Praise the Lord my soul, BWV 143
| Bach cantata | |
|---|---|
| Praise the Lord my soul | |
| BWV: | 143 |
| Occasion: | New Year |
| Year of origin: | 1708 |
| Place of origin: | Mühlhausen or Weimar |
| Genus: | cantata |
| Solo : | S, A, T, B |
| Choir: | (S, A, T, B) |
| Instruments : | 2Vl; Va; Vc |
| text | |
| Jakob Ebert | |
| List of Bach cantatas | |
Praise the Lord, my soul ( BWV 143) is an early church cantata (Bach was in his twenties) by Johann Sebastian Bach . He composed it in 1708 in Mühlhausen or Weimar , apparently for the New Year . The exact date of the composition is unclear. Bach's authorship has been questioned because the cantata has some unusual features: one of them is the instrumentation, it is the only Bach cantata that combines three corno da caccias with timpani .
An unknown librettist developed seven sentences mainly from Psalm 146 and from Jakob Ebert's hymn "Du Friedefürst, Herr Jesu Christ" and delivered two sentences himself. The text structure is similar to Bach's other early cantatas. The cantata consists of seven movements, in which the three main text sources are summarized: psalm , hymn and contemporary poetry . The opening chorus is based on a psalm verse, followed by the first hymn verse and another psalm verse as a recitative . An aria about poetry is followed by a third psalm verse as an aria. Another poetry aria follows, which at the same time instrumentally quotes the hymn melody. The last movement combines elements of a chorale fantasy in the third stanza of the hymn with an alleluia that closes the psalm.
history
Johann Sebastian Bach probably wrote this cantata for the New Year, on which the circumcision of the Lord is also celebrated. The prescribed scriptures for this day came from Paul's letter to the Galatians (“by the faith we inherit” ( Galatians 3 : 23-29 EU )) and from the Gospel according to Luke (circumcision of Jesus eight days after his birth) . Most of the cantata text, however, comes from the unknown librettist (Psalm 146) and from Jakob Ebert's hymn “Du Friedefürst, Herr Jesu Christ” from 1601.
The text consists of psalm verses (verse 1 for sentence 1, verse 5 for sentence 3 and verse 10 for sentence 5) and two stanzas from the hymn, the first as sentence 2, the third as the final sentence. Only movements 4 and 6 are free poetry, with the melody of the hymn being played instrumentally again during movement 6. The Bach scholar Christoph Wolff dates the work to the year 1710 due to its text structure.
The only manuscript was written after Bach's death in 1762, the provenance of the cantata is controversial: some suggest that because of its undemanding nature and lack of authoritative original music, it may not be, or may be, a Bach work Implementation of an earlier work acted. Alternatively, part of the cantata could have been written by Bach, while other parts (probably the refrains and the bass aria) were added or supplemented by other composers. John Eliot Gardiner , who led the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage in 2000 , points out the stylistic similarity of the text structure with Bach's early cantatas written in Mühlhausen. He also sees a similar musical expression as the cantata for the inauguration of a new city council, God is my King (BWV 71, written in 1708). While some musicologists suggest that it might have been composed for the same occasion a year later (evidence suggests that there was such a lost work). Gardiner suggests that it could either be an even earlier work or that it is at least partially an apprenticeship paper that was written under Bach's direct guidance in Weimar. Bach's 19th century biographer Philipp Spitta suggested that the cantata could have been performed for the first time on New Years Day, 1735. On this day, however, part IV of the Christmas Oratorio was played.
Occupation and structure
The cantata is sung by three vocal soloists ( soprano , tenor and bass ) and a four-part choir ; the melody is played by a baroque instrumental ensemble consisting of three corno da caccias , a timpani , a bassoon , two violins , a viola and the figured bass . It is the only Bach cantata that combines three corno da caccias with timpani.
The cantata is divided into seven movements. It begins with a chorus from a verse from the psalm, followed by the first stanza from the hymn sung by the soprano. Another psalm verse is given as a tenor recitative, followed by a tenor aria as free poetry. A third psalm verse is set as a bass aria, which is answered by a further tenor aria as free poetry with an instrumental quotation from the hymn melody. The cantata is concluded by a “hybrid movement” that connects the third stanza of the hymn like a chorale fantasy as a cantus firmus with a “Hallelujah” and closes the psalm.
