Discussions in the Week of September 22, 2002

Aryeh Oron wrote (September 23, 2002):
BWV 114 - Introduction

The subject of this week’s discussion (September 22, 2002), according to Klaus Langrock’s suggested list, is the Chorale Cantata BWV 114 ‘Ach, lieben Christen, seid getrost’ (Ah, dear Christians, be consoled). An unknown librettist arranged the hymn by Johannes Gigas for Bach’s Chorale Cantata on the 17^th Sunday after Trinity. Verses 1, 3 & 6 are set in their original form for movements 1, 4, & 7 of the cantata accordingly, while the other verses are paraphrased for the intervening movements. The poem does not have a direct connection with the scriptures prescribed for this Sunday, apart from a Gospel reference in the recitative for bass (Mvt. 3). It simply admonishes the Christian for his sins and advice him to patiently bear the punishment they bring, so that Christ will redeem him now and console him in his hour of death.

Recordings

The details of the recordings of this cantata can be found in the following page of the Bach Cantatas Website: Cantata BWV 114 - Recordings

This cantata has only four complete recordings, all of them come from cantata cycles: Rilling [1], Leonhardt [2], Leusink [3] and Koopman [4]. Bach’s music draws deep emotion and some picturesque imagery from the text. The result is a very fine cantata, which raises the question why it has not been more often recorded. Nevertheless, the aria for alto (Mvt. 5) was also recorded individually by the renowned contralto Marian Anderson in the company of Bach Aria Group.

Additional Information

In the page of recordings mentioned above you can also find links to:
The original German text (at Walter F. Bischof Website); English translations by Francis Browne, and Z. Philip Ambrose; Hebrew translation by Aryeh Oron;
Score (Vocal & Piano version);
Commentary: in English by Simon Crouch, and in Spanish by Julio Sánchez Reyes:

I hope to see many of you participating in the discussion.

Aryeh Oron wrote (September 28, 2002):
BWV 114 - The Recordings

Last week I have been listening to the following recordings of the Cantata BWV 114:

[1] Helmuth Rilling (1974+1981)
[2] Gustav Leonhardt (1981)
[3] Pieter Jan Leusink (1999)
[4] Ton Koopman (2000)

[M-1] Bach Aria Group (1951): Aria for alto (Mvt.5)

Background & Review

Only Mvts. 2, 4 & 5 (all of them for solo voice) are reviewed.

The background below is taken from the following sources:
Alec Robertson: ‘The Church Cantatas of J.S. Bach’ (1972),
W. Murray Young: ‘The Cantatas of J.S. Bach – An Analytical Guide’ (1989), and
Nicholas Anderson (?) in ‘Oxford Composer Companion – J.S. Bach (1999).
The English translation is by Francis Browne.

Mvt. 2 Aria for Tenor
Flauto traverso solo, Continuo
Wo wird in diesem Jammertale
(Where will there be in this valley of misery)
Robertson: It is a beautiful obbligato for the flute that carries the deep emotion of this aria, the tenor’s part being declamatory. He asks the question seven times and his persistence is rewarded in the vivacious and lyrical music of the middle section of the aria, with the flute contributing wide-flung phrases of delight. The words that inspire this outburst are ‘Allein zu Jesu Vaterhänden / Will ich mich in der Schwachheit wenden’ (Only to Jesus' fatherly hands / do I want to entrust myself in my weakness).
Young: The solo transverse flute obbligato contrasts the emotions felt by a pilgrim in the two parts of the text. First he is wandering in weary disconsolation through a gloomy valley, and then he turns to Jesus for comfort, his grief-motif changing to a joy-motif. His repetition of the last four words ‘weder aus noch ein’ (an idiom for ‘which way to turn’ – literally, neither out nor in) marks the beginning and leads back to the da capo.
Anderson: [Comparing with the soprano] For the other singers the challenge is greater. In this aria the tenor must not only negotiate some tricky intervals and rhythms but also synchronise with an almost hyperactive flute obbligato, whether suggesting the vale of lamentation at the opening or the joy with which the Christian turns to Jesus for help in the central (Vivace) section of this da capo aria.

[1] Rilling with Equiluz (9:31)
Equiluz proves convincingly that although his part is apparently declamatory, how much emotion can be drawn from his simple line: Deep sorrow in the first half and overt joy and enthusiasm in the second. He is supported by the beautiful, clean and warm flute playing of Peter-Lukas Graf.

[2] Leonhardt with Equiluz (9:09)
The magical playing of the flute which precedes the entry of the tenor seems to come from a different world from the one that was proposed to us in the previous rendition. And indeed this is Brüggen playing. Equiluz seems to be inspired and to out do his previous recording. There is more tenderness and sensitivity here, which are mostly moving.

[3] Leusink with Schoch (9:06)
Schoch is the nice surprise here. The solo instrumentalists of Leusink have been quite often the most enjoyable participants of his cantata cycle, and so is the flutist here, Kate Clark. But Schoch is doing his best, as if he really understands what he is singing about. The way he expresses the question of the last words of the aria should be mentioned as an example. Of course, he is not up to the level of Equiluz, who finds many more nuances in this aria (especially in his second recording), but this rendition of the aria can still please many.

[4] Koopman with Prégardien (8:28)
The obvious change here is that this performance is much faster than the others. Why does Koopman prefer such brisk tempi I do not know. Prégardien has a lot to offer, but with such velocity, he is not given as much room to express himself as he deserves. As a result part of the gloomy mood of the first part of his aria is almost getting lost. The playing of the flutist (Wilbert Hazeltet) leaves nothing to be desired, and the dialogue between the singer and the player reflects mutual listening.

Personal favourite: Equiluz with Leonhardt [2]

Mvt. 4 Chorale for Soprano
Continuo
Kein Frucht das Weizenkörnlein bringt
(The tiny grain of wheat bears no fruit)
Robertson: Jesus’ words in the Gospel (John 12: 24), ‘Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit’. The detached phrases in the continuo suggest the sowing of the grain.
Young: She sings this third verse of the hymn accompanied by continuo only. The transformation of out body through death is metaphorically compared to the sprouting of grains of wheat when they are buried in the earth (John 12: 24). Bach’s short, quavering rhythm in the continuo portrays the action of sowing wheat throughout the movement.
Anderson: It is worth remarking how Bach in this cantata, as in others, minimises the demands placed on his least experienced singers, the trebles of the Thomasschule. [snip] There is no recitative for the soprano, and in the only aria for that voice, accompanied by continuo, the soloist again sings the same chorale melody, only lightly decorated in the second line. The trebles therefore needed to learn (and probably already knew) one simple hymn tune.

[1] Rilling with Schnaut (2:33)
The playing of the continuo by the organ is a little bit strong to my taste. Some more delicacy would have helped. The same could be said about the singingof Schnaut. She has a dark voice may suit this chorale, but her vibrato is too strong and her expression is too dramatic.

[2] Leonhardt with Hennig (2:17)
Sebastian Hennig justifies Anderson’s claim that the soprano part of this chorale is relatively simple. Or maybe he is well-equipped to sound as if he is singing the chorale effortlessly. The accompaniment he is given, portraying the sowing of the grain, has the needed delicacy.

[3] Leusink with Holton (2:07)
Holton’s boyish timbre suits the chorale better than the voice of any other singer. Not much expression is conveyed here, only simple purity. And I like it that way.

[4] Koopman with the Soprano section of the choir (2:12)
Koopman is the only conductor who chooses to use the soprano section of the choir, rather than a soprano singer, singing the chorale. Only few singers participate and one can almost hear each one of them individually. The non-uniformity of the singing spoils the enjoyment. On the one hand, the singing sounds almost neutral; on the other hand the playing of the continuo is very picturesque.

Personal favourite: Hennig with Leonhardt [2] or Holton with Leusink [3]

Mvt. 5 Aria for Alto
Oboe I, Violino I/II, Viola, Continuo
Du machst, o Tod, mir nun nicht ferner bange
(You make me, O death, no longer afraid)
Robertson: The moral of Jesus’ words is drawn in this predominantly joyful aria in the middle section of which the words recall Simeon’s ‘Nunc dimittis’, and look forward to the day when, pure and transfigured, the soul is called to its Redeemer.
Young: This splendid aria, joyfully accompanied by an oboe and strings, radiates confidence in our transfiguration through death. The last three words ‘verklärt und rein’ (transfigured and pure), summarise the perfection awaits us after inevitable death. This aria and the opening chorus (Mvt. 1) contain profound emotion. Bach’s mysticism is involved in the musical setting of this aria, which contrasts with the pictorial quality of the preceding movement.
Anderson: The other aria (in B flat major), for alto accompanied by oboe, strings, and continuo, is more straightforward and forthright in expression, and again in da capo form. But it is by no means unadventurous in its modulations, which take us into the dark regions of E flat minor at the words ‘Es muß ja so einmal gestorben sein’ (for this reason once and for all I must die).

