So-called "secular
cantatas" were composed on the occasion of academic functions of the University of Leipzig, or namedays and birthdays among the nobility, Some 15 congratulatory cantatas have been preserved, but we know, partly from
textbooks that have come down to us, that there must have been many more. As these cantatas were linked in the text to a specific person or event, it was not possible to perform them again, so they were often not preserved.
But Bach did something else. When he especially liked the music he had composed, he would reuse the music for a sacred cantata, providing the notes with a different text (the opposite also happened sometimes, but that must have been when Bach had not time to write something new). So the music of Bach's best secular cantatas has found its way into some his his best church cantatas - a good example is the Christmas Oratorio, which was wholly based on previous, secular work.
In fact, "secular" was mainly a matter
of reason and text, because in a musical sense it is hardly possible to
distinguish between Bach's liturgical music and his secular music.
We have the following cantatas containing a congratulation:
Weimar (1708 to 1717) - 2 congratulatory cantatas preserved
First as organist and from 1714 Konzertmeister at the ducal court, where Bach had the chance to work with a large contingent of professional musicians. In this period Bach wrote two congratulatory cantatas, the so-called Hunt Cantata, and a recently discovered strophic aria "Alles mit Gott und nichts ohn' ihn." The first was for the birthday of Duke Christian of Saxe-Weissenfels, the second one for the birthday of Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar.
Köthen (1717–1723) - 2 congratulatory cantatas preserved
Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen, hired Bach to serve as his Kapellmeister (director of music) in 1717. Prince Leopold, himself a musician, appreciated Bach's talents, paid him well and gave him considerable latitude in composing and performing. The prince was a Calvinist and did not use elaborate music in his worship; accordingly, most of Bach's work from this period was secular, such as the secular cantata BWV 134a. Bach also wrote Durchlauchtster Leopold, BWV 173a to celebrate the 28th birthday of Leopold von Anhalt-Köthen on December 10, either in 1720 or 1722.
- BWV 36c (1725) was written as a secular cantata for the birthday of an unknown older teacher at the Thomasschule. Bach reused parts of the cantata in two other secular cantatas, and in a church cantata for the first Sunday in Advent, Schwingt freudig euch empor, BWV 36 - see below for the complex relationship in the BWV 36 family of cantatas.
- BWV 205 (1725) was written for the name-day of a popular Leipzig professor; it was ordered from Bach by his students who performed it in front of his house.
- BWV 207 (1726) was ordered by the Collegium Musicum in Leipzig to honor a young genius, who at age 28 was going to be inaugurated as professor.
Leipzig - Middle years (1730–1739) - 7 congratulatory cantatas preserved
In the 1730s Bach wrote a large number of occasional works.
- BWV 213 (1733) was composed for the birthday of Friedrich Christian, son of the Elector of Saxony. It was performed on September 5 in Gottfried Zimmermann's coffee garden in Leipzig.
- BWV 214 (1733) celebrates the birthday of the Electress Maria Josepha of Saxony and was performed on December 8, 1933 at Gottfried Zimmermann's coffee-house.
- BWV 215 (1734) was written for an open-air performance at the market in Leipzig, October 5, 1734 in the evening at 9 a.m., in honor of the visit of the Saxon Elector and Polish King August III.
- BWV 206 (1736) was composed for the visit of Elector Friedrich Augustus II to Leipzig in October 1734, but in fact first performed on 7th October 1736 to celebrate the same elector's birthday.
- BWV 36b was written in October 1735 as a birthday offering to the Leipzig university professor Johann Florens Rivinus (1681-1755). It was based on BWV 36c.
- BWV 30a (1737) was designed as a homage cantata for Johann Christian von Hennicke (1681-1752), who had been ennobled in 1728 and was now taking possession of his fief at Wiederau, some 20 km SW of Leipzig.
Leipzig - Final years (1740–1750) - 1 congratulatory cantata preserved
BWV 212 (1742), the so-called Peasant Cantata. Written to mark the inauguration of the rule of Carl Heinrich von Dieskau (1706-82) over certain villages in the immediate surroundings of Leipzig. One of these was Klein-Zschocher, probably the location of the cantata's first performance on 30 August 1742.
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)
[Friedrich Christian, dedicatee of BWV 213]
Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd, BWV 208, February 23, 1713
Recitative (Diana, soprano): Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd!
Aria (Diana, soprano): Jagen ist die Lust der Götter
Recitative (Endymion, tenor): Wie, schönste Göttin? wie?
Aria (Endymion, tenor): Willst du dich nicht mehr ergötzen
Recitative (Diana and Endymion): Ich liebe dich zwar noch!
Recitative (Pan, bass): Ich, der ich sonst ein Gott
Aria (Pan): Ein Fürst ist seines Landes
Recitative (Pales, soprano): Soll dann der Pales Opfer hier das letzte sein?
