What do I ask about the world
| Bach cantata | |
|---|---|
| What do I ask about the world | |
| BWV: | 94 |
| Occasion: | 9th Sunday after Trinity |
| Year of origin: | 1724 |
| Place of origin: | Leipzig |
| Genus: | cantata |
| Solo : | SATB |
| Choir: | SATB |
| Instruments : | Fl Ob 2Vl Va Bc |
| text | |
| unknown | |
| List of Bach cantatas | |
What am I asking about the world , BWV 94, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach , written in Leipzig in 1724 for the ninth Sunday after Trinity , August 6, 1724.
Story and text
The cantata is a choral cantata from Bach's second year of cantatas in Leipzig. It is based on the chorale in eight stanzas by the poet Balthasar Kindermann . An unknown lyricist transformed the chorale into a cantata text by keeping stanzas 1, 3, 5, 7 and 8, 3 and 5 extended by recitatives , and reformulating 2, 4 and 6 to arias . The prescribed readings are 1 Cor 10.6–3 LUT and Lk 16.1–9 LUT , the parable of the unjust servant. The cantata text is only generally linked to the readings and derives from “the children of this world are smarter than the children of light” the contrast between the transitory world and Jesus, who is the subject of the cantata.
Cast and structure
The cantata is set for four soloists and a four-part choir, transverse flute , two oboes , two violins , viola , organ and basso continuo .
- Coro (concertante flute): What do I ask about the world (1st verse)
- Aria (bass): The world is like smoke and shadow (2.)
- Chorale e recitativo (tenor, oboes): The world seeks honor and fame (3.)
- Aria (alto, flute): Beguiled world, beguiled world! (4.)
- Chorale e recitativo (bass): The world cares (5.)
- Aria (tenor, strings): The world can express its lust and joy (6.)
- Aria (soprano, oboe): It's just about the blind world (6.)
- Chorale: What do I ask about the world! (7th and 8th)
music
The opening choir is dominated by a concert flute. It was here that Bach wrote virtuoso flute music for a cantata in Leipzig for the first time. There was probably an excellent player available to him. Two themes of the ritornello of 12 bars, one for the flute, another for the strings and oboes, are derived from the chorale melody, O Gott, du pious God (1648). The cantus firmus is sung by the soprano. The lively music in D major seems to describe the world rather than deny it, as the lyrics do.
In the bass aria with continuo, which compares the world with "smoke and shadow", falling motifs illustrate passing, falling and breaking, while holding tones, for example "insists", stand for stability.
In the third movement the tenor sings the chorale richly. The accompaniment by two oboes and continuo is similar to the (later) He is Coming on Earth Poor in the Christmas Oratorio , movement 7 of Part I.
In the following alto aria, in which the world appears as “deception and false appearance”, the flute is again dominated. The arias for tenor and soprano are written to the dance rhythm, pastorale and bourrée , they too represent the world rather than disgust for it. The cantata ends with two choral stanzas in a simple four-part setting.
Recordings
- LP / CD
- The Bach Cantata, Vol. 46. Helmuth Rilling , Gächinger Kantorei , Bach-Collegium Stuttgart , Helen Donath , Else Paaske , Aldo Baldin , Wolfgang Schöne . Hänssler, 1974.
- JS Bach: Das Kantatenwerk - Sacred Cantatas, Vol. 5. Nikolaus Harnoncourt , Tölzer Knabenchor , Concentus Musicus Wien , Paul Esswood , Kurt Equiluz , Philippe Huttenlocher . Teldec , 1979.
- JS Bach: Complete Cantatas, Vol. 11. Ton Koopman , Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir , Sibylla Rubens , Annette Markert , Christoph Prégardien , Klaus Mertens . Antoine Marchand, 1999.
- JS Bach: Cantatas BWV 9, 94 & 187. Sigiswald Kuijken , La Petite Bande , Midori Suzuki , Magdalena Kožená , Knut Schoch , Jan van der Crabben . German Harmonia Mundi, 1999.
- JS Bach: Cantatas Trinity Cantatas I. John Eliot Gardiner , Monteverdi Choir , English Baroque Soloists , Katharine Fuge , Daniel Taylor , James Gilchrist . Archive production, 2000.
- JS Bach: Cantatas Vol. 11 - Cantatas from Leipzig 1723 II. Masaaki Suzuki , Bach Collegium Japan , Yukari Nonoshita , Robin Blaze , Jan Kobow , Peter Kooij . UP , 2002.
- DVD
- What do I ask about the world. Cantata BWV 94. Rudolf Lutz , choir and orchestra of the JS Bach Foundation , Nuria Rial , Margot Oitzinger , Daniel Johannsen , Dominik Wörner . Including an introductory workshop and reflection by Manfred Papst . Gallus Media, 2015.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Michael Cookson: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Cantata ... "What do I ask about the world", BWV 94 ( English ) musicweb-international.com. 2004. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
- ↑ Product information ( Memento of the original from May 18, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on the website of the JS Bach Foundation, accessed on April 30, 2015.
Web links
- Cantata BWV 94 What do I ask about the world on the bach-cantatas website
- What do I ask about the world, BWV 94 : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
- BWV 94 What am I asking about the world Text, structure and cast on Walter F. Bischof's personal homepage at the University of Alberta
- What do I ask about the world on the Bach website