The following list of movements follows the presentation of the New Bach Edition . The keys and time signatures come from Alfred Dürr , whereby the symbol for the common time (4/4) is used. The continuously playing continuo is not displayed.
- Chorale: Praise the Lord, my soul
- Chorale: You Prince of Peace, Lord Jesus Christ
- Recitative: Good luck to him whose help is God Jacob
- Aria: A thousandfold misfortune, horror
- Aria: The Lord is King for ever
- Aria: Jesus, savior of your flock
- Aria + Choral: Remember, Lord Jesus, of your office
- Recitative (tenor): Hallelujah
music
The opening chorus to the first verse Praise the Lord, my soul is quite short and uses imitative fanfare figures without much harmonic development. It uses a ritornello for the tonic and the dominant chords . Mostly it is sung in homophony .
The soprano chorale Du Friedefürst, Herr Jesu Christ is accompanied by an obligato on the violin . Although the vocal line is largely unadorned, it is accompanied by a rhythmically active violin counterpoint . The obbligato reaches a double cadenza before the beginning of soprano singing.
The tenor recitative for the benefit of the god Jacob is considered to be quite short and inconspicuous. The fourth movement is a tenor aria in free verse Thousand Fold Unfortunate, Horror . The vowel line is "twisted and angular" and reflects the themes of misfortune , fear and death . The musicologist Julian Mincham believes that these topics suggest that Salomon Franck could be the poet, since there were recurring images in his texts, but also notes a lack of integration that is atypical for Franck's work.
The bass aria for the tenth verse from The Lord Is King Forever uses a motif of a triad , similar to that of God is my King , BWV 71. It is short and has a limited range of hue developments or chromatic variations. The voice is accompanied by horns and timpani without string instruments , which is supposed to symbolize God's power .
The sixth movement is another tenor aria as free poetry, Jesus, Savior of Your Flock . The layered figuration makes it part of the instrumental accompaniment. The human voice , the bassoon and the figured bass appear as a trio , while the chorale melody can be heard from the violins, the organ and the vox humana .
The final chorus uses the third stanza of Gedenk, Herr, now and your office as the soprano cantus firmus . It is not composed as a four-part version, as is typical; the lower voices sing lively hallelujahs derived from the verse.
Recordings
- Frankfurt Kantorei / Bach Collegium Stuttgart . The Bach cantata . Hänssler Verlag , 1975.
- Thomanerchor / New Bachisches Collegium Musicum . Cantatas / With Corno da Caccia . Eterna, 1984.
- Monteverdi Choir / English Baroque Soloists . Bach Cantatas vol. 17 . Soli deo Gloria, 2000.
- Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir . JS Bach: Complete Cantatas . Antoine Marchand, 2001.
Web links
- Structure and text
- Praise the Lord my soul, BWV 143 : Sheet Music and Audio Files in the International Music Score Library Project
- Praise and honor to the highest good BWV 143; BC T 99 Bach Digital
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Pamela Dellal : BWV 143 - Praise the Lord, my soul . Emmanuel Music . Retrieved February 27, 2014.
- ↑ Aryeh Oron: Cantata BWV 143 Praise the Lord, my soul (II) . Bach Cantatas. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
- ↑ a b c Walter F. Bishop: BWV 143 Praise the Lord, my soul . University of Alberta . Retrieved May 27, 2013.
- ↑ a b c d Christoph Wolff : The transition between the second and the third yearly cycle of Bach's Leipzig cantatas (1725) 2003, p. 24 (accessed on February 28, 2016).
- ↑ a b c d e f Pommer, Max. Liner notes to cantatas with Corno da caccia , Thomanerchor Leipzig / Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum, Eterna, 1984
- ↑ a b c d e Mincham, Julian: Chapter 65 BWV 143 . Retrieved May 27, 2013.
- ↑ John Eliot Gardiner: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) / Cantatas Nos 16, 41, 58, 143, 153 & 171 . Soli Deo Gloria (at Hyperion Records website). 2008. Accessed December 31, 2018.
- ↑ a b c d e f Tadashi Isoyama: BWV 143: Praise the Lord, my soul / (Praise the Lord, O my soul) . Bach Cantatas. S. 8. 1997. Accessed February 28, 2016.
- ↑ a b c d e Ryan Turner, Craig Smith: Bach Cantata Notes / BWV 143 . Emmanuel Music. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