Aria (Pales): Schafe können sicher weiden
Recitative (Diana): So stimmt mit ein und lasst des Tages Lust volkommen sein
Chorus: Lebe, Sonne dieser Erden
Aria (Diana and Endymion): Entzücket uns beide, ihr Strahlen der Freude
Aria (Pales: Weil die wollenreichen Herden
Aria (Pan): Ihr Felder und Auen, lass grünend euch schauen
Chorus: Ihr lieblichste Blicke, ihr freudige Stunden
"All that I love is the merry hunt"
Text & translation
Scored for four vocalist soloists: Diana, soprano I, Pales, soprano II, Endymion, tenor, Pan, bass, two horns, two recorders, two oboes, taille, bassoon, two violins, viola, cello, violone, and continuo. So far as is known, it is Bach's earliest work featuring horns.
This is a magnificent piece, one of Bach's most popular secular cantatas, written for the birthday of Duke Christian of Saxe-Weissenfels on February 23, 1713. The aria "Schafe können sicher weiden" is its most familiar part. The text, however, is rather silly, with a celebration of the hunt and Duke Christian's greatness by a number of Greek gods and goddesses.
The cantata was performed in Weissenfels in the evening after a hunting party. Christian is mentioned four times in Salomon Franck's libretto for the cantata and is equated with the classical deity Pan. Hunting is characterized as an activity suitable for princes. Franck was the Weimar court poet, and it is likely that the Hunting Cantata was intended by Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar as a gift for Christian. For Christian's 43rd birthday in 1725, Bach wrote the shepherds' cantata "Entfliehet, verschwindet, entweichet, ihr Sorgen," BWV 249a; its music is lost but survives as the parody setting of the Easter Oratorio. In 1729, Bach wrote "O angenehme Melodei," BWV 210a, for the Duke's visit to Leipzig.
Diana opens the work with a recitative and aria praising the hunt, and Endymion laments her obsession with hunting, after which they both decide to celebrate Duke Christian's birthday feast. Pan, the god of flocks and shepherds, then joins in the Duke's praise with a very fine aria, "A prince is the Pan of his land," accompanied by a pair of oboes and an oboe da caccia. A laudatory recitative by Pales, the goddess of crops and pastures, then leads into one of Bach's most famous arias, "Sheep May Safely Graze. But make no mistake, despite the glorious music, this is not an agricultural paean, but rather a celebration of benevolent despotism! Next we have a choral fugue with an instrumental ritornello in which each voice offers congratulations to the Duke. A duet by Diana and Endymion is followed by a delightful aria by Pales (later reused as "Mein gläubiges Herze" in the cantata BWV 68). Then another aria by Pan, after which the final chorus (later parodied in the sacred cantata BWV 149) brings things to a glorious close.
It has been argued that the first movement of the early form of the first Brandenburg Concerto, BWV 1046a, was originally an introduction to that cantata. The key is correct, and such an introduction would have been standard practice, the argument goes. This means that some performances begin with a surprise. Another short piece by Bach that is sometimes used as an introduction to a cantata is the 1712 Canonic Trio Sonata in F major (BWV 1040) for oboe, violin, and continuo, which Bach also incorporated into the soprano aria of the Hunting Cantata. Sometimes the minuet of BWV 1046a is added at the end as table music, with the argument that this would also have been common practice.
BWV 208 was later to provide the parody model for another birthday cantata, BWV 208a, but the music for the latter has been lost. It's thought that 208a was a simple revision (to a slightly different text) of BWV 208. While living in Leipzig, Bach arranged music from two arias for the church cantata "Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt," BWV 68 (composed in 1725), and the final chorus for "Man singet mit Freuden vom Sieg," BWV 149 (1728 or 1729).
Video: J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German) - Dialogue "Bach weltlich" (in German)
Alles mit Gott und nichts ohn' ihn, BWV 1127, October 1713
Aria (soprano) Alles mit Gott und nichts ohn' ihn
"Everything with God and nothing without him"
Text & translation
Scored for soprano, two violins, viola, cello, and continuo.
This is not really a cantata, but a strophic aria, which was discovered in May 2005 by the German music researcher Michael Maul. It concerned a previously unknown manuscript by Bach that was in the library of Duchess Anna Amalia in Weimar. For this reason, the aria has a high BWV number (in 2006 it was even the highest number as Bach's most recently discovered work, until the organ piece 'Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns Halt' (BWV 1128) was discovered in 2008.
It is an occasional work that Bach composed in 1713 for the 52nd birthday of his employer Wilhelm Ernst. This count employed Bach as court organist between 1708 and 1717. The aria is based on the duke's motto, "Omnia cum Deo et nihil sine eo" (everything with God and nothing without him). The twelve stanzas were rhymed together by pastor Johann Anthon Mylius, Superintendent of Buttstädt, a town in the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar.
The poem is an acrostic, a technique very common in such congratulatory poetry. Bach, at the time employed as court organist by the Duke, set Mylius's ode as an aria in strophic form, that is a melody for soprano accompanied by continuo for the stanzas, alternating with a ritornello for strings and continuo. When all stanzas are sung, a performance of the work takes around 45 to 50 minutes, but as the music is repeated each time, that gets rather boring, so usually only a few stanzas are performed. Wikipedia has detailed information on the poem and the acrostic technique.
Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar became famous for his break with Bach. Bach worked in Weimar since 1708 as court organist and concert master. When the duke passed Bach at the appointment
of a new Hofkapellmeister, Bach resigned his post. Willem Ernst felt
offended and had Bach imprisoned for four weeks before he fired him.
Bach then left for Anhalt-Köthen. Because of this mishap, Willem Ernst
has the reputation in Bach's biographies of being an authoritarian
culture barbarian.
Video: Bach-Archiv Leipzig
Durchlauchtster Leopold, BWV 173a, 1720-22, December 10
Recitative (soprano): Durchlauchtster Leopold
Aria (soprano): Güldner Sonnen frohe Stunden
Aria (bass): Leopolds Vortrefflichkeiten
Aria (soprano, bass): Unter seinem Purpursaum
Recitative (soprano, bass): Durchlauchtigster, den Anhalt Vater nennt
Aria (soprano): So schau dies holden Tages Licht
Aria (bass): Dein Name gleich der Sonnen geh
Chorus (soprano, bass): Nimm auch, großer Fürst, uns auf
"Illustrious Leopold"
Text & translation
Scored for soprano, bass, two traversos, strings, and continuo.
Bach composed this cantata (also called serenata) for performance in Köthen on December 10, 1720 or 1722, to celebrate the 28th birthday of Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen. The cantata is one of a series of congratulatory works that Bach wrote for this patron. Some of these are lost, while others, such as "Der Himmel dacht auf Anhalts Ruhm und Glück," BWV 66.1, can be reconstructed because Bach later reused the music. "Durchlauchtster Leopold" is unusual in that it has survived in its entirety.
The music is unpretentious, the instrumentation modest. The unknown poet wrote in eight movements. The first recitative addresses "Durchlauchtster Leopold". The two vocal parts may have been allegorical figures, as in the Hunting Cantata, but are not identified as such in the text.
Perhaps as early as 1723, the text and original music were parodied as the Pentecost Cantata BWV 173. Movement 7 was used in BWV 175.
Audio: Koopman
Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht, BWV 134a, 1717-23
"Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht" (Recitative, tenor and alto)
"Auf, Sterbliche, lasset ein Jauchzen ertönen" (Aria, tenor)
"So bald, als dir die Sternen hold" (Recitative, tenor and alto)
"Es streiten, es siegen, die künftigen Zeiten" (Aria, alto and tenor)
"Bedenke nur, beglücktes Land" (Recitative, alto and tenor)
"Der Zeiten Herr hat viel vergnügte Stunden" (Aria, alto)
"Hilf, Höchster, hilf, daß mich die Menschen preisen" (Recitative, tenor and alto)
"Ergetzet auf Erden, erfreuet von oben" (chorus)
"Time, which creates the days and years"
Text & translation
Scored for alto and tenor, SATB choir, 2 oboes, 2 violins, viola & continuo.
Bach composed this cantata in Köthen, where he served at the court of Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen, between 1717 and 1723. Of the twelve cantatas Bach is said to have composed during his six years in Köthen, only a few have survived, including the above cantata, "Durchlauchtster Leopold." The congratulatory cantatas were performed as serenatas or evening serenades. Their style is similar to the opera of the time and includes dance-like music. The present cantata was also performed as a New Year's cantata in 1719. It is based on words by Christian Friedrich Hunold, an academic at the University of Halle, and takes the form of a dialogue between two allegorical figures, Time and Divine Providence, representing the past and the future, respectively. Bach set the words in eight movements, alternating recitatives and arias, culminating in a choral finale. Most of the movements are duets for solo voices, an alto as Divine Providence and a tenor as Time.
The present cantata served as a parody model for the church cantata 134 for the Third Easter in 1724.
Audio: Koopman
Schwingt freudig euch empor, BWV 36c, 1725
Coro: Schwingt freudig euch empor
Recitative (tenor): Ein Herz, in zärtlichem Empfinden
Aria (tenor): Die Liebe führt mit sanften Schritten
Recitative (bass): Du bist es ja
Aria (bass): Der Tag, der dich vordem gebar
Recitative (soprano): Nur dieses Einz'ge sorgen wir
Aria (soprano): Auch mit gedämpften, schwachen Stimmen
Recitative (tenor): Bei solchen freudenvollen Stunden
Chorus & Recitatives (soprano, tenor, bass): Wie die Jahre sich verneuen
"Soar up joyfully on high"
Text & translation
Scored for three soloists—soprano, tenor and bass—a four-part choir, two oboes d'amore, two violins, viola, viola d'amore and basso continuo.
In 1726 Bach revived the piece for the birthday of Princess Charlotte Friedrike Wilhelmine of Anhalt-Köthen, the second wife of his former employer, Prince Leopold (BWV 36a), again on a text by Picander (who published the text the following year). And in 1735 Bach made a third version as a birthday offering to the Leipzig University professor Andreas Florens Rivinus (1681-1755) who that year had become rector of the university (BWV 36b, see below).
