There are three cantatas for this Sunday, all about Jesus as the Good Shepherd, an image that must have appealed to Bach, for he wrote wonderful music on this theme. It was also a good excuse to write Arcadian, nostalgic music, a vein popular in the Baroque period.
Readings:
1 Peter 2:21–25, Christ as a model
John 10:12–16, the Good Shepherd
Cantata Studies:
Bach Cantatas Website | Simon Crouch | Emmanuel Music | Julian Mincham | Wikipedia | Eduard van Hengel (in Dutch) | Capriccio.de (in German) | Bach Companion (Oxford U.P.) | Bach: The Learned Musician (Wolff) | Music in the Castle of Heaven (Gardiner)
[Good Shepherd,
attr. Jean Baptiste de Champaigne, 17th c.]
- Du Hirte Israel, höre, BWV 104, 23 April 1724
Coro: Du Hirte Israel, höre
Recitativo (tenor): Der höchste Hirte sorget vor mich
Aria (tenor): Verbirgt mein Hirte sich zu lange
Recitativo (bass): Ja, dieses Wort ist meiner Seelen Speise
Aria (bass): Beglückte Herde, Jesu Schafe
Chorale: Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt
"You shepherd of Israel, listen"
Text and translation
Scored for tenor and bass soloists, a four-part choir, two oboes, two oboes d'amore, taille (tenor oboe), two violins, viola and basso continuo.Pastoral and Arcadian music holds a significant place in the Baroque era, providing Bach with an ideal avenue to craft exquisite bucolic compositions through the narrative of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Utilizing a trio of piping oboes, sprightly triplets in triple meter, resonant bass drones, and meticulous textual presentation, Bach encapsulates the essence of this genre. The designated readings for this Sunday, drawn from the First Letter of Peter portraying Christ as the exemplar, and from the Gospel of John, where Jesus portrays himself as the caring shepherd guiding his believers, serve as the foundation.
The anonymous poet draws upon various biblical references, including Psalm 80:2 and Cornelius Becker's hymn "Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt," a paraphrase of Psalm 23 (1598). Referencing verses like Lamentations 3:23–25 and 1 Corinthians 10:13 in the initial recitative, the poet underscores God's role as the Good Shepherd, providing solace and guidance. The second recitative implores the Shepherd to gather and guide the wayward souls, expressing a longing for spiritual sanctuary. The concluding aria anticipates the reward of faith following the peaceful slumber of death, harmonizing Baroque pastoral ideals with a yearning for transcendence.
The cantata commences with a sublime chorus ("Du Hirte Israel"), adopting the lilting rhythm of a gigue. Three oboes, grounded on an extended pedal point, evoke pastoral imagery through triplets, evocative of shepherds, akin to Bach's Sinfonia opening Part II of the Christmas Oratorio. Alternating between homophonic calls of "höre!" (listen!) and "erscheine!" (appear!), the choir engages in two fugues depicting the shepherd leading his flocks.
Subsequent pairs of recitatives and arias unfold. The first recitative transitions into an arioso segment on the concluding biblical proclamation "Gott ist getreu" (God is faithful). The tenor aria maintains a pastoral atmosphere, albeit with darker undertones ("Though my shepherd may remain hidden"). This elaborate aria, structured in trio sonata form with an obbligato oboe d'amore, conveys intricate emotions. The bass aria, set to a gigue rhythm, once again showcases exemplary bucolic music ("Happy flock, sheep of Jesus"), offering believers a glimpse of heavenly bliss after "a gentle sleep of death". The cantata culminates, as customary, with a luxuriantly harmonized chorus ("The Lord is my faithful shepherd"), standing as one of Bach's most sublime compositions in this genre.
Video: Netherlands Bach Society - Interview Van Veldhoven (conductor) & Brook (bass) - Ich bin ein guter Hirt, BWV 85, 15 April 1725
Arie B: Ich bin ein guter Hirt
Arie A: Jesus ist ein guter Hirt
Choral S: Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt
Rezitativ T: Wenn die Mietlinge schlafen
Arie T: Seht, was die Liebe tut
Choral: Ist Gott mein Schutz und treuer Hirt
"I am a Good Shepherd"
Text and translation
Scored for four vocal soloists (soprano, alto, tenor and bass), a four-part choir only in the chorale, two oboes, two violins, viola, violoncello piccolo and basso continuo.
