Number Associations in the Structure of Bach's "Credo, BWV, 232"

Author(s): Robin A. Leaver

Source: Bach, Vol. 7, No. 3 (JULY, 1976), pp. 17-24
Published by: Riemenschneider Bach Institute
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Number

Associations

of Bach's

Credo

in the
, BWV,

Structure
232

By Robin A. Leaver
Reading, England
featureof theoriginalmanuscript
of the Credoof the
interesting
AN
so-calledB-MinorMass is that,at theendof Patremomnipotentem
,
Bach has drawnattention
to thenumberof barsof thesectionby writing
thenumber"84" afterthe finalbar. This factraisesan interesting
questo writeone sectionof theCredoin a specific
tion:If Bachwas concerned
numberof bars,is it not likelythathe shouldhave done so in theother
sectionsas well?
That Bach changedhis mindduringthecomposition
of theCredois
evidentfromthe originalmanuscript.
had plannedto set
He apparently
theNiceneCreedin eightsections:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Credoin unumDeum
Patremomnipotentem
Et in unumDominum(includinget incarnatus
est)
Crucifixus
Et resurr
exit
Et in Spiritum
sanctum
Confiteor
Et expecto
to
How farBach had gottenbeforehe modifiedhis plan is difficult
that
Friedrich
Smend
feels
the
sections
were
before
complete
eight
say.
He bases his opinionon the factthatthe
Bach made the modification.
(totalnumberof barsof the Credoin thisformis 784, or 7 X 112, 112
forChristus?Howevermuch
or numbersymbolism,
beingthegematria,
writer
is of theopinionthatthisis
the
thenumbers
to
happen fit, present
the
centers
on thepersonand work
Creed
specialpleading,for,although
faith.If Bach wereusingnumof Trinitarian
of Christ,it is a confession
one would expectthe number"3" to be found.Thus,
berssymbolically,
to an interesting
comSmendis on surergroundwhenhe drawsattention
binationof numberswithregardto thetotalnumberof barsin the first
foursectionsof theCredo?
1. Credoin unumDeum
2. Patremomnipotentem
3. Et in unumDominum
4. Crucifixus

45 )
84, >v
80 )
49 )

129
^
17

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in an interesting
Smendpointsout that129 factorizes
way: 43 X 3;
as 43 is thegematriaforCredo,129 is the numericalway of stating:"I
believein theTrinitarian
God."
The Crucifixus
is an adaptationof thefirstpartof thefirstda capo
chorusof theCantata,Weinen
, Klagen, Sorgen,Zagen ( BWV 12). The
sectioncomprised
49 bars,and it wouldseemthatit was Bach'soriginal
intention
to use it forthe Crucifixus
witha minimumof modification.
If therelevantpagesof themanuscripts
of theCantataand theCredoare
that
a strikingresemblance
between
it
there
will
seen
be
is
compared,
them:in both,the sopranoenterson the secondbeat of the firstbar of
wereaddedas an
thepage.3 The now familiarfourbarsof introduction
Et
in
unum
in
end
of
at
the
crammed
Dominum?
afterthought,
being
of the
thatBach,in his originalstructure
whichconfirms
theconviction
movement
from
for
to
the
49-bar
Credo,had planned the Crucifixus be
Latin
text.
Cantata12, suitably
adaptedto the
However,at somelaterdate,possiblyafterhe had writtenout some,
of thewhole
or all,oftheCrucifixus,
Bach decidedto changethestructure
he wouldhave nineand makethe CruCredo. Insteadof eightsections,
on either
withfoursectionsarranged
cifixusthecenterpiece,
symmetrically
thiswouldmakeverygood sense,forthe work
side of it. Theologically,
faith.Furthermore,
of theCrossstandsat theverycenterof theChristian
it is knownfrommanyof Bach'sotherworksthathe was in thehabitof
arounda focalpoint. So,
the formalstructures
arranging
symmetrically
thevocal
intohis score? First,he re-wrote
whatchangesdid he introduce
partsof theduetEt in unumDominumto eliminatethewordsEt incarnata est... , and includedthemas an appendixat theend of theCredo.
Secondly,he composedthe now familiar,meditativeEt incarnatusest,
intothescorebefore
outon a separatesheetand inserted
whichwaswritten
thisnew section
theCrucifixus.
Whatis revealingis thatBach haswritten
in exactlythesamenumberof barsas theoriginalformof theCrucifixus,
of the
thatis, 49 bars. The implicationis thatthe numberassociations
firstfoursectionsof the earlierversionalso hold good forthe second,
finalversion.
1. Credoin unumDeum
2. "Patrem
omnipotentem
3. Et in unumDominum
.
X Et
mcarnatus
est
4.

