Musical Church Service

When Telemann issued his first annual cycle of printed cantatas, Der Harmonische Gottesdienst ( Hamburg , 1725-6), he was already one of the leading cantata composers of his time. Thanks to their brevity and their simple scoring, the 72 solo cantatas have remained very popular to the present day.

These editions (BA 5891 through to BA 5896) divide the annual cycle into cantatas for high voice and cantatas for medium voice. Each series spreads the works over three volumes accompanied by separate parts for solo instrument and continuo. The cantatas follow the order of the liturgical year, beginning with the Christmas season and continuing with Easter and Trinity.

Being practically minded, Telemann arranged the ambitus of the vocal parts so that the cantatas for medium voice are ‘also suitable for an ordinary alto or bass’. Similarly, the solo instruments are suitable for violin, oboe, recorder or flute.