February 19, 2012

Bach Cantates (15): Quinquagesima (BWV 22, 23, 127 & 159)

Quinquagesima is the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. It was also called Estomihi, or Shrove Sunday. The name "Quinquagesima" comes from the Latin "quinquagesimus" (fiftieth), referring to the fifty days before Easter, using an inclusive count that includes both Sundays. The name "Estomihi" comes from the beginning of the introit for this Sunday, "Esto mihi in Deum protectorem" (Psalm 31:3). This is the last Sunday before Lent, and Lent (like Advent) falls under Tempus Clausum, a penitential period focused on self-reflection, prayer, penance, and repentance, when no music was allowed in the church and there were no extravagant celebrations such as large weddings.

The reading for this Sunday is Luke 18:31-34: Jesus took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going to Jerusalem, and everything that was written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. But the disciples did not understand any of this. This passage foreshadows the themes of Lent and Holy Week.

There are four cantatas for this Sunday. "Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe," BWV 22, and "Du wahrer Gott und David's Son," BWV 23, were written as test pieces for the audition for the St. Thomas Cantorate in Leipzig; they were performed on the same day, one before and one after the sermon, and - although they were written while Bach was still employed in Kothen - are considered part of the first cantata cycle (Bach performed them again in 1724). "Herr Jesu Christ, wahr' Mensch und Gott", BWV 127, written in 1725, is part of the chorale cantata cycle. "Sehet, wir gehn hinauf gen Jerusalem, BWV 159, belongs to the fourth cycle based on librettos by Picander; it focuses on the announcement of Jesus' suffering.

Readings:
1 Corinthians 13:1–13, Praise of love
Luke 18:31–43, Healing the blind near Jericho

Cantata Studies:
Bach Cantatas Website | Simon Crouch | Emmanuel Music | Julian Mincham | Wikipedia | Eduard van Hengel (in Dutch) | Bach Companion (Oxford U.P.) | Bach: The Learned Musician (Wolff) | Music in the Castle of Heaven (Gardiner)



[Nicolas Colombel - Christ Healing the Blind]



Cantatas:
  • Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe, BWV 22, 7 February 1723

    (Arioso) e (Coro): "Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe" for choir, tenor and bass soloists, and orchestral tutti.
    Aria: "Mein Jesu, ziehe mich nach dir" for altus, oboe, and continuo.
    Recitativo: "Mein Jesu, ziehe mich, so werd ich laufen" for bass, strings, and continuo.
    Aria: "Mein alles in allem, mein ewiges Gut" for tenor, strings, and continuo.
    Choral: "Ertöt uns durch dein Güte" for choir, oboe, strings, and continuo.


    "Jesus Gathered the Twelve and Said"
    Text & translation

    Scored for three vocal soloists (an alto, tenor and bass), a four-part choir (SATB), oboe, two violins, viola and basso continuo.

    One of two cantatas (with BWV 23) written as test pieces for an audition for the St. Thomas Cantorate in Leipzig. In other words, music that Bach wanted to impress with virtuosity, but since he didn't know the abilities of the local musicians, he plays it safe with only strings and oboe, leaving out the soprano solo. He also avoids da capo arias (arias in which the opening is repeated at the end) and secco recitatives (recitatives with only continuo accompaniment) - both of which were common in opera, but conservative members of the Leipzig Council believed that church music should not be mixed with theatrical frivolities. Bach's music pleased the council and he was eventually appointed.

    These two cantatas were intended for Estomihi Sunday. This is the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, and thus the last Sunday before Good Friday on which a cantata was performed, since tempus clausum was observed in Leipzig during the Passiontide.

    The text of the cantata closely follows the Gospel story of the healing of the blind man and the related proclamation of the suffering in Jerusalem, the reading assigned to Bach by the council. The unknown librettist concentrates on the proclamation of Jesus' suffering as he enters Jerusalem. 

    The opening of the first section is the bass arioso as the Vox Christi "Sehet, wir gehn hinauf gen Jerusalem, und es wird alles vollendet werden" - accompanied by a plaintive oboe figure, the voice moves up at "hinauf gehn". The halting fugal chorus describes the disciples' lack of understanding.

    The lilting alto aria with oboe accompaniment, "My Jesus, draw me after thee," is a personalization of the journey to Jerusalem, spoken in the voice of the congregation of Bach's day.