451
I
84
80
I
49

= 129 = 43 X 3
= 129 = 43 X 3

of the Credo,the Crucifixus

The fifthsection- the centerpiece
well in its original49 bars,but it appearsthat
couldhavestoodperfectly
and thathis
extendedit bythefour-bar
Bachhas deliberately
introduction,
18

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has
reasonsfordoingso werenumerical.As it now stands,theCrucifixus
has a
53 bars. Of all thenine sectionsof the Credo,onlythe Crucifixus
totalnumberof barswhichis an indivisible
primenumber.What,then,
is thesignificance
ofthenumber"53"? Thereis onlyone 53 whichis assoand thatis the 53rdchapterof the prophecy
ciatedwiththe crucifixion
in Christiantheologyas preof Isaiah,whichhas alwaysbeen understood
In the churchesof St.
Atonement
of
the
of
Christ.
the
Cross
figuring
Nicholasand St.Thomasin Leipzigin Bach'sday,theGood Fridaysermon
had to be preachedon thischaptereveryotheryear;5and bothof thecomBachownedreferto Isaiah53 whencommenting
pleteBiblecommentaries
b
in Matthew,
on thecrucifixion
as presented
chapter21. The number"53"
and Bach appears
associatedwiththecrucifixion,
is, therefore,
particularly
to it.
to havedeliberately
drawnattention
If the totalnumberof bars in each sectionis examined,it will be
all are significant
numberswhich
foundthat,withone possibleexception,
section.The
in somewayrelateto thecontentof thetextof theparticular
This
can either
has
Credo
in
unum
Deum
bars.
is
which
45
the
exception
be expressedas 5 X 9, or 5 X 3 X 3. Bach maywell have had some
withthisnumber,
in mindin connection
but what
particular
significance
it is the
that
is
thatwas we can onlyguess. What is important,
however,
Patrem
the
of
with
the
84
bars
to
combine
number
omnipotentem,
right
totalof 129.
to givethesignificant
of thenumber
The secondsectionof the Credoand thesignificance
and his
examinedby RandolphCurrie,7
"84" in it has been intensively
out
it
worth
studied.
is
need
to
be
However,
pointing here
closely
findings
to thegematriatotals
as 14 X 6. Bach according
that84 canbe expressed
Bach had been brought
of thesix daysof creation.8
14,and 6 is symbolic
Lutherexplainedin
in
terms.
of
think
God
to
of
the
creation
personal
up
theSmall Catechismthatthe firstarticleof theCreedmeans: "I believe
thatGod has createdme and all thatexists;thatHe has givenme and still
sustainsmybodyand soul,all mylimbsand senses,myreasonand all the
houseand home,
withfoodand clothing,
facultiesof mymind,together
and
withall
me
that
He
and
abundantly
provides daily
family property;
me from
me fromall danger,and preserves
of life,protects
thenecessities
and divinegoodnessand
all evil. All thisHe doesoutof hispure,fatherly,
on
or
merit
worthiness
without
mypart. For all of thisI am
any
mercy,
true."9
boundto thank,praise,serve,and obeyHim. This is mostcertainly
a
statement
14
to
be
or
X 6, appears
84,
personal
by Bach
Appropriately,
thathe believesin theCreatorGod.
to theeffect
The thirdsectionof the Credo is the duet,Et in unumDominum,
as 2 X 40. The factor2 is easily
whichhas80 bars. Thiscan be factorized
19

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thesecondarticleor paragraphof the

