The heavens tell the glory of god
Bach cantata | |
---|---|
The heavens tell the glory of god | |
BWV: | 76 |
Occasion: | 2nd Sunday after Trinity |
Year of origin: | 1723 |
Place of origin: | Leipzig |
Genus: | Church cantata |
Solo : | SATB |
Choir: | SATB |
Instruments : | Tr 2Ob Oa Fg 2Vl Va Vg Bc |
AD : | approx. 35 min |
text | |
Bible Psalm 19, unknown poet | |
List of Bach cantatas |
The heavens tell the honor of God ( BWV 76) is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach .
Emergence
The work was performed for the first time on June 6, 1723 in the Thomaskirche in Leipzig , making it the second of Bach's Leipzig cantatas after he took office as Thomas Cantor . Like the cantata Die Elenden shall eat (BWV 75), which was performed only a week earlier , the composition consists of two parts that were originally played before and after the sermon. The elaborate design of both works shows the great commitment with which Bach devoted himself to the new task.
Subject
The unknown lyricist takes up the theme of the Gospel reading on the 2nd Sunday after Trinity , the conversion of people to God . The words of the entrance choir are verses 2 and 4 of Psalm 19 . After the call to confess to God, sentences 4 and 5 lament idolatry by the majority of humanity. In the following recitative follows the thanks of the converted pagans, affirmed by the Luther chorale “God wants us to be gracious”, which concludes the first part. In the second part, the call goes to the “faithful crowd” of those who confess to repay the hatred of their enemies with love. Here, too, there is a final reflection on the topic, this time through the 3rd stanza of the same Luther song.
occupation
- Vocal soloists: soprano , alto , tenor , bass
- Choir: soprano, alto, tenor, bass
- Orchestra: trumpet , oboe I / II, oboe d'amore , violin I / II, solo violino, viola da gamba , basso continuo .
construction
- First part
- 1. Coro (Tr, Ob I / II, Vl I / II, Va, Bc): The heavens tell the glory of God
- 2. Recitativo T (Vl I / II, Va, Bc): So God does not allow himself to be unattached
- 3. Aria S (Vs, Bc): Hear, you peoples, God's voice
- 4. Recitativo B (Bc): But if you listen, there is the largest bunch
- 5. Aria B (Tr, Vl I / II, Va, Bc): Go there, idolatrous guild
- 6. Recitativo A (Bc): You have us, Lord, from all streets
- 7. Choral (Tr, Vl I / II, Va, Bc): God wants us to be gracious
- Second part
- 8th Sinfonia (Oa, Vg, Bc)
- 9. Recitativo B (Vl I / II, Va, Vg, Bc): God bless the faithful crowd
- 10. Aria T (Vg, Bc): Just hate, hate me right
- 11. Recitativo A (Vg, Bc): I already feel in the spirit
- 12. Aria A (Oa, Vg, Bc): Love, Christians, indeed
- 13. Recitativo T (Bc): So should Christianity
- 14. Chorale (Tr, Vl I / II, Va, Bc): Thank you, God, and praise you
particularities
The most striking movement of this cantata is the unusual, two-part opening choir: After a short, festive introduction by the solo trumpet, the first verse of the psalm is performed by the choir in the form of a prelude . This is followed by a new theme for the second verse in the form of a fugue , in which the four solo parts and then the four choir parts, one after the other, achieve an impressive heightening effect, which is crowned by the trumpet. Also noteworthy are the 3rd movement, the soprano aria “Hear, you people, God's voice”, which is framed by a concert solo violin, and the contrasting bass aria of the 5th movement, in which the solo trumpet is again used.
The second part shows an almost symmetrical structure with regard to the sequence of aria, recitative and chorale , but begins with a sinfonia and contrasts with its overall quieter and contemplative character.
Relation to other works
Various text passages from Psalm 19 have also been set to music by other composers. The first part of the oratorio The Creation ( Hob. XXI: 2) by Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) ends with the choir “ The heavens tell the glory of God ”.
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809–1847) created a motet under the same title . It was created in 1820 and bears the catalog raisonné S 81.
Recordings
- JS Bach: Cantata No. 76 , Hermann Scherchen , Wiener Akademie Kammerchor , Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera , Magda László , Hilde Rössel-Majdan , Petre Munteanu , Richard Standen , Westminster 1952
- Les Grandes Cantates de JS Bach Vol. 1 , Fritz Werner , Heinrich Schütz Choir Heilbronn , Pforzheimer Kammerorchester , Ingeborg Reichelt , Hertha Töpper , Helmut Krebs , Franz Kelch , Erato 1959
- Bach Cantatas Vol. 3 - Ascension Day, Whitsun, Trinity , Karl Richter , Munich Bach Choir , Munich Bach Orchestra . Edith Mathis , Anna Reynolds , Peter Schreier , Kurt Moll , archive production 1975
- The Bach Cantata Vol. 18 , Helmuth Rilling , Gächinger Kantorei , Bach-Collegium Stuttgart , Arleen Augér , Helen Watts , Adalbert Kraus , Siegmund Nimsgern , Hänssler 1978
- JS Bach: Das Kantatenwerk - Sacred Cantatas Vol. 20 , Nikolaus Harnoncourt , Tölzer Knabenchor , Concentus Musicus Wien , soloist of the Tölzer Knabenchor, Paul Esswood , Kurt Equiluz , Ruud van der Meer , Teldec 1976
- JS Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 6 , Ton Koopman , Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir , Ruth Ziesak , Elisabeth von Magnus , Paul Agnew , Klaus Mertens , Antoine Marchand 1997
- JS Bach: Cantatas Vol. 9 (Cantatas from Leipzig 1725) , Masaaki Suzuki , Bach Collegium Japan , Midori Suzuki , Robin Blaze , Gerd Türk , Chiyuki Urano , BIS 1998
- Bach Edition Vol. 20 - Cantatas Vol. 11 , Pieter Jan Leusink , Holland Boys Choir , Netherlands Bach Collegium , Marjon Strijk , Sytse Buwalda , Knut Schoch , Bas Ramselaar , Brilliant Classics 2000
- Bach Cantatas Vol. 2: Paris / Zürich / For the 2nd Sunday after Trinity / For the 3rd Sunday after Trinity , John Eliot Gardiner , Monteverdi Choir , English Baroque Soloists , Lisa Larsson , Daniel Taylor , James Gilchrist , Stephen Varcoe , Soli Deo Gloria 2000
literature
- Alfred Dürr : Johann Sebastian Bach: The Cantatas. Bärenreiter, Kassel 1999, ISBN 3-7618-1476-3
- Werner Neumann : Handbook of the cantatas by JS Bach , 1947, 5th edition 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
Individual evidence
- ↑ See also the list of works by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
Web links
- The Heavens Tell the Glory of God, BWV 76 : Sheet Music and Audio Files in the International Music Score Library Project
- Cantata BWV 76 The heavens tell the glory of God on the bach cantatas website
- The heavens tell the glory of God on the Bach website
- BWV 76 The heavens tell the glory of God Text, structure and cast on the personal homepage of Walter F. Bischof at the University of Alberta