To make things more complicated, the first two secular cantatas were parodied in BWV 36, "Schwingt freudig euch empor," performed in Leipzig in 1731 for the first Sunday in Advent. The complex history of this work is indicative of Bach's own high regard for it. True to the title, the opening chorus is in gavotte form and the whole cantata is very joyous.
Audio: Berliner Solisten
Zerreisset, zersprenget, zertrümmert die Gruft, BWV 205, August 3, 1725
Chorus: Zerreißet, zersprenget, zertrümmert die Gruft
Recitative (bass): Ja! ja! Die Stunden sind nunmehro nah
Aria (bass): Wie will ich lustig lachen
Recitative (tenor): Gefürcht'ter Aeolus
Aria (tenor): Frische Schatten, meine Freude
Recitative (bass): Beinahe wirst du mich bewegen
Aria (alto): Können nicht die roten Wangen
Duet recitative (alto and soprano): So willst du, grimmger Aeolus
Aria (soprano): Angenehmer Zephyrus
Duet recitative (soprano and bass): Mein Aeolus
Aria (bass): Zurücke, zurücke, geflügelten Winde
Trio recitative (soprano, alto, tenor): Was Lust!
Duet aria (alto and tenor): Zweig und Äste
Recitative (soprano): Ja, ja! ich lad euch selbst zu dieser Feier ein
Chorus: Vivat August
"Tear apart, burst open, shatter the vault"
Text & translation
Scored for four solo voices – Pallas as soprano, Pomona as alto, Zephyrus as tenor, and Aeolus as bass – a four-part choir, three trumpets, timpani, two horns, two flutes, two oboes, oboe d'amore, two violins, viola, viola d'amore, viola da gamba, and basso continuo.
Bach composed the secular cantata BWV 205 at the request of Leipzig students, who performed it in front of the house of the popular professor Dr August Friedrich Müller (1684-1761), lawyer and philosopher, on his name day, 3 August 1725. The scene, outside in the Catherinenstraße by torchlight, with possibly
the largest orchestra that Bach ever assembled, must have been
spectacular.
The text was written by Bach's fixed librettist Picander and is a paraphrase of a section of Virgil's Aeneid. In the opening chorus the winds complain of having been confined during summer. In his opening recitative, Aeolus (bass), ruler of the winds in Greek mythology, agrees to release them, as summer is passing, and in the next aria looks forward to the havoc they will cause. In a series of recitatives and arias the god of evening breezes, Zephyrus (tenor), the goddess of fruit trees, Pomona (alto), and the goddess of wisdom, Pallas (soprano - an alluring aria), call in turn on him to delay. Aeolus is at first unwilling, but when he finally learns of the reason for their requests - so that they may join in Müller's name-day celebrations - he relents and commands the winds to be calm in a gloriously accompanied aria. All then join in an exultant chorus to greet Müller. With its 15 movements and colorful orchestration this is a very substantial work.
Some years later Bach parodied the music to a new text in praise of Augustus III, King of Poland in BWV 205a. Also the music of the duet between Pomona and Zephyrus re-appeared in the wedding cantata BWV 216 and the music of Pallas's aria was put to use in the sacred cantata BWV 171. Incidentally, Bach's son, Wilhelm Friedemann later re-parodied the work in Hallé in praise of Friedrich II of Prussia.
Audio: Jacobs
Vereinigte Zwietracht der wechselnden Saiten, BWV 207, December 11, 1726
March
Chorus: Vereinigte Zwietracht der wechselnden Saiten
Recitative (tenor): Wen treibt ein edler Trieb zu dem, was Ehre heißt
Aria (tenor): Zieht euren Fuß nur nicht zurücke
Duet recitative (bass and soprano): Dem nur allein
Duet aria (bass and soprano): Den soll mein Lorbeer schützend decken
Recitative (alto): Es ist kein leeres Wort, kein ohne Grund erregtes Hoffen
Aria (alto): Ätzet dieses Angedenken
Recitative (SATB): Ihr Schläfrigen, herbei
Chorus: Kortte lebe, Kortte blühe
"United discords of quivering strings"
Text & translation
Scored four solo singers who represent allegorical figures: Glück (Fortune, soprano), Dankbarkeit (Thankfulness, alto), Fleiß (Diligence, tenor), and Ehre (Honour, bass). The cantata also features a four-part choir for the movements framing a sequence of recitatives and arias. Bach orchestrated it festively with three trumpets, timpani, two transverse flutes, two oboes d'amore, taille, two violins, viola, and basso continuo.
Bach wrote the secular cantata "Vereinigte Zwietracht der wechselnden Saiten" in 1726 on behalf of the student music company Collegium Musicum, of which he himself would become the conductor in 1729. It is a tribute music for the young, 28-year-old Dr Gottlieb Kortte (1698 - 1731) who accepted his promotion to professor of Roman Law at the Leipzig University with his inaugural speech on 11 December. The piece will probably have been performed in the evening of that 11th December, under the direction of the then conductor of the Collegium Musicum, the organist of the Neukirche, Balthasar Schott. The young Kortte was very popular with his students and the lavish tribute must have cost them a lot of money.