    The bass recitative refers to the rush to Golgotha, followed by a tenor aria in the role of the Evangelist, illustrating the joy of salvation - the failings of humanity that allowed the disciples to miss the meaning of Jesus' words have given way to joyful optimism. The aria is set in a typical "walking rhythm" (a dansante minuet).

    The beautiful closing chorale is the 5th and final verse of Elisabeth Cruciger's hymn "Lord Christ, the Son of God".

    Video: Netherlands Bach Society - Interview with conductor Sigiswald Kuijken & Lucia Swarts on the violoncello da spalla /
    J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German)




  • Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn, BWV 23, 7 February 1723

    Aria (Duetto): "Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn" for soprano & altus
    Recitativo: "Ach! gehe nicht vorüber" for tenor.
    (Coro): "Aller Augen warten, Herr" for choir.
    Chorale: "Christe, du Lamm Gottes" for choir.


    "You True God and David's Son"
    Text & translation

    Scored for soprano, alto and tenor, four-part choir, strings, 2 oboes, 3 trombones and continuo.

    This short cantata forms the second half of Bach's audition for cantor of the Thomas school, together with BWV 22. Bach performed both cantatas together at a service in Leipzig on February 7, 1723. The two works were commissioned by the city council as audition pieces to be played as part of Bach's application for a position in Leipzig. His music pleased the council and he was eventually appointed cantor there.

    The cantata is based on the parable of the blind man from Luke 18:42, and with it the announcement of the suffering in Jerusalem. On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus is approached by a blind beggar. Jesus restored his sight, saying "Your faith has been your salvation". In other words, this cantata is about faith and its rewards. The unknown lyricist initially addresses only the healing of the blind man, and only the final chorale leads to the Passion. The blind man's cry, "Thou son of David," is understood as a confession of Christ. The third movement generalizes that not only the blind man's eyes, but "all eyes" are waiting to be healed.

    In the opening duet for soprano and alto, the duality of Christ's human and divine identity is symbolized by two oboes d'amore (playing an addictive motive) and the two treble voices. The text itself is a plea for mercy, full of sadness.

    After a tenor recitative over which the instrumental chorale "Christe du Lamm Gottes" is placed (to extend the plea of the two blind men "Ach! gehe nicht vorüber" to the whole world), we have a wonderful chorus "Aller Augen warten", alternating with a tenor and bass duet. The dance-like music also seems to raise its eyes to heaven. The cantata ends with a profound choral fantasy, "Christe, du Lamm Gottes," a setting of the German Agnus Dei from the Lutheran mass. This is an older composition, possibly from the largely lost Weimar Passion of 1717. In 1725, Bach reused it as the final chorus of the second version of his St. John Passion.


    Video: Netherlands Bach Society - Interview with Kuijken and Swarts /
    J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German)



  • Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’ Mensch und Gott, BWV 127, 11 February 1725

    Choral: Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’ Mensch und Gott
    Rezitativ Tenor: Wenn alles sich zur letzten Zeit entsetzet
    Arie Soprano: Die Seele ruht in Jesu Händen
    Rezitativ und Arie Bass: Wenn einstens die Posaunen schallen
    Choral: Ach, Herr, vergib all unsre Schuld


    "Lord Jesus Christ, True Human and God"
    Text & translation

    Scored for three vocal soloists (soprano, tenor and bass), a four-part choir, trumpet, two recorders, two oboes, two violins, viola and basso continuo.

    Chorale Cantata. As we have seen, the prescribed readings for Sunday were the healing of a blind man and the related proclamation of the suffering in Jerusalem. The cantata text is based on "Herr Jesu Christ, wahr Mensch und Gott", the death song in eight verses by  Paul Eber (1562). The song fits the Gospel because it emphasizes the Passion, and the plea at the end of the first verse, "You want to be merciful to me as a sinner," is similar to the plea of the blind man. The song looks at Jesus' journey to Jerusalem as a model for the believer's journey to his own salvation. An unknown poet retained the first and last verses of the song verbatim and transformed the inner verses into a series of recitatives and arias.

    In the first movement, the chorale "Herr Jesu Christ, wahr' Mensch und Gott" is accompanied in the orchestra by two other choral melodies, "Christe, du Lamm Gottes" and "O Haupt, voll Blut und Wunden". The reading for this day, about the healing of the blind man, is extended to Jesus' action as a savior at the moment of death and as a helper of the faithful at the heavenly judgment. The secco tenor recitative sings of "cold sweat of death," "stiff limbs," and a heart that finally breaks, but Bach keeps his music cool.