[1] Rilling with Hamari (5:43)
Hamari sounds as the ideal singer for this aria. She does not have any technical difficulties, and she manages to convey the complicated message of the aria splendidly: confident joy with a hint of sadness underneath. The weak part of this rendition is the accompaniment, which is too thick and heavy up to becoming a burden rather than a soft platform for her traversal to her Redeemer.

[2] Leonhardt with Jacobs (5:17)
Something which is hard to describe is not working here. Maybe it is the accompaniment, which almost never sound jolly throughout the aria. Maybe it is Jacobs, although he has a voice that is very much to my liking, seems to have full control on the message he has to convey. Or, maybe it is simply the lacking of chemistry between the singer and the accompaniment.

[3] Buwalda with Leusink (5:08)
I should better avoid writing about this performance.

[4] Markert with Koopman (4:38)
I like very much the dark voice of Annette Markert. But she, as Prégardien, is not given enough time to express convincingly and to reveal the multi-layered mood of this aria.

Bach Aria Group with Anderson (4:13)
Purists might turn their head away from this recording. I found much to enjoy. This is the most vivacious and joyful rendition of the aria, I have heard. Without knowing the words, one would never guess what is the subject of the aria. In the voice of Anderson you could hear reminiscences of her glorious prime. Her vibrato is indeed too strong for contemporary ears.

Personal favourite: Hamari with Rilling [1]

Conclusion

A movement to take away: The aria for Tenor with Equiluz & Leonhardt [2]

As always, I would like to hear other opinions, regarding the above mentioned performances, or other recordings.

Thomas Braatz wrote (September 29, 2002):
BWV 114 - Provenance:

See: Cantata BWV 114 - Provenance

The Recordings:

The recordings that I listened to were:

Rilling (1974, 1981) [1]; Leonhardt (1981) [2]; Leusink (1999) [3]; Koopman (2000) [4]

Mvt. 1

Orchestral Characteristics:
There is a great difference between the more legato (portato where the notes have dots over them) playing that is evident in the Rilling recording and the slightly faster, much more staccato style that Leonhardt [2] uses. Leonhardt pushes this envelope to an extreme by allowing the staccato notes to have shortened note value and by having these notes played in a more spiccato, strongly accented style. If Leonhardt’s interpretation is meant to portray the agitated turmoil that precedes the words of comfort sung by the choir, then this version is perhaps the most successful in portraying this aspect. The Rilling version [1] seems geared more toward expressing solid, substantial support for the text.

The Leusink [3] and Koopman [4] versions are much less engaging. The Leusink orchestral accompaniment, although correctly played, lacks any form of character or style that would distinguish it from the others. Throughout this mvt., the sound of the ensemble is muffled and soft with the exception of the bc which has a double bass that is much too loud for this group. Koopman, on the other hand, not only has greater clarity in the instrumental parts, but the oboes and violins have the necessary overtones that one would expect from these instruments. There is even a lute to be heard in the continuo group. Somehow Koopman’s orchestra still does not rise to the occasion as well as Leonhardt [2] and Rilling do. This is due to Koopman’s penchant to have the orchestra play lightly without ever showing any serious intensity that one might expect from a cantata with such a earnest text.

Choir Characteristics:
The only two choirs that are able to sing with precision and balance all the notes in this 4-pt. composition are Rilling’s [1] and Koopman’s [4]. Rilling’s choir sings with full voices that produce a sound loud enough to carry the words to the listener with conviction. Koopman’s choir, although accurate and well-balanced, remains primarily at a sotto voce level. This undermines the solid foundation that would make this version more convincing than it is in this ‘lite’ style of singing. Both Leusink [3] and Leonhardt [2] demonstrate quite obvious weaknesses in their choirs. While Leusink’s choir might seem clearer than the muffled sounds produced by Leonhardt’s choir, there is much unevenness in the manner in which these voices present themselves. Individual voices with their characteristic timbres suddenly appear unexpectedly when straining for the higher notes. The altos in both groups are either quite weak or wavering about with strange vibratos as they attempt to sing the notes. Balance and precision are serious problems for both choirs.

Expression:
The least satisfactory performance is Leusink’s [3]. Thereare simply too many distractions in the choir and a very lackluster performance on the part of the orchestra. Koopman’s rendition [4], although more polished in some ways than any of the other performances, nevertheless, is unable to really engage the listener. There is a curious disconnection between the text and the music. It is easy to imagine all the Bach chorale cantatas being sung essentially the same way by this group. This leaves Leonhardt’s interpretation [2] which is certainly different. It is as though he is almost trying too hard to make something out of this. Once you adjust to his playing style and consider how this might represent the text, this becomes a very viable approach, but then, as the choir begins to sing (or is it ‘shout’ or ‘abbreviate’ the note values) in a indistinct manner, any sense of conviction that the listener is being sincerely comforted from a firm position that the choir must have is lost and the mvt. fails its purpose. This leaves only Rilling [1], who, despite the fact that he uses trained voices that sometimes tend to exaggerate their vibratos, is able to convey the necessary conviction that this mvt. demands.

1^st Choice: Rilling [1]

Singing a Simple 4-pt. Chorale (Mvt. 7)

Imagine the Rilling version [1] of the final chorale without the wavering (vibrato) voices, particularly in the sopranos and you will have a chorale properly sung: the voices sing full-throated from the heart the words of the chorale text. There is no attempt to skimp on the fermati that occur at the end of almost every line. Unless there is a good reason for it, each note is sung legato. This is in accordance with Agricola's book on singing (Agricola, who participated in Bach's performances of his cantatas, emphasizes this point.) Each voice section is in balance with all the others. The instruments that are playing colla parte enhance the choir sound without overshadowing it. The German pronunciation is impeccable. Moving down the ladder we come to Koopman [4], whose choir has little or no vibrato (too bad Rilling is unable to achieve this!) It seems that Koopman was intrigued by “wir schlafen ein” [“we are falling asleep”] for this is the effect that is apparent here: everything is understated and much more impressionistic. The moving parts in the harmonization are hurried over very lightly and the fermati are severely abbreviated causing important words at the end of the line (“Not” and “Tod”) to appear simply as an unaccented afterthought. The notion that the listener would gain a sense of power through faith and would praise the Lord in the last line is completely overlooked here. Is this a nice musical background for someone who wishes to listen to a Bach chorale without knowing anything about the words? Yes. Is this a fitting conclusion for a cantata with such a solemn text that leads to an expression of great joy at the end? No. This criticism can be equally applied to Leusink’s version [3] of this chorale. Many of the features are quite similar, although the choir sound and singing is much less sophisticated than Koopman’s. A very deplorable aberration from what a chorale should sound like can be heard in Leonhardt’s rendition [2]. Here Leonhardt follows completely in the misguided footsteps of his pioneering leader, Harnoncourt, who, in his infinite wisdom about Bach’s performance style, concocted what can only be considered a ludicrous caricature of a finale chorale. This sounds very much like an amateur conductor attempting to make certain that members of the choir should all land on their notes at the same time. For this reason there is a thumping on each quarter note with spaces left between them just in case the singers need to draw a breath after having expended so much air in emphasizing heavily each note. Eccentricity, but at what a price! Now consider repeating this situation for almost every Bach cantata in the Harnoncourt/Leonhardt cantata series and not realizing that this is a dead end in musical interpretation! This type of chorale singing is truly a monstrosity!

1st Choice: Rilling [1] with reservations

Mvt. 2 (Tenor Aria):

[1] Equiluz, in the Rilling recording, shows a greater range of expression and intensity than in the later Leonhardt version. He is singing with his full voice here and it carries over directly to the listener. The impact of the emotions expressed is very moving indeed.

[2] In the Leonhardt recording Equiluz demonstrates a more restricted range of expression. His volume level remains more narrowly confined without fluctuations to either a very loud or soft extreme. I can not believe that Frans Brüggen is playing the wooden transverse flute in this recording. There three other players listed as a possibility. The playing here, although correct in intonation, lacks character and sounds generally ‘dead’ or uninteresting.

[4] If anyone can even be considered as approaching Equiluz’ level of performance, it would have to be Prégardien in the Koopman recording, but he is unable to attain the intensity that can be heard in the Rilling recording. There is a tendency for Prègardien to sink back to a sotto voce level very similar to Equiluz’ performance with Leonhardt. In the Leonhardt and Koopman recordings, the tenors, despite obvious differences in the voices and styles of singing, nevertheless can be considered as giving comparable performances.

[3] Schoch, in the Leusink recording, has a very limited range of expression. He tends to howl occasionally on certain high notes that he is attempting to reach. This is obviously a small (half) voice that would have difficulty projecting emotional content to a larger audience than might be found in a small chamber setting.

