Page 115 - ESSENTIAL LISTENING TO MUSIC

Listening Cue
Johann Sebastian Bach, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (1731), fourth movement Genre: Cantata movement
Form: AAB
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what to listen for: Three-part polyphonic texture: melody in violins and violas, chorale tune in tenor voices, and walking bass. Note that the text beginning “Wachet auf” is the first strophe of the chorale (like the first stanza of a hymn); here movement four contains the second strophe, beginning “Zion hört die Wächter singen” (“Zion hears the watchmen singing”).
reAD . . . a detailed Listening Guide of this selection online.
LiSTeN TO . . . this selection streaming online.
WATCH . . . an Active Listening Guide of this selection online.
DO . . . Listening Exercise 6.2, Bach, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, online.
In the last movement of his cantatas, Bach often ends with a simple four-voice setting of the chorale tune. The seventh and final movement of Wa- chet auf is typical of Bach’s approach. Here he assigns the chorale tune to the soprano (top) part and supports it with homophonic chords in the three lower voices (Example 6.4). The instruments of the orchestra have no line of their own and merely double (join on) the four vocal parts.
Example 6.4 > chorale tune (soprano) in four-part harmony .wU
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Glo - ri - &bbb C Von zwölf
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VbbC ˙
Glo - ri - ? Von zwölf
bb C w
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˙
Glo - ri - Von zwölf
˙
a sei Per - len
˙
a sei Per - len
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a sei Per - len
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œœœ
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dir ge - sind die
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dir ge - sind die
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dir ge - sind œ die
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sun - Pfor -
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sun - Pfor -
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n˙
sun - Pfor -
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gen ten, U
w
gen ten, U
w
Glo - ri - a sei dir ge - sun - gwen Von zwölf Per - len sind die Pfor - ten,
johann sebastian bach (1685–1750) 93 Copyright 201 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
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gUen ten,
56797_ch06_ptg01.indd 93 29/08/14 3:34 PM