explained,forthewordsintroduce
Creedwhichis concerned
withthesecondPersonof theTrinity.Furthermore,therevisedversionof thevocalpartsof thesection,includedas an
'
appendixto the Credo, is headed: Duo Voces Articuli2' ("Two Voices
forthe 2nd Article"). The substanceof thispartof theCreedspeaksof
the gloryof the Son of God whichHe enjoyedbeforethe incarnation:
Smend
"God of God,Lightof light,veryGod of veryGod. . . Friedrich
forSoli Deo
has pointedout thatthegematriaforSDG, theabbreviation
is 29, which,
Gloriawhichappearsat theendofmanyCantatamanuscripts,
also happensto be thegematriaforJSB.}0One
by a happycoincidence,
of theerrorsthatSmendand thosewho havefollowedhimhave made is
thattheyhaveassumedthatthenumerical
equivalentof SDG is always29.
failedto noticeis thatBach did notalwaysuse
Whattheyhaveapparently
the formSDG at the end of his manuscripts.
Occasionallyhe used the
formSDGl, and theseare the letterswhichactuallyoccurtwicein the
of theB-MinorMass,at theend of theMissa and at the end
manuscript
thus: DSGl; but,
of the wholework. In fact,the lettersare transposed
eitherway,thegematriaforthefourlettersis 40. It is significant,
indeed,
thatthesectionof theCreedwhichdealswiththegloryof theSon of God,
shouldcontain80 bars,whichcan be
the SecondPersonof the Trinity,
40.
2
as
X
expressed
est de Spiritu
The fourthsectionof the Credo is the Et incarnatus
The
number
"7" has
the
Sancto ("And was incarnate
Spirit").
Holy
by
tradition
in
Christian
but
a
as
been
number,
significant
regarded
always
it is associatedwiththeworkof theHoly Spirit.For example,theLatin
11
in thethirdstanzato the
Spiritus containsa reference
hymnVenicreator
of the
that
the incarnation
states
Creed
The
the
of
sevenfold
Spirit.
gifts
Son of God occurredthroughtheoperationof theHoly Spirit,and Bach
the doctrinein the 49 bars of the section,
appearsto have symbolized
49 being7X7.
of theCredoled to someinteresting
Bach'srevisionof thestructure
associationswithregardto the sequenceof the sections.The
numerical
to notethat
theCrucifixus
centralmovement,
, is thefifth.It is interesting
thereare 5
the
cross:
of
a
as
understood
has
been
5
symbol
traditionally
woundsof
there
were
and
5
the
cross
a
on
intersection),
(4 plus
points
thecross(hands,feetand side).12
intotwo parts:Et resurr
exit,which
The sixthsectionfallsnaturally
a
82
covers
which
bars,giving combined
covers50 bars,and Et ascendit,
mostobviousnumbers
here
the
used
has not
totalof 132. Bachapparently
tookplace
resurrection
The
ascension.
and
withtheresurrection
associated
40
are not
and
but
3
on thethirddayand the ascensionfortydayslater,
20

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obviouslyused here.13However,thetotalsare mostrevealing.The numto thefeastof Pentecost,

ber"50" couldwellbe a reference
whichwas the
festivalof fifty
after
a
that
reminder
theresurboth
Passover,being
days
rectionand ascensiontookplaceduringthisfifty-day
This
period.
thought
appearsto be confirmed
by thefactors11 and 12,whichwhenmultiplied
total132,forduringthisfifty-day
together
periodtherewereonlyeleven
of thetwelveapostles,Judashavingcommitted
suicide.
In Bachs revisedstructure
theEt in SpiritumSanctumstandsas the
seventhsectionand,as has been alreadynoticed,"7" is thesymbolof the
HolySpirit.But thetotalnumberof barsof thesectioncannotbe factorized by 7. Thereis onlyone obviousway to factorize144, and thatis