Vereinigte Zwietracht, along with a number of other secular cantatas such as BWV 205, 206, 213, 214 and 215, is described as a Dramma per Musica, the then designation for "opera". The soloists play roles of allegorical characters, in this case resp. Happiness (soprano), Gratitude (alto), Zeal (tenor) and Honor (bass). However, there is so little interaction between the characters that the result is very little dramatic in nature.
The instrumental line-up is luxurious: three trumpets, timpani, three oboes, two flutes, strings and continuo. Structurally two choirs frame two arias with recitatives and at the center a duet for bass and soprano. The "united discords" in the title points at the intellectual ideal of "concordia discors," the common dispute at the university, a combination of opposites, connecting it with the musical ideal of the "quivering strings." The opening chorus is familiar from the third movement of the Brandenburg Concerto No 1. It is a festive opening for this celebratory cantata.
Bach reused the music for the name-day of King Augustus III, Elector of Saxony, probably on August 3, 1735 (BWV 207a, "Auf, schmetternde Töne der muntern Trompeten"). Included with the material of BWV 207a is a splendid march that
deserves to be much better known.
Audio: Musica Antiqua Köln
Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen, BWV 213, September 5, 1733
Recitative (alto): Und wo? Wo ist die rechte Bahn
Aria (soprano): Schlafe, mein Liebster, und pflege der Ruh
Duet recitative (soprano, tenor): Auf! folge meiner Bahn
Aria (alto): Treues Echo dieser Orten
Recitative (tenor): Mein hoffnungsvoller Held
Aria (tenor): Auf meinen Flügeln sollst du schweben
Recitative (tenor): Die weiche Wollust locket zwar
Aria (alto): Ich will dich nicht hören
Duet recitative (alto, tenor): Geliebte Tugend, du allein
Duet aria (alto, tenor): Ich bin deine, du bist meine
Recitative (bass): Schaut, Götter, dieses ist ein Bild
Chorus: Lust der Volker, Lust der Deinen
"Let's take care, let's keep watch" (Hercules at the Crossroads)
Text & translation
The cantata has four vocal soloists: Lust (soprano), Hercules (alto), Virtue (tenor), and Mercury (bass). It is also scored for a four-part choir, two horns, oboe d'amore, two oboes, two violins, two violas (or viola and bassoon), and basso continuo.
The music of BWV 213 is well known, since the opening chorus and all the arias were later parodied in various places in the Christmas Oratorio BWV 248. The work was composed as a cantata in honor of Friederich Christian, son of the Elector of Saxony, for his birthday in 1733 and was performed in Gottfried Zimmermann's coffee garden in Leipzig, the setting for many of Bach's Collegium Musicum concerts. The libretto by Picander is an enormously sycophantic piece. The eleven-year-old prince is compared to the mythological hero Hercules (alto) as he makes his choice between the rough but right path (suggested by Virtue, tenor) and the smooth but wrong path (suggested by Pleasure, soprano). Mercury (bass) acts as narrator and makes the connection between Hercules and the prince.
The opening chorus (later to appear as BWV 248/36) sets the scene with the Council of the Gods praising the prince's future with lullaby-like chordal instrumental accompaniment. In the first recitative, Hercules (alto) establishes the crossroads at which he finds himself: a choice between the right path and following his desires. Pleasure (soprano), in a wonderfully seductive aria, urges him to "follow the lure of lustful thoughts. It is perhaps surprising that this seductive music became the wonderful "Sleep" aria in BWV 248/19. In the next recitative, pleasure is challenged by virtue (tenor). Next, Hercules shows his vaccination between them in an aria that adopts the "echo" form prominent in early Italian opera: another alto voice engages in an imitative exchange with Hercules and the instrumental lines (later used as BWV 248/39). In an exuberant aria, Virtue then implores Hercules to follow the right path (BWV 248/41) and not succumb to the temptations of pleasure. Hercules is persuaded in an energetic aria (later BWV 248/4) and expresses his conviction to follow Virtue's advice. He then sings a long duet aria with Virtue, which has the character of a love song (later BWV 248/29). A pompous recitative by Mercury (bass) glorifying the dedicatee leads into the final chorus, a gavotte.
This fine work is unfortunately overshadowed by the Christmas Oratorio, for which most of the music (except the final chorus) was borrowed. Knowing the Christmas Oratorio well makes it difficult to appreciate the very different use to which this music was originally put.
Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten!, BWV 214, December 8, 1733
Chorus: "Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten!"
Recitative (tenor): "Heut ist der Tag, wo jeder sich erfreuen mag"
Aria (soprano): "Blast die wohlgegriffnen Flöten"
Recitative (soprano): "Mein knallendes Metall"
Aria (alto): "Fromme Musen! meine Glieder!"
Recitative (alto): "Unsre Königin im Lande"
Aria (basso): "Kron und Preis gekrönter Damen"
Recitative (basso): "So dringe in das weite Erdenrund"
Chorus: "Blühet, ihr Linden in Sachsen, wie Zedern!"