1^st Choice: Rilling/Equiluz [1]

Mvt. 4 (Soprano Chorale):

Holton’s [3] naïve, child-like presentation might seem to resemble a performance given by a boy soprano, but actually it sounds more like a timid boy or girl that has a great fear of singing. Hennig [2], a true boy soprano, also sounds a bit forlorn (although this may have been intentional due to the text.) A much better solution would have been to have two or three boy sopranos sing this chorale. Koopman [4] attempts to do this, but he uses female sopranos instead. This can only partially give the intended effect that the singing of this chorale should have. Rilling’s version [1] with Schnaut giving an operatic version (with wide vibrato and all) is an example of the worst that non-HIP performances have to offer a listener. (We should probably be very thankful that Rilling did not unleash all his sopranos to sing the chorale melody. That would truly have been horrible!)

Mvt. 5 (Alto Aria):

[1] Hamari is in a class all by herself very much the same way the Equiluz’ performances generally excel. There is a warmth in her voice that is particularly moving in the low range, the very range where most counter tenors struggle to find sufficient volume to produce the notes that are indicated in the score. Everything in Rilling’s performance seems just right: the tempo, the dynamics, the balance between instruments and voice, and the expression of the words in the text.

[4] Koopman, on the other hand, gives this aria another one of his ‘lite’ treatments. It sounds rushed and, as a result, lacks some of the intensity (‘serious joy’ if you can live with this apparenoxymoron.) Markert sings extensive sections sotto voce. It becomes very apparent in the middle section that this tempo is too fast because the meaning associated with the words is, for the most part, lost. The Savior quickly? watches over the individual (the vocalist, singing in the 1st person) in the grave. It makes little sense to hurry through this section as if it meant practically nothing.

[2] The Leonhardt version virtually swings along like a courtly dance with special dance-like emphases. Here the contrast with the serious nature of the tenor aria is quite extreme. The instruments are quite loud and even tend to drown out the voice when Jacobs has to sing in the low range. When Jacobs has to swoop to a high note, he automatically joins the group of acclaimed counter tenors who indulge in this operatic technique as well. In a church cantata such a singing mannerism has no place. It begins to sound too much like a ‘Tiny Tim doing his thing’ on a church balcony.

[3] Buwalda in Leusink’s recording is even less convincing in this role. Buwalda’s half voice almost gets lost in the instrumental texture at times. This is not a good sign, since it means that the listener has to strain to hear the actual notes and words. The range of expression is much less than Jacob’s. Again the characteristic sound of Leusink’s ensemble lacks the richness of overtones that can be heard in the Leonhardt version.

1^st Choice: Rilling/Hamari [1]

Arjen van Gijssel wrote (September 29, 2002):
[3] I fully agree with Thomas Braatz that the choir on Kruidvat is struggling in BWV 114. But in general, homogeneity is absent Leusink’s performances. Being a tenor myself, my ear is especially on the tenors. I use Kruidvat as study material. There is often one tenor with a loud, sharp voice. He can only sing with declamatoric accents. In our choir we call this tenor a "Leih-tenor", i.e. somebody who comes in at a late stage, who knows his part, but hasn't a clue about interaction with the other voices of his vocal group, let alone the other voices.

Philippe Bareille wrote (September 29, 2002):
I have listened to Leonhardt [2].

I think Gustav Leonhardt is almost unrivalled when it comes to bringing out the rhythmic texture of Bach's works. You can feel the internal pulse of the score. The music flows and breathes naturally. The continuo is lively. The pick of cantata BWV 114 is the poignant lament of the tenor aria. Everything is superlative here, the music, Equiluz who always inject an emotional element with his splendid tone, the beautiful flute of Frans Brüggen, etc.

The young Sebastian Hennig (the son of the chorus master) was at the beginning of a short but distinguished career.

I'm always surprised that so many Bach cantatas like this one have so few recordings available. Why for example the BWV 80 has become so popular (however splendid it is) and so many works by minor composers have been recorded dozens of times, is quite bemusing!

Francis Browne wrote (September 29, 2002):
This is a cantata that richly repays repeated listening. My own experience is, I suspect, typical of many listeners to such a cantata. It takes some time for those who live in a secularised society to understand and become attuned to the emotional and spiritual territory that Bach is exploring and to which he gives memorable expression.

The content of the text set by Bach in the first chorus (Mvt. 1) sounds strange today: 'be consoled, you are being punished because you deserve it and must admit this'. Cold comfort perhaps, but seriously meant for the punishment sent by God implies a plan and purpose for our lives. The complexity of feeling these concepts evoke – acceptance of suffering as deserved leading to sober and realistic hope – are conveyed in Bach's music. Both the energetic agitated music of the orchestra in the ritornelli , the accompaniment and the singing of the lower voices contrast with the simple enunciation of the text by the sopranos in the long notes of the cantus firmus. The effect is to suggest simultaneously both the problem and its solution, our experience of life's turmoil and the consolation of faith in God. Such music at first hearing may seem neither one thing or the other, neither sorrowful nor triumphant: instead on repeated listening it seems to convey marvellously a rich ambiguity of experience.

Each of the performances I have heard – Leusink [3] and Koopman [4] – succeed in conveying some of this, but not completely. Aryeh and Tom have, as always, commented in detail and perceptively on the recordings and it would be pointless to echo their remarks. But I do feel that anyone who listens to either of these flawed performances will still gain an idea of what Bach intended.

In the rest of the cantata Bach continues, I believe, to express both the problem and its solution. Aryeh quoted Robertson's comment on the tenor aria:"[the tenor] asks the question(where will I find a refuge in this valley of misery) seven times and his persistence is rewarded in the vivacious and lyrical music of the middle section of the aria, with the flute contributing wide-flung phrases of delight. "

Of course the da capo structure of the aria means that having asked the question seven times and having in the vivace section given the answer to the question himself ….the tenor goes on to ask the same question another seven times!. This is a logical absurdity but, as Philippe indicated, the haunting, deeply moving music carries utter conviction: again I feel Bach's music corresponds to lived experience, where the solution of hope often coexists with the problem of feelings of despair . In this aria hope and despair are both expressed, but –as in life – despair and discouragement – are more prominent.

I wish I could share Aryeh's more positive evaluation of Schoch's performance with Leusink [3]. But despite the good flute playing and slower tempo on the Leusink recording, it was only in listening to Pregardien's much more accomplished singing with Koopman [4] that I thought I felt something of the power of this aria.

The fourth movement (Mvt. 4), the chorale for soprano intrigues me. The bare, austere, archaic sounding setting of a text that seems both simple and profound, in its acceptance of death and expression of faith, is a technique that Bach uses elsewhere. It reminded me of some of the music Mozart wrote for the drei Knä bchen, jung, schön, hold und weise in Die Zauberflöte. The boyish soprano of Ruth Holton, on which others have commented ,seemed therefore singularly appropriate an effective in this movement and better than Koopman's solution [4] of a small choir.

At first hearing I thought the alto aria was an enjoyable but fairly predictable joyful resolution of previous problems , as in many cantatas. But Nicholas Anderson's comment about ' the dark regions of E flat minor at the words 'Es muß ja so einmal gestorben sein' made me listen more closely to this section , and it does repay attention. The music is 'multi-layered', as Aryeh says, an does indeed go into 'dark regions'. Again I hear the coexistence of problem and solution: the slight variation Bach introduces into the third and final repetition of the key word ' einmal' is very effective. The implications of the word are understood and accepted.Similarly the sombre middle section – where the identification with Simeon implies acceptance of death – contains marvellously expressive writing in the held notes on bewahren and the varied repetition and emphasis on verklärt by which Bach makes clear (pardon the pun) the implications of being 'transfigured'. The total impact of the aria is greatly enhanced by the complexity and ambiguity of the emotions expressed

Like Aryeh I prefnot to comment on Buwalda's performance with Leusink [3]. But since Annette Markert's performance with Koopman [4] is the only other performance I have heard I can understand but not share fully Tom's opinion that the performance fails to convey the 'serious joy ' that Bach wrote. I can only report that for me this performance did succeed – but it does make me seriously joyful to think that, judging from what Aryeh and Tom have said, there are even greater riches and beauty to be revealed in other and future performances of this cantata. Like Philippe, I cannot understand why it is not better known and more recorded.

Hurry up , Suzuki [5]! What about it, Herreweghe?

Robin Crag wrote (September 30, 2002):
A beautiful cantata! (Even if it is not quite as cheerful as we would like :-)

The chorus (Mvt. 1):
A wonderful piece of music. This somehow reminds me of a dream I had a long time ago, where I could fly. To my ears, there is almost more of the sense of a "God's eye" view, looking down on the sinner, than of one sinner addressing another. (I appreciate this is only a personal reaction: I'm not trying to say that this is what Bach intended). I feel this movement would bear much closer scrutiny than I have given it, exploring the connections between the music and the text, and getting deeper into the ounterpoint. I shall return, and listen more closely some other time! Bach chooses to use a harsh dissonance on the word "verzagen", which is very effective. A small puzzle I have, how does "lieben", mean "fellow", instead of love, here? Leusink+co [3] struggle a little, and things are a little unbalanced. But hey, they were in a hurry.

