The piece I chose to study for the Baroque period is Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cantata 198: The Trauerode. This piece was written for the funeral of the Queen Christiane Eberhardine of Poland. Her story is very intriguing. She was placed in self-exile because she refused to convert to Catholicism when her husband,Fredrich August, Elector of Saxony was chosen as king of Poland and became August II king of Poland. Although she was in exile, her life was still lavish with wealth and she was considered royalty, carrying the title of Queen until her death in September 5th, 1727. In interesting fact, her son, August III King of Poland, was the only legitimate of the king’s 267 children!
The lyrical portion was written by Johann Christoph Gottsched, and Bach was asked to compose the musical portion. The piece was preformed at the ceremony on October 17th, 1727 so the duo had roughly a month to bring it all together. I enjoy the piece because, although it is lengthy, it does not become boring. Nor does it seem repetitive. Although it is a funeral piece, the Trauerode does not carry a dark or depressing feel. This fact stood out to me the most, it seemed light, while leaning toward solemn. The wind instruments at the beginning keep the piece airy 
while the voices bring the serious tone.
I failed to mention that the information I found on this composition was from the website baroquemusic.org. The exact URL is:
http://www.baroquemusic.org/198trauerode.html
Once again, GREAT job on the background research.
Like you said the music is very light and fairly upbeat. It definitely does not sound like a funeral song, but the singing most definitely does bring a serious tone. When i was listening to the music I thought it kind of sounded like people marching, which can be tied in with the fact that she was royalty. Did you get that vibe at all?
The research is excellent. I find Bach’s work to be complex and made all the more extraordinary considering the time constraints placed upon him. There seems to be a lot of convention breaking going on here. Not only does Bach write a piece that is light considering the theme but in memory of an exiled monarch. The rise of influence from political leaders seems to continually reinforce the reformation movement.
You are right about the “happy” and “joyous” feelings that the music gives the listener throughout the bulk of the piece. However, the beginning is a bit sad and seemingly full of mourning. After using your source as a comparison, I found out that the first portion of the cantata is actually formatted to introduce Von Kirchbach, the man who gave the Obituary Address. It would only make sense that the introduction to a eulogy would be a little morose and gloomy.
On the other hand, following his address, the mood of the second half of the cantata takes a complete turn and focuses on a celebratory feeling. The lyrics for this portion of the cantata are actually aimed towards the happiness of the queen now that she has passed on. It is a celebration of the life she lived and how she will always live in the hearts of the people forever. This is an extremely high honor showing her public popularity, considering she had been exiled.
I think you did a wonderful job explaining the story behind the music. I do really enjoy the fact that Bach made this music an uplifting piece. I would rather celebrate someone’s life by smiling and listening to happy music at a funeral than grieving the loss through heartbreak and tears.
Even though she was exiled, why do you suppose Bach chose to celebrate her life with this cantata instead of composing the routine depressing piece to play at the funeral? I certainly do think that it was an honorable move from Bach.
What great facts of interest you found! Not only did you include the pertinant facts related to the piece you choose to represent the Baroque Era but you also included some social events and related facts that stir one’s futher interest into the subject and period’s happenings with the people involved in your work.
Some believers with a faith-base hope loved one’s would be able to celebrate their passing instead of honoring a sad traditional funeral composition. Do you think these individuals would prefer Bach’s musical piece?
Great job! I liked this selection with the supportive information you provided.