musica sub communione (music during communion) for special occasions in Leipzig. If it was the practice on ordinary Sundays to employ appropriate sections of [the day's] cantatas as musica sub communione, "then it is within the bounds of possibility that Bach may well have used not only Movement 6 of Cantata 67 ["Friede sei mit euch"], but also the first movement of Cantata 158, "Der Friede sei mit dir" (Peace be with you)," says Leaver (Ibid.: 77). Joshua Rifkin¹⁰ in liner notes to his 1989 recording suggests possible Easter Tuesday (Third Day of Easter) dates of 15 April 1727 or 30 March 1728. The structures of the texts of BWV 67/6 and BWV 158/1 are similar, with both liturgical greetings/blessings repeated six time in BWV 67/6 and three times in BWV 158/1, making these cantata movements appropriate during communion distribution. Movement BWV 67/6 "is a joyful celebration of the triumph of the Resurrection over the tragedy of the Crucifixion," says Leaver (Ibid.: 77). The entire text of the Gloria in the A-Major Missa, BWV 234, "swings alternately between the themes of Crucifixion and Resurrection, and centers on the presence of Christ, who offers the peace of forgiveness," Leaver emphasizes. An "even more significant association," he says, is "the post-Resurrection proclamation of peace by Christ is the fulfillment of the post-Incarnation prophecy of peace by the angelic hoist, and is, therefore, a significant connection between 'Friede sei mit euch' and 'Et in terra pax'," in the "Gloria in excelsis Deo." This "Friede/Pax association was probably Bach's starting point in his adaptation of the cantata movement [BWV 67/6] for the Gloria of the Missa," he says (Ibid.: 77). In the closing phrase repeat of BWV 67/6, "Friede sei mit euch," Bach achieves "a marvelous piece of recomposition where the bass voice is replaced by four-part chorus" singing "Gratias agimus tibi propter magnum Gloriam tuam" (We give thanks to thee for they great glory), "the glory of the triumph over sin and death, signaled in the Resurrection and heralded at the Incarnation," says Leaver (Ibid.: 81).

Postscript: Thanksgiving, Further Studies

Consequently, "the A Major Mass would be a Vorstudie to the completion of the B Minor Mass whose immensely larger structure is also rounded by a final gratiarum actio (thanksgiving), the Parodie zweiten Grades [second-degree parody] of the thanksgiving chorus from Wir danken dir Gott (BWV 29)," says Alfred Mann,¹¹ who also suggests that the A Major Mass "may have been intended for a Christmas service performance" (Ibid.).¹² "The subtle changes that Bach made when adapting this movement [BWV 67/6] for its use in the Missa in A Major indicate that its was the work of a composer who was as much concerned with liturgical and theological interconnections as with musical adaptability," says Leaver (Ibid.: 81). "Therefore in its later form in the Missa, Bach's music has a musical and theological integrity equal to that of its original [eucharistic affirmation] form in the cantata." The success of this parody lies "only in the skill of the composer but also in his theological perception that the underlying celebration of Christ's victory and presence pertain both to the original cantata movement as well as the liturgical Gloria in excelsis Deo," he says (Ibid.: 81f). The peace in the Incarnation "proclaimed by the Christmas angels" in the Missa hymn of praise is connected to peace in the cantata-affirming Christ's Resurrection reunion with his disciples. Besides exploring the liturgical-theological connections of the original cantata movements with their Missae: Kyrie-Gloria counterparts, progressive scholarship also may even find the remaining four "lost" parody movements, possibly from occasional cantatas with only texts surviving (BCW: Possible Sources, “Gloria,” Two "Domine Deus,” "Kyrie"): BWV 233/2 (Gloria) = BWV 1139.2/1 (Anh. 4a/1), BWV 233/3 (Domine Deus) = BWV 1162/6(Anh. 18/6), BWV 234/1 (Kyrie) = BWV 1163/13(Anh.196/13), 234/3 (Domine Deus) = BWV 1139.2/3(Anh. 4a3). Only a generosity of scholarly spirit could tell!