The tenor aria (Mvt. 2):
Bach chooses to make things simple here, with only the flute and the voice active most of the time (the bass-line seems mostly only to accompany them, rather than saying anything of its own). But how well Bach expresses the anxious searching! And how beatifull it is, in a slightly painful way. At the words "Allein zu Jesu Vaterhaenden", everything lightens, we have found what we're looking for. But then on the next line, things begin to darken again, and by "Sonst weiss ich weder aus noch ein", the music is anxious and frantic. And then... we're back to where we were. Bach is very human here, he admits that the believer seeks his salvation from a position of weakness and vulnerability, rather than actively wanting his saviour otherwise. (I'm not sure if I'm making sense here, I'll probably offend you if I do, so never mind.)

To my ears, the Leusink performance [3] sounds good here: expressive and beautiful.

Basso recitative (Mvt. 3):
"Wie oft erhebst du dich mit schwuelstigen Gebaerden, Dass du erniedrigt werden must."

Here Bach portrays the pomposity in the music. And then the music turns around pointing at you: "YOU must be humbled".

The soprano chorale, and the alto aria:
Hear we have celebration of death. (Bach often deals with this subject, I think. i.e. the famous BWV 82). Their attitude then to death, (I believe) is a useful counterpoint to today's ignoring of death (often an irrational attempt to put it off). But. As someone who doesn't believe in an afterlife, I can't help but see some of this as rather silly and overdone.

In the chorale (Mvt. 4), Bach again chooses simple means. But this time, he doesn't use this to communicate expressively like in the tenor aria. Rather, the simplicity talks for itself. I think anyone would need to know the words to understand their meaning here (if
u c?).

The alto aria (Mvt. 5) struck me at first as sickeningly overconfident. After a little more listening, though, I enjoy it more. Thanks for your comments, other people, you made me listen again. So I here a humble expression of joy in the music. I will join you in leaving poor Sytse Buwalda [3] alone..

Tenor recitative (Mvt. 6):
"Im tod und Leben offenbar."
The music goes down for death, and up for life.

The "final chorale" (Mvt. 7):
Bach completes the structure of the cantata with a humble and heartfelt chorale in the usual manner. Without it the cantata would be like a good bicycle without a seat.

Sorry this is a little late, no one said anything till Friday, and I didn't go online till Sunday. Anyway, Im looking forward to discussing BWV 169 (a little more cheerful..)

Thanks for tolerating me :-)

Discussions in the Week of September 17, 2006

Peter Smaill wrote (September 16, 2006):
Week of September 17, 2006

Cantata BWV 114, "Ach, lieben Christen, seid getrost"

1^st performance: 1 October, 1724 - Leipzig
Second Annual Cantata Cycle, 1723-24 (Jahrgang II)
Previous Discussions: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV114-D.htm
Main Cantata page: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV114.htm

"The journey through the vale of lamentation" (Whittaker) is the image at the centre of BWV 114, for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity. He is not quite right to say there is no connection to the Gospel for the day- the healing of the man with dropsy on the Sabbath, for this image is mentioned briefly in the Bass recitative Mvt. 3.

This incident is later in the Gospels one of the central charges brought by the Pharisees against Jesus at His trial, because it broke the injunction not to perform works on the Sabbath other than worshipping God. However, it is not a single man that is recalled in the Cantata, but universal Man; the text of the Cantata moves from the despairing sinfulness of all mankind to the resurrection with Jesus, the spirit of the faithful detaching from the body in peace and confidence. Dropsy, the collection of foul ("serous") material in the body, nowadays called oedema, is of course an image for sin. Historically, the fluids would be released by lancing the swelling. But this is to figuratively be Jesus' fate at the hands of the centurions, in substitution for Man.

The libretto touches on Genesis:

(Mvt. 3) "Der Hochmut ass vordern von der verboten Frucht
Gott gleich zu werden"
(Pride ate in former times of the forbidden fruit
To become equal with God)

The purpose of the theology of the Cantata is to demonstrate that the new covenant, in which love is the spur to imitation of Christ and thus forbearance of suffering and acceptance of death - is the true way to God and thus the fulfilment of creation. It is in seven sections.To emphasise this number, associated with Creation, IMO the librettist deploys seven stanza sections three times in numbers 1, 4, and 6 ; in the last the body is returned to God and the soul to Jesus. We are in ontological territory yet again in this Cantata.

For a discussion of the numerological significance of seven, see: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Topics/Numbers.htm

The work is rich in word-painting. The upward movement of the oboes and violins denote the call to comfort - "cheer up" in the first moments of the Cantata; likewise the joy-motif; the mention of despair brings in trills and repeated quavers. A lovely modulation from G minor to E flat and thence to a cadence in B flat reinforces the call to confidence. The punishment deserved by sinners is accompanied by a downward tumult in the lower voices and then the joy motif reappears at "bekennen", when all are to know that they cannot exclude themselves from the need to achieve comfort by confessing their sinfulness.

Bach's virtuoso flautist provides another aria of high quality, Mvt. 2, leading to the "Spruch", the bass recitative Mvt. 3 setting out the thesis of the work : through a blessed (i.e. contrite) death, mankind attains innocence and glory. At the injunction against "Pompous bearing", ( i.e "schwülstigen Gebärden") Bach has the bass descending in scales to illustrate the word "humbled".

The soprano Chorale Mvt. 4 has the depiction is of the sowing motion in the continuo; the alto aria Mvt. 5 has a powerful modulation to the subdominant emphasising the solemnity of "Tod". At "es muss ja so einmal gestorben sein" (One must indeed one day die) voice and oboe wail together in slurred sixths and descend to the "dark regions of E flat minor".(Boyd)

Selected Commentaries

Robertson:
(Mvt. 1) The orchestral prelude is an excellent example of Bach's superb musical architecture.
(Mvt. 2) It is the beautiful obbligato for the flute which carries the deep emotion of this aria, the tenor's part being declamatory.He asks the question seven times and his patience is rewarded in the vivacious and lyrical music of the middle section of the aria, with the flute contributing wide-flung phrases of delight.

Whittaker:
(Mvt. 2) A marvellously beautiful flauto traverso solo depicts the pilgrim wandering disconsolately in the valley, [with] poignant leaning tones, arabesques , and weary curving melodies. Towards the close the flute provides the answer - which is identical with figures used in Bach's great organ chorale prelude on "Vater unser" in Part III of the Clavierubung. was it a deliberate quotation?

Boyd (Anderson):
(Mvt. 1, Mvt. 4, Mvt. 7) It is worth remarking how Bach in this Cantata, as in others, minimises the demands placed on his least experienced singers, the trebles of the Thomasschule. The chorale cantus firmus in the opening movement is reinforced (for safety?) by a horn, as is the soprano line of the final chorale. there is no recitative for soprano, and in the only aria for that voice the soprano soloist only sings the chorale melody, only lightly decorated and in the second line. the trebles therefore needed only to learn (and probably already knew) one simple hymn tune.

Dürr:
(Mvt. 5) The alto aria ,"Du machst, O Tod,mir nun nicht ferner bange" (You do not make me anxious, O Death, any longer)brings a joyful confident tone into the Cantata. It is the only movement in a major key, though it is repeatedly over-clouded by the minor, with particularly impressive effects at the words, "Then I must indeed die one day".

Rilling:
(Mvt. 6) An expressive recitative leads into the final chorale. Bach uses all his composition skills to darken the word "Satan" with corresponding chromatics and to set the text "To us through Adam cometh death" to a bass-line that spans the huge interval of an eleventh.

=======================================================================

Outstanding Question

Dürr says Bach marked the opening chorus (Mvt. 1) "Vivace". If he means the score and not the parts, it seems odd that the Cantor to have to remind himself of the fact that the mood is upbeat, despite elements of the text being anything but. Is there any pattern to such tempo indications?

=======================================================================

BWV 114 is unusually rich in word painting and, IMO, of numerological significance. In the space of seven days (US notation, 9/24/1724, 9/29/1724 and 10/1/1724) the highly contrasting BWV 130, BWV 8 and BWV 114 have been performed. The integration of texts to original and ingenious musical ideas, execution of parts and score, setting, checking and printing of libretto booklets, selection of choristers and instrumentalists, rehearsal, and performance are an astounding feat in an age of scratchy quill pens and guttering unbleached candles.

In all this Bach provides consciously for a congregation ranging from his newly recruited trebles through pious chorale-loving widows to crusty old theologians amongst the congregation. Perhaps unwittingly, he also marks the score for a possible re-performance, and thus even for the benefit of fortunate generations to come who are enabled by the handing down of his works, as it were, to approach the mind of God.

