Quodlibet, BWV 524
Encyclopedia
The Quodlibet or Wedding Quodlibet, BWV
524, is a lighthearted composition by Johann Sebastian Bach
which today exists only in fragmentary form. The line In diesem Jahre haben wir zwei Sonnenfinsternissen (In this year we have [seen] two solar eclipses) places the composition of the piece in or shortly after 1707, when central Germany was witness to two such celestial events. The extant source—a fair-copy autograph manuscript on three large, folded sheets—was not discovered until 1932.
The work itself is a loosely structured quodlibet
for SATB
and continuo
. Bach likely did not write the text, which some attribute to the Leipzig poet Johann Friedrich Gottsched. Though the cover sheet has been lost, the libretto
of the remaining portion indicates that the quodlibet was to be performed at a wedding, possibly Bach's own.
BWV
The Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis is the numbering system identifying compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. The prefix BWV, followed by the work's number, is the shorthand identification for Bach's compositions...
524, is a lighthearted composition by Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
which today exists only in fragmentary form. The line In diesem Jahre haben wir zwei Sonnenfinsternissen (In this year we have [seen] two solar eclipses) places the composition of the piece in or shortly after 1707, when central Germany was witness to two such celestial events. The extant source—a fair-copy autograph manuscript on three large, folded sheets—was not discovered until 1932.
The work itself is a loosely structured quodlibet
Quodlibet
A quodlibet is a piece of music combining several different melodies, usually popular tunes, in counterpoint and often a light-hearted, humorous manner...
for SATB
SATB
In music, SATB is an initialism for soprano, alto, tenor, bass, defining the voices required by a chorus or choir to perform a particular musical work...
and continuo
Figured bass
Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervals, chords, and non-chord tones, in relation to a bass note...
. Bach likely did not write the text, which some attribute to the Leipzig poet Johann Friedrich Gottsched. Though the cover sheet has been lost, the libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
of the remaining portion indicates that the quodlibet was to be performed at a wedding, possibly Bach's own.