12 X 12. This symbolism
followson naturally
fromtheprevioussection,
=
11
at
for
when
the
132
X 12,
Pentecost,
Holy Spiritwas given,the
12
of
the
was
made
to
number
apostles
up
againby theelectionof Matthias.Furthermore,
thissectionof theCreedexpresses
belief"in one,holy,
catholicand apostolicchurch,"and, of course,the 12 apostleswere the
of theChristian
Church.Again,thebookof Revelation,
founder-members
in chapters7 and 14, picturessymbolically
the numberof theredeemed,
thecompleted
Church,as 12 X 12,000,thatis, 144,000.Once more,Bach
has apparently
chosena totalnumberof bars for the sectionwhichis
to theverbalcontentof thetext.
appropriate
The Confiteor
unumbaptismaappearsas the eighthsectionof the
"8" is thesymbolic
numberforresurrection
and there
Credo.Traditionally,
are twobasicreasonsforthisassociation.First,Christrosefromthedead
havebeen an eighth
on thefirstdayof theweek,whichmustof necessity
resurrection
and
the
Lord
s
thatof the saintsat
from
day. Second,apart
whenHe died on the cross,theBible records
thetimeof theearthquake
St. Paul,in Romans6:3-6, statesthatbapeightindividualresurrections.
of Christ,and thus8 has cometo
and
resurrection
the
death
tismis into
withbaptism.Baptismalfontsin manychurches
be associatedparticularly
are octagonalbecauseof thisassociation;indeed,if the fontthatis now
in St. George'sChurch,Eisenach,is old enough,thenJohannSebastian
himselfwas baptizedin an octagonalfont.14
Thus,the associationof the
in
number"8" with the confessionof faith unum baptismais highly
appropriate.
Accordingto the score,section8 endsat bar 146, but if the textis
unumbaptismaactuallyends
examined,it will be seenthatthe Confiteor
numberat thispoint. When bapat bar 123,whichis a mostsignificant
elements.First,thereis the
thereare two important
tismis administered
the
the
and
of
second,
personis baptizedin thenameof
person,
naming
theTrinity:Father,Son,and Holy Spirit.Accordingto thegematriathe
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nameof thecomposer,
J.S. Bach,totals41 and it wouldappearthatBach
hasdrawnattention
to hisownbaptismbyreferring
to hisown
numerically
nameand thatof theTrinity,
for41 X 3 = 123! Further,
thisallusion
to his own name,expressednumerically,
in thispenultimate
sectionbalancessymmetrically
withthe factor14 (= Bach) of thesecondsection,
Patremomnipotentem
below) . This seems
( see theschematic
presentation
to underline
thattheCredois notsimplya settingof a contheimpression
fessionof faith,but thatit is Bach'sexpression
of
of his own confession
faith.
The wordsEt expectoare introduced
towardsthe end of Confiteor
,
and fromthispointto theend of theCredothereare 129 bars. Thus,this
monumental
settingof the Credoendswiththe same numericalallusion
withwhichit begins:43 X 3 - an affirmation
of faithin theTrinitarian
God. This idea is reinforced
by the factthatthereare 3 groupsof 129
of theCreed;
barsin thewholesetting,
one associatedwitheachparagraph
thatis,one groupof 129 bars,or 43 X 3, is associatedwitheach Person
of theTrinity.The structure
as
of theCredocan be set out schematically
follows:
Deum
inunum
45
' 1. Credo
) ,
,I '
I-14 6 >= 1129= 43 X 3|
84
Patrem
X
|
|
omnipotentem
^2.
|
80 = 2 X 40 I
Dominum
3. Etinunum
;(
>=1129 = 43 X 3hest
i I 4. Etincarnatus
49 = 7X7 )
II ) I 5. Crucifixus
exit 50 j
' i 6a.Etresurr
'I Etascendit 82 '(
6b.