In BWV 114 is a perfect exemplar of the unity of Bach's musical idiom with just such a theological objective. I hope others will find in it yet more evidence of the intensity of creative purpose which is his hallmark in the great cycle of Chorale cantatas.

======================================================================
Additional Resources

Libretto:

Andreas Stübel (per Wolff, "Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician", p.278)

Chorale: "Ach, lieben Christen, seid getröst"
Text: David Spaiser (v1) (1521); Johannes Gigas (1561)
Melody: Justus Jonas, "Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält" (1543)
Chorale Text: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/Chorale087-Eng3.htm
Chorale Melody: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/CM/Wo-Gott-der-Herr.htm

Text: http://www.cs.ualberta.ca/~wfb/cantatas/114.html
English Translations:
http://www..uvm.edu/~classics/faculty/bach/BWV114.html
http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/BWV114-Eng3.htm
http://www.emmanuelmusic.org/notes_trans/transl_cantata/bwv114.htm
Other translations: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV114.htm

Structure and scoring:

G Minor

Chorus SATB
Aria T
Recitative B
Chorale S
recitative T
Aria A
Chorale SATB

Instruments: Cor, (+S) Ob i, ii, Vln i,ii,Vla, Cont

Liturgical Comments:

For the Seventeenth Sunday in Trinity

Other Cantatas written for this Sunday:
BWV 148 "Bringet dem Herrn Ehre seines Namens"
BWV 47 "Wer sich selbst erhöhet, der soll erniedriget werden"

Texts of Readings: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Read/Trinity17.htm

Piano Vocal Score: (free PDF download): http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV114.htm

Recordings: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV114.htm

Music (free streaming download): http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Mus/BWV114-Mus.htm

Commentaries: http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/works/bachjs/cantatas/114.html

Performances of Bach Cantatas: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Concert-2006.htm

Order of Discussion (2006): http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Order-2006.htm

Douglas Cowling wrote (September 16, 2006):
Peter Smaill wrote:
< Outstanding Question
Dürr says Bach marked the opening chorus (Mvt. 1) "Vivace". If he means the score and not the parts, it seems odd that the Cantor to have to remind himself of the fact that the mood is upbeat, despite elements of the text being anything but. Is there any pattern to such tempo indications? >
I've never heard this superb cantata -- another great benefit of being a member of this list! -- and I was surprised to see the opening chorus (Mvt. 1) written in aminor key in 6/4 time. I can't think of another Bach chorus that adopts this layout.

6/4 time with running sixteenth notes makes for a very LONG bar that is quite difficult for a performer to read. Looking at the score for the first time I wondered why Bach didn't write it in 3/4 time - the phrases all fall nicely into 3/4. Bar 6 with its repeated oboe notes looks very odd: If I was playing this piece I would go through with a pencil and divide the bars into 3/4 just as a visual aid.

Can anyone recall another chorus in 6/4 time with 16^th notes? Cantata BWV 140 "Wachet Auf" and BWV 78, "Jesu Der Du Meine Seele" which share a similar structure and even some similar figuration are both in 3/4.

In this case, the "Vivace" may have been a reminder even to the composer himself that this was driving minor key movement not a lyrical lament. I've never really understood why Bach's tempo and dynamic markings are so erratic. Some cantatas have no markings; others like Cantata BWV 78 are full of tempo and interpretative markings.

A frustrating reminder that we are still so far away from visualizing and reconstructing Bach's performance practice.

Thomas Braatz wrote (September 16, 2006):
Douglas Cowling wrote:
>>and I was surprised to see the opening chorus (Mvt. 1) written in a minor key in 6/4 time. I can't think of another Bach chorus that adopts this layout.<<
and
>>Can anyone recall another chorus in 6/4 time with 16^th notes? Cantata BWV 140 "Wachet Auf" and BWV 78, "Jesu Der Du Meine Seele" which share a similar structure and even some similar figuration are both in 3/4.<<
There is BWV 62/1 6/4 in B minor. "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland"

DC: >>I've never really understood why Bach's tempo and dynamic markings are so erratic. Some cantatas have no markings; others like Cantata BWV 78 are full of tempo and interpretative markings.<<
This is due to the erratic transmission of the cantatas. When the original sets of parts, often those which ended up in the Thomasschule library, are available to us, then all this information (much more in addition to what the autograph score has) is present for us to view and study. If only the score has survived, then the information about these markings is very sparse or almost non-existent. Would that all the sets of parts of all his cantatas had been designated to go to the Thomasschule! But then what would have happened if they had all been destroyed in a fire soon after 1750? Perhaps we should be thankful that they were dispersed as they were after Bach's death. This way the possibility that at least some of them would survive was increased. Also, from these sets of parts it becomes clear just what Scheibe and Birnbaum are talking about.

Julian Mincham wrote (September 17, 2006):
114, 6/4 and 115

Douglas Cowling wrote:
< I've never heard this superb cantata -- another great benefit of being a member of this list! -- and I was surprised to see the opening chorus written in a minor key in 6/4 time. I can't think of another Bach chorus that adopts this layout.
Can anyone recall another chorus in 6/4 time with 16^th notes? >
Yes look ahead 5 weeks to the chorale fantasia of Cantata BWV 115 (the consecutive numbering is of course accidental) . Not only do they share the features you point out (aside from mode) but also Schweitzer's quaver/semi-q/semi-q three note figure of joy.And the main ritornello opening themes have almost identical shapes.

I think it was Schweitzer, in fact who first pointed out how incredibly similar these two themes are, even though one is major the other minor.

Similar textual themes as well--trials and punishments put upon us to test us.

I can't belive myself that these similarities would have been coincidental the 2 works having been composed so close together.

Incidentally the use of the lower three voices in the fantasia of BWV 114 really does repay close scrutiny. They are used quite differently in every one of the seven chorale phrases (sung by the sopranos as usual)----even the first two repeated phrases. What's more, these marked differences in choral textures and layouts can be seen to be linked to, derived from and illustrate the meanings of each line of text.

A great cantata for teaching students about the immense range, techniques and inventiveness of Bach's choral writing.

Douglas Cowling wrote (September 17, 2006):
Douglas Cowling wrote:
>>> Can anyone recall another chorus in 6/4 time with 16^th notes? Cantata BWV 140 "Wachet Auf" and BWV 78, "Jesu Der Du Meine Seele" which share a similar structure and even some similar figuration are both in 3/4.<<
Thomas Braatz wrote:
< There is BWV 62/1 6/4 in B minor. "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland" >
Interesting how this equally urgent chorus has the same insistent dactylic rhythm and repeated notes as BWV 114.

Thomas Braatz wrote (September 17, 2006):
The 6/4 time signature

from Johann Mattheson’s “Das Neu-Eröffnete Orchestre“, Hamburg, 1713, chapter 3, paragraph 8, pp. 79-80:

“6/4. Zeiget sechs viertel / als so viel ‘Membra’ des ‘Tacts’ an / welche ‘per thesin & arsin’ in zwey gleiche Theile gehen / so daß der Niederschlag 3. Und der Aufschlag eben so viel bekommt. Es wird diese ‚Mensur’ zu‚ serieu’sen Sachen / ‚in specie’ aber zu den ‚gravi’tätischen ‚Giquen’, die man ‚Louren’ nennet / gebrauchet.“

(„The 6/4 time signature indicates that the ‚members’ [constituent parts] consist of six quarter notes/crotchets which are divided into two equal parts of downbeats and upbeats so that there are three downbeats and an equal number of upbeats. This time signature is used for serious pieces, specifically for solemn/grave Gigues, called Loures.”)

Meredith Little and Natalie Jennie, in the book “Dance and the Music of J. S. Bach”, Indiana University Press, 1991, 2001, indicate the following named/titled Loures in 6/4 time in Bach’s oeuvre:

BWV 1006 Partita III in E for violin solo (also BWV 1006a for lute) (Köthen, 1720)
BWV 816 French Suite V in G for clavier (1722-1725)

As untitled Loures for keyboard/organ:

BWV 849 WTC I, Prelude IV, in c# (1722)
BWV 906 Fantasia in c (after 1723)

As example of Loures by other composers:

François Couperin’s Loure, «Les Goûts-réunis ou nouveaux concerts» (1724), has the tempo designation «Pesamment» which means a heavy slowness.

Georg Philipp Telemann’s «Musique de Table» (1733) has an Ouverture in E minor that is a Loure.

