Theoretical analysis of Johann Sebastian Bach, BWV 226: “Der Geist Hilft Unsrer Schwachheit Auf”

Abstract

Johann Sebastian Bach contributed only a few motets to the genre in a life filled with musical compositions. However, these small works are masterpieces of choral writing, and present glimpses into Bach's methods of combining text with music to present a unified and comprehensible piece. Through various analyses, some with the reductive graphing techniques of Heinrich Schenker, the formal structures, both background and foreground and the linkage between them, in this particular motet, Der Geist Hilft Unsrer Schwachheit Auf, can be discerned and discussed. An historical introduction precedes the theoretical sections of the paper, while a comparison with another motet, BWV 225: Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied, and a bibliography follow.