| Gloria in excelsis Deo | |
|---|---|
BWV 191 | |
| Church cantata byJ. S. Bach | |
_Foto_H.-P._Haack_(berarb.).jpg) Paulinerkirche, Leipzig, 1740s | |
| Related | Gloria ofMissa, BWV 232 I (early version) |
| Occasion | Christmas |
| Text | Gloria,Doxology |
| Performed | 25 December 1742 (1742-12-25): Paulinerkirche,Leipzig |
| Movements | 3 |
| Vocal | |
| Instrumental | |
Gloria in excelsis Deo (Glory to God in the Highest),BWV 191, is achurch cantata written by the German Baroque composerJohann Sebastian Bach, and the only one of his church cantatas set to a Latin text. He composed theChristmas cantata inLeipzig probably in 1742, for a celebration by the university of Leipzig.[1][2] The composition's three movements all derive from the Gloria ofBach's 1733 Kyrie–Gloria Mass, which the composer would later use as the Gloria of hisMass in B minor.[3]
Gloria in excelsis Deo was written in Leipzig forChristmas Day, as indicated by the heading on the manuscript in Bach's own handwriting, "J.J. Festo Nativit: Xsti." (Jesu Juva Festo Nativitatis Christi – Celebration for the birth of Christ), to be sung around the sermon. Recent archival and manuscript evidence suggest the cantata was probably first performed in 1742, for a regular Christmas celebration by the university of Leipzig at thePaulinerkirche,[1][2] rather than in 1743, or 1745 at a special Christmas Day service to celebrate thePeace of Dresden, which brought to an end the hardships imposed on the region by the Second Silesian War,[3][4]
Unlike Bach's otherchurch cantatas, the words are not in German, taken from the Bible, a chorale or contemporary poetry, but inLatin, taken from theGloria and theDoxology. This late work is the only Latin cantata among around 200 surviving sacred cantatas in German. It is based on an earlier composition, Bach's 1733 Mass for the Dresden court, which would, in 1748, become the first part of his monumentalMass in B minor. The first movement (Gloria) is an almost identical copy of the first two movements of theGloria of the earlier work, while the second and third movements are close parodies of the earlier Gloria's fifth and ninth movements.[2] Parts, for instance, of the fugal section ofSicut erat in principio, taken from theCum sancto spiritu of the 1733 setting, are moved from a purely vocal to an instrumentally accompanied setting.[3] The modifications Bach made to the last two movements of BWV 191, however, were not carried over into the final manuscript compilation of the Mass in B minor, leaving it a matter of speculation whether or not these constitute "improvements" to Bach's original score.[5]
The cantata bears the heading::J.J. Festo Nativit: Xsti. Gloria in excelsis Deo. à 5 Voci. 3 Trombe Tymp. 2 Trav 2 Hautb. 2 Violini Viola e Cont. Di J.S.B. in Bach's own handwriting. The cantata is festively scored forsoprano andtenor soloists and an unusual five-partchoir (with a dual soprano part), threetrumpets,timpani, twoflauto traverso, twooboes, twoviolins,viola, andbasso continuo.[2] Its only link to Christmas is the opening chorus onLuke (Luke 2:14), to be performed before the sermon. The other two movements after the sermon (marked "post orationem") divide the general words of the Doxology in a duetGloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui sancto (corresponding to theDomine Deus, the central piece of theGloria of the Mass in B minor) and a final chorusSicut erat in principio (corresponding toMass in B minor structure#Cum sancto spiritu of the Gloria). The final movement may containripieno markings (to accompany the chorus) similar to the ripieni found inUnser Mund sei voll Lachens, BWV 110, which was also a nativity cantata.[3]
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