Sacred vocal compositions considered “Loure-like” are:

BWV 19/5 (1726) Tenor aria, “Bleibt ihr” 6/8 adagio
BWV 101/6 (1724) Soprano/Alto duet, „Gedenk an“ 12/8
BWV 152/6 (1714) Soprano/Bass duet “Wie soll ich” 6/4
BWV 185/1 (1715) Soprano/Tenor duet „Barmherziges“ 6/4

Ed Myskowski wrote (September 17, 2006):
Julian Mincham wrote:
< I can't belive myself that these similarities would have been coincidental the 2 works having been composed so close together. >
One more bit of evidence that the creative miracle, the body of work, from 1724-25, is very much more than a hustle from Sunday to Sunday. You are on track, and I am following.

Douglas Cowling wrote (September 17, 2006):
Thomas Braatz wrote:
< The 6/4 time signature
from Johann Mattheson’s “Das Neu-Eröffnete Orchestre“, Hamburg, 1713, chapter 3, paragraph 8, pp. 79-80:
This time signature is used for serious pieces, specifically for solemn/grave Gigues, called Loures.”)
Sacred vocal compositions considered “Loure-like” are:
BWV 19/5 (1726) Tenor aria, “Bleibt ihr” 6/8 adagio
BWV 101/6 (1724) Soprano/Alto duet, „Gedenk an“ 12/8
BWV 152/6 (1714) Soprano/Bass duet “Wie soll ich” 6/4
BWV 185/1 (1715) Soprano/Tenor duet „Barmherziges“ 6/4 >
I don't see any resemblance between these Loure genre pieces and the opening choruses of BWV 114, BWV 115 or BWV 62. As Matheson points out, the Loure is a rather solemn, elegant dance in a slow 6/4 tempo (or 6/8). The choruses are
urgent, driving pieces with no feeling of dance in them. I don't see the characteristic loure dotted figure in the choruses, and that dactylic motif in the choruses doesn't appear in the loure.

Thomas Braatz wrote (September 17, 2006):
Douglas Cowling wrote:
>> I don't see any resemblance between these Loure genre pieces and the opening choruses of BWV 114, BWV 115 or BWV 62. As Matheson points out, the Loure is a rather solemn, elegant dance in a slow 6/4 tempo (or 6/8). The choruses are urgent, driving pieces with no feeling of dance in them. I don't see the characteristic loure dotted figure in the choruses, and that dactylic motif in the choruses doesn't appear in the loure.<<
Little & Jenne did not make any association with the opening choruses of BWV 114, BWV 115 and BWV 62 either.

This leaves us with Bach's own tempo marking for BWV 114 which is Vivace. The only reason I shared this Mattheson quotation was to temper the notion of what Vivace seems to mean to some modern Bach conductors. I can hear simply by looking at the score and without having pulled out any of my recordings of BWV 62 "Nun komm der Heiden Heiland", (a late composition performed on a Sunday when Bach was not even present - he was in Dresden) an extemely fast tempo which allows the long notes - dotted half notes - of the cantus firmus in the bass to move at the same tempo that it would have in a normal 4-pt. chorale. As you have pointed out there are certain characteristic note patterns that these mvts. have in common. Perhaps by comparing these few mvts. we might be able to find a common tempo connection in addition to the time signature which is the same.

Mattheson gave as a prime example the Loure, but I think he was referring to this time signature in a general sense as well. For Mattheson it appears that a measure/bar does not have simply two main down beats on the first and fourth crotchet/quarter notes (or on the two dotted half notes [minims], but on each second crotchet/quarter note. A cursory examination of the score of BWV 62/1 and BWV 114/1 seems to indicate to me that Bach juggles and makes use of both types of emphasis: on the 1^st and 4^th as well as the 1^st, 3^rd, and 5^th. Heed particularly how Bach allows the latter to become quite important in the non-cantus-firmus parts: the emphasis on certain key words, the placement of commas meaning that, for instance, in "Ach, lieben..." the syllable 'lie-' receives this emphasis as per Mattheson's description. In BWV 62/1 the fughetta-like accompanying parts to the cantus firmus seem to prevent any kind of consistency one way or the other with the balance being tipped more towards two main down beats per measure. But does this mean that the conductor should treat this chorale in B minor like cut-time?

Douglas Cowling wrote (September 17, 2006):
Thomas Braatz wrote:
< This leaves us with Bach's own tempo marking for BWV 114 which is Vivace. The only reason I shared this Mattheson quotation was to temper the notion of what Vivace seems to mean to some modern Bach conductors. >
But the dance form has nothing to do with the music in those three cantatas. If anything, the "Vivace" in BWV 114 has been added specifically to warn someone that they shouldn;t mistake the movement for a gentle loure just because it's in 6/4. The "Vivace" is an admonition to put the pedal to the floor.

Bradley Lehman wrote (September 17, 2006):
Douglas Cowling wrote:
< If anything, the "Vivace" in 114 has been added specifically to warn someone that they shouldn;t mistake the movement for a gentle loure just because it's in 6/4. The "Vivace" is an admonition to put the pedal to the floor. >
"Vivace" is a character/mood word, more than a tempo word. Doesn't it mean that the music should sound especially energized/lively, and not necessarily fast? (But I agree, faster than a loure anyway.) Vivace, to me anyway, is an indication that the piece should sound more "notey" and bouncy, with special attention to the smaller note values, instead of subsuming them under a more smoothly-flowing big beat...and not necessarily faster, to do so.

Thomas Braatz wrote (September 17, 2006):
Douglas Cowling wrote:
>> If anything, the "Vivace" in 114 has been added specifically to warn someone that they shouldn't mistake the movement for a gentle loure just because it's in 6/4. The "Vivace" is an admonition to put the pedal to the floor.<<
This would certainly be overdoing it! I have just checked on the "Vivace" tempo marking in the NBA KB I/23, pp. 142 and 155 - this is important because this is the only one of the three 6/4 introductory chorale mvts. which has any tempo designation - this "Vivace" marking is spurious, yet the editors have decided to include it.

It appears only once on the untransposed, partially figured "Continuo" part in what the editors call "wohl Kuhnaus Hand" (probably in the copyist Johann Andreas Kuhnau's handwriting). What makes this "Vivace" designation spurious is:

1. It is not in Bach's handwriting. Bach usually adds tempo designations personally to one or more of the parts. He generally does not leave this up to the copyist, who, in any case, would see no tempo designation at the top of the autograph score.

2. It appears only on this single part and not, for instance on the transposed, completely figured by Bach 2^nd continuo part.

3. Kuhnau copied all the parts in the original set of parts. The NBA editors know his handwriting well, however, the penmanship in writing "Vivace" is in doubt. Since Kuhnau copied just about everything else, it might be easy to surmise that this designation might be Kuhnau's as well. However, there is a complication: in addition to a few figures added by Bach personally to this continuo part, there is an unidentifiable hand that added all the remaining figures for mvts. 1 and 5. The personal involvement of such an unidentifiable individual (by now many, if not most, of the additional copyists who worked for Bach are known by name) who devoted time and energy to working out the details of mvt. 1 might easily lead that same individual to attach "Vivace" to the top of this 1st mvt. Was it perhaps a later Thomaskantor since these parts were given to the Thomasschule soon after Bach's death? In any case, there are some legitimate reasons to treat this "Vivace" time marking with some suspicion that it may have derived from a later performance 30 to 40 or more years after its 1^st performance.

Raymond Joly wrote (September 17, 2006):
The 6/4 time signature.
Thomas Braatz, quoting Mattheson:
"zu den, gravitätischen ,Giquen', die man ,Louren' nennet ---- for solemn/grave Gigues, called Loures".
Other examples: Christoph Graupner's harpsichord partitas, played by Geneviève Soly (Analekta): all 5 volumes except 2.

Neil Halliday wrote (September 18, 2006):
On the matter of the 6/4 time signature for the opening chorus, one thing to observe is that the full score (eg the BGA) appears less cluttered than it would in 3/4 time - there are dotted whole notes (semibreves) in the cantus firmus that would otherwise need to be written as two dotted half notes (minims) tied over the bar line; and in the ritornellos, the vocal staves need only a single whole rests instead of doubling up with bar lines and half rests (dotted).

But I suspect there are also metrical/tempi issu, as in BWV 62 and BWV 115, that Bach had in mind when writing the score.

-----

The long D minor tenor aria, better if over 9 minutes in length, is one that stands out in the cantatas for its emotional impact. The slow, steady breathing of the continuo strings, with the third beat of each bar silent (almost like a skipped heartbeat), is the backdrop for the anguished `melody' from the singer, accompanied by embellished arabesques on the flute. The words "where will my spirit find refuge in this vale of sorrow" are repeated over and over again, set to music of exquisitely pungent harmony, while the third ritornello briefly establishes the relative major (F major), allowing a ray of light to shine through the gloom. Note the continuo passage (concluding various `sections') that consists of the same upward scale in 1/8th notes, from C# to Bb in the scale of D minor, (later in F major) repeated three times (except for the last Bb) with the resulting unusual rhythmic structural implications, after which the continuo continues as before with the two `breathing' crotchet beats (1/4 notes) followed by the silent beat.

