Whatever my God wants, always, BWV 111
Bach cantata | |
---|---|
Whatever my God wants, that's always the case | |
BWV: | 111 |
Occasion: | 3rd Sunday after Epiphany |
Year of origin: | 1725 |
Place of origin: | Leipzig |
Genus: | cantata |
Solo : | SATB |
Choir: | SATB |
Instruments : | 2Ob 2Vl Va Bc |
text | |
Albrecht of Prussia , unknown | |
List of Bach cantatas |
What my God wants, the g'scheh allzeit ( BWV 111) is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach . He composed the choir cantata in Leipzig for the 3rd Sunday after Epiphany based on the hymn of the same name by Albrecht von Prussia and performed it for the first time on January 21, 1725.
Story and words
In his second year in Leipzig, Bach wrote the chorale cantata for the 3rd Sunday after Epiphany (apparition of the Lord). The prescribed readings for Sunday were Rom 12,17-21 LUT , Christian rules of life, and Mt 8,1-13 LUT , the healing of a leper. The well-known hymn consists of four stanzas. Three of them were written by Albrecht von Prussia , who introduced the Reformation in the Duchy of Prussia , and another stanza was added by an anonymous poet when it was first published in 1554. The wording of the text of the first and last stanzas was retained for the cantata; an unknown librettist rewrote the two inner stanzas to form a series of aria and recitative . Similar to the cantata that Bach had written a year earlier for the occasion, Lord, as you will, so fancy with me , the text deals with submission to the will of God.
Occupation and structure
The cantata consists of four soloists, soprano , alto , tenor and bass , four-part choir, two oboes , two violins , viola and basso continuo .
- Coro: What my God wants, that's always the case
- Aria (bass): Don't be shocked, my dear
- Recitativo (alto): O foolish ones! who withdraws from God
- Aria (alto, tenor): So I take courageous steps
- Recitativo (soprano): That's when death lasts the spirit
- Chorale: One more thing, Lord, I want to ask you
music
In the opening choir, the soprano sings the chorale melody as cantus firmus in long notes. The melody appears in an interesting version, in which sections of two bars and three bars alternate, while Bach chose a version for his St. Matthew Passion as movement 25 in which all phrases are two bars long. In the cantata, the lower voices prepare each cantus firmus start by imitation, sometimes they repeat the line in the soprano s long sustained final note. The vocal parts are embedded in an independent orchestral set in which oboes and strings perform.
In movement 2, a bass aria, the librettist received one line of the chorale unchanged, "God is your consolation and confidence". For this line and even for its continuation "and your soul's life", Bach quotes the chorale melody in an embellished form. Movement 4 is a duet of alto and tenor, "So I go with courageous steps". The decisive steps are taken together in a minuet , accompanied by dotted rhythms over an organ point . Movement 5, a soprano recitative, emphasizes the last words “O blessed, desired end” as an arioso . It leads directly to the final chorale in a simple four-part movement.
Recordings
LP / CD
- Bach Made in Germany, Vol. 1 - Cantatas II. Günther Ramin , Thomanerchor , Gewandhausorchester , Agnes Giebel , Annegret Haussler , Gert Lutze , Johannes Oettel . Eterna, 1953.
- Bach Made in Germany, Vol. 2 - Cantatas IV. Kurt Thomas , Thomanerchor , Gewandhausorchester , Elisabeth Grümmer , Marga Höffgen , Hans-Joachim Rotzsch , Theo Adam . Eterna, 1960.
- Bach Cantatas, Vol. 1 - Advent and Christmas. Karl Richter , Munich Bach Choir , Munich Bach Orchestra , Edith Mathis , Anna Reynolds , Peter Schreier , Theo Adam . Archive production , 1972.
- The Bach Cantata Vol. 23. Helmuth Rilling , Gächinger Kantorei , Bach-Collegium Stuttgart , Arleen Augér , Helen Watts , Lutz-Michael Harder , Philippe Huttenlocher . Hänssler, 1980.
- JS Bach: Das Kantatenwerk - Sacred Cantatas Vol. 6. Nikolaus Harnoncourt , Tölzer Knabenchor , Concentus Musicus Wien , soloist of the Tölzer Knabenchor, Paul Esswood , Kurt Equiluz , Ruud van der Meer . Teldec , 1981.
- Bach Edition Vol. 5 - Cantatas Vol. 2. Pieter Jan Leusink , Holland Boys Choir , Netherlands Bach Collegium , Ruth Holton , Sytse Buwalda , Nico van der Meel; , Bas Ramselaar . Brilliant Classics, 1999.
- JS Bach: Cantatas for the 3rd Sunday of Epiphany. John Eliot Gardiner , Monteverdi Choir , English Baroque Soloists , Joanne Lunn , Sara Mingardo , Julian Podger , Stephen Varcoe . Archive production , 2000.
- JS Bach: Complete Cantatas, Vol. 12. Ton Koopman , Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir , Lisa Larsson , Annette Markert , Christoph Prégardien , Klaus Mertens . Antoine Marchand, 2000.
- JS Bach: Cantatas Vol. 32 - BWV 111, 123, 124, 125. Masaaki Suzuki , Bach Collegium Japan , Yukari Nonoshita , Robin Blaze , Andreas Weller , Peter Kooij . UP, 2005.
DVD
- "Whatever my God wants, that's always the case". Cantata BWV 111. Rudolf Lutz , choir and orchestra of the JS Bach Foundation , Noëmi son Nad , Claude Eichenberger , Hans Jörg Mammel , Peter Harvey . Including an introductory workshop and reflection by Bernd Rüthers . Gallus Media, 2013.
literature
- Alfred Dürr : Johann Sebastian Bach: The Cantatas. Bärenreiter, Kassel 1999, ISBN 3-7618-1476-3
- Werner Neumann : Handbook of the cantatas Johann Sebastian 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 . Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt, Leipzig 2006, ISBN 3-374-02390-8 ; Carus-Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-89948-073-2 (Edition Bach Archive Leipzig)
- Christoph Wolff , Ton Koopman : The world of Bach cantatas . Verlag J. B. Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 2006, ISBN 978-3-476-02127-4
Web links
- What my God wants, that's right, BWV 111 : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
- Cantata BWV 111 What my God wants, that always happens with Bach Cantatas (English)
- What my God wants, always on the Bach.de website
- BWV 111 What my God wants, always text, structure, cast, at the University of Alberta
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Klaus Hofmann: Was mein Gott wants, das g'scheh allzeit / What my God wants, may it always happen, BWV 111 ( English , PDF; 391 kB) 2006. Accessed on January 19, 2012.
- ↑ What my God wants, that g'scheh all time / Text and Translation of Chorale ( English ) bach-cantatas.com. 2006. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
- ↑ Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works / Was mein Gott wants, das g'scheh allzeit ( English ) bach-cantatas.com. 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
- ↑ a b Julian Mincham: Chapter 36 BWV 111 What my God wants, that g'scheh always ( English ) jsbachcantatas.com. 2010. Retrieved January 20, 2012.