There are three cantatas for this Sunday.
Readings:
Romans 8:12–17, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God"
Matthew 7:15–23, Sermon on the Mount: warning of false prophets
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)
Cantatas:
- Erforsche mich, Gott, und erfahre mein Herz, BWV 136, 18 June 1723
1. Chorus: Erforsche mich, Gott, und erfahre mein Herz
2. Recitativo (tenor): Ach, daß der Fluch, so dort die Erde schlägt
3. Aria (alto, oboe d'amore): Es kömmt ein Tag
4. Recitativo (bass): Die Himmel selber sind nicht rein
5. Aria (tenor, bass, violins): Uns treffen zwar der Sünden Flecken
6. Chorale (violin): Dein Blut, der edle Saft
"Examine me, God, and determine my heart"
Text & translation
Scored for three vocal soloists (alto, tenor and bass), a four-part choir, corno, two oboes, strings and basso continuo.
The cantata interprets the Gospel of the 8th Sunday of the Trinity, Matthew 7:15-23, a passage from the Sermon on the Mount: "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but among them are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Can grapes be gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? So every good tree bears good fruit, but every bad tree bears only bad fruit. This is why the unknown lyricist chose the opening text from Psalm 139, verse 23, a prayer for God's help in resisting crafty enemies. The rest of the cantata deals with the tension between Adam's fall from grace in the Old Testament and his redemption through the suffering of Jesus in the New Testament.
This cantata is the first of a group of ten cantatas that follow the same structure of biblical text - recitative - aria - recitative - aria - chorale. The ten cantatas were dedicated to the 8th through 14th and 21st through 22nd Sundays after Trinity and the second Sunday after Easter.
Bach scholar Alfred Dürr concludes from the autograph that only the middle section of the third movements and the chorale were composed with certainty in 1723 - the other parts may be based on a previously unknown secular or church cantata.
The opening chorus (with horn) has an almost otherworldly beauty. It focuses on God's examination of the believer's heart. The meandering theme may be symbolic of the text, which focuses on the words "searching" and "determining. The music, in the style of a gigue, expresses confidence in the face of examination. However, the festive nature of the movement is at odds with the almost penitential tone of the text.
In the secco recitative for tenor, "Ach, daß der Fluch, so dort die Erde schlägt," Bach interprets the curse of sin, man's hopeless situation, and the threat of the Last Judgment in music full of dissonances.
The alto aria "Es kömmt ein Tag" has an interesting line for the oboe d'amore. Despite the "cool" walking bass, the text describes the trembling of the hypocrites at the Last Judgment.
The bass recitative emphasizes the liturgical theme of the cantata: the warning to beware of false prophets. The duet for tenor and bass ("Indeed the stains of sin cling to us"), accompanied by haunting violins, emphasizes that the fall of Adam and original sin can only be washed away by the "mighty river of blood" of Jesus' wounds. Pretty heavy Lutheran theology!
The closing chorale is the ninth stanza of Johann Heermann's hymn "Wo soll ich fliehen hin" (1630) on the melody of "Auf meinen lieben Gott", which Bach used again in 1724 as the base for his chorale cantata Wo soll ich fliehen hin, BWV 5.
Video: J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German) - Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält, BWV 178, 30 July 1724
Chor: Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält
Choral und Rezitativ A: Was Menschenkraft und -witz anfäht
Arie B: Gleichwie die wilden Meereswellen
Choral T: Sie stellen uns wie Ketzern nach
Choral und Rezitativ B T A: Auf sperren sie den Rachen weit
Arie T: Schweig, schweig nur, taumelnde Vernunft!
Choral: Die Feind sind all in deiner Hand
"If the Lord himself had not been on our side"
Text & translation
Scored three vocal soloists—alto, tenor and bass—a four-part choir, horn, two oboes, two oboes d'amore, two violins, viola and basso continuo.