The middle `vivace' section, beginning with "Allein zu Jesu Vaterhänden (like others, I can't resist using the umlaut for the first time - thanks to those who showed us how it's done) offers a delightful change of mood well described by Robertson (see previous BCW discussions), before the return to the highly-wrought emotional state of the `largo' section.

A distinguishing factor of Rilling's recording of this aria is the use of a harpsichord in the continuo, resulting in what is for me my favourite version. The pungent timbre of the broken chords on the harpsichord seems just the right colour to add to the already complete trio with three distinct `voices'. Am I correct in blaming a certain coarseness, or `gruffness', in the sound of the continuo of some recordings, on the doubling of continuo strings by a sustained left hand organ note? Maybe.

The other outstanding feature of Rilling's recording [1] is the beautiful alto voice of Julia Hamari in the smoothly flowing alto aria.

Bradley Lehman wrote (September 18, 2006):
Neil Halliday wrote:
< On the matter of the 6/4 time signature for the opening chorus, one thing to observe is that the full score (eg the BGA) appears less cluttered than it would in 3/4 time - there are dotted whole notes (semibreves) in the cantus firmus that would otherwise need to be written as two dotted half notes (minims) tied over the bar line; and in the ritornellos, the vocal staves need only a single whole rests instead of doubling up with bar lines and half rests (dotted). >
Agreed. And, one thing that's obvious is that this movement has nothing to do with either loure or gigue character. (One can't simply run to the tables at the back of the Little/Jenne book, find the isolated 6/4 entry among the dance types, and extrapolate the assumption that this is some bizarre loure or gigue!) The rhythmic profile, accentuation, pickups etc are entirely different from those dances. So are the patterns of subdivisions within the beats. Bach knew how to write loures when he wanted loure character, he left some fine examples, and this ain't it.

Little, Jenne, Dance and the Music of JS Bach: Amazon.com
Excellent book, even though it doesn't help on this particular piece, directly. Well, it does help: in showing that the patterns of "taps" etc in this BWV 114 movement don't align with loure/gigue manner!

It seems to me that this opening movement is rather like a 6/2 piece than a 6/4, but simply written out with all the note-values halved (implying both a faster tempo, and a bit more evenness of execution within the smallest note values?).

See also this fine book for matters of tempo, accentuation, and stress: Amazon.com
George Houle, Meter in Music, 1600-1800: Performance, Perception, and Notation going into the various remarks by Mattheson, Kirnberger, et al...and the 17^th century origins of the conventions....

Ed Myskowski wrote (September 19, 2006):
BWV 114 [was: Translation]

Julian Mincham wrote:
< An example--the first movement of Cantata BWV 176, the last of the second cycle, has just one line of text 'Es ist ein trotzig und versagt Ding' which Dürr (p 374) translates as ----There is something perverse and desperate about all human hearts. James Chater's translation for Ton Koopman's recording [4] (box 15) is-----There is a daring and shy thing about the human spirit. Boyd (p 163) suggests ---the heart is deceitful above all things ----and he further isolates the key words 'trotzig' and 'versagt' as implying 'spiteful' and 'despairing' >
From BCW, English translations for BWV 114

1. Chor (interlinear translation)
Ach, lieben Christen, seid getrost,
Ah, dear Christians, be consoled,
Wie tut ihr so verzagen!
how you continue to be so disheartened !
Weil uns der Herr heimsuchen tut,
Since the Lord afflicts us,
Laßt uns von Herzen sagen:
let us say from our hearts:
(contributed by Francis Browne)

Ah, dear Christians, be comforted,
how despairing you are!
Since the Lord brings affliction upon us,
let us say from our hearts:
(c) Pamela Dellal (Emmanuel Music)

Ah, fellow Christians, be consoled,
Why are ye so despondent!
Since now the Lord doth punish us,
Let us sincerely say it:
(c) Z. Philip Ambrose

Even in this brief example, there is plenty to ponder and argue. What struck me in Julian's original post was versagt, from BWV 176, very similar to verzagen in BWV 114. I am not a German speaker, so the grammatical distinction is unclear, but the apparent relation is not.

Sweeter yet is the rhyme in BWV 114, <so verzagen> with <herzen sagen>, which to my ear favors the translation disheartened, per Francis Browne.

Despondent, despairing, desperate, disheartened, all synonymous I suppose. But if there is a clear connection with herzen, doesn't that suggest disheartened as the preferred option?

To be complete, verzagen becomes despair in the Richard D. P. Jones translation, BWV 114, in Dürr. Has the apparent virtue of consistency with BWV 176, as cited by Julian, versagen translated as desperate.

Consistency is indeed a virtue, but so is poetry, and the Jones translation totally overlooks the poetic opportunity of disheartened for BWV 114. One might call this disheartening, if there were not so many bigger problems on the planet.

Francis Browne gets my vote, in this instance. We could do with more of this sort of chat, which seems to have faded a bit. Don't die in August? It's already mid-September. Speaking of dying in August, did I remember to thank the folks who recommended the late Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, and BWV 51? The EMI compilation (with BWV 199, BWV 202, plus a bit) is worth the price and wait.

I wrote the previous before reading Peter's intro to BWV 114. I don't see any conflicts. Thanks as always for the evident effort! I note the reference to <ontological grounds>. I want to state in clear simple language, that I consider Bach to be an optimist, and I share that faith. If the discussion (as above) is often focused on negative aspects, let us never forget that in this music, the good guys always snatch victory from the jaws of defeat!

Eric Bergerud wrote (September 19, 2005):
When I was doing Peter's job (no doubt at the same wage scale) I remarked that the chorale cantatas of the 2^nd Cycle wnot those I'd recommend to beginners. I also argued that they, perhaps more than any other, reward repeated listening.

Maybe the recording companies agree with me. There are only five versions of BWV 114 in print. Fortunately I have three and will keep them all.

It's rare for a cantata to be dominated by a single movement but the long tenor aria in BWV 114 is a little hard to miss, especially as it is accompanied by some of Bach's loveliest instrumentals. I've been collecting Koopman lately and his version of BWV 114 [4] reminds me why. The musicianship of his ensemble is simply splendid. The flute amplifies the wonderful singing of Christoph Prégardien. The other singers are all in good form. I am beginning to prefer mezzos to countertenors and Ms. Markert's aria does nothing to change my mind. Koopman takes at least two minutes off the length of the work compared to the competition but nothing seems rushed in the least. (When Gardiner's in a hurry I seem to notice it more. Of course, Gardiner does have a way of getting one's attention.) What does strike me, as is always the case when Koopman's players are firing on all cylinders is the overall elegance and polish of the effort. I'm not sure if it's progress in the period instrument movement. I am not at all sure it's quite what Bach had in mind. But the overall I find the music a treat to the ear: no small thing. I will let wiser heads decide whether the master considered his scores Prussian marching orders or a general plan of operations (come to think of it, the Saxon Army wasn't famous for winning wars). Personally I'm very glad that interpretations vary all over the map. If nothing else I'd feel like a dope owning three copies of one cantata if they all sounded more or less the same.

Leusink's group [3] gives BWV 114 a very nice treatment to my ears. Leusink doesn't have the horses in the ensemble to match Koopman's playing [4] but the woman playing the traverso keeps her end of the bargain with Knut Schoch who likewise does a fine job. Ruth Holton sounds like Ruth Holton which is fine by me. Buwalda does a respectable job, but I can't shake the feeling that Leusink's cycle would have been better served by employing a mezzo. I don't know if it's the engineering or Leusink's interpretation but it strikes me that the boys choir is far less notable than in the Harnoncourt series. The adult soloists tend to dominate the choruses. But overall this is a straight forward and perfectly respectable account of a splendid cantata.

Leonhardt's rendition [2] reminds me why I continue to hold the Teldec Series in the highest esteem. I don't know which cycle I'd rate as second, but there's no doubt in my mind who is first. (I realize not many on the list hold the same view, I came to cantatas first through Harnoncourt. Old dogs and new tricks you know.) For some reason Leonhardt [2] seems to get better singing than Harnoncourt out of his boy soloists and his does a terrific job in the soprano aria. (Who knows, maybe the Hannover boys choir employed here should have appeared more often. Hereweghe was also involved.) However, although I do like boys in cantatas, perhaps it's unfortunate that the boys have become a kind of signature for the Harnoncourt/Leonhardt cycle. Personally I find the instrumentalists utterly convincing and you certainly know you're not listening to the New York Philharmonic. More to the point, the adult soloists are, in general, really good. Equiliz is my favorite Bach tenor day in day out and he sings very well in BWV 114. Rene Jacobs has the alto part and likewise shines. (He does not match Mera, but no one does. Despite my above comment concerning countertenors and mezzos, Mera's talent is extraordinary. It is a great pity that his interests have drifted from Bach.)

It doesn't hurt that all of these ensembles are playing yet another Bach masterpiece. The genius displayed always astounds.

