Coffee Cantata (Arrangement)

for Three Singers and Instrumental Sextet

Written: 2021
Duration: ca. 25’
Music: Johann Sebastian Bach (Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht, a.k.a. “Coffee Cantata” (BWV 211); arranged by Robert Paterson
Libretto: Christian Friedrich Henrici (Picander); English adaptation by David Cote
Instrumentation: soprano, baritone, bass-baritone, and instrumental sextet (flute, piano, two violins, viola, cello)
Commissioned by Triphammer Arts Inc., The Arts at Grace, and American Modern Ensemble
World Premiere Production: American Modern Ensemble, featuring Cree Carrico, soprano; Steven Stull, baritone; David Neal, bass-baritone, presented by Triphammer Arts, CRS Barn Stage, Ithaca, NY, June 13 and 14, 2021; The Arts at Grace; Rose Hall, Cortland, NY, June 15, 2021; Mostly Modern Projects, Universal Preservation Hall, Saratoga Springs, NY, June 17 and 18, 2021; Mostly Modern Projects, Chelsea Market, New York, NY, June 20, 2021
Publisher: Bill Holab Music

View Score | View Piano/vocal Score* | Purchase Sheet Music*
Also Available: Cocoa Cantata (Same Instrumentation)

*NOTE: We kindly request that you include the following in all programs, marketing, advertising, sites,
and printed materials when performing our version:

Music: Johann Sebastian Bach; arranged by Robert Paterson
Libretto: Christian Friedrich Henrici (Picander); English adaptation by David Cote

Robert Paterson Composer · Coffee Cantata - J.S. Bach (Arrangement) (For Three Singers and Chamber Ensemble) (World Premiere)

Program Note

More than just an English version of the German libretto by Christian Friedrich Henrici, this contemporary adaptation of J.S. Bach’s Coffee Cantata aims for a “fresh-brewed” vision of the father-daughter conflict over java. Despite references to SUVs, smartphones, and throuples, Cote’s new libretto retains the essential plot: a frustrated father tries to convince his coffee-chugging daughter to forsake the bean. When the father dangles marriage as a bargaining tool, they reach a decaffeinated détente. Paterson’s arrangement updates Bach's original Baroque ensemble to a similar, yet more contemporary classical instrumentation, consisting of flute, string quartet, and piano, and with the tenor and baritone roles switched to baritone and bass baritone, respectively. This instrumentation is also used for Cocoa Cantata.