Cantata BWV 151 - Discussions

Discussions in the Week of June 22, 2003

Aryeh Oron wrote (June 24, 2003):
BWV 151 - Introduction

The chosen work for this week’s discussion (June 22, 2003) is the Solo Cantata for the 3^rd Day of Christmas [Christmas Tuesday, St John's Day ‘Süßer Trost, mein Jesus kömmt’ (Sweet consolation, my Jesus comes). The unknown librettist derived the text for the cantata from the Epistle for this same Sunday - Hebrew 1: 1-14: Christ is higher than the angels. The libretto, however, stresses Jesus’ presence on earth, in order to comfort and redeem mankind, rather than His exalted position in Heaven.

The intimate, personal tone of this cantata reminds the listener of the Solo Soprano Cantata BWV 199, although its theme is one of joy rather than of repentance. Both cantatas have exceptionally solo soprano arias. Another pick of BWV 151 is the aria for alto, where oboe d’amore and strings play beautiful but sombre andante melody.

Recordings
The details of the recordings of the cantata can be found at the following pages of the Bach Cantatas Website:
Cantata BWV 151 - Complete Recordings
Cantata BWV 151 - Recordings of Individual Movements

Cantata BWV 151 has at least eight complete recordings, three of which are from the three complete cantata cycles: Helmuth Rilling (1971, very early in his cycle) [6], Gustav Leonhardt (1985) [7] and Pieter Jan Leusink (1999) [10]. Each of the three available others is unique and represent different school: Helmuth Winschermann (1968) [4], Benjamin Britten (1968, one of his rare cantata recordings) [5], and Craig Smith & Emmanuel Music (1999) [9]. The two remaining recordings have never been issued in CD form: Wilfred Böttscher (1950’s) [1] and Kurt Redel (1960’s) [3].

Simon Crouch wrote about the opening aria for soprano, “This is one of those pieces that could quite happily be extracted from its context and presented as an independent concert aria. Perhaps that way it would get to be known as well as it deserves rather than lying in relative obscurity.” This is indeed one of the earliest Bach’s vocal works to be recorded. The Dutch soprano Aaltje Noordewier-Reddingius was the pioneer, as early as 1929. I have found only one additional recording of this aria as an individual movement, by the American soprano Julianne Baird (early 1990’s). If any member is aware of other recordings of the complete cantata or of individual movement from it, please inform me.

Through the page of the Music Examples from this cantata: Cantata BWV 151 - Music Examples
you can listen to two complete recording: Leonhardt [7] (at David Zale Website) and Leusink [10] (at Leo Ditvoorst Website in its new location).

Additional Information
In the page of recordings mentioned above you can also find links to the original German text and various translations, four of which were contributed by members of the BCML: English (Francis Browne), French (Jean-Pierre Grivois), Hebrew (Aryeh Oron), and Spanish (Francisco López Hernández).

There are also links to the Score (Vocal & Piano version) and to commentaries: in English by Simon Crouch (Listener’s Guide) and Brian Robins (AMG), and in Spanish by Julio Sánchez Reyes (CantatasDeBach).

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

Thomas Braatz wrote (June 25, 2003):
Provenance:

See: Cantata BWV 151 - Provenance

Commentary by Dürr:

See: Cantata BWV 151 - Commentary

Neil Halliday wrote (June 26, 2003):
[To Aryeh Oron] The soprano aria (Mvt. 1) of this cantata certainly needs a place in one's collection of "Bach's Greatest Hits".

Leusink and Ruth Holton [10] give an attractive account of it, with sufficient legato to allow the music to flow gracefully. Holton's sweet voice is very suitable for this aria, and is in perfect balance with the orchestral instruments.

Philippe Bareille wrote (June 30, 2003):
[To Neil Halliday] I agree with your first statement. Sebastian Hennig with Leonhardt [7] is first rate again. He was at the end of a short but distinguished career. It is interesting to hear how his voice had developed since his first recording (BWV 113).

