There are three cantatas for this Sunday.
Readings:
Galatians 5:25–6:10, Admonition to "walk in the Spirit"
Matthew 6:23–34, Sermon on the Mount: "Don't worry about material needs, but seek God's kingdom first."
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:
- Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz, BWV 138, 5 September 1723
Chorale and recitativo (alto): Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz
Recitativo (bass): Ich bin veracht''
chorale + recitativo (soprano, alto): Er kann und will dich lassen nicht
Recitativo (tenor): Ach süßer Trost
Aria (bass): Auf Gott steht meine Zuversicht
Recitativo (alto): Ei nun! So will ich auch recht sanfte ruhn
Chorale: Weil du mein Gott und Vater bist
("Why do you trouble yourself, my heart")
Text & translation
Scored for soprano, alto, tenor and bass soloists, a four-part choir singing the chorale exclusively, two oboes d'amore, two violins, viola, and basso continuo.
Experimental work in chorale cantata style, that precedes the weekly chorale cantata series. The overall theme concerns moving beyond temporal, earthly worries to trust in God. The cantata also refers to the Sunday Gospel from Matthew 6, a section from the Sermon on the Mount, which speaks of false and real worry. The chorale melody and three of its text verses are quoted in movements 1, 3 and 7 of this cantata. The hymn upon which this chorale cantata is based is conjectured to have been composed by Hans Sachs (of Meistersinger fame) and set to an anonymous melody. Stanzas 1 and 2 of the hymn are broken by the insertion of recitatives. Especially for an opening number this procedure is quite unusual. From the ritornello with oboes and then the entry of the chorus, this is very melancholy music, full of anxious questioning, oscillating between faith and fear.
The highlight of the cantata is the splendid bass aria "Auf Gott steht meine Zuversicht," the only traditional aria in the cantata, where in the form of a joyful minuet sorrows are blown away - the turning point on the sorrow-joy axis of the cantata. Finally the chorale from the beginning returns, but now dressed for a dance and with spectacular accompaniment.
Video: J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German) - Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan, BWV 99, 17 September 1724
Coro: Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
Recitativo (bass): Sein Wort der Wahrheit stehet fest
Aria (tenor): Erschüttre dich nur nicht, verzagte Seele
Recitativo (alto): Nun, der von Ewigkeit geschloß'ne Bund.
Aria (soprano, alto): Wenn des Kreuzes Bitterkeiten
Chorale: Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
("What God does is well done")
Text & translation
Scored for four vocal soloists (soprano, alto, tenor and bass), a four-part choir, horn, flauto traverso, oboe d'amore, two violins, viola and basso continuo.
This whole cantata is set in a warm and positive vein. It starts with a most beautiful concerto movement: flute, oboe d'amore and violin, joined by an overlay of the chorus with the soprano as cantus firmus. The deliciously lilting melody is based on the original chorale tune by Samuel Rodigast. The flute again plays an important role in the tenor aria. Virtuoso configurations and daring harmonies depict the shaking and torment of the soul from the text. Even better is the duet for soprano and alto, accompanied by (again) flute and oboe d'amore, a haunting theme with a light touch expressing the conflict between the spirit and the flesh. A warmly accompanied chorale wraps up the cantata.
Video: Netherlands Bach Society; J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German) - Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, BWV 51, 17 September 1730
Aria: Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen
Recitativo: Wir beten zu dem Tempel an
Aria: Höchster, mache deine Güte
Chorale: Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren
Finale: Alleluja
("Exult in God in all lands")
Text & translation
Scored for soprano soloist, trumpets, two violins, viola, and basso continuo.
Bach's only church cantata scored for solo soprano and trumpet was composed for general use (ogni tempo) rather than for a specific date in the church calendar, although it found its first known performance on the 15th Sunday after Trinity, September 17, 1730, in Leipzig. While it's possible that the composition predates this occasion, it may have been originally intended for an event at the court of Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, where Bach had previously composed the Hunting Cantata and the Shepherds' Cantata.
The cantata's trumpet-led outer movements express exuberant jubilation at God's goodness and miracles, while the introspective central aria, accompanied only by the continuo, conveys a profound devotion to God. The final chorale, set as a chorale fantasia, features the soprano singing the unadorned melody alongside a trio of two violins and continuo, leading into an unusually festive fugal Alleluja in which the trumpet joins in.
The text, written by an unknown poet and inspired by various biblical books, especially the Psalms, ends with a verse from the hymn "Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren".
This cantata, a brilliant and joyous exultation, begins with an aria structured as an Italian concerto, accompanied by the trumpet, making it a rare and virtuosic piece for solo soprano. Given the conservative musical traditions of Leipzig, where only boy sopranos were employed in churches, the demands of this composition suggest that it may have been written for a different occasion, a notion supported by its lack of thematic alignment with the Sunday readings. The combination of soprano and trumpet makes for a spectacular display, especially in the opening movement, making it one of Bach's most popular cantatas. The first aria, "Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen," follows a da capo form, with extended coloraturas perfectly suited to the trumpet's fanfare-like introduction.
The only recitative, "Wir beten zu dem Tempel an," is initially accompanied by strings and then moves to a secco but arioso section. The latter develops the theme "von seinen Wundern lallen" with rhythmically complex coloraturas.
The gentle second aria, "Höchster, mache deine Güte," is accompanied only by the continuo, which provides a quasi-ostinato background that supports the expressive coloraturas of the voice and conveys gratitude for being a child of God.
The soprano then presents the magnificent chorale melody, "Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren," singing the unadorned melody against a three-part accompaniment of two violins and continuo, and finally segueing seamlessly into a final fugal "Alleluja" with trumpet, closing the cantata with exceptional extravagance and technical prowess.
Video: Netherlands Bach Society - Interview with soprano Maria Keohane /
J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German)
Bach Cantata Index