Salomon Franck

Salomon (also Salomo) Franck, 6 March 1659  – 11 July 1725), was a German lawyer, scientist, and gifted poet.
His name is widely associated with some of Johann Sebastian Bach's best-known cantatas, mainly those composed as of 1714 in Weimar.[1][2]

Contents

Biography

Franck was born in Weimar. After studying law and theology at Jena he held government posts at Zwickau, Arnstadt, Jena and Weimar, where he died.[3] Records show that, as of 1702, Franck was secretary of the high Consistory, managing the numismatic collection and the library records for the court of Duke of Saxe-Weimar, William Ernest.

Franck had already written several secular cantata texts prior to his association with Johann Sebastian Bach, e.g. Himmelsflammende Wunschopfer, which was performed at Weimar castle in 1697.

He wrote the text for Bach's earliest secular cantata (1713), Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd (BWV 208) in which, following the custom of the day, he drew upon mythological characters.[1] The cantata was composed for the 31st birthday celebration of Duke Christian of Sachsen-Weissenfels.

In 1717, he published a collection of sacred texts titled Evangelische Sonn- und Festtages Andachten auf Hochfürstliche Gnädigste Verordnung zur Fürstlich Sächsischen Weimarischen Hof-Capell-Music in Geistlichen Arien erwecket von Salomon Francken, Fürstlich Sächsischen Gesamten Ober-Consistorial-Secretario in Weimar. Weimar und Jena bey Johann Felix Bielcken. 1717.

His earliest church-cantata texts were written in the older form, consisting of verses from the Bible and strophic songs.
In 1711 he used for the first time the new form introduced by Erdmann Neumeister.[4] Bach, after his appointment as Konzertmeister at Weimar in 1714, often set his sacred texts, including those of the cantatas BWV 31, BWV 70a, BWV 72, BWV 80, BWV 132, BWV 147, BWV 152, BWV 155, BWV 161, BWV 163, BWV 164, BWV 165, BWV 168, BWV 182, BWV 185, and BWV 186.[5] He also wrote most likely the text for BWV 12, BWV 172 and BWV 21.

Works

Texts set to music by Johann Sebastian Bach

probably by Salomon Franck (1714)

From Evangelisches Andachts-Opffer (1715)

From Evangelische Sonn- und Fest-Tages-Andachten (1717)

References

  1. ^ a b J. C. J. Day. The texts of Bach's Church cantatas: some observations. German Life and Letters, volume 13 (1960), num. 2, pages 137-144.
  2. ^ Christoph Wolff (Hrsg.): Die Welt der Bach-Kantaten, Metzler/Bärenreiter, Stuttgart und Kassel, 3 Bände Sonderausgabe 2006 ISBN 3-476-02127-0
  3. ^ J. C. J. Day. The texts of Bach's Church cantatas: some observations. German Life and Letters, volume 13 (1960), num. 2, pages 137-144
  4. ^ Geoffrey Turner. Singing The Word: The Cantatas of J S Bach. New Blackfriars, volume 87, issue 1008, pages 144-154.
  5. ^ Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini. Studi sui testi delle Cantate sacre di J. S. Bach. Università di Padova, pubblicazioni della Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia, vol. XXXI, Padova & Kassel, 1956, xv-291

Sources