Thomas Braatz wrote (June 30, 2003):
BWV 151 – Commentaries

See: Cantata BWV 151 - Commentary

The Recordings:

This week I listened only to the following recordings:

Rilling (1971) [6]; Leonhardt (1985) [7]; and Leusink (1999) [10]

Timings (from slowest to fastest):

Total timings: Rilling (18:09) [6]; Leonhardt (16:18) [7]; Leusink (16:10) [10]

Mvt. 1 soprano aria: Rilling (9:45) [6]; Leusink (8:22) [10]; Leonhardt (7:56) [7]

Comments:

Most of the differences in time can be explained by the non-HIP vs. HIP dichotomy. It is obvious that the HIP practitioners interpret even Bach’s time indications very differently. When Bach puts ‘Molt’ adagio’ at the beginning of the 1st mvt., he means ‘very slow.’ He does not mean ‘make it sound like waltz’ the way Leonhardt [7] does. Little and Jenne in their book “Dance and the Music of J. S. Bach” do not see any dance-like qualities in this mvt.

The OED quotes from an English magazine on January 31, 1867: “The adagio is hurried till it overtakes, and the allegro apes the manner of the presto.” A quotation such as this from a period when musical recordings did not yet exist makes you wonder whether this acceleration of tempi has been taking place for a much longer time (notwithstanding some of the ‘crazy’ metronome markings in Beethoven’s scores). In any case, what we are experiencing in the HIP movement is contrary to all expectations: the HIP conductors, instead, assuming that tempi in Bach’s time were faster than those generally heard in the non-HIP recordings, should actually be playing most of Bach’s compositions at a slower tempo than they currently are. It may be that the Harnoncourt/Leonhardt [7] experiment with period instruments which still had not yet been fully understood and mastered by instrumentalists and conductors alike led to these comparatively fast tempi. Once this precedent had been established, it became difficult for those following in the HIP tradition to ‘swim against the tide.’

Since I have very few recordings of this cantata for comparison, I have to rely indirectly upon what I have heard in other cantata recordings, where a greater gamut of variations can be heard.

The great Mvt. 1 soprano aria is represented in all three recordings at an above-average quality of performance with none of them truly achieving excellence. The reasons for this are numerous:

The singers:

There are 3 types represented:

1) a somewhat tentative, very much ‘scared-out-of-wits’ full-voice soprano, Gamo-Yamamoto (Rilling) [6], who might have been able to ‘pull this aria off’ with true, moving excellence, if it were not for her insistence on singing sharp most of the time and having a trembling vibrato at times. (Actually, singing sharp this way is better than singing flat. I, personally, can tolerate this, but when having to listening to the recording a number of times, it makes me want to cry out to Rilling “Why didn’t you signal to her that her intonation was off?”)

2) a boy soprano, Hennig (Leonhardt) [7] with similar intonation problems (singing sharp) and with a presentation less splendid compared to the best boy soprano soloists in the Harnoncourt/Leonhardt series, but certainly much better than some of the very substandard performances by other boy sopranos. This is an admirable effort, but Hennig is unable to sustain the expressive feelings (in the slow section there is sometimes a boring, dead-like quality that comes from not singing with the proper feeling in the heart) that should appear in both sections of this aria. There are times when he just barely manages the coloraturas in the middle section.

3) a demi voix, Holton (Leusink) [10], who demonstrates her mastery of an ‘instrument-like’ voice which has an almost uncanny sense of the right pitch of each note and which can execute flawlessly the trills and coloraturas as well as do some ‘passagi’ (variations on what is written in the score.) In the middle section, Holton is only able to accent the syllables “Herz, See(le), freu(et)’, but, if you listen very carefully, you will hear a ‘sotto-voce’ singing style for which demi voix are famous. There are notes and syllables that are barely audible. The listener is being cheated of the music that Bach put on the page. Adding variations to Bach’s intentions in no way makes up for this disregard of Bach’s notation, nor does it enhance the enlightenment and enjoyment of the listener if many notes are simply ‘tapped’ with almost no voice at all. Most frequently this occurs in the lower range of a limited-range voice such as the one that Holton possesses. Until a listener has heard a full-voice perform such arias, particularly with attention be paid to the fullness of the low range, it is difficult to ascertain how much of the music and musical expression is lost. Treating whole series of notes (the non-coloratura sections of the middle mvt.) as if they were all unaccented, hence unimportant notes and words is doing Bach’s cantata arias a disservice.

Mvt. 3 alto aria:

I would choose Laurich’s (Rilling) version [6] as being the most compelling, particularly since the counter-tenors Esswood (Leonhardt) [7] and Buwalda (Leusink) [10] lack the warmth and rich fullness that is necessary in an aria that has such a low tessitura.

