Bach and Theology
On July 28 people around the world will mark the 250th anniversary of the death of Johan Sebastian Bach. Among those who will pause is Calvin College professor of music Cal Stapert.
But for Stapert there was more to Bach than met the ear. Stapert finds in Bach not just musical refuge, but also spiritual comfort.
"I've been writing about Bach for years," he says, "and my goal has always been to try to bring the listener to a point where he or she can really start to tap the theological depth in Bach's music."
Much is made of Bach's preludes and fugues, concertos, sonatas and the large choral works. But less has been made of his cantatas, which are, by far, the biggest part of his output. It is in those cantatas that Stapert finds the essential Bach. It's a subject he explores in depth in a new book from Eerdmans called "My Only Comfort: Death, Deliverance, and Discipleship in the Music of Bach."
In the book Stapert looks at specific Bach pieces in light of the Heidelberg Catechism, one of Christianity's most famous confessions.
"I have no intention of turning Bach into a Calvinist," he says with a smile. "But I discovered over the years that the Heidelberg Catechism and Bach's cantatas and passions are very compatible."
In the new book Stapert reviews and analyzes some of Bach's more than 200 cantatas. He provides English translations of the Latin and German texts. He also includes the text of the epistle and the gospel that were read at the service for which the cantata was written.
"The cantatas," he says, "are absolutely amazing pieces of work. There is nothing that compares to this kind of creative outburst, sustained over more than two years." Stapert notes that while Bach was a cantor at Leipzig, he wrote a cantata for each Sunday service and each church holiday for two years. These were usually 20 to 30 minute arrangements for choir, soloists and an orchestra.
"These weren't just run-of-the-mill pieces that he was cranking out week after week," says Stapert. "They are masterpieces. I know of nothing that compares to this creative outburst."
Understanding the history of the pieces makes the study of them that much more fulfilling Stapert says. "These works are so full that my attempt in this book is to point the listener's ears in the right direction," he says. " My goals in this book are to provide translations and a scriptural framework needed to understand these works and commentary to guide the listener's ears in the right direction. The listener can then start to discover things on his own too. Once you develop the habit of associating what's happening in the music with given words and phrases, you're on the right track. You can't go into Bach and expect to reap the benefits of listening to it casually anymore than you can get into the depths of what's in Shakespeare or Milton without some guidance."
Those interested in taking on the challenge of listening to and analyzing Bach's cantatas will soon have a better opportunity to do so. Two full recordings of the known cantatas are being produced this year. "These cantatas are an unparalleled devotional resource," Stapert says. "The overarching purpose for my book is to make this resource available to contemporary Christians."