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This was the era of Johann Sebastian Bach! Musician, composer, and devoted Lutheran. His music—inscribed, "To God alone be glory"—reflected his mastery of interpreting Holy Scripture for worship. This also was the age of Enlightenment—new philosophies, advances in science and colonization throughout the world. Music of all kinds flourished: operas, concertos, sonatas, cantatas, oratorios, and solos. Other prominent composers of the time included Antonio Vivaldi, Jean-Philippe Rameau, and George Frideric Handel. The great influence of the Catholic church was diminishing. Germany remained politically divided and France, England, Spain, and the Dutch focused on commerce and colonization. Russia was beginning to be Westernized. England flourished and the Anglican Church was firmly entrenched. Italy had enormous musical influence throughout Europe, an influence that was matched only by France's pervasive cultural domination. And while Voltaire wrote new philosophies, Canaletto painted the canals of Venice. This was the age of the basso continuo. Opera came to maturity with the
works of Handel, Rameau, and Vivaldi. Oratorios and secular cantatas rivaled
opera in popularity. Orchestral concertos, overtures, suites, and sinfornias
revealed new-found instrumental ensemble possibilities. Suites, inventions,
preludes, fugues, and toccatas were played on the harpsichord, clavichord,
or organ, and even on the new pianoforte. Johann Sebastian Bach created some of the most highly treasured church music of all time. He wrote nearly 300 cantatas, hundreds of chorales, several masses, organ preludes, fugues, and volumes of other works. A devout Lutheran, Bach was, through his music, a master interpreter of Holy Scripture for worship. Other significant composers of the era included Georg Telemann, George Frideric Handel and Dietrich Buxtehude. The historic Lutheran chorales remained at the core of worship. Congregational song, enriched by hymns of Gerhardt, Franke and Crueger, continued to reflect Biblical truths and Lutheran doctrine as reflected in the Sunday festivals and seasons of the Church Year. Hymns that reflected the Pietistic movement became popular for congregational song and gradually supplemented the chorale. The irregular rhythms of the old chorales were replaced by regular metrical rhythms that became the new standard for hymns and chorales. Most Lutheran cities, churches, and courts had cantors and organists who wrote and directed music for their own services. Although many were highly capable and productive, Telemann and Buxtehude were among the most noteworthy. Bach, who later achieved lasting fame as a master composer of all forms, was recognized in his day chiefly as a virtuoso organist and a master of polyphonic composition. Bach knew and absorbed music of the other masters, such as Buxtehude, Vivaldi, Albinoni, Caldara, and Pergolesi.
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