BTW: I am in the process of getting together a surround sound audio system based on very good technology from last year. I've ordered some SACDs to judge for myself how much, if any, progress is made in audio quality. I have ordered one of the new Montreal Baroque recordings, so I'll report in on it.

Julian Mincham wrote (September 19, 2006):
Eric Bergerud wrote:
< It's rare for a cantata to be dominated by a single movement but the long tenor aria in 114 is a little hard to miss, especially as it is accompanied by some of Bach's loveliest instrumentals. I've been collecting Koopman lately and his version of BWV 114 [4] reminds me why. >
I agree Eric's comments on Koopman--I have heard his complete set and, apart from some 'soprano' reservations, I think there is a great deal of excellent stuff in there.I have never quite understood why he seems to be so under rated by a number of contributors on list.

I do differ with Eric's comment upon the rareness of a single dominating aria however--it happens mote frequently than you might think. a few examples

BWV 13 bass aria, BWV 87 alto, BWV 183 tenor, BWV 26 tenor, BWV 125 alto, BWV 42 alto, BWV 133 sop, BWV 33 alto, BWV 96 tenor.---there are wuite a few more!

In BWV 183 the tenor aria typically lasts longer than the rest of the movements combined--which is also true of the alto aria from BWV 87.

Douglas Cowling wrote (September 19, 2006):
Eric Bergerud wrote:
< It's rare for a cantata to be dominated by a single movement but the long tenor aria in BWV 114 is a little hard to miss, especially as it is accompanied by some of Bach's loveliest instrumentals. >
I was reminded of the tenor aria, "Bleibt Ihr Engel" in BWV 19, "Es Erhub Sich Ein Streit" which is gloriously expansive.

Chris Rowson wrote (September 22, 2006):
Bradley Lehman wrote:
< It seems to me that this opening movement is rather like a 6/2 piece than a 6/4, but simply written out with all the note-values halved (implying both a faster tempo, and a bit more evenness of execution within the smallest note values?). >
I agree, with the 6/2 concept and the evenness, though not (of course!) with the faster tempo. I think Bach used the 6/4 notation to require an awareness of a vast expanse of time which he required the performers to be aware of here. At my horse-drawn tempo (around heartbeat = 72) these bars last five seconds each, and I think both performers and listeners are intended to perceive the pulse of the barlines occurring every 5 seconds.

I find playing such a long bar a very big stretch for the mind, although also very rewarding. It´s maybe a bit like going for a run using an enormously long stride.

My tempo makes the notes of the chorale melody last about two and a half seconds each, and the first line 20 seconds. Now there´s a breathing exercise! Even if you find my tempo too slow and take it at a more conventional 90 per minute, making the lengths three-quarters of those I´ve given, it´s still a big challenge.

So why? I think Bach is expressing a sense of deep relaxation which meditation on the text should induce.

Bradley Lehman wrote (September 22, 2006):
Chris Rowson wrote:
< I agree, with the 6/2 concept and the evenness, though not (of course!) with the faster tempo. I think Bach used the 6/4 notation to require an awareness of a vast expanse of time which he required the performers to be aware of here. At my horse-drawn tempo (around heartbeat = 72) these bars last five seconds each, and I think both performers and listeners are intended to perceive the pulse of the barlines occurring every 5 seconds.
I find playing such a long bar a very big stretch for the mind, although also very rewarding. It´s maybe a bit like going fora run using an enormously long stride. >
I concur that that tempo could work. I've played through that movement to try it out. A difficulty with ensemble might be to keep it from bogging down, that slowly...but it could work. Good luck though, keeping the singers from rushing!

Typically, a 6/4 meter indicates that a piece is "really" in 2, not 6, as to its tactus.... If the thing is played/sung in 6, another difficulty is to get the cadential hemiolas not to sound ponderous.

Bradley Lehman wrote (September 22, 2006):
Chris Rowson wrote:
<< I agree, with the 6/2 concept and the evenness, though not (of course!) with the faster tempo. I think Bach used the 6/4 notation to require an awareness of a vast expanse of time which he required the performers to be aware of here. >>
p.s. Interesting spot there in the middle of bar 36. The alto singer has a suspended B-flat over the F in the bass, and this concurs with the continuo figure of 4, reinforcing the suspension. But at the same time, the top three instrumental parts are all playing a unison line that lands squarely on A on the same beat. Nice crunchy bit, with the suspension and its resolution being played simultaneously.

Chris Rowson wrote (September 22, 2006):
Brad Lehman wrote:
"I concur that that tempo could work. I've played through that movement to try it out. A difficulty with ensemble might be to keep it from bogging down, that slowly...but it could work. Good luck though, keeping the singers from rushing!"
I guess they would have to be used to that sort of tempo. Part of my approach is to articulate all the sixteenth notes, so there is really a lot going in within those enormous spans.

The singers, well, we should be able to whip the boys into shape, and persuade the adults!

Brad again "Typically, a 6/4 meter indicates that a piece is "really" in 2, not 6, as to its tactus.... If the thing is played/sung in 6, another difficulty is to get the cadential hemiolas not to sound ponderous."
With the hemiolas, It´s necessary to switch into that 3/2 time while keeping the same basic heartbeat pulse. I want the dotted rhythms played really sharp, and for me the secret is to keep feeling that quarter-note sub-pulse that keeps going the whole time, even, or particularly, on those points where there´s no note on it. Grandiose, I´d call it, hopefully not ponderous - the sharp dotting should make it spring like a dancer.

Again, I reckon a group that was used to Bach´s music and his leadership could manage this in fine style even at my tempo, and make a marvellous effect.

By the way, when I play hps continuo and a long note like this comes up, if I feel the band is going to rush, I put a chord in there to try to keep them in line. Shouldn´t have to do this, but it´s effective in an emergency :-)

Ed Myskowski wrote (September 25, 2006):
Peter Smaill wrote:
< The purpose of the theology of the Cantata is to demonstrate that the new covenant, in which love is the spur to imitation of Christ and thus forbearance of suffering and acceptance of death - is the true way to God and thus the fulfilment of creation. >
Reply:

The music of BWV 114 grew on me over the past week. Thanks to Peter for all of his detailed introductions, and for this especially eloquent statement. I must confess I barely noticed it in my first reading, but it seems especially appropriate after listening to BWV 114 several times, and then coming back to his introduction.

There are already many detailed comments posted on BCW regarding both the music and recordings. The Koopman enthusiasts have won me over to the idea that 3 CDs for $36 is better value than 1 CD for $16, and I am waiting for delivery of BWV 114. That is not the only issue. This cantata seems to deserve the definitive version, perhaps it is Koopman [4]?

Once again, Suzuki [5] is too quick for my taste in the opening chorus.Has the virtue of contrast with the subsequent T aria, which excels.Leusink [3] has the most enjoyable chorus, unhurried, unforced. That leads into what I consider the best overall performance, even if lacking in highlights. Listeners who find Buwalda intolerable will not agree. Not a major problem for me. No alto compares to Hilde Rössl-Majdan anyway. Just enjoy what you get.

Rilling [1] has many superior points, especially Julia Hamari in the A aria, as mentioned by Neil. The chorus sounds forced and aggressive, side by side with Leusink [3].

None of these performances is seriously disappointing, but each has different strengths: Leusink [3] for chorus (subtle texture, unhurried tempo), Suzuki [5] for T aria, and Rilling [1] for A aria.

A few more thoughts to come when Koopman arrives [4].

Thanks again, Peter, for the introductions.

Neil Halliday wrote (September 25, 2006):
Ed Myskowski wrote:
< None of these performances is seriously disappointing, but each has different strengths: Leusink [3] for chorus (subtle texture, unhurried tempo), Suzuki [5] for T aria, and Rilling [1] for A aria. >
I agree with Leusink's opening chorus tempo [3]. Harnoncourt's tempo brought to mind Doug's "pedal to the metal" proposition ("vivace") - I found myself visualising the violent winds seen in the film "Twister". Rilling [1] is indeed perhaps a tad slow alongside Leusink, but there are some great moments conveying the rich choral polyphony in the lower voices, cleary heard at the slower speed.

Of the three cantatas mentioned with similar structure (lively tempo with 6/4 time signature) in the opening chorus, viz. BWV 62, BWV 114, and BWV 115, I think the first two can stand a more driven tempo than BWV 115, possibly because BWV 115 has long phrases of continuous 1/16^th notes for the oboe (and flute) in contrast to the mostly dactyl rhythms of BWV 62 and BWV 114; Harnoncourt's, and to a lesser extent, Leusink's easy-going tempi in BWV 115 (in comparison to Rilling's BWV 115, for example) allows these beautiful, long oboe sentences to be phrased and to 'breathe'.

(I wonder if Rilling would agree with these remarks about tempi, after listening to the recordings!).

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