May 6, 2012

Bach Cantatas (24): Fourth Sunday after Easter (BWV 166 & 108)

The fourth Sunday after Easter is called "Cantate", after the introit "Cantate Domino novum canticum", "Sing to the Lord a new song". There are two cantatas by Bach for this day.

The central idea for this Sunday is based on the "Farewell Discourse" in chapters 14-17 of the Gospel of John. This discourse was given by Jesus to eleven of his disciples immediately after the conclusion of the Last Supper in Jerusalem, the night before his crucifixion.

Jesus tells the disciples that he is going to the Father and that he will send the Holy Spirit to guide the disciples. Next, Jesus gives the disciples peace and commands them to love one another. Then Jesus prepares his disciples for the conflict and hatred of the world, reminding them that he also faced adversity. Finally, Jesus prays for his disciples and the future church.

Readings:
James 1:17–21
John 16:5–15, Farewell discourse, announcement of Comforter

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)

[Jesus saying farewell to his disciples,
Maesta by Duccio, 1308–11]

Cantatas:
  • Wo gehest du hin? BWV 166, 7 May 1724

    Arioso (bass): Wo gehest du hin
    Aria (tenor): Ich will an den Himmel denken
    Chorale (soprano): Ich bitte dich, Herr Jesu Christ
    Recitativo (bass): Gleichwie die Regenwasser bald verfließen
    Aria (alto): Man nehme sich in acht
    Chorale: Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende

    ("Whither goest thou?")
    Text & translation

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

    We do not know the identity of the person who wrote Bach's librettos during his first year in Leipzig. The poet, whoever he or she was, begins with a question, a quotation from the Gospel. The answer to the question is the theme of the cantata, which explores the direction in which life should go. The poet included the third verse of Bartholomäus Ringwaldt's hymn "Herr Jesu Christ, ich gar weiss gut" (1582) as the third movement and the first verse of Ämilie Juliane von Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt's "Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende" (1688) as the final chorale.

    This short cantata begins with an arioso for bass - the usual "Vox Christi" - asking the disciples (and listeners): "Where are you going?"  A kind of reflection on the destiny of man.

    The very short arioso is followed by a profound tenor aria meditating on the same theme. It is in the form of a sonata a 4, with a plaintive oboe (the G Minor Organ Trio BWV 584 was later transcribed from this aria).

    Against an orchestral accompaniment in the strings, the soprano sings a melancholy chorale, asking Jesus to remember us until our soul arrives in heaven.

    The bass recitative - a voice of wisdom - warns that joy in this world is like rainwater that will soon run away, and speaks of the bell of the last hour. The alto aria echoes the same idea in a wistful way: "For so easily on earth things can change before evening, which in the morning were never considered". At the same time, the music depicts the "laughter of fate" through oscillating figures in the strings and melismas in the voice. The whole is like a giggling minuet.

    The final chorale is a moving harmonization of "Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten.

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


  • Es ist euch gut, daß ich hingehe, BWV 108, 29 April 1725

    Arie B: Es ist euch gut, daß ich hingehe
    Arie T: Mich kann kein Zweifel stören
    Rezitativ T: Dein Geist wird mich also regieren
    Chor: Wenn aber jener, der Geist der Wahrheit
    Arie A: Was mein Herz von dir begehrt
    Choral: Dein Geist, den Gott vom Himmel gibt

    ("It is expedient for you that I go away")
    Text & translation

    Scored for three vocal soloists (alto, tenor and bass), a four-part choir, two oboes d'amore, two violins, viola and basso continuo.

    Between Easter and Pentecost, Bach's congregation heard a series of nine cantatas with texts by a new librettist, Christiana Mariana von Ziegler. Since the average interval between performances was less than a week (they were not just for Sundays; there were additional performances for Ascension Day and Pentecost), Bach may have composed at a correspondingly intense pace. This is the second of the nine cantatas. Ziegler used two quotations from the prescribed Gospel from the Farewell Discourses and concluded the cantata with a stanza from Paul Gerhardt's "Gott Vater, sende deinen Geist". The theme is Jesus' prediction of his farewell and the coming of the Spirit as a comforter. The first announcement is sung by the bass; the second, in the middle of the work, is sung by the chorus in three fugues combined in motet style but united by similar themes. Bach used elements of word-painting, such as very long notes to illustrate firm faith, and sighing motifs interrupted by pauses to illustrate the yearning heart.

    This short cantata begins with an elaborate aria for bass - again Vox Christi - oboe d'amore and strings. Jesus tells the disciples that it is good that he is leaving them, for only in his absence can the Holy Spirit be present. The warm oboe melody gradually takes on a more mysterious character, symbolizing the Holy Spirit as a reflection of those who perceive it. Voice and oboe share the musical material, conveying "the mood of grieving at parting".

    The following tenor aria, with athletic violin accompaniment, portrays doubt, only to have it removed. The words "Ich glaube" (I believe) are illustrated by very long notes in the voice, while an ostinato bass line renders "steadfastness" in a different way.

    A didactic secco recitative is followed by the heart of the cantata, a chorus consisting of three successive fugues combined in motet style, singing of the coming of the Spirit of Truth to humanity.

    The mysterious nature of the cantata is only broken in the alto aria, a prayer of blessing that reinforces the Gospel message for that Sunday. The cantata concludes with a harmonization of the tenth verse of Paul Gerhardt's hymn "Gott Vater, sende deinen Geist" (1653), expressing faith in God's guidance.

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