Final Chorale (Mvt. 5):

Only Rilling’s version [6] is inspiring and worth coming back to again and again. Leonhardt’s interpretation [7] is a caricature of Bach chorale and Leusink’s [10] is simply very blandly boring (just reading and singing the notes without being able to express true conviction and understanding of the text fail to do justice to this marvelous hymn.

Arjen van Gijssel wrote (July 1, 2003):
BWV 151. I listened to Leusink [10], Rilling [6] and Leonhardt [7]

First movement (Mvt. 1)
As far as the first movement, indeed it is one of Bach greatest aria's for soprano. I believe that all conductors pay tribute to the tempo which Bach wrote down (molt'adagio). But Leusink [10] and Leonhardt [7] simply are quicker than Rilling [6]. When hearing the flute in Rilling's recording, I missed direction. For me such a tempo is too "lazy". It is taking soooo long, and I did not have a sense of direction in the music. However, I liked the beautiful voice of Gamo-Yamamoto (Rilling). Holton (Leusink) is more light in her approach, but very nice as well. I believe her stressing of some notes and syllables is just a result of interpretation, not so much a result of a flawed voice. Leonhardt is falling behind in my preference order, but that has simply to do with the fact that I do not like boy soprano's that much (my fault).

Tenor recitative (Mvt. 4)
I liked the tenor recitative of Rilling [6]: powerful and clear voice. Van de Meel (Leusink) [10] does this recitative with less power. I found his word pronunciation a little bit too exagerated ("gggganz", "zuwwwwege bracht").

Choral (Mvt. 5)
The final choral is a difficult one, because it is over as soon as you have started. I have to admit that when we have such small parts in cantatas for solo voices, it is difficult to concentrate and give an excellent performance for 40 seconds. Rilling [6] IMHO has a too big choir, which seems to think that you can convince an audience by shouting. Leusink [10] is unbalanced; seems like a first take recording. The conductor (after 40 seconds): ok, thanks, you're off for today. Alto section: but mr. conductor, we made a mistake in the first sentence on "wieder". Conductor: "don't bother, we continue tomorrow".

Aryeh Oron wrote (June 2, 2003):
BWV 151 - The Aria for Soprano (Mvt. 1) - Background

I believe that even the occasional listener to the opening aria for soprano (Mvt. 1) will be deeply moved. Due to pressure of time and another major addition to the Bach Cantatas Website (a separate message will be sent to the BCML after I finish this review), I had to limit myself to a short review of this aria. Although the whole cantata should be considered as a small masterpiece, this is one of those cases where an aria extracted from a complete cantata can give the outmost satisfaction. Here are what commentaries wrote about this aria in the liner notes to some of the recordings:

Gerhard Schumacher (1985, Leonhardt) [7]
The opening aria, which has been held in particularly high regard ever since it became known in the 19^th century, dominates and casts a glow over the whole work. The tension between inner joy and consolation, the molto adagio and sempre piano of the first part and the vivace of the central section create an espressivo, the polarities of which Bach usually allotted to two separate arias (e.g. in BWV 147-149). Here spacious melodic phrases and tone colours evocative of chamber music (woodwinds and strings) determine its intimate character, which carries over into the alto aria (Mvt. 3).

Marc Schachman (1993, Baird)
"Süsser Trost, mein Jesus Kommt," also in G Major, from Cantata 151 (written for Christmas), is organized around an instrumental background of oboe d'amore and violin, above which the flute performs cascades of 32^nd notes (perhaps meant to symbolize the spirit of Christ), all of which is set in a "lullaby-like" song of rare beauty. It is written in an ABA form, with an allegro section in the relative minor contrasting with the opening and closing lullaby.

Martin Geck (1996, Winschermann) [4]
A flute solo accompanies the soprano in the first of the two arias, which has long been considered the work’s principal jewel.

Craig Smith (1999, Emmanuel Music) [9]
The rocking lullaby for soprano with flute and strings that opens the cantata is one of Bach's most gorgeous works. The gently swaying strings and the elaborate glittery flute part is the closest Bach gets to South German rococo architecture. One can almost see the putti and gold sunbursts of the many churches from this era in Bavaria and Austria. The voice part lies right in the range of both tfirst violins and solo flute. Together the three create an angelic floating texture of childlike beauty. After the stopped-time quality of the first section, the dazzling quickness of the B section is even more striking. The gavotte character is spiced with dazzling triplet roulades from both the flute and soprano.

