The Significance of Bach

The second reason Bach's texts seem so strange and foreign to us is the compressed presentation of radical images one after another that to us seem turgid and, often, even ridiculous. Take the beginning of cantata BWV 199 as an example:

"My heart is swimming in blood because the hatching of my sins makes me a monster in God's holy eyes."

A third and final reason for the disinterest in Bach's cantata texts is the fact that the connections between ideas often seem too simple or even silly. Consider as an example this aria text from cantata BWV 84:

"With joy I eat my little bread, and from my heart, I do not envy that of my neighbor."

We encounter these problems in the texts of Bach's cantatas and oratorios, just as previous generations of earlier Bach lovers certainly have. On the other hand, there are positive qualities in Bach's cantata texts. This is especially true where they quote Biblical texts or cite important hymns such as those by Martin Luther-the cantatas God the Lord is Sun and Shield (BWV 79) and A Mighty Fortress Is Our God (BWV 80), for example. These texts do not seem alien to us, since the church itself continues to use both their content and their precise wording today, just as it did during Bach's time, and it sees these texts as central expressions of its teachings. Finally, though, I think that the most important quality of these texts is that they touch upon problems-even though often under the surface or using antiquated wording-that affect us just as much as they did the people of the eighteenth century. The beginning of the first recitative in cantata BWV 25-"The entire world is but a hospital"-is irritating only at first, since these words describe a situation of distress that exists today, just as it did in Bach's era.

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