Cracking the Bach Code

J.S. Bach possessed an amazingly comprehensive musical "toolbox."  If, say, he was trying to get across the idea of the Holy Spirit's Pentecost descending, the crucifixion's agony, or the love of Jesus for the Christian, he took out all 64 musical Crayolas and went to work associating certain elements of the piece with Biblical concepts.  The incredible thing:  subconsciously, it did and still does carry across the meaning of the work effectively.

Some things I keep in mind while listening and studying Bach (that you can use, too!):

1.  What is the instrumentation?  Oboes usually denote a countrylike, shepherd atmosphere; trumpets and timpani accompany festival pieces and also mean it is in D Major (the sunny, happy key in which they could play).  Sometimes, the basso continuo or plucked strings can act as a heart pulse or walking rhythm.  Groups of three might signify the Trinity.
2.  What vocal parts are employed?  Sopranos, originally boy trebles, are the Christian nature of the soul.  Altos generally sing about repentance and God's forgiveness.  Evangelists and other heroic characters are played by tenors, and basses often represent Jesus.  Soprano and bass duets typically act as conversations between the Christian and the Lord.
3.  What key is it?  That sounds really picky, but to the Baroque people and their doctrine of affections associated with each tonality, this was extremely meaningful.  A key like A or E-flat Major might hint at the Trinity.
4.  What individual genre does the piece employ?  Almost all of Bach's pieces fit under some component of the dance suite structurally.  Gigues usually indicate confidence and lightheartedness about the topic - a 12/8 pastorale like the opening of BWV 244 hints at the Lamb of God.  Others could be sarabandes (very slow), minuets (the precursor of the waltz, in 3/4), gavottes (in 4/4 with an upbeat on 3), or airs (the catch-all category :) )
5.  What is the shape of the melody?  Does it draw "crosses" with chromaticism on the score?  Does it descend to earth or ascend to heaven?  Bouncy, joyful leaps or gradual stepwise motion?  A twisting, "wandering" feeling? For instance, the Cross Motif:

6.  Of course, where does it fit in the church year?  What is the main idea of the hymn of the day?  If the chorale choice seems somewhat unusual, how could Bach have connected that with the Scriptural readings?
7. Numerically, are there any patterns?  In Baroque times, letters where associated with numbers; "Bach" adds up to 14 and "J.S. Bach" equals 41 in this system.  During any given piece, he seems to have a preoccupation with what goes on in those respective measures, as well as including them in other ways.  On top of that, he likes putting in significant moments at important mathematical divisions like the halfway-point or third.

Once you've scratched the surface, it's kind of hard to stop.  There are lots of great books and papers out there written on the subject, especially the St. Matthew Passion.  The Emmanuel Bach Choir (emmanuelmusic.com) has great, concise notes for every cantata and motet, and bach-cantatas.com contains a variety of resources and discussions.  Have fun!

The Significance of Intertrinitarian Dialogue

People who talk to themselves as a rule do not seem “normal” to society.  Typically, if one catches someone “thinking out loud,” he or she is considered naïve or eccentric.  Despite this, many draw upon it as a useful means of organizing thoughts, publicizing internal feelings, or, in literature especially, to open up a figure’s internalization of characteristic ideas.  The Lord of the Bible is by no means substandard in intellect, nor is His thinking so erratic it needs to be laid own systematically for His own sake.  Additionally, God is one, and the thoughts of each Member of the Trinity are immediately shared as an attribute of His omniscience.  Thus, when the Bible includes intertrinitarian dialogue, it is solely to express the inner workings of the Godhead to mankind.  These references prove that the Trinity was set forth in the Old Testament, show that the opera ad extra are ascribed to all three Persons indivisibly, and finally provide otherwise unknown details about the Trinity’s role in the salvation story.