Clemens Romijn (1999, Leusink) [10]
Bach wrote splendid solos for the chosen instruments, including the reassuring opening soprano aria ‘Süsser trost’, with wonderful garlands interwoven by the traverso…

Philip Reed (2000, Britten) [5]
In the opening 12/8 lullaby, Harper's beauty of tone and breath control is matched by Richard Adeney's exceptionally liquid flute-playing. There is a Romantic, almost other-worldly, quality to Britten's approach to this movement, not only through his generously paced tempo but also by his subtle use of rubato and dynamic control. The clarity of articulation of the aria's middle section makes for the strongest possible contrast.

Recordings

Last week I have been listening to 6 complete recordings of Cantata BWV 151 and two recordings of the aria for soprano only. Here they are:

[M-1] Aaltje Noordewier-Reddingius [Soprano] w/ Miek Noordewier [Flute] & Anthon van der Horst [organ] (1929)
[4] Agnes Giebel [Soprano] w/ Helmut Winschermann (1968)
[5] Heather Harper [Soprano] w/ Benjamin Britten (1968)
[6] Nobuko Gamo-Yamamoto [Soprano] w/ Helmuth Rilling (1971)
[7] Sebastian Hennig [Boy Soprano] w/ Gustav Leonhardt (1985)
[M-2] Julianne Baird [Soprano] w/ Aulos Ensemble (1993?)
[9] Jayne West [Soprano] w/ Craig Smith & Emmanuel Music (1999)
[10] Ruth Holton [Soprano] w/ Pieter Jan Leusink (1999)

The sopranos who sing this aria can be easily divided into three groups: traditional female singers (full voice), modern female sopranos (light voice) and a boy soprano.

Here are my personal preferences:
Traditional: Harper, Gamo-Yamamoto, Giebel, Noordewier-Reddingius
Modern: Baird, Holton, West
Boy: Hennig

None of the traditional renditions satisfies from every aspects, but Heather Harper’s gorgeous voice and tasteful singing radiates through the over-romantic non-Bachian accompaniment and penetrates the heart of the listener. Aaltje Noordewier-Reddingius [M-1] is hard to listen to, not due to obscure intonation of the singer, the problematic accompaniment (organ rather than string & oboe d’amore), or the poor recording, but because the singer fails to convey any feeling or sensitivity to the words. Agnes Giebel was past behind her prime when she recorded this cantata and the quality of the voice prevents any enjoyment from the interpretation. Nobuko Gamo-Yamamoto’s voice is in much better shape, but her expressive abilities are somewhat limited. She sounds almost indifferent to the textual and emotional message she has to convey.

This is not the first time I experience the strange feeling that modern female sopranos sound too similar to each other. All three capable singers here has Kirkby’s type of voice and the emphasis in their singing is on a clean line delivery rather than emotional content and sensitivity to the words. Apparently, such approach goes well with the pastoral atmosphere and the child-like innocence embedded in this aria, but Harper has proved that the aria has more depth and possibilities for expression than the modern singers reveal. Among them I prefer Julianne Baird due to a more tasteful singing and to the most satisfying accompaniment (by Aulos Ensemble), where her voice interweaves into the instrumental texture in a chamber-music-like making.

Sebastian Hennig’s voice is as beautiful as ever, but the emotional intensity of this aria is above his head, and his breath is too short to hold the long vocal line uninterrupted.

Conclusion

A movements to take away: None of the 8 renditions is completely satisfactory, but Harper [5] shines above them all.

Peter Bloemendaal wrote (July 9, 2003):
Though I only have the recording conducted by Pieter Jan Leusink [10], I have listened to it at least twice a day during the past seven days. Still, I would very much like to hear Heather Harper, so strongly recommended by Aryeh, so I just ordered the Britten recording [5] and look forward to listening to it. Which is already a pleasure in itself.

The cantata consists of two arias, two short recitatives and a very short, plain chorale.

