cantata

: a poem, story, or play set to music to be sung by a chorus and soloists. Etymology. from Italian cantata "music for a chorus," from Latin cantata (same meaning), derived from canere "to sing" - related to cantor, chant, chantey.

Cantata is a usually short composition featuring several movements. And it features a story. So in the case of Bach's cantatas. We feature an element from the Bible.

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A cantata (/kænˈtɑːtə/; Italian: [kanˈtaːta]; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb cantare, "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir.

The term “cantata,” invented in Italy in the 17th century, refers to music written for voice and instruments. It applies broadly to works for solo voice, multiple soloists, or vocal ensemble, with instrumental accompaniment.

without instrumental accompaniment a cappella • \ah-kuh-PEL-uh\ • adverb or adjective. : without instrumental accompaniment. Examples: The audience quieted when the singer walked out and began singing a cappella. "…

By the late Baroque, the genre of cantata had become more substantial. The cantatas of J.S. Bach and his contemporaries were longer, involved more instruments and singers, and were usually performed for larger audiences.

Vocal choral works Vocal choral works: During the Classical and Romantic periods, the cantata came to refer to any vocal choral piece. Nineteenth-century cantatas were also generally more song-like, versus the lengthier oratorio, which was then generally defined as sacred choral music.

Action when Bach got his job at Leipzig one of the jobs. This duties he was expected to do was to compose a cantata for the Sunday service.

One of the great aspects of the cantata is that, although it uses operatic elements (recitative, arias, dialogues, choruses), it is unlike an opera in that the drama is implied and it is spiritual in nature, not intended to be performed on stage with costumes and characters.

Cantatas for use in the liturgy of church services are called church cantata or sacred cantata; other cantatas can be indicated as secular cantatas. Several cantatas were, and still are, written for special occasions, such as Christmas cantatas.

a cappella: "In the style of the chapel" or "In the church". It refers to choral or vocal music without separate instrumental accompaniment. Instruments may be used to double the vocal parts to strengthen the vocal bass line or to fill in additional parts, and the piece is still a cappella.