What is it about?
During the eighteenth century, the understanding and theological interpretation of the end of times underwent significant changes. This is reflected in the musical compositions of the time. Composers in the early eighteenth century often depicted the return of Christ either as a dramatic battle scene or as a mystical wedding between Christ and the Faithful Soul. The latter shapes especially the works of Johann Sebastian Bach whose cantata Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme BWV 140 enacts a musical dialogue between Christ and his bride. This understanding of the end of times fades into the background towards the middle of the century. Under the impression of scientific research on the one hand and the lasting impression of the devastating earthquake of Lisbon in 1755, natural phenomena (such as thunder, lightning, and earthquakes) become the preferred signifiers of the end of times. Musical examples for this shift are the later works of Georg Philipp Telemann as well as Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.
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Why is it important?
The article demonstrates how a changing understanding of the world during the scientific revolution not only affected the philosophical discourse but how it is also reflected in the music of the time.
Perspectives
I hope the article will show that music does not stand in isolation but that it vividly reflects ongoing conversations of the time.
Markus Rathey
Yale University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Mystical Unity or Earth-Shattering Events: Shifting Views on the End of Times in Compositions by Bach and Telemann, March 2023, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004537996_006.
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