Along with other references to the “Angel of the LORD” or the “Spirit of God” as well as the very plurality of the Hebrew term “Elohim” (usually translated “God”), the unique utilization of the pronoun indicating multiple Members in the Trinity strengthen the case for those denying this doctrine before the New Testament era.  Secondly, the members of the Trinity have different roles and relation to one another (opera ad intra), which we need to know for salvation. The second Person of the Trinity specifically became man, is begotten by the Father, and both the Father and the Son send the Holy Spirit.  Regarding the divine essence and attributes, Pieper states two things:  both are “absolutely identical” because God is infinite and above His rules of time, but He nonetheless condescends to our means of communication and understanding in order to get across certain ideas about Himself.   God divides Himself into parts, as it were, so that we can know more about Him in Scripture.  However, this does not contradict St. Augustine’s rule:  Opera trinitatis ad extra sunt indivisa (Outside works of the Trinity are indivisible).  Relating to one another with opera ad intra, the persons are to be distinguished (e.g. only the Father begets the Son).  However, in the world, their works are all shared (e.g. the creation). [1]

            Thirdly, these inspired accounts note details of key parts of salvation’s history:  creation, the fall, its consequences, and the Gospel promise, as we shall soon see in the examples.  What is more, it backs the apologetic defense for the verbal inspiration of the Bible:  without the Holy Spirit making this known to the holy authors, they would have not the least notion of the ad intra talk between Him, the Father, and the Son. 

There are four significant instances in the Old Testament in which the members of the Trinity are recorded to have spoken to one another: Genesis 1:26, 3:22, and 11:7, as well as Isaiah 6:8.    Of course, because the intentions of each Person are intimately known through perichoresis, it would not be necessary for God to record this for His own knowledge.  Rather, it is a feature of Scripture which lets the reader in on the special activity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

 “Let Us make man in our image.”[2]  Right away, at man’s creation, God makes it clear that all three Persons are involved in his shaping, and that he shares possession of all of Their image.  In such a way, man is special – the “crown of creation.”[3]There was no disagreement within the Godhead about this, but we are assured that the decision to make man was unreluctantly affirmed, phrased here as an invitation.  In the New Testament era, it then follows perfectly that Christians are to be baptized “in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”  Under the new covenant, man is rightfully adopted by all members of the Trinity to share in the heavenly blessings of faith. 

 “He has become like one of Us.”[4]  “For Satan above said, verse 5, "And ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." From this it is manifest that Adam and Eve really endeavored to become like God, not like an angel.  Wherefore this passage cannot rightly be understood in any other way than as meaning equality with God.”[5]   Kretzmann adds, “Man had become, in a manner of speaking, like one of the persons of the Godhead.  He knew good and evil, although, unfortunately, he was involved in the latter himself, having broken through the bonds set by the Lord.”[6]  One of the members of the Trinity is not addressing the angels, for Satan previously promised man that he would become like Him, and accurately knew this from his prior fellowship with Him in perfection.  Living in that image, man had eaten of the tree which would open his eyes to the knowledge of good and evil.

If humanity was already formed in God’s image, what is the difference between that and being “like God”?  God’s image is defined as the “right disposition of his intellect and will, in his knowledge of God and the will to do only God’s will,” along with a lack of ungodly motives in other human desires.[7]  Being like God, however, involved knowledge of good and evil, and exercising control over such knowledge via their will.  Thus, the two are not identical, but falling into sin and awareness of iniquity ensues in a blurring of that originally-intended image of the Trinity.

Consequent to man’s perdition, the Triune God saw that man might also be inclined to eat of the tree of life; this is a unique piece of insight revealed in conversation.  If humanity would be doomed to eternal life in sin, that would be even worse.  Rather, we observe here that He already had an escape plan in mind.  Though Adam and Eve’s expulsion may have seemed to them unjust, in the Lord’s divinely revealed light we see that it was nonetheless for their good. 

 “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”[8]  As Gerhard says, the sudden disparity of linguistic understanding is a divine work – therefore, the “Us” in this passage (as opposed to v. 4, “Come, let us build ourselves a city”) refers to multiple persons.[9]  This occurrence typifies the power of the Triune God, used here in judgment.  He has the ability and authority to subject a people unified in their pursuit of sin to irreversible division.  What a warning this is!  Prior to the scattering of comprehension, if one would have asked a participant the likeliness of the dispersion happening, he or she probably would have laughed in derision.  Yet, the Lord takes action in this colorful chronicle, and does the unthinkable.  Even so, one can also examine God’s control over language and all works of mankind, and be comforted knowing that He capable of dividing the evil can also bring back together again in peace the good.

