kantaatit

Kantaatit are vocal-instrumental compositions for one or more vocal soloists, choir, and an instrumental ensemble, typically arranged in multiple movements. They originated in the early Baroque period in Europe and are especially associated with the Lutheran church, where sacred cantatas were performed during Sunday services and church holidays. Secular cantatas, often with courtly or pastoral themes, were also composed during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Form and texts: Sacred cantatas usually use biblical readings, chorales, and poetry; they combine recitatives, arias, and choruses; the opening movement often features a ritornello or overture-like section; the final movement is commonly a chorale. Instrumental accompaniment frequently includes continuo and strings, sometimes horns and oboes.

Notable composers and influence: Johann Sebastian Bach systematized the cantata repertory for the Lutheran liturgy; other important composers include Dieterich Buxtehude, Georg Philipp Telemann, Heinrich Schütz, and Alessandro Scarlatti. Handel wrote cantatas in Italian and English. Bach's cantatas remain central to the repertoire, and the genre influenced later vocal-orchestral forms.

In modern concert life, cantatas are performed in churches and concert halls, often within the early music revival. They are distinguished from oratorios and passions by their liturgical function, typically shorter scale, and the frequent use of a single chorale or a small set of choruses. Cantatas continue to be studied and performed as part of historic and contemporary choral repertoires.