Behind the Scenes of Johann Sebastian Bach's "Coffee Cantata": humor, merchandising, and music
- Milton Ribeiro
- Aug 12
- 5 min read
The Coffee Cantata, a comic work by J.S. Bach, a mini-opera, was performed between 1732 and 1735 at Zimmermann's Kaffeehaus in Leipzig.
The plot of the play is bold for its time: Schlendrian is a rude father who is deeply concerned because his daughter Lieschen has fallen into a new habit of drinking coffee. All his promises and threats to dissuade her from this detestable habit are fruitless until, to dissuade her, he offers her a husband. Lieschen accepts the idea enthusiastically, and her father hurries off to find her one.
Cultural journalist Milton Ribeiro comments with lightness and erudition on the performance of the "Coffee Cantata" by the Bach Society Brazil, filmed and recorded with period instruments.
WATCH THE ONLINE PREMIERE OF THIS WORK HERE.
Behind the scenes of Cantata do Café: custom merchandising
The Kaffeekantate, BWV 211, commissioned from Bach by Zimmermann, is, in large part, an ode to the product (yes, pure merchandising) and, in part, a stab at the existing movement in Germany to prevent its consumption by women. It was believed that the "black poison" or "the addictive black powder" could cause loss of control and sterility in the fairer sex. Bach, in exchange for Zimmermann's payment, ignored these terrible dangers. Otherwise, he might not have set to music an aria that says: "Ah, how sweet its taste. / Delicious as a thousand kisses, / sweeter than muscatel. / I need coffee"; nor would he have treated us to these niceties...: "Daddy, don't be so mean. / If I don't drink my coffee / my curves will dry up / my legs will wither / no one will marry me."
Bach had learned well, from his family life and his work as a teacher, that influencing young people wasn't so easy. Therefore, he added a recitative in which Lieschen's plans are revealed: the man who wants to marry her will have to agree to a clause: the marriage contract will stipulate that she can drink coffee whenever she pleases.
At the end, there is a brief chorus of three singers, where coffee and evolution are admitted as inevitable. This cantata—along with a few other secular vocal works—is a clear exception in Bach's oeuvre. The composer, unfairly known for being serious, accepted Zimmermann's invitation to compose an advertisement for his Café and, as he almost always did, produced a masterpiece, a small comedy that works both on stage and in concert halls. The effect of the first performance must have been considerably enhanced by the fact that women were not allowed to sing in cafés (or in churches), and the role of Lieschen was likely sung by a falsetto singer. Bach, with the help of the poet Picander, constructed two very believable characters: a grumbling, rustic father and a stubborn, capricious daughter. The composer seems at ease in caricaturing his father with the heavy bass, accentuated rhythms, and the "con pompa" prescription, while the violins growl to indicate his irascible temperament.
The young woman's enthusiasm for a potential husband is set to a cheerful melody in a folk dance rhythm. It's contagious. For purists, the divine and sacred Bach can be quite crude: after all, when Lieschen says she wants a fiery and robust lover, the violins and violas fall silent, as if to make the blunt statement clear to the listeners. Café Zimmermann must have collapsed...
At the time, it was seen as a passing fad and a luxury. They were wrong. And, mind you, Bach's inventory mentions two coffee pots (one large and one small) and a sugar bowl.
In other words, the man wasn't just beer.
Café Zimmermann, a Bach house
The city's first Kaffeehaus opened in 1694 — coffee had arrived in Germany in 1670 — and in 1735 the bourgeoisie could choose between eight privileged establishments.
Café Zimmermann, or Zimmermannsches Kaffeehaus, was Gottfried Zimmermann's coffee house in Leipzig which served as the venue for the premieres of some of Bach's Secular Cantatas, such as the Coffee Cantata (Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht) and instrumental works.
In 1723, the year Bach moved to Leipzig, the Zimmermann was the largest and best-equipped Kaffeehaus in Leipzig and a meeting place for the city's educated. It's important to note that, although women were forbidden from frequenting the cafés, they were allowed to attend concerts at the Zimmermann. The café was located at Katharinenstrasse 14, then Leipzig's most elegant street. The street's name was taken from the old St. Catherine's Chapel, demolished in 1544.
With its Baroque buildings, Katharinenstrasse was a boulevard known far beyond Leipzig's borders in the 18th century. The four-and-a-half-story Zimmermann Building was built by the renowned architect Christian Doering around 1715. The Zimmermann Hall was large enough to accommodate large Baroque musical ensembles—including trumpets and timpani—and a dinner audience of about 150 people.
From 1720, the Café hosted the Collegium Musicum, founded by Georg Philipp Telemann while he was a law student in 1702. It was later directed by Johann Sebastian Bach between 1729 and 1739. Concerts conducted by Bach lasted about two hours and consisted of German and Italian operas, chamber music, secular cantatas, and works for orchestra.
These concerts were sponsored by Zimmermann, who provided the venue and possibly some financial support for the musicians, but Bach did not receive a "fixed salary" for them. It was more of an opportunity to promote his secular music (such as the Orchestral Suites and the Brandenburg Concertos). The bulk of his income came from St. Thomas Church and the Leipzig City Council (as Kantor). The café concerts were an added bonus, possibly earning him fees for specific performances or support from patrons.
Zimmermann sold cups of coffee, as well as other drinks and food. The concerts revived the café business and Zimmermann's restaurant, so much so that he purchased instruments for the Collegium Musicum at his own expense. Visiting musicians from out of town made a point of performing at Zimmermann's. The concerts ended with Zimmermann's death in 1741.
Milton Ribeiro, a cultural journalist and bookseller, is the owner of Livraria Bamboletras. Learn more about the writer: https://miltonribeiro.ars.blog.br/about/
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