A chorale cantata "per omnes verses" from Bach's second annual cycle, which literally uses the text of six numbers from the eponymous hymn "Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält" (1524) by Justus Jonas, a paraphrase of Psalm 124 - one of four that Bach wrote in this ancient style. The text is about God's support in times of human conflict. The opening chorus, a chorale fantasia, presents the hypothetical situation of God abandoning his followers and leaving them at the mercy of "raging enemies," the phrases of the chorus set in simple block form symbolizing God's stability, the unsettled and "wild" phrases representing the raging enemies. The chorale with interpolations of the alto soloist's commentary is another example of the old style.
The energetic bass aria is the musical climax of the cantata. It is a simile aria in which a soul disturbed by the wrath of an enemy is compared to a storm-tossed ship at sea. Bach takes full advantage of this opportunity for wordplay!
Next, the tenor sings another hymn verse, this time with an ostinato accompaniment of oboes d'amore.
A chorale setting for full choir plus another interpolated chorale (now by bass, tenor, and alto) is then followed by a second tenor aria. The text here speaks of "frenzied reason," which is transformed into a stormy seascape, with a disjointed rhythm, until the call to "be silent" comes.
The cantata concludes with a chorale setting that restores stability with its blocky evocation of the power of God.
Audio: Koopman - Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist, BWV 45, 11 August 1726
Part I
1. Coro: Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist
2. Recitativo (tenor): Der Höchste läßt mich seinen Willen wissen
3. Aria (tenor): Weiß ich Gottes Rechte
Part II
4. Arioso (bass): Es werden viele zu mir sagen an jenem Tage
5. Aria (alto): Wer Gott bekennt aus wahrem Herzensgrund
6. Recitativo (alto): So wird denn Herz und Mund selbst von mir Richter sein
7. Chorale: Gib, daß ich tu mit Fleiß
"He hath shewed thee, o man, what is good"
Text & translation
Scored for three soloists, alto, tenor and bass, four-part choir, two flauti traversi, two oboes, two violins, viola and basso continuo.
Bach composed the cantata in Leipzig for his third cantata cycle. The prescribed Sunday readings were from Romans, "Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God," and a passage from the Sermon on the Mount, the warning against false prophets. The text is attributed to Ernst Ludwig, Duke of Saxony-Meiningen, and was published in a collection in 1705. The cantata concludes with the second verse of Johann Heermann's hymn "O Gott, du frommer Gott" (1630). The cantata is symmetrically structured around the central Gospel quotation, the warning against false prophets from the Sermon on the Mount.
The words of the opening chorus of this powerfully declamatory cantata are imbued with Old Testament austerity - Micah 6:8, one of the Twelve Minor Prophets, which reminds man of his duty to God. God has ordained what he requires of you: to keep his word, to be humble, and to practice love. The cantata begins with a beautiful fugal choral movement with an energetic orchestral introduction. There are frequent repetitions of "Es ist dir gesagt." This is Bach at his best, a magnificent concerto!
The tenor aria, preceded by a secco recitative, has an attractive melody, although the text is a stern admonition to prepare for the day of reckoning: "Misery and shame threaten your transgression!"
The second half of the cantata begins with Christ's fierce words of rebuke to the false prophets, conceived as a vividly dramatic arioso for bass. The concept of obedience is thus refined: not everyone who says they obey God really does. There is a crackling energy in the string parts to support the fierce denunciation.
The wonderful alto aria is accompanied by a trio sonata with an irresistible flute, almost independent of the vocal line. It is perhaps a little too friendly, given the text: "Whoever acknowledges God from the true depths of his heart, God will also acknowledge him. For he must burn forever who only calls Him Lord with his mouth.
After another recitative, the cantata ends with a rich harmonization of “O Gott, du frommer Gott” on a melody by Ahasverus Fritsch.
This cantata is occasionally performed. Rating: B
Video: Netherlands Bach Society /
J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop - Contemplation - English explanation "Bach factory"