The opening aria for soprano (Mvt. 1) is superb. Both in duration and sheer beauty it exceeds the remaining movements. One could almost say that this aria, which gave the cantata its name, is the cantata. The more remarkable then, that relatively so few renowned sopranos have ventured to put it on their solo repertoire. Apparently, they rather go for the “show pieces”, where they can display the extent and the quality of their voices more abundantly and voluminously. For this aria does not require an operatic voice. It calls for intimacy, warmth, inner joy and an angelic voice. I agree with all the experts that it is one of the finest arias Bach ever wrote. So beautiful the melody, so elegant the traverso, so charming the arrangement! The lively flute dancing, weaving garlands to emphasize the festivity around the newborn child. The oboes d’ amore and the basso continuo, creating an atmosphere of love, affection and security. Listen to the soprano. First she sounds just like a mother, singing a lullaby to soothe the child she is about to give birth to. The next moment you feel like hearing an angel coming from the fields of Ephrata to announce the birth of the divine child, singing out the joy of heart and soul. Last but not least the singer represents everyone who believes that the birth of this child is a comfort to all of us. By coming down to earth Jesus unlocked the gates of Heaven for us. The words “sweet” and “consolation” or “comfort”, so well chosen, bear in them various associations: the softness and protection inside the mother’s womb as opposed to the hardships that will dominate the end of Jesus’ earthly life; the comfort we need when having a guilty conscience and the joy of relief we feel when our trespasses are being forgiven; the uncomfortable thought that the death of Jesus was necessary to give us a “sweet” future. The comfort we feel, knowing that Jesus eventually returned to his home in Heaven, where the music is sweet and where He is preparing a place for all who believe on his name.

The bass recitative (Mvt. 2) elaborates on the thought that God sent his beloved son to this world to liberate us from evil.

The alto aria (Mvt. 3) confronts us with at first sight seemingly opposing ideas, which on second thought are not that contradictory at all. The contradiction lies in the consequences of Jesus’ incarnation: his abasement enhances our position towards God. Jesus’ humility warrants my comfort. His poverty ensures my richness. The humble position of Jesus in this world makes me acquainted with God’s salvation and goodness. It is a pity that the oboe d’ amore plays the obbligato part unisono with the strings. I wonder why Bach did not give the oboe a freer role.

A tenor recitative (Mvt. 4), pledging to close Jesus into our hearts, leads up to the final chorale (Mvt. 5), which only takes 30 seconds. It refers to our new position and the removal of the archangel Michael (see BWV 149) from before the gates the heavenly Paradise. Therefore we must give God the glory and praise his name.

Francine Renee Hall wrote (July 9, 2003):
[To Peter Bloemendaa] Thank you for sharing a most inspiring and warm review. Atheist that I am, you've gotten me hook, line and sinker, and I am more spiritual as ever. Bach does this to me all the time. His music is glorious and I see a glimpse of heaven.

Joan M. Thomas wrote (July 14, 2003):
Information search

From several comments which have appeared via this mailing list, I infer that the Benjamin Britten recording of Cantata BWV 151, with Heather Harper as soprano soloist, is available on CD [5]. Can anyone on the list furnish me with a label and catalogue number so that I can order this recording? Since I am something of a Heather Harper fan, and since all my recordings of her work are on vinyl, I should be especially glad to obtain this CD if possible.

Thanks!

Aryeh Oron wrote (July 14, 2003):
[To Joan M. Thomas]
[5] Title: Britten at Aldeburgh Vol. 2 - Bach: Cantatas BWV 102 & 151
Label: Decca (released by arrangement with BBC Music).
Catalogue No.: 466 819 2
Released: 2000

I bought my copy from a local store in Israel about 2 years ago.
The album is available from amazon.de for 9.99 Euro: Amazon.de

Peter Bloemendaal wrote (July 14, 2003):
[To Joan M. Thomas] Look at Berkshire: Berkshire Record Outlet
for 3 Heather Harper CD's at bargain prices.

Good luck,

Discussions in the Week of August 19, 2007

Russell Telfer wrote (August 19, 2007):
Introduction to Cantata BWV 151

- Süßer Trost, mein Jesus kömmt - Comfort sweet, my Jesus comes
For the third day of Christmas

Discussion for the week beginning Sunday 19^th August 2007

In giving an overview of the historical importance of this work, I cannot do better than refer you to the Provenance for this cantata which was provided by Thomas Braatz. The link below leads there: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Ref/BWV151-Ref.htm

The movements of BWV 151 are:

Mvt. 1 Soprano Aria Comfort sweet, my Jesus comes
- with flute, strings and continuo

This is a justly celebrated movement and one which has been picked out by music publishers for more popular uses , eg arrangements of popular works for flute and the like.

