Did Bach Like Coffee?

Written by Lori Thiessen

Well, he liked it enough to write a cantata about it called … “The Coffee Cantata”. Written by J.S. Bach around 1732 to 1734, it tells the story of a young caffeine addicted girl and her father desperate to get her to stop drinking the stuff. It’s quite a cute, comical piece of musical madness. Here’s a small taste of the lyrics sung by the young girl.

Mm! how sweet the coffee tastes,
more delicious than a thousand kisses,
mellower than muscatel wine.
Coffee, coffee I must have,
and if someone wishes to give me a treat,
ah, then pour me out some coffee!

The love of coffee has lured others to sing its praises or at least sing about how coffee comes into their lives. Here is a brief, far from complete list of coffee songs.

• Black Coffee

(recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, kd lang and others)

• Cafe au Lait by Duke Ellington

• Cigarettes and Coffee by Otis Redding

• Coffee in Brazil by the Andrew Sisters

• Java by Al Hirt

• Second Cup of Coffee by Gordon Lightfoot

• You are the Cream in My Coffee by Marlene Dietrich

Here’s Sarah Vaughn singing “Black Coffee”

Q: What is your favorite coffee song? Either about coffee or just something to listen to while you sip?

Until Next Time,

May your coffee always be freshly brewed!