BWV 85 has a more somber tone than BWV 104 or 112. This cantata is one of a sequence of three based on themes from the Gospel of John. The poet begins the cantata with the opening verse of the Gospel, verse 11. The second movement explains that being a good shepherd was realized in the Passion. The first verse of Cornelius Becker's hymn "Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt" (1598), a paraphrase of Psalm 23, comments on this idea. In movement 4, the poet refers to verse 12 of the Gospel, the contrast between the shepherd who is awake to watch over the sheep and the hired servants who sleep and neglect them. Movement five identifies love as the shepherd's motivation for caring for the sheep.
The poet opens the cantata with a bass aria as Vox Christi ("I am a good shepherd"), emphasizing that a good shepherd gives his life for his sheep. The movement is between an aria and an arioso, with the oboe as a concerto instrument in a mood of quiet seriousness.
The same sentiment is expressed in the acrobatic alto aria (with violoncello piccolo), but now from the point of view of an observer. The aria also explains that being a good shepherd was realized in the Passion.
With the following chorus, the first verse of Cornelius Becker's hymn "Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt" (1598), a paraphrase of Psalm 23, we are finally back in pastoral territory. The chorale is sung by the soprano to the tune of "Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr" by Nikolaus Decius, with a slightly embellished melody, while the two oboes play in ritornello a theme derived from the first line of the tune.
The only recitative (for tenor) is a miniature sermon, accompanied by the strings accentuating phrases of the text. The text refers to the contrast between the shepherd who is awake to watch over the sheep and the hired servants who sleep and neglect them.
The artistic and emotional climax of the cantata is the pastoral tenor aria with flowing accompaniment, "Behold what love does", which doesn't forget to remind the faithful that Jesus "shed his blood on the trunk of the cross". The strings, violins and violas, play in unison, in the low register. Thus, the tenor often appears as the highest voice.
The cantata ends with the chorale "Ist Gott mein Schutz und treuer Hirt," the fourth stanza of Ernst Christoph Homberg's hymn "Ist Gott mein Schild und Helfersmann" (1658). This hymn sums it all up: Jesus as protector and faithful shepherd.
Video: J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German) - Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt, BWV 112, 8 April 1731
Chor: Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt
Arie A: Zum reinen Wasser er mich weist
Rezitativ B: Und ob ich wandelt im finstern Tal
Arie (Duett) S T: Du bereitest für mir einen Tisch
Choral: Gutes und die Barmherzigkeit
"The Lord is my Faithful Shepherd"
Text and translation
Scored for four vocal soloists (soprano, alto, tenor, bass), a four-part choir, two horns, two oboes d'amore, two violins, viola and basso continuo.
Chorale cantata. In the beautiful opening chorus ("The Lord is my faithful Shepherd"), a chorale fantasy, the melody of the German Gloria, "Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr," is embedded in an independent orchestral concerto. The movement begins with horn signals that are derived from the melody of the chorale, then the horns play in concert with the strings, which are amplified by the oboes, adding a kind of heroic character to the pastoral atmosphere. The cantus firmus is in the soprano, while the lower voices are imitative. This chorus presents a more regal image of the Good Shepherd than in the previous two cantatas, BWV 104 and 85 - it is possible that the music was originally composed for the Gloria rather than the Shepherd's text.
The inner movements of the cantata use the text unchanged, but their music is independent of the hymn melody. The alto aria, "He reveals pure water to me," is accompanied by a spinning cantabile in the oboe d'amore and has a gloriously flowing melody that seems to have no end. It is in pastoral 6/8 time and consists of two similar parts. The steady flow of the oboe melody can be interpreted as the "pure water" mentioned in the text, the steps in the continuo as steps "on the right path.
The bass recitative becomes serious as it sings about the "shadow of the valley of death". It begins as an arioso, accompanied by the continuo. The second part is a dramatic recitative with strings, which first expresses "persecution, suffering, affliction" in a broken melodic line against sustained chords, then the protection "Thy rod and Thy staff comfort me".
The soprano and tenor duet, with a hint of ecclesiastical militarism in the words "You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies," dances away as the soloists sing in very high voices in the form of a bourree.
The cantata ends with a four-part chorale movement in which the horns from the beginning return.
Audio: Koopman