The resurrection and ascension of Jesus

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Resurrection of Jesus (Matthias Grünewald, Isenheim Altarpiece)
Ascension Day (Antonio Lanchares)

The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus (BR-CPEB D s 3; Wq 240; H 777) is an oratorio by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach in which the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ are sung about . The first documented performance of the work took place on April 2, 1774. Alongside The Israelites in the Desert and The Last Sorrows of the Redeemer , The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus is one of the three great oratorios by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.

occupation

The vocal line-up of the oratorio consists of three solo voices (soprano, tenor, bass) and a four-part mixed choir. The orchestra consists of strings, two flutes, two oboes, bassoon, two horns, three trumpets, timpani and basso continuo (harpsichord).

History of origin

The libretto was written as early as 1760 by Karl Wilhelm Ramler as the conclusion of a trilogy of oratorio libretti (based on The Death of Jesus and The Shepherds at the Bethlehem Crib ). Georg Philipp Telemann set this libretto, written in the sensitive style, to music as early as 1760. The first performance of Bach's composition took place privately on Easter Sunday 1774 in Hamburg . Bach had probably composed the work in the months before. The first public performance took place on March 18, 1778 in the concert hall on the Kamp in Hamburg. Between these two performances, Bach had revised his oratorio. With the revision of the work, in collaboration with the librettist Ramler, he continued until 1784. The first performance locations suggest that Bach intended the oratorio from the outset for performances in the concert hall and not for performances in the church. In addition, the work does not contain a chorale , which would have been very unusual for church music at the time.

Literary structure and musical sequence

The oratorio consists of 22 numbers, which are divided into two parts of roughly equal length. The first part is about the resurrection of Jesus, the second part about the ascension of Christ. The singers are not assigned any specific literary roles, and no dramatic action is described by music or text. Instead, the arias and choirs depict sensations, thoughts and feelings that reflect the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. As a rule, these refer to the previous recitative. The recitatives refer to the biblical plot and also contain some dialogues that are not spoken in assigned roles. Ramler's libretto text is based in part on biblical texts, but consists mainly of original poetry; occasionally biblical quotations are interspersed (for example: "Death! Where is your sting?", 1 Cor 15.55  EU ).

Both oratorios begin with an introduction played only by the strings and end with a choral fugue . A motif that recurs several times (first in no. 5) is a choir section that begins with the word “Triumph” and is particularly splendid thanks to the use of kettledrum and trumpets. The recitatives in the first part, including a verse from Psalm 114, describe the natural phenomena that accompany Jesus' resurrection, the arrival of Archangel Michael (both in No. 3), the entry of the open grave by some women from Jerusalem (No. 6) and the encounters between Jesus and Mary Magdalene (No. 8) and the other women (No. 10). The first recitative (No. 14) in the second part is unusually long with 43 lines of text and is about Jesus' encounter with the Emmaus disciples. The content of the other two recitatives is the appearance of Jesus before eleven selected disciples, the teaching of the unbelieving Thomas (both in No. 17) and the ascension to heaven with his companions (No. 20). The longest number in the oratorio is the final chorus, which contains jubilation and praise (No. 22). It consists of two parts: A longer, largely homophonic choir section is followed by a choral fugue on the words “Everything that has breath, praise the Lord! Alleluia! ”From Psalm 150 .

The performance lasts approximately 70 to 75 minutes.

content

First part

1. Introduction (orchestral)

2nd choir ("God! You will be his soul")

3. Recitative ("Judea trembles")

4th aria ("My spirit full of fear and joy")

5th choir ("Triumph! Triumph!")

6. Recitative ("The Pious Daughters")

7th aria ("How afraid my song cried you")

8. Recitative ("Who is the Sionite")

9th duet ("father of your weak children")

10. Recitative ("Freundinnen Jesu")

11. Aria ("I follow you")

12th choir ("Death! Where is your sting?")

Second part

13. Introduction (orchestral)

14. Recitative ("There I see from the gates of Jerusalem")

15. Aria ("Welcome, Savior")

16th choir ("Triumph! Triumph!")

17. Recitative ("Eleven chosen disciples")

18. Aria ("My Lord, My God")

19th choir ("Triumph! Triumph!")

20. Recitative ("On a Hill")

21. Aria ("You gates of God")

22nd choir ("God goes up with shouts")

Impact history

The performance on March 18, 1778 was a great success. The newspaper Hamburgischer Correspondent wrote: “Our sound artists and singers vied to show their talents in the composition of this strong and expressive music.” In 1787 the oratorio was put to print by the Breitkopf publishing house . In a letter to the publisher Johann Gottlob Immanuel Breitkopf , Bach remarked that the success of The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus would last for several years because it was one of his most important masterpieces and young composers could learn from it. In 1788 , shortly before Bach's death, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart conducted three performances of the oratorio in Vienna. To this end, Mozart made some changes to the work. On this occasion, the absent composer from Hamburg received another extraordinary honor: “In the performance on March 4th, Mr. Graf ( van Swieten ) the portrait of Mr. Capellmeist engraved in copper. Walk around the brook in the hall. The princesses and countesses present and all very shiny needle admired the great composers, and there was a high Vivat, and a dreyfache, loud Beyfallsbezeugung. " .

Discography

literature

  • Howard E. Smither: A History of the Oratorio: Vol. 3: The Oratorio in the Classical Era. The University of North Carolina Press, 1987, ISBN 0-8078-1731-7 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Biography: Death and Nachruhm

Web links