ENDNOTES

¹ Robin A. Leaver, Bach Studies: Liturgy, Hymnology, and Theology (Abingdon UK: Routledge, 2021); Amazon.com; discussions, BCW; text, Leaver, "Chapter 4, Bach's parody process: From cantata to Missa," Google Books: scroll pp 67-82.
² Albert Schweitzer, J. S. Bach, trans. Ernest Newman, 2 vols. (Leipzig: Breitkopt & Härtel, 1911; Eng. trans. London: Black, 1962); Amazon.com.
³ See Daniel R. Melamed, "Parody is Overrated," Abstract of Keynote Address, American Bach Society Conference, "Bach Re-Worked — Parody, Transcription, Adaptation," April 26-29, 2018; BCW; Conference Report, ABS Biennial Meeting, Yale University, American Bach Society: Bach Notes 29: 7f)).
⁴ Uri Golomb, "Bach’s Four Missae," in Goldberg Early Music Magazine 54 (December 2008:, 46-59); text, BCW; topics include "The works’ genesis," "Parody and theological message," "Smoothing the rough edges," "Backing away from his own dark vision?," "The purely-musical consideration," and "Summary." As "Leaver points out, the Missae were composed at a time when Bach was engaged in a series of retrospective projects," says Golomb (Ibid.: 2); Golomb biography BCW, bibliography Bach-Bibliographie.
⁵ Kyrie in F Major, BWV 233a, framing the opening Kyrie and closing Agnus Dei of the Mass Ordinary, materials: Bach Vereniging; BCW: "Discussions in the Week of June 5, 2016 (4th round)"; BCW: "Bach "Kyrie/Christe, du Lamm Gottes," BWV 233a; recording, YouTube; score, BCW.
⁶ See "Music of Praise, Thanksgiving: Special Services," BCW, concluding section beginning "Regarding special services . . . .").
⁷ Comparative texts: Cantata BWV 67/6 = Missa BWV 234/2; Google Books.
⁸ Missae: Kyrie-Gloria and cantata reworkings: BWV 232/8 = BWV 46/1; BWV 233/4 = BWV 102/3; BWV 234/4 = BWV 179/5.
⁹ Formula missae of 1523 (Google Search Results).
¹⁰ See Joshua Rifkin liner notes, BCW BCW: C-9; cited in David Schulenberg’s “Der Friede sei mit dir,” in Oxford Composer Companions: J.S. Bach, ed. Malcolm Boyd (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999: 134); Cantata 158 discussion, BCW; recording, YouTube; Bach Digital, Bach Digital.
¹¹ Alfred Mann, "'Missa Brevis'" and 'Historia': Bach's A Major Mass," in BACH, Journal of the Riemenschneider Bach Institute, Vol. 16, No. 1(Berea OH: January 1985: 10), Jstor, the dramatic relationship between "Missa Brevis" and "Historia" (oratorio), with meaningful parody.
¹² The Greater Latin Doxology Cantata 191, “Gloria in excelsis Deo,” Bach's so-called "Missa Cantata,” is a three-movement contrafactum from the B-Minor Mass, listed as Latin Music for the first Christmas Festival (Christ's Nativity) and its composition is dated 1743-46 (YouTube). The opening chorus movement is an almost duplicate of the Gloria of the B-Minor Mass, BWV 232^I/4. The Lesser Doxology parody follows with the duet "Gloria Petri et Filio" from "Domine Deus," BWV 232^I/8 and the fugal chorus, "Sicut erat in principio," from "Cum sancto spiritu," BWV 232^I/12. The work may have been presented on Christmas Day 1745, along with the “Sanctus in D Major, BWV 232 (YouTube), to celebrate the Peace of Dresden at the conclusion of the 2nd Silesian War (during which Leipzig had been occupied by the Prussian troops of Leopold of Anhalt-Dessau). The special academic thanksgiving service was held in the Leipzig University Paulinerkirche and this music may have instituted the completion of the B-Minor Mass.* Two weeks later a community service of thanksgiving was held on Sunday, 9 January 1746, the First Sunday after Epiphany, in the Nikolai Church. * See Gregory G. Butler, “Johann Sebastian Bachs Gloria in excelsis Deo BWV 191, Musik für ein Leipziger Dankfest, Bach Jahrbuch 78 (1992): 65-71; Bach-Jahrbuch.

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To come: Leaver Liturgy, Chapter 5."Bach and the Cantata [Libretti] Controversy in the Early Eighteenth Century."

Continue on Part 3