From the depths, Lord, I call to you
| Bach cantata | |
|---|---|
| From the depths, Lord, I call to you | |
| BWV: | 131 |
| Occasion: | unknown; possibly penitential service |
| Year of origin: | 1707 or 1708 |
| Place of origin: | Mulhouse |
| Solo : | S, A, T, B - choir? |
| Instruments : | Oboe, bassoon, St., BC |
| AD : | approx. 25 min |
| text | |
| Bible, Psalm 130;
Bartholomäus Ringwaldt , 1588 |
|
| List of Bach cantatas | |
From the depths I call, Lord, to you ( BWV 131) is a cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach .
Emergence
This work is one of the oldest surviving cantatas by Bach (together with the cantatas BWV 150 , 196, 106 and 4 ). A handwritten note by the composer shows that the work was commissioned by the pastor of the Marienkirche Georg Christian Eilmar during his time in Mühlhausen in 1707 or 1708. Albert Schweitzer writes in his work Johann Sebastian Bach that this clergyman was "a great admirer of church music and a personal friend of Bach". The fact that Bach was not active at this church gives Bach researchers cause for speculation that Bach's superior was not interested in the young organist's compositional work. The style and the extensive description of the composition suggests it was made in 1707, i.e. at the beginning of Bach's tenure in Mühlhausen.
Subject
The text does not contain any free poetry, but consists of Psalm 130 as well as stanzas 2 and 5 of the chant Herr Jesu Christ, du highest good by Bartholomäus Ringwaldt from 1588. Both text sources address the plea for forgiveness of sins. It has therefore been assumed that the occasion for the composition could have been a penance service, possibly in connection with a conflagration that destroyed large parts of the city center shortly before Bach's arrival in Mühlhausen. However, no such service is documented anywhere in contemporary sources. It cannot be ruled out that, like the Actus tragicus (BWV 106), it is a funeral composition.
occupation
The original scoring note reads “a una oboe. una 'violino. doi Viole. Fagotto. CAT B: è Fondamento ", the line-up is as follows:
- Singing parts: soprano , alto , tenor , bass ; a choir is not expressly required, clearly soloistic passages have tenor and bass;
- Instruments: oboe , violin , viola I / II, bassoon , basso continuo .
particularities
In terms of form, the cantata has numerous similarities to the cantata, Gottes Zeit ist der Sehrbest Zeit (BWV 106) , which was written at a later date . As in all of Bach's early cantatas, recitatives and da capos are dispensed with; the movements flow into each other fluently and with contrasting tempos. The sequence shows a symmetrical structure:
- Sinfonia / Tutti (Adagio – Vivace)
- Solo (bass) with chorale as Cantus firmus in the soprano (Andante)
- Tutti (Adagio – Largo – Adagio)
- Solo (tenor) with chorale as cantus firmus in alto (Lento)
- Tutti (Adagio – Un poc 'allegro – Adagio – Allegro – Adagio)
The subject of lamenting and supplication is expressively illustrated by instruments and singing (e.g. Passus duriusculus ). The work already reveals the great mastery of the young composer and is one of Bach's better-known cantatas.
Recordings
- DVD
- From the depths I call Lord to you. Cantata BWV 131. Rudolf Lutz , choir and orchestra of the JS Bach Foundation , Guro Hjemli (soprano), Jan Börner (alto), Makoto Sakurada (tenor), Markus Volpert (bass). Including an introductory workshop and reflection by Nina Katz-Bernstein . Gallus Media, 2014.
literature
- Alfred Dürr : Johann Sebastian Bach. The cantatas. Bärenreiter, Kassel 1999, ISBN 3-7618-1476-3 .
- Werner Neumann : Handbook of the cantatas Johann Sebastian Bach. 5th unchanged edition. Breitkopf Haertel, Wiesbaden 1984, ISBN 3-7651-0054-4 .
- Hans-Joachim Schulze: The Bach Cantatas: Introductions to all of Johann Sebastian Bach's cantatas . Leipzig: Evangelical publishing company; Stuttgart: Carus-Verlag 2006 (Edition Bach-Archiv Leipzig) ISBN 3-374-02390-8 (Evang. Verl.-Anst.), ISBN 3-89948-073-2 (Carus-Verl.)
- Christoph Wolff , Ton Koopman : The world of Bach cantatas . Verlag JB Metzler, Stuttgart, Weimar 2006 ISBN 978-3-476-02127-4
Web links
- From the depths, Lord, I call to you, BWV 131 : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
- BWV 131 From the depths I call, Lord, to you Text, structure and composition on the personal homepage of Walter F. Bischof at the University of Alberta
- Interpretation and audio sample by Ton Koopman ( YouTube )