53 = Isaiah53 |
= 132= 11 X 12

/ 7. EtinSpiritum
sanctum 144= 12 X 12
unum
III j 8. Confiteor
baptisma 123="4l1X 3
I 9. Etexpecto
1129- 43 X 3l
It is remarkable,
indeed,thatthe numberof bars in the sectionsof
the Credo shouldhave thesesignificant
totals,numberswhichare symbolicallyrelatedto thecontentof thetextin eachof theninesections.
of Bach'sworksshowthatthe
The resultsof studiesin thechronology
worksduringthelastfifteen
Thomascantor
composedveryfew"religious"
yearsor so of his life. This facthas temptedsometo suggestthatthisis
with
evidenceto provethatduringtheseyearsBach becamedisillusioned
faith.But thereareno groundsforthisassertion;indeed,the
theChristian
22

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evidencepointsin theotherdirection.In thelateryearsof his life,Bach's

personalfaithand interestin basic Christiantheologywere intensified
ratherthanweakened.In 1739 he was exploringthe theologicalthemes
and givingthemmusicalexpression;15
of Luther'sCatechisms
towardthe
end of 1742 he boughta secondset of Luther'sworksand studiedthem
and around1748-49he was again exploringthe fundamental
carefully;16
faithin hismonumental
doctrines
of theChristian
settingof theCredo.
Footnotes
1According
tothenumber
(A=l, B=2, etc.,I/J=9,U/V-20) Christus
alphabet
- 3+ 8+17 + 9+18+19 + 20+18=: 112;seeF. Smend,
Sebastian
Johann
Bach,
Vol. 4 (Berlin:Christlicher
Kirchen-Kantaten,
[1966]), pp.
Zeitschriftenverlag
13 f.
2Ibid.
3BG,Vol.44,Plates23 and105.
4Ibid,Plate102.
5C. S. Terry,
TextsSacred
andSecular,
Witha ReconstrucJoh.Seb.BachCantata
tionoftheLeipzig
ofhisPeriod(London:HollandPress,
Liturgy
1964),p. 208.
6Johann
nechst
demallgemeinen
Biblische
Darinnen
Olearius,
Erklrung
HauptDergantzen
Schlssel
Vol.5,
Schrifft
heiligen
Tarnov,
(Leipzig:Johann
Christoph
Die HeiligeBibelnachS. Herrn
D. Martini
1687),p. 264;Abraham
Calov,J.N.J.
Lutheri
Deutscher
undErklrung
Christian
Dolmetchung
(Wittenberg:
Schrdter),
Vol.5,col.288.
7Randolph
"A Neglected
Guideto Bach'sUseofNumber
N. Currie,
Symbolism,"
BACH, Vol.5, 1974,Nos.1-4.
8Bachused"6" to symbolize
thecreativity
ofGodin thechorale
on Wir
prelude
all' an einenGott(BWV 680). SeeR. A. Leaver,
"Bach'sCiavierbung
glauben
111
: SomeHistorical
TheOrganYearBook,Vol.
andTheological
Considerations,"
6, 1975,p. 22.
9TheBookofConcord,
trans,
anded.T. G. Tappert,
etal (Philadelphia:
Fortress
1959),p. 345.
Press,
10F. Smend,
ed.C. Wolff(Kassel:Brenreiter,
Bach-Studien,
1969),p. 187.
11Thehymn
in Bach'sday:NeuLeipziger
wassungin Latinin Leipzig
Gesangbch
1682),No. 128.
(Leipzig:Christoph
Klinger,
12Thisis a casewhereBach-number
do notagree.According
to Hahn
symbolists
& Hrtel,
which
[Wiesbaden:
1973],p.23),4 is thenumber
Breitkopf
symbolizes
in Bach'sFirstCantata
thecross.However,
Artur
Hirsch("Number
Symbolism
Pt.I," BACH, Vol.6, No. 3, p. 13) states
thatthesymbolic
Cycle:1723-1724.
ofthecrossis 5. Hirsch
is tobe preferred
there
is a longtradibecause
number
of5 withthecross,
tionbehind
theassociation
demonstrates
butthisdisagreement
in which
thenumber
finds
himself:
in hisenthusiasm,
thedifficulty
he
symbolist
which
servehispurpose,
butwhichcannot
be directly
mayeasilychoosenumbers
withBach.It is nottoodifficult
todrawoutsymbolical
associated
interpretations
fromanynumber.
it is important
to concentrate
on thosenumbers
Therefore,
them(suchas 3,5, 7, 10,12,etc.),andwould
which
havea longtradition
behind
to Bach,oron thosenumbers
whichhavebeenshownto
thushavebeenknown
in Bach'sworks
forhisownname(suchas Bach=
recur
as numerical
substitutes
other
unlesstheycan
14,JSB= 29,/S. Bach= 41,etc.). To choose
numbers,
linked
withBach,is tolayoneself
offitting
the
be objectively
opentothecharge
evidence
tothetheory.
13132==3 X 44 is closebutnotcloseenough.
withthe
Theuseof3 inconnection
wouldbe confusing
as thenumber
is almostexclusively
usedas a
resurrection
oftheTrinity.
symbol
14SeeW. Neumann,
Thames
BachandHis World(London:
& Hudson,
1969),p. 8.
23

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15SeeLeaver,
"Bach's
III,"p. 17-32.
Ciavierbung
16SeeR. A. Leaver,
ahrbuch
seiner
BachunddieLutherschriften
Bach-]
,
Bibliothek,
1975.

About

Our Authors

Bach
WILTRUD SITTIG CORNISH servesthe Riemenschneider
as secretary
A nativeof Frankfurt,
Mrs.
Institute
and translator.
Germany,
and
She
Cornishwas educatedin Frankfurt,
emiEberbach, Heidelberg.
gratedto Americaandnowresidesin theClevelandareawithherhusband,
John,and twodaughters.
in musictheory
DR. LAWRENCE HARTZELL, associateprofessor
at Baldwinandchairman
ofthedepartment
WallaceCollege,is wellknown
in theClevelandareaforhis lectures
on variousfacetsof Americanmusic.
He is theauthorof a recentarticle,"KarelHusa,theMan and theMusic,"
, January,
1976).
( MusicalQuarterly
Kilianwas formanyyears
DR. OSKAR KILIAN. The lateProfessor
a teacherof history,
RealGerman,and Frenchat theEberbach,
Germany,
gymnasium.
theoTHE REVEREND ROBIN A. LEAVER, Anglicanminister,
completeda book on thetheology
logian,and musicscholar,has recently
of MartinLuther,entitledLutheron Justification
(St. Louis,Mo.: ConcordiaPublishingHouse, 1975). The ReverendMr. Leaver,a Winston
ChurchillFellow,is chaplainof St. Mary'sChapel,CastleStreet,Reading,
England.
DR. WALTER SCHENKMAN, pianistand chairmanof the piano
of NorthernColoradoat Greeley,is the
at the University
department
and performance.
authorof severalarticleson piano literature
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