Melvin P. Unger Book order

Featuring over 1,300 cross-referenced entries, this comprehensive resource delves into the world of choral music, covering composers, conductors, ensembles, genres, and repertoire. It includes a detailed chronology and an introduction that provide context, alongside an extensive bibliography for further research. This second edition serves as an essential reference for anyone interested in the rich history and development of choral music.

The German church cantata of the eighteenth century was the culmination of a long tradition of Lutheran "sermon music" that used the proclamation, amplification, and interpretation of scripture to teach and persuade the listener. Bach's cantatas also served this didactic purpose and typically incorporate numerous allusions to scriptural passages or themes in their librettos. Unfortunately, many of these passages remain obscure to the twentieth-century musician because they demand a much closer familiarity with the Bible than is common today. The Handbook to Bach's Sacred Cantata Texts identifies scriptural references for the wording, imagery, and themes that Bach's listeners would have known. In addition, the religious or literary theme of each text is summarized within the specific context of the cantata as a whole. With interlinear translations and a full complement of indexes.

This book examines the German church cantatas of Johann David Heinichen (1683-1729), a typically progressive contemporary of J.S. Bach. It explores the cantata's significance and development in Germany during the eighteenth century by clarifying its aesthetic basis, illuminating its range of musical styles, and placing these in the context of contemporaneous culture and society. Since Heinichen is best remembered today for his treatise on the thoroughbass, a book that includes a detailed explanation of musical rhetoric, special attention is given to Heinichen's own text structures and treatment. Because this book represents the first scholarly study of Heinichen's German choral works, it also discusses the authenticity, accuracy, chronology, and revisions of the manuscript sources.