The twenty-second Sunday after Trinity. The cantatas for this day all take their lead from the parable of the unjust steward as recounted in the readings for this Sunday, contrasting God's justice with unmerciful and heartless humans - who are exhorted to show the same mercy towards others that God shows towards them.
There are three cantatas for this Sunday.
Readings:
Philippians 1:3–11, Thanks and prayer for the congregation in Philippi
Matthew 18:23–35, parable of the unforgiving servant
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)
There are three cantatas for this Sunday.
Readings:
Philippians 1:3–11, Thanks and prayer for the congregation in Philippi
Matthew 18:23–35, parable of the unforgiving servant
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)
[by Domenico Getti (1620),
the unforgiving servant choking the other debtor]
Cantatas:
- Was soll ich aus dir machen, Ephraim, BWV 89, 24 October 1723
Aria (bass): Was soll ich aus dir machen, Ephraim
Recitative (alto): Ja, freilich sollte Gott
Aria (alto): Ein unbarmherziges Gericht
Recitative (soprano): Wohlan! mein Herze legt
Aria (soprano): Gerechter Gott, ach, rechnest du
Chorale: Mir mangelt zwar sehr viel
"What shall I make of you, Ephraim"
Text & translation
Scored for three vocal soloists (soprano, alto and bass), a four-part choir only in the chorale, horn, two oboes, two violins, viola, and basso continuo.
Bach composed the cantata in 1723 during his first year in Leipzig for the 22nd Sunday after Trinity. The readings for that Sunday included the parable of the unforgiving servant from Mathew. When Peter inquired about how often one should forgive their neighbor, Jesus responded with the parable of the unforgiving servant, who, despite being forgiven a substantial debt by the king, refused to show mercy to a fellow servant over a minor matter.
Bach's cantata eschews elaborate structures and elaborate instrumentation. Instead, he distills the drama of justification to its fundamental essence: the sinful human being stands almost bare before the majestic authority of God, with grace given undeservedly, devoid of any hint of glory.
The cantata commences with a fitting quotation from the prophet Hosea. The subsequent movements, a recitative followed by an aria, address the condition of sinful humanity, while another pair of recitative and aria delve into the theme of God's grace. The concluding chorale is the seventh verse of Johann Heermann's "Where should I flee to" (1630).As mentioned earlier, the cantata is orchestrated akin to chamber music. Only the chorale is arranged for four parts; the alto voice represents human sin, the soprano embodies God's grace, and the bass symbolizes God's voice in the opening movement. Although some copies label the first movement as an aria, it remains uncertain whether this designation is authorized by Bach. Structurally, it exhibits characteristics of both an aria and an arioso, featuring a ritornello to introduce and conclude the movement, framing the textual sections, and displaying some aspects of an arioso in the free treatment of these sections.
In the subsequent alto recitative and aria, the focus shifts to the parable of the unjust steward, with the sinful creditor harshly condemned. The alto aria is accompanied solely by the continuo.
The subsequent three movements—two recitatives and an emotive aria—are accompanied solely by the continuo, with the last aria additionally featuring an obligato oboe. The closing chorale, arranged for four parts, sees the soprano melody doubled by the horn, oboes, and violin I.
The cantata could be regarded as a reflection on the plight of those who turn away from God. God's wrath looms large in the opening aria for bass, two oboes, strings, and hunting horn. The text is drawn from Hosea 11:8, where God's anger is directed towards Ephraim and fellow worshippers of false gods. The singing here leans more towards a recitative-like arioso than a conventional aria.
The final recitative leads into a soprano aria with an obligato oboe, where the clouds part to reveal God's mercy. Despite the serious tone of the text ("for the salvation of my soul, I will count the drops of blood from Jesus"), the music takes on a surprisingly upbeat quality. The closing chorale offers a simple harmonization of stanza 7 of "Wo soll ich fliehen hin" by Johann Heermann (1630).
In the ensuing alto recitative and aria the theme switches to the parable of the unjust steward. The sinning creditor is relentlessly denunciated. The alto aria is only accompanied by continuo.
The final recitative leads into an aria by soprano with obbligato oboe in which the clouds part to reveal God's mercy. In contrast to the text which remains rather serious ("for the salvation of my soul I will count the drops of blood from Jesus," which sounds rather sinister to me), the music almost sounds too upbeat. The closing chorale is a straightforward harmonization of stanza 7 of "Wo soll ich fliehen hin" by Johann Heermann (1630).
