Another important feature of Bach's Cantatas to understand is how and what Baroque period instruments were used in performances. Also, it opens the doors to developing your own tastes in which recordings you prefer. Do you like accurate historical interpretations? Or recordings with modern instruments? It's mostly preference than anything else and something that you discover as you explore Bach and other musicians who composed for instruments we don't often use today. When it comes to the cantatas, I prefer recordings with period instruments and prefer historically informed performance. I want to know what sound Bach was searching for and how each instrument conveyed that sound. You cannot exactly achieve that using modern instruments. So I decided to talk about the period instruments that the cantatas were composed for. It is a very, very long list but I'll highlight what I think are the most important.
1. The Organ and Harpsichord
Both were very important keyboard instruments in the Baroque period and are very important to Bach's music. Both are used used in many cantatas, but more so the organ. They usually play the continuo, which is the accompanying part that includes a baseline and harmonies typically played by the organ or violoncello.
2. The Oboe Family of Instruments
These include multiple instruments of the oboe family, such as the oboe d'amore and the oboe da caccia. These instruments are extremely important in the cantatas. They are used in almost every Bach cantata as the leading instruments of the melody. These instruments were often made of wood at the time and have a very distinct sound.
3. The Violin Family of Instruments
These are another important family of instruments which are used in almost all of the cantatas. These instruments include the Baroque violin, viola, viola d'amore, viola da gamba, and violoncello. These instruments are as important as the Oboes because they drive the melody.
4. The Horns
Another family of instruments which include the trumpet, tromba da tirarsi, corno da tirarsi, cornetto, and trombone. These instruments can be used for load and epic sounds but also sweet and lucid sounds.
5. The Recorder and Flute
Bach composed for both fairly often, but more so the traverso flute which was the common flute of the Baroque period, usually made of hollow wood. These create suttle and calming overtones over the melody, and even sometimes are leading instruments in sinfonias.
This list sums up in general the most important instruments in all of Bach's cantatas. Most are like ours today but offer noticeable subtle alterations to the music which can create a different musical atmosphere. But when I first started listening to the cantatas I would often get confused at what instruments were being used because of the different names.
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1. Mueller, Markus. “N/A.” App, Cantata App, 2017, www.cantatasapp.com/.
1. The Organ and Harpsichord
Both were very important keyboard instruments in the Baroque period and are very important to Bach's music. Both are used used in many cantatas, but more so the organ. They usually play the continuo, which is the accompanying part that includes a baseline and harmonies typically played by the organ or violoncello.
2. The Oboe Family of Instruments
These include multiple instruments of the oboe family, such as the oboe d'amore and the oboe da caccia. These instruments are extremely important in the cantatas. They are used in almost every Bach cantata as the leading instruments of the melody. These instruments were often made of wood at the time and have a very distinct sound.
3. The Violin Family of Instruments
These are another important family of instruments which are used in almost all of the cantatas. These instruments include the Baroque violin, viola, viola d'amore, viola da gamba, and violoncello. These instruments are as important as the Oboes because they drive the melody.
4. The Horns
Another family of instruments which include the trumpet, tromba da tirarsi, corno da tirarsi, cornetto, and trombone. These instruments can be used for load and epic sounds but also sweet and lucid sounds.
5. The Recorder and Flute
Bach composed for both fairly often, but more so the traverso flute which was the common flute of the Baroque period, usually made of hollow wood. These create suttle and calming overtones over the melody, and even sometimes are leading instruments in sinfonias.
This list sums up in general the most important instruments in all of Bach's cantatas. Most are like ours today but offer noticeable subtle alterations to the music which can create a different musical atmosphere. But when I first started listening to the cantatas I would often get confused at what instruments were being used because of the different names.
_________________________________________________________________________
1. Mueller, Markus. “N/A.” App, Cantata App, 2017, www.cantatasapp.com/.
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