I have avoided being drawn into reviews of the many performances, but other list contributors have previously made good this deficit. More can be expected.

I would say that in this movement tempo is critical. I think it would be mistake for a conductor to take the usual view and imagine he is presenting just a soprano aria.

Over the whole piece the flautist has about 6 bars rest. The solo singer starts with 10 bars rest. She rarely issues more than than 24 notes a bar with a preponderance of quavers; the flute produces between 20 and 40 notes per bar on average, a majority being demisemiquavers.

What tempo will be optimal for the soprano and for the flute? There is great harmonic and melodic beauty in the flute line and a fast tempo could impair this. At the same time the soprano will not wish to be accused of sluggishness.

I shall air my own opinion in a subsequent post.

Mvt. 2 Bass Recitative with continuo Rejoice then, O my heart,

This is a short verse, 15 bars of music. The text starts with rejoicing, but quickly adopts a downcast mode: pain, oppression and the chains of slavery are the order of the day.

There are first 4 bars in D major, over a tonic pedal. To accompany the sense of the words, the music moves into the minor, exploring B minor and F# minor before ending in E minor.

Mvt. 3 Alto Aria

This is an alto aria with oboe d'amore obbligato, a mellifluous piece with good interplay between the two principals.

The theme is:

In Jesus' humility I can find consolation,
In his poverty I can find riches.

Mvt. 4 Tenor Recitative

Thou precious Son of God,
Thou hast for me now heaven opened wide

This shorter recit reverses the pattern of verse II above, opening in B minor and moving to G major.

Mvt. 5 Choral

Today he opens new the door
To that fair paradise;

All forces are engaged in this short but intense Choral, with flute and oboe d'amore colla parte with the sopranos

BWV 151, I believe, will always stand out. The music is outstandingly beautiful, and there is an added frisson: whatever tempo is chosen may displease some listeners.

Douglas Cowling wrote (August 19, 2007):
Russell Telfer wrote:
< Introduction to Cantata BWV 151
Süßer Trost, mein Jesus kömmt - Comfort sweet, my Jesus comes
For the third day of Christmas
Discussion for the week beginning Sunday 19^th August 2007 >
Bach calls the cantata a "concerto" How often does he use this term in the sacred cantatas?

Julian Mincham wrote (August 19, 2007):
I mentioned this cantata a couple of weeks ago, a point over which Russell and I disagreed.

The first movement (Mvt. 1) of BWV 151 is, to my mind an excellent example of Bach differentiating between the 'inner' acceptance of Christ, (or faith, redemption, salvation etc etc) and the 'outer' celebration of it. The text says this about as explicitly as one might expect and the music says it even more so.

This view of Bach's subtlty of setting texts helps to explain the point which arose earlier i.e. the 'apparent' mismatch of words and music.

I contend that Bach is capable of stting the same text from a personal, introverted, private, individual viewpoint as well from a more public, extrovert, communal viewpoint. An understanding of this often explains apparent mismatches--Bach has taken the one view when we may assume the other.

The first aria (Mvt. 1) of BWV 151 encapsulates these two different viewpoints within the one aria. Often, though, we find them in different arias within the same work---an example of which came up a couple of weeks ago.

Aryeh Oron wrote (August 21, 2007):
Douglas Cowling asked:
"Bach calls the cantata a "concerto" How often does he use this term in the sacred cantatas?"
Thomas Braatz provided a complete list of use of the term "Concerto" as well as the terms "SDG" and "J.J." in Bach's sacred works. See: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Terms-8.htm

Ed Myskowski wrote (August 21, 2007):
Julian Mincham wrote:
< I mentioned this cantata a couple of weeks ago, a point over which Russell and I disagreed. >
Not exactly. You agreed to disagree, as I recall. Never overlook progress.