Video: J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German)
- Mache dich, mein Geist, bereit, BWV 115, 5 November 1724
Chorale: Mache dich, mein Geist, bereit
Aria (alto): Ach schläfrige Seele, wie? ruhest du noch?
Recitative (bass): Gott, so vor deine Seele wacht
Aria (soprano): Bete aber auch dabei
Recitative (tenor): Er sehnet sich nach unserm Schreien
Chorale: Drum so laßt uns immerdar
"Make yourself ready, my spirit"
Text & translation
Scored for four vocal soloists (soprano, alto, tenor and bass), a four-part choir, horn to double the soprano in the chorale, flauto traverso, oboe d'amore, two violins, viola, violoncello piccolo and basso continuo.
Chorale cantata from the second Leipzig year, based on the hymn by the Dresden lawyer and courtier Johann Burchard Freystein (1697), which expands on a theme loosely related to the day's readings: be prepared by awareness and prayer.
The opening chorus is a fine but brief chorale fantasia in the form of a passacaglia. The soprano sings the melody as a cantus firmus.
The bulk of the cantata is taken up by two very large arias. The heavy alto aria, "Oh, sleepy soul, are you still at rest?" could have graced any opera of the time. The oboe d'amore plays a solo in a mournful siciliano rhythm, leading to a peaceful, quasi-sleeping tone. In a contrasting middle section, the text admonishes us to be vigilant, lest the unwary, slumbering spirit easily slip into "eternal sleep," i.e., death.
The following soprano aria, marked molto adagio, is sandwiched between two recitatives and features an attractive accompaniment on flute and piccolo cello. It is a penitential plea for forbearance.
The concluding chorale is a four-part setting of the final call to vigilance, "for the time is not far off when God will judge us and destroy the world," sung to the anonymous melody of "Straf mich nicht in deinem Zorn" (1681). Cheerful words indeed. This cantata has been called a "towering masterpiece.
Video: J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German)
- Ich armer Mensch, ich Sündenknecht, BWV 55, 17 November 1726
Aria: Ich armer Mensch, ich Sündenknecht ("I, wretched man, a servant to sin")
Recitative: Ich habe wider Gott gehandelt ("I have offended against God")
Aria: Erbarme dich! Laß die Tränen dich erweichen ("Have mercy! Let my tears move Thee")
Recitative: Erbarme dich! Jedoch nun tröst ich mich ("Have mercy! However, I console myself")
Chorale: Bin ich gleich von dir gewichen, stell ich mich doch wieder ein ("Though I have turned aside from Thee, Yet shall I return")
"I, wretched man, a servant to sin"
Text & translation
Scored for a tenor soloist, a four-part choir (only for the final chorale), flauto traverso, oboe d'amore, two violins, viola, and basso continuo.
A short solo cantata for tenor, the only one of its kind preserved by Bach. The singer for whom it was intended is unknown. In the words of the first aria, "He is just, I am unjust," Christoph Birkmann, the poet of the cantata text, refers to the Sunday reading, Matthew 18:23-35, the parable of the unforgiving servant. When Peter asked how often one should forgive one's neighbor, Jesus told the parable of the unforgiving servant who had been forgiven a huge debt by the king and then bullied his fellow servant over a small matter, instead of being willing to forgive another in light of the forgiveness he had experienced. The text therefore emphasizes the contrasts of the Gospel, God's justice and man's injustice. In the first two movements, the singer reflects on his sinful condition, wallowing in self-accusation; in the following three, he begs God for mercy, both beginning with "Erbarme dich". The final chorale is verse 6 from Johann Rist's "Werde munter, mein Gemüte" (1642). This cantata displays striking similarities to the St Matthew Passion.
The first aria, which sets the scene, is accompanied by flute, oboe d'amore, and two violins (but no violas); the halting rhythm illustrates the desperation of the steward, who, in the story from Matthew, is summoned with halting steps before his master. In the second aria, with elaborate obbligato solo flute, the sinner's plea is represented by interval leaps.
The final chorale is a simply harmonized and comforting rendition of verse 6 of Johann Rist's "Werde munter mein Gemüte". This cantata (the last three movements of which may have come from a lost Passion cantata) has been called a "passionate expression of the futility of human nature.
Video: Netherlands Bach Society - Interview with Tenor Thomas Hobbs /
J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German)
Bach Cantata Index