"Resound Drums, ring out Trumpets"
Text & translation
The work features four vocal soloists who represent allegorical figures: Bellona (soprano), Pallas (alto), Irene (tenor), and Fama (bass). It is further scored for four-part choir (SATB), three trumpets, timpani, two flutes, two oboes, oboe d'amore, two violins, viola and basso continuo.
This cantata was written for the birthday of Maria Josepha of Austria, wife of August III, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. The cantata was performed on December 8, 1733, probably at the Zimmerman Coffeehouse in Leipzig, where Bach regularly performed with his Collegium Musicum. This is another dramma per musica. It is based on a libretto by an unknown author.
Bach composed Tönet, ihr Pauken! in 1733, ten years after he became Thomaskantor in Leipzig, director of music for the major churches in the city in the Electorate of Saxony. That year Augustus succeeded his father as Elector of Saxony. Bach had hopes of being appointed composer to his court, which was based in Dresden. Bach wrote six congratulatory cantatas for the Saxon court. Unfortunately, he never received this position.
In the cantata, the dedicatee is addressed by allegorical figures representing Roman and Greek goddesses of war and peace (Bellona, Pallas, Irene, and Fama) who convey congratulations to the queen. Choral movements frame a series of alternating recitatives and arias. The cantata begins with a grand opening chorus in which timpani, trumpets, and strings are called upon to congratulate the birthday queen. Bach would later reuse this opening chorus as the opening chorus of the first cantata of the Christmas Oratorio, entitled "Jauchzet, frohlocket, auf, preiset die Tage" (BWV 248/1). The four solo voices then take turns congratulating the queen from their own perspectives, until they unite again in the final chorus, which ends with a "Long may she live!
In addition to the opening chorus, Bach also reused arias 5 and 7 and the final chorus in the Christmas Oratorio.
Video: Collegium 1704/ Luks
Preise dein Glücke, gesegnetes Sachsen, BWV 215, October 5 1734
"Value your good fortune, blessed Saxony"
Text & translation
Cantata performed on the occasion of a visit by the Saxon Elector and Polish King August III, premiered in Leipzig on October 5, 1734. The visit, announced at short notice, was used by the students of the Collegium musicum of the University of Leipzig to perform evening music for the prince as part of a celebratory torchlight procession in front of the Apel house where he was staying. The text was written by the Magister Johann Christoph Clauder. Bach had very little time to compose, possibly only three days. It is therefore assumed that he resorted to existing works in the parody process. However, in this case it would have to be lost pieces, since the music cannot be traced to any other Bach composition.
BWV 215 stands out from other baroque cantatas of homage and congratulations, which almost always uncritically praise the fame and wisdom of the regent with reference to ancient mythology, insofar as the poet specifically refers to recent historical events, as August III did not reach the Polish throne without resistance, but first had to defeat an adversary.
As is often the case in the Baroque era, the royal power is represented musically by kettledrums and trumpets, which gives the work its solemn atmosphere. It is noticeable that the opening movement is designed as a double choir. Years later, the music of this movement was used again in the "Osanna in excelsis" of the B minor Mass. Bach also reworked the soprano aria for the Christmas Oratorio. Most of the recitatives are unusually elaborate: in the final recitative movement, the three solo parts are accompanied by all instrument groups. In the section assigned to the bass part, timpani and trumpets are impressively used for interjections that onomatopoeically depict the horrors of war.
Video: J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German) - Explanation in English "Bach Factory"
Auf, schmetternde Töne der muntern Trompeten, BWV 207a, August 3, 1735
Chorus: Auf, schmetternde Töne der muntern Trompeten
Recitative (tenor): Die stille Pleiße spielt
Aria (tenor): Augustus' Namenstages Schimmer
Duet recitative (soprano and bass): Augustus' Wohl
Duet aria (soprano and bass) and ritornello: Mich kann die süße Ruhe laben
Recitative (alto): Augustus schützt die frohen Felder
Aria (alto): Preiset, späte Folgezeiten
Recitative (SATB): Ihr Fröhlichen, herbei
Chorus: August lebe
March
"Arise resounding notes of cheerful trumpets"
Text & translation
Scored for soprano, alto, tenor, and bass soloists, four-part choir, three trumpets, timpani, two flauto traverso, two oboes d'amore, tenor oboe (taille), bassoon, two violins, viola, and basso continuo.
Cantata for the nameday of King Augustus III, Elector of Saxony. As the music is mostly borrowed from BWV 207, we will only discuss it briefly.
The librettist is unknown. The soloists probably represent allegorical or mythological figures. Since the original text has not been preserved, one can only guess which soloist embodies what. It is possible that the soprano represents peace, the bass war, and the tenor represents wisdom or the city of Leipzig.
The cantata is largely based on BWV 207; the recitative movements 2, 4 and 6 are new compositions. The march probably came about when the cantata was being performed.
