Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in all four canonical Gospels.
Although Palm Sunday was a tempus clausum, a Sunday without music, in Leipzig, we have a cantata for this Sunday from Bach's previous period in Weimar. In March 1714, Bach was appointed concertmaster to the Duke of Weimar, and one of his new duties was to provide cantatas for the ducal chapel. In Leipzig, Bach used the same cantata on March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation.
Readings:
Epistle: Philippians 2: 5-11 The humility of Christ;
Or: 1 Corinthians 11: 23-32 The Last Supper
Gospel: Matthew 21: 1-9 Christ’s entry into Jerusalem
Cantata Studies:
Bach Cantatas Website | Simon Crouch | Emmanuel Music | Julian Mincham | Wikipedia | Eduard van Hengel (in Dutch) | Bachipedia (Bach-Stiftung) | All of Bach (Netherlands Bach Society) | Companion (Oxford U.P.) | Bach: The Learned Musician (Wolff) | Music in the Castle of Heaven (Gardiner)
Although Palm Sunday was a tempus clausum, a Sunday without music, in Leipzig, we have a cantata for this Sunday from Bach's previous period in Weimar. In March 1714, Bach was appointed concertmaster to the Duke of Weimar, and one of his new duties was to provide cantatas for the ducal chapel. In Leipzig, Bach used the same cantata on March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation.
Readings:
Epistle: Philippians 2: 5-11 The humility of Christ;
Or: 1 Corinthians 11: 23-32 The Last Supper
Gospel: Matthew 21: 1-9 Christ’s entry into Jerusalem
Cantata Studies:
Bach Cantatas Website | Simon Crouch | Emmanuel Music | Julian Mincham | Wikipedia | Eduard van Hengel (in Dutch) | Bachipedia (Bach-Stiftung) | All of Bach (Netherlands Bach Society) | Companion (Oxford U.P.) | Bach: The Learned Musician (Wolff) | Music in the Castle of Heaven (Gardiner)
["Flevit super illam" (He wept over it), by Enrique Simonet, 1892]
Cantata:
- Himmelskönig, sei willkommen, BWV 182, first on Palm Sunday 25 March 1714
1. Sonata
2. Coro: Himmelskönig, sei willkommen
3. Recitativo (bass): Siehe, ich komme, im Buch ist von mir geschrieben
4. Aria (bass, violin, two violas): Starkes Lieben
5. Aria (alto, recorder): Leget euch dem Heiland unter
6. Aria (tenor): Jesu, laß durch Wohl und Weh
7. Chorale: Jesu, deine Passion ist mir lauter Freude
8. Coro: So lasset uns gehen in Salem der Freuden
"King of Heaven Be Welcomed"
Text & translation
Scored for alto, tenor, and bass soloists, a four-part choir, recorder, two violins, two violas and basso continuo.
Bach's role as concertmaster at the Weimar court meant he had to compose a fresh cantata every month. It's believed that "Himmelskönig, sei willkommen" was his first cantata in this position, debuting on Palm Sunday, March 25, 1714, at the Weimar Palace Chapel. While it's likely Salomon Franck was the lyricist, there's no definite proof. The cantata, fitting for Palm Sunday, celebrates Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem and the start of Holy Week, then reflects on his suffering. It encourages believers to welcome Jesus into their hearts and stand by him in his pain. The chorale in movement 7 is the final stanza 33 of Paul Stockmann's hymn for Passiontide, "Jesu Leiden, Pein und Tod" (1633).
This work marks a shift from traditional chorale concertos to modern Italian-influenced cantatas. While the chamber instrumentation and subordinate role of recitative reflect older styles, the use of a solo violin and the sequence of three contemplative arias in da capo form show Italian influence. Bach skillfully expresses the text's meaning through various musical techniques, drawing from Italian opera's emotional language. An example of this is the minor harmonies over the word "suffering" that appear in the final chorus.
The opening sonata, featuring recorder and violin with pizzicato accompaniment, is in the French style and depicts the arrival of the King. It sets the scene for Jesus' arrival, blending intimacy and lyricism. The da capo chorus, structured as a fugue, equates Jesus' entry into Jerusalem with entering believers' hearts.
Following a brief bass recitative, portraying Jesus speaking Psalm 40 verses, are three arias, something unusual for the later Bach. The bass aria reflects on divine love, the alto—accompanied by the treble recorder—urges faith in Christ ("Leget euch dem Heiland unter, Herzen, die ihr christlich seid!", phrases aptly set to a descending melody, symbolizing prostration before Christ), and the tenor depicts the agony of the Via Crucis with a busy cello accompaniment.
The cantata ends with two choruses: a complex fugal choral fantasia reminiscent of 17th-century German motets, and a lighter da capo chorus, offering an optimistic conclusion to this joyful piece.
Video: J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German) /
Kay Johannsen / I Porporini (Berlin Bach Stream) /
Sonata from BWV 182 by Voices of Music / Concerto Copenhagen (Excerpt)