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Sacred music for voices and instruments in the 18th Century was based partly on traditional liturgical texts and partly on newer texts. These included Bible texts and other religious poetry, and texts and tunes of chorales.

Vocal works included chorales sung by choirs and the congregation, and chorale settings of 16th Century and 17th Century hymns. Cantatas were performed regularly in worship. These were based on liturgically assigned texts and usually consisted of various combinations of recitatives, arias, chorales, or choruses. Passion settings, that consisted of one of the four accounts of the suffering and death of Jesus, and Mass compositions, that usually consisted of settings of Kyrie and Gloria in Excelsis, also were important contributions to Lutheran worship.

Many organ chorale preludes were improvised and others were written out. These ranged from simple introductory pieces to extended chorale melody settings. Instrumental ensemble works included sinfonia that were usually introductory pieces in cantatas.

 

 

 

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