The cantata opens with a spectacular chorus, in fact an adaptation of the third movement of the first Brandenburg concerto, BWV 1046, with the natural horns of the concerto being replaced by trumpets. In the duet for bass and soprano the peaceful state of Saxony is applauded.
Video: Netherlands Bach Society
Schleicht, spielende Wellen, und murmelt gelinde!, BWV 206, October 7, 1736
Chorus: Schleicht, spielende Wellen, und murmelt gelinde
Recitative (bass): O glückliche Veränderung
Aria (bass): Schleuß des Janustempels Türen
Recitative (tenor): So recht! beglückter Weichselstrom
Aria (tenor): Jede Woge meiner Wellen
Recitative (alto): Ich nehm zugleich an deiner Freude teil
Aria (alto): Reis von Habsburgs hohem Stamme
Recitative (soprano): Verzeiht, Bemooste Häupter starker Ströme
Aria (soprano): Hört doch! der sanften Flöten Chor
Recitative (SATB): Ich muss, ich will gehorsam sein
Chorus: Die himmlische Vorsicht der ewigen Güte
"Glide, sparkling waves and murmur softly"
Text & translation
The cantata features four solo vocal parts, representing rivers: Pleiße (soprano), Donau (alto), Elbe (tenor), and Weichsel (bass). The cantata is also scored for four-part choir, three flutes, two oboes, two oboes d'amore, three trumpets, timpani, 1st and 2nd violins, violas, and basso continuo.
This cantata was composed for the visit of Elector Frederick Augustus II to Leipzig in October 1734, but was first performed on October 7, 1736, to celebrate his birthday. Frederick Augustus resided in Dresden, but it was customary to celebrate his birthday and other court events in Leipzig. A second performance took place in 1740.
The librettist of the work is unknown, but was probably Picander. The cantata is one of the works Bach wrote for celebrations at the University of Leipzig. The text is typically silly, with four rivers trying to outdo each other in praising Augustus, until they all come together in joint praise of their master.
The text discusses four important rivers associated with the houses of Saxony and Poland. The rivers are represented by the four soloists, each with a recitative and an aria. The opening chorus, "Glide playful waves," is a beautiful, lilting triple meter suggesting the waves of the rivers. A busy bass aria represents the Vistula, Poland's largest river. He sings about August as a peacemaker. The tenor is the Elbe, the river that flows through the Dresden residence. He tells the Poles that they can borrow August as king for a while, but they cannot keep him. The alto follows with the Danube, a reference to the Habsburg family of August's wife, Maria Josepha. Perhaps it is no coincidence that Bach uses two oboes d'amore when mentioning August's marriage. The list is completed by the soprano representing the Pleisse, the relatively small river that flows through Leipzig. She tries to reconcile the conflicting interests of the various hereditary lands, following the example of the harmony of the soft flutes - three, unique in Bach's oeuvre - that accompany her. Saxony and Poland must share August as brothers, and the proud Habsburg Empire must join in the anthem. Finally, the final chorus is another tremendous triple meter dance.
Video: Netherlands Bach Society - Interview conductor Jos van Veldhoven
Die Freude reget sich, BWV 36b, October 1735
Chorus: Die Freude reget sich
Recitative (tenor): Ihr seht, wie sich das Glücke
Aria (tenor): Aus Gottes milden Vaterhänden
Recitative (alto): Die Freunde sind vergnügt
Aria (alto): Das Gute, das dein Gott beschert
Recitative (soprano): Wenn sich die Welt mit deinem Ruhme trägt
Aria (soprano): Auch mit gedämpften, schwachen Stimmen
Chorus and recitative (tenor, alto, soprano): Was wir dir vor Glücke gönnen
"Joy awakens"
Text & translation
Draws on material Bach had composed more than a decade earlier for the cantata Schwingt freudig euch empor, BWV 36a. Written for celebrations of the Leipzig University, the text pays homage to Johann Florenz Rivinius, who was appointed Rector of Leipzig University in October 1735. The cantata was probably performed in the university church, the Paulinerkirche. Picander must have been the author of the adaptation for the university celebration.
The cantata consists of an opening and a closing chorus, with three recitative / aria pairs in between, for tenor, alto and soprano in succession. BWV 36b differs from older versions by the appearance of a traverso that is missing elsewhere. The closing choir is missing from the church cantata BWV 36.
The cantata is unusual in being a secular work which was parodied as a sacred work and then, some five years later again as a secular work. Bach's parodies are usually secular to sacred rather than sacred to secular. The explanation given for the prevalence of secular to sacred parodies is that occasional secular works such as birthday cantatas had a single use and then Bach was able to reuse them as sacred works.
