Johann
Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), Kreuzstabkantate (1731), BWV 56
Similar to Baroque literature,
the music of the Baroque period is characterized by the frequent use of contrasting
elements. This tendency manifests itself, for instance, in the development of
extremely high-pitched and low-pitched instruments. But even the very idea of
counterpoint - a compositional technique which flourished during the period
in unprecedented diversity and complexity - creates contrasts by setting note
against note: punctus contra punctum. One of the best-known pieces which
make use of this technique is J. S. Bach's Die Kunst der Fuge (The
Art of Fugue 1748-50); but the contrapunctal interweaving of parts is also
very common in Baroque vocal music, for example in Bach's famous solo cantata
Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen (I will the cross-staff gladly
carry). Here, the sturdy ostinato-like accompaniment for the continuo is
set against two fluid vocal and instrumental lines with expressive melismas
to heighten the joy and hopefulness expressed in the text:
Within the strict da capo setting of the aria, the voice imitates the instrumental style by its use of coloraturas and figuration. In complementing the thorough bass with a brilliant, high-pitched oboe part, Bach created the lively polyphonic dialogue of the two parts. They "concert" in the double etymological sense of the word: They dispute and compete, yet basically agree. The theme is repeated, reversed and varied in both parts to underline joy and hope as the predominant "effects" and "affections" of the aria. The discourse of the two parts, so different both in pitch and character, is a prime example of the use of contrast in Baroque music.
Johann Sebastian Bach, "Endlich wird mein Joch"