    The deeply tragic soprano aria sings of the soul resting securely in the hands of Jesus. Bach chose an unusual instrumentation for the first aria. The oboe plays the melody, supported by short chords in the recorders. In the middle section, the "funeral bells" are represented by pizzicato strings.

    The bass recitative and aria then vividly describe the Day of Judgment. The trumpet appears for the first time to accompany the text "When the trumpets sound one day." The unusual movement combines an accompagnato recitative with an aria. Bach contrasts the end of the world with the security of the faithful, expressed in the words and music of the chorale.

    The final chorale is a four-part movement that subtly responds to the text; for example, "our faith is always brave" is clarified by movement in the lower voices and artfully harmonized "until we fall asleep blissfully."

    Video: J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German)



  • Sehet, wir gehn hinauf gen Jerusalem, BWV 159, 27 February 1729

    1. Arioso e recitativo (bass, alto): Sehet, wir gehn hinauf gen Jerusalem – Komm, schaue doch, mein Sinn
    2. Aria e chorale (alto, soprano, oboe): Ich folge dir nach – Ich will hier bei dir stehen
    3. Recitativo (tenor): Nun will ich mich, mein Jesu
    4. Aria (bass, oboe): Es ist vollbracht
    5. Chorale: Jesu, deine Passion ist mir lauter Freude


    "Come Do Look My Senses"
    Text & translation

    Scored for four vocal soloists (soprano, alto, tenor and bass), a four-part choir only in the closing chorale, oboe, two violins, viola and basso continuo.

    The story of the Stations of the Cross told from the point of view of a soul (an alto) who tries to warn Jesus: "Be careful, your cross is waiting for you there!" The main themes of submission and suffering are emotional ones.

    The text focuses on the announcement of Jesus' suffering, which is seen as terrible (1), as an example to follow (2), as a reason to say goodbye to earthly pleasures (3), and finally as a reason to give thanks (4, 5). The cantata text was written by Picander, who also wrote the text for Bach's St. Matthew Passion, which was performed later that year on Good Friday. He included two stanzas from Passion hymns, Paul Gerhardt's "O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden" and a stanza from Paul Stockmann's "Jesu Leiden, Pein und Tod" as the closing chorale.

    The first movement is a dialogue between bass and alto, with the bass as the voice of Christ quoting a line from the Gospel reading and the alto, the hesitant soul, representing his disciples who resent the announcement. "Wir gehn hinauf" again inspires a familiar walking rhythm. This kind of duet must have come as a shock to the Leipzig congregation - in Bach's day, sung dialogues were associated mainly with opera and would have seemed distasteful to the most devout worshipers.

    In the second movement, the expressive melodic lines of the alto are juxtaposed with the chorale over the melody of "Befiehl du deine Wege". The Soul begins, "Ich folge dir nach," while the first line of the chorale reads: "Ich will hier bei dir stehen" (I will stay here with you). The process of the alto beginning earlier and ending later than the chorale line is repeated for the other lines of the chorale, ending with the alto's "Und wenn du endlich scheiden mußt, sollst du dein Grab in mir erlangen" (And when you finally have to go, you will find your grave in me) being combined with the chorale's "Als dann will ich dich fassen in meinen Arm und Schoß" (Then I will hold you tightly in my arm and bosom).

    The later three movements follow the usual sequence of recitative, aria, and chorale. A secco recitative by the tenor first expresses the sorrow of the journey to death and then turns to the expectation of the final union with Jesus. The cantata culminates in the fourth movement, in which the vox Christi reflects the completion of the Passion: "Es ist vollbracht." The oboe introduces a meditative theme. The bass picks it up, and both rest on long sustained string chords. The middle section illustrates the words "Nun will ich eilen" with runs in the voice, oboe, and violins. A quasi da capo resumes the first motif, now on the words "Welt, gute Nacht". The aria has been described as a hauntingly affective reflection on Jesus' last words from the cross, with a beautiful oboe line.

    The cantata ends with a serene four-part setting of Stockmann's hymn summarizing the Passion: "Jesu, deine Passion ist mir lauter Freude" (Jesus, your Passion is pure joy to me).

    Video: Netherlands Bach Society - Interview conductor Van Veldhoven /
    J.S. Bach Foundation (St.Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German)


Bach Cantata Index