< The first movement (Mvt. 1) of BWV 151 is, to my mind an excellent example of Bach differentiating between the 'inner' acceptance of Christ, (or faith, redemption, salvation etc etc) and the 'outer' celebration of it. The text says this about as explicitly as one might expect and the music says it even more so. >
I agree.

< The first aria (Mvt. 1) of BWV 151 encapsulates these two different viewpoints within the one aria. Often, though, we find them in different arias within the same work---an example of which came up a couple of weeks ago. >
I think the idea of contrast extends all the way back to the original question, re the liturgical year. The feasts (and their opposite laments) from Advent to Trinity are the extrovert expression of Christian theology, and the Sundays after Trinity, fully half a year, are the introvert absorbing of the doctrine.

Or, from Advent to Tris the individual expression of Faith, and after Trinity is the institutional impression of Faith? Whatever, it is clearly two sides of one coin. For the moment, I am unable to recover the reference for 'the vast expanse of the Sundays after Trinity'. It is a wonderful phrase, for which I would gladly take the credit, but I did not make it up.

In any event , we are past it for a bit, because either Bach did not write much or we have lost a lot for that time, in Jahrgang III. Which makes it hard for me to see it as Jahrgang III, at least in comparison to I and II.

Nevertheless, I find Doug's suggestion attractive (I hope I got it right) that there was a master plan for five cycles corresponding to cycles of the liturgical readings?

It's a good thing those old guys didn't have to cope with Global Warming and perpetual war.

What? They had perpetual war? Never mind.

Julian Mincham wrote (August 21, 2007):
Ed Myskowski wrote:
<< I mentioned this cantata a couple of weeks ago, a point over which Russell and I disagreed. >>
< Not exactly. You agreed to disagree, as I recall. >
It's still a disagreement---agreeing to do so just makes it appear to be more polite--politeness making a reletively recent (though none the less welcome) appearance on this list may easily be overlooked.

Where disagreement becomes positive is when it generates an exchange of views--again, always welcome.

Neil Halliday wrote (August 21, 2007):
The opening soprano aria has the same kind of `elevated beauty' as BWV 170/1 ("Contented Rest", also in 12/8)) and "Sleep, my dearest" in the Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) (both these latter are alto arias).

In fact, even though "Sweet Comfort" (Mvt. 1) reminds me of music from the Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248), I was surprised to read in the Rilling booklet [6]: ".curiously, the opening movement of this cantata is also used in performances nowadays for practical reasons, because it lengthens performances of the first three sections of the Christmas Oratorio BWV 248 and helps to keep the solo soprano occupied, who would not otherwise be very much in evidence". Has anyone heard this done?

The Rilling recording (1971) [6] nicely articulates the widely spaced swinging octaves in the continuo (on beats 1,2 and 7,8 of the 12 quavers in 12/8 time) in bar one, three, etc; and this basic rhythm is contrasted with the slow rocking motion in the upper strings. Above this the flute `floats' in ecstasy.

I like Rilling's soprano [6], and his legato style works well in this piece. Britten [5] has too much of the heavy romanticism. I'm not sure I still rate Leusink's version [10] so highly (as in the first discussion) after hearing Rilling's recording. None of the sopranos are heard in the other samples, because of the long ritonello. Gardiner's ritornello [11] seems very chaste - where are the upper strings at the start? Koopman's strings [12] also seem very soft; hopefully the CD on a good sound system produces better results than the internet sample. Craig Smith [9] has a nice instrumental balance. (Re tempi, I find Rilling's works well, but so does Smith's).

The middle section, in 2/2 with vocal and instrumental triplets, presents such a contrast with the outer sections that we seemingly have two arias in one.
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An interesting aspect of the alto aria (Mvt. 3) is that unison upper strings and oboe only appear together in the ritornellos, while oboe alone (plus continuo) accompanies the singer. Robertson has noticed that "Bach gives typical pictorial phrases to `weaves' (winden) ", at the end of the middle section.

Watts' vibrato, with Britten [5], is too heavy, IMO. Rilling's alto [6] is fine, but the continuo line lacks phrasing. OTOH, Gardiner [11] has too much staccato.

The cantata ends with a lovely short chorale (Mvt. 5).

Bradley Lehman wrote (August 21, 2007):
Missing Fine/SDG

< See: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Terms-8.htm >
So, about 70 of them marked "Concerto". And only about a dozen marked "Cantata", notably for just one singer as