God is our confidence
| Bach cantata | |
|---|---|
| God is our confidence | |
| BWV: | 197 |
| Occasion: | wedding |
| Year of origin: | 1732 |
| Place of origin: | Leipzig |
| Genus: | cantata |
| Solo : | S, A, B |
| Choir: | (S, A, T, B) |
| Instruments : | 3Tr, Ti; 2Ob, 2Oa, Fg; 2Vl, Va; Bc |
| text | |
| Martin Luther , Georg Neumark and anonymous | |
| List of Bach cantatas | |
God is our confidence ( BWV 197) is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach
history
In 1728 Bach composed a Christmas cantata in Leipzig , Glory to God in the Height (BWV 197.1), which he reworked into this wedding cantata in 1736/37 . Movement 5 is a chorale stanza by Martin Luther , the last movement is from Georg Neumark ; the authorship of the rest of the text is anonymous.
Occupation and structure
The cantata is written for three soloists ( soprano , alto and bass ) and a four-part choir . It is occupied by three trumpets , timpani , two oboes , two oboe d'amores , a bassoon , two violins , a viola and the figured bass .
The ten movements of the work are divided into two parts of five movements each, which are performed before and after the wedding sermon.
- Part 1
- Chorus: God is our confidence
- Recitative (bass): God is and remains the best carer
- Aria (Alto): Sleeps all worries
- Recitative (bass): Drum follow God and his instincts
- Choral: You sweet love, give us your favor
- Part 2
- Aria (bass): O you pleasant couple
- Recitative (soprano): Just like God has with you
- Aria (soprano): pleasure and lust
- Recitative (bass): And this happy résumé
- Choral: Walk happily in God's ways.
music
The opening movement is a choir in Da capo form with a striking trumpet and an active violin line . The singers use fugues . The bass recitative is written as a secco recitative and “ tuned to a melody of almost childlike naivety and simplicity”. The structure of the alto aria combines elements of the da capo and ritornello form. The instrumentation of the introduction does not fully return and the recapitulation differs significantly from the opening. The fourth movement is a bass recitative with chord strings. The section closes with a four-part version of the chorale melody with different phrase lengths.
The second section begins with a bass aria that "has a richness of sound that is second to none". A two-part soprano recitative leads to an aria that was written for bass in BWV 197.1, here it is sung in soprano. This aria is in the style of a Siciliano . The penultimate movement is a bass recitative with chord oboes and strings in between. The final chorale version is relatively simple and written in a minor key.
Recordings (selection)
- Max van Egmond , Vienna Boys Choir , Concentus Musicus Wien , conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt . Recorded in 1967. Telefunken SAWT-9539 / Telefunken 6.41101 / Teldec 0630-12321-2
- Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart , Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn , conducted by Helmuth Rilling . Recorded in 1984. The Bach Cantata Vol. 66 . Hänssler Verlag 98.828 / Hänssler 92.059
- Holland Boys Choir , Netherlands Bach Collegium , conducted by Pieter Jan Leusink . Recorded in 2000. Bach Edition Vol. 19 . Brilliant Classics 99378
- Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir , conducted by Ton Koopman . Recorded in 2002–2003. JS Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 21 . Antoine Marchand, 2006
Web links
- BWV 197 God is our confidence Text, structure and composition on the personal homepage of Walter F. Bischof at the University of Alberta
- God is our confidence, BWV 197 : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
- God is our confidence BWV 197.2; BWV 197; BC B 16 Bach Digital
Individual evidence
- ↑ Cantata BWV 197 God is our confidence . Bach Cantatas. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
- ↑ a b BWV 197 . University of Alberta. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ↑ a b c Mincham, Julian: Chapter 75 BWV 197 p . jsbachcantatas. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ^ Smith, Craig: BWV 197 . Emmanuel Music. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
