Jesus, you are my soul
| Bach cantata | |
|---|---|
| Jesus, you are my soul | |
| BWV: | 78 |
| Occasion: | 14th Sunday after Trinity |
| Year of origin: | 1724 |
| Place of origin: | Leipzig |
| Genus: | Solo cantata |
| Solo : | SATB |
| Choir: | SATB |
| Instruments : | Co Ft 2Ob 2Vl Va Vn Bc |
| AD : | approx. 25 min |
| text | |
| unknown poet; Johann Rist | |
| List of Bach cantatas | |
Jesus, who thou my soul ( BWV 78) is a sacred cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach .
Emergence
The cantata was performed for the first time on September 10, 1724 for the 14th Sunday after Trinity and can therefore be assigned to the famous “choir cantata year” 1724/25. The lyricist is unknown. The libretto is based on the hymn of the same name by Johann Rist from 1641. The first and last chorale stanzas were taken over directly. The five internal movements of the cantata represent changes to Rist's texts, whereby individual lines are quoted in their wording, but in some cases elements of several stanzas are also included in individual movements.
Subject
The cantata text relates the Gospel reading planned for this day in the church year (the healing of the sick) in an allegorical way to the Passion story of Jesus , who through his suffering heals and redeems people from their guilt and thus gives them new strength.
occupation
- Vocal soloists: soprano , alto , tenor , bass
- Choir: soprano, alto, tenor, bass
- Orchestra: horn , transverse flute , oboe I / II, violin I / II, viola , violone , basso continuo
particularities
In its seven movements, the cantata offers an unusual wealth of forms and contrasting affects . The gloomy severity of the opening chorus, heightened by descending chromaticism , gives way to a joyful volatility in the subsequent duet.
The theme of the opening movement is varied a total of 27 times in the manner of a Passacaglia . The lower voices mediate in an impressive way between the complex polyphonic variation and the simple chorale melody. Known beyond the cantata itself is the duet for soprano and alto We hurry with weak but industrious steps (2nd movement), in which the bass line musically clarifies the "small but industrious steps" through its movements, while the vocal parts with aspiring ones Melody arcs represent the "rushing" to Jesus.
literature
- Alfred Dürr : Johann Sebastian Bach: The Cantatas. Bärenreiter, Kassel 1999, ISBN 3-7618-1476-3 .
- Arend Hoyer: What makes music reverent. Three Leipzig church cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach, examined from a liturgical point of view. Theological Publishing House Zurich: Zurich 2018, ISBN 978-3-290-18139-0 [BWV 17, 25, 78].
- Werner Neumann : Handbook of JS Bach's Cantatas , 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 .
Web links
- Jesus, who thou my soul, BWV 78 : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
- BWV 78 Jesus, who thou my soul Text, structure and cast on the personal homepage of Walter F. Bishop at the University of Alberta