Audio: Unger
Angenehmes Wiederau, BWV 30a, September 28, 1737
Chorus: Angenehmes Wiederau
Recitative (bass, soprano, alto, tenor): So ziehen wir
Aria (bass): Willkommen im Heil, willkommen in Freuden
Recitative (alto): Da heute dir, gepriesner Hennicke
Aria (alto): Was die Seele kann ergötzen
Recitative (bass): Und wie ich jederzeit bedacht
Aria (bass): Ich will dich halten
Recitative (soprano): Und obwohl sonst der Unbestand
Aria (soprano): Eilt, ihr Stunden, wie ihr wollt
Recitative (tenor): So recht! ihr seid mir werte Gäste
Aria (tenor): So, wie ich die Tropfen zolle
Recitative (soprano, bass, alto): Drum, angenehmes Wiederau
Chorus: Angenehmes Wiederau
"Charming Wiederau"
Text & translation
Scored for basso continuo, along with four vocal soloists (soprano as Zeit (Time), alto as Glück (Good Fortune), tenor as Elster (River Elster), bass as Schicksal (Fate)) and four-part choir.
Homage cantata for Johann Christian von Hennicke (1681-1752), who had been ennobled in 1728 and was now taking possession of his fief at Wiederau, some 20 km SW of Leipzig. The work was performed on 28 September at Hennicke's Wiederau manor. The libretto was written by Picander, a frequent collaborator of Bach.
The “plot” is a dialogue between four allegorical figures, Fate (bass), Fortune (alto), Time (soprano) and the river Elster (tenor). This refers to the White Elster, which, coming from the Bohemian Elster Mountains, flows through the Wiederauer Feldmark to Leipzig and flows into the Saale near Halle. After an opening chorus made resplendent by the sound of three trumpets and drums, the four soloists take turns to praise Hennicke in a series of recitatives and arias, outbidding each other. The majority of the movements have a dance character.
Perhaps Bach already had in mind the reuse of the music for a church cantata when composing it. In any case, with the exception of the recitatives and Aria No. 11, all movements with new text were included in the cantata for St. John's Day (BWV 30).
Audio: Leonhardt
Mer Hahn en neue Oberkeet, BWV 212, August 30, 1742
Overture (A major- A minor- A major)
Duet aria: Mer hahn en neue Oberkeet (A major)
Duet recitative: Nu, Mieke, gib dein Guschel immer her (A major)
Aria (soprano): Ach, es schmeckt doch gar zu gut (A major)
Recitative (bass): Der Herr ist gut: Allein der Schösser (D major)
Aria (bass): Ach, Herr Schösser, geht nicht gar zu schlimm (D major)
Recitative (soprano): Es bleibt dabei (B minor)
Aria (soprano): Unser trefflicher (B minor)
Duet recitative: Er hilft uns allen, alt und jung
Aria (soprano): Das ist galant (G major)
Recitative (bass): Und unsre gnädge Frau
Aria (bass): Fünfzig Taler bares Geld (B-flat major)
Recitative (soprano): Im Ernst ein Wort!
Aria (soprano): Klein-Zschocher müsse (A major)
Recitative (bass): Das ist zu klug vor dich
Aria (bass): Es nehme zehntausend Dukaten (G major)
Recitative (soprano): Das klingt zu liederlich
Aria (soprano): Gib, Schöne (D major)
Recitative (bass): Du hast wohl recht
Aria (bass): Dein Wachstum sei feste und lache vor Lust! (A major)
Duet recitative: Und damit sei es auch genung
Aria (soprano): Und dass ihr's alle wisst (B minor)
Duet recitative: Mein Schatz, erraten!
Chorus: Wir gehen nun, wo der Dudelsack (F major)
"We have a new Lord of the Manor" (Peasant Cantata)
Text & translation
Scored for two voices: the farmer (bass) and Mieke (soprano). The instrumentation includes a string trio of violin, viola and basso continuo, accompanied by a flute, horn and second violin respectively.
Tribute music for Carl Heinrich von Dieskau (1706-1782), the Leipzig tax director and as such the superior of the lyricist/tax official C. F. Henrici (Picander). Dieskau celebrated his thirty-sixth birthday at the manor Klein-Zschocher near Leipzig with a huge fireworks display and accepted the homage of the peasants, as was customary at that time. The text has popular, crude and sometimes ironic features and alludes to a number of local people and events of the time (e.g. violation of the fishing law), with the neighboring towns of Knauthain and Cospuden being mentioned.
The plot is as follows. During the festivities, the chamberlain has beer poured. This is the occasion for a conversation between an unnamed farmer (bass) and the farmer's wife Mieke (soprano). They are happy about the festival, exchange erotic suggestions, some ambiguous, some explicit, and also talk about the tax collector's machinations. The main theme, however, is the praise of Lord Dieskau; his wife and her thriftiness are also mentioned. In some places, the Upper Saxon dialect is used ("Guschel" = mouth, "Dahlen" = love game, "Satchel" = belly, "prinkel" = little, "new shock" = 60 groschen).
In keeping with the character of the text, Bach created a relatively simple composition with short sentences and mostly simple accompaniment in a mixture of folk and urban genres, a true "cantata burlesque". He makes frequent use of popular dance forms and folk melodies. The overture consists of a sequence of different court dances without transitions.
The peasant cantata is the Bach cantata with the latest ascertainable date of origin.
Check out the video below from the Swiss Bach Foundation - it is a great performance!
Video: J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German) - The location on the Chäserrugg