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”[10]  Kretzmann comments, “The persons of the Trinity here consulting together in this very important matter.”[11]  In this passage, the speaker may characteristically be the Holy Spirit, who “speaks by the prophets,” and “calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies” believers through divinely appointed ministers.  Here, He does not question, “Who will go for Me?” but exemplifies how the Gospel message concerns every member of the Trinity.  “God desires all men to be saved,” and this means each Person.  What comfort this provides, then, that though man was made in the Triune God’s image, disobeyed Their command, and is subject to Their condemnation for pride, he is still desired by the same God to come to faith.  Although this statement made long after Moses penned Genesis might seem unexpected, it supplies additionally crucial evidence of the Trinity’s evangelical work in the Old Testament.

            Intertrinitarian exchange is not superfluous.  To sinners it might appear so merely because we cannot fathom the mysteries of God.  Still, though the workings of these instances may be inexplicable, the Spirit chooses to record them as historical acts, and the abovementioned Personal use of plural pronouns highlights 1) the complete ownership of man by the Trinity, 2) the full consequences of the Fall, 3) the power of the Triune God’s righteous judgement, and 4) the wholehearted desire of all three Persons that the Gospel be spread.  All in all, the reader should take away the intent of the Triune God to assure him that He has existed from the beginning, He thinks important thoughts towards mankind within Himself, and even delights in His grace to include man in listening to this divine dialogue.

Works Cited:

Gerhard, Johann.  Theological Commonplaces:  Exegesis II-III, On the Nature of God and the           Trinity. St. Louis:  Concordia Publishing House, 2007.

Kretzmann, Paul E.  Popular Commentary of the Bible, Old Testament, Vol. I, St. Louis:          Concordia Publishing House, 1923. 

Kretzmann, Paul E.   Popular Commentary of the Bible, Old Testament, Vol. II, St. Louis:       Concordia Publishing House, 1924.

Luther, Martin.  Luther on the Creation:  A Critical and Devotional Commentary on Genesis.           Martin Luther’s Sermons.  Web accessed 6 Dec 2013.             <http://www.martinluthersermons.com/luthergenesis_chap3.pdf>.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version.  Nashville:  Thomas Nelson, 1982. 

“Trinity:  plural references to God in the Old Testament.”  The Interactive Bible.              <http://www.bible.ca/trinity/trinity-oneness-unity-plural-nouns-pronouns-verbs-   adverbs.htm>.

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[1] Pieper 420. 

[2] Genesis 1:26.

[3] Pieper 475. 

[4] Genesis 3:22.

[5] Martin Luther, Luther on the Creation:  A Critical and Devotional Commentary on Genesis.  Martin Luther’s Sermons.  Web accessed 6 Dec 2013. <http://www.martinluthersermons.com/luthergenesis_chap3.pdf>.

[6] Paul Edward Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible, Old Testament, Vol. 1, St. Louis:  Concordia Publishing House, 1923. 

[7] Pieper 516-7.

[8] Genesis 11:7. 

[9] Johann Gerhard, Theological Commonplaces:  Exegesis II-III, On the Nature of God and the Trinity, St. Louis:  Concordia Publishing House, 2007, 403. 

[10] Isaiah 6:8. 

[11] Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible, Old Testament, Vol. II, St. Louis:  Concordia Publishing House, 1924.

The list of academic stocking-stuffers

Remember those M and M candy canes?  I got one every year in my Christmas stocking growing up - easy to espy poking out from the footboard of the bed.  This time around, I received a pile of blessings in my 2013 treat bag just as plentiful.

- Graduated college Summa Cum Laude (B.A. Music, Religion)
- Got accepted into two masters' programs (M.C.M, M.A. in Lutheran Theological Studies)
- Turned 21
- Took a choir tour to the East Coast
- Premiered three pieces in the new music recital
- Had an original hymn used in church
- Became a choir director
- Became an adjunct-faculty accompanist at my undergraduate college
- Completed 14 credits for my M.C.M. (3.82 G.P.A.)
- Completed 8 credits for my M.A.

Guesses as to what might happen this next year:
- An additional job
- New place to live
- Traveling in some way
- Making a new friend (or two or three or 70)
- Getting to know my future husband
- Composing a new piece
- Turning 22 (well, duh)
- Deciding the topic of and beginning my M.A. thesis
- Giving a collaborative recital
- Accompanying a whole slew of desperate soloists
- Acquire a new skill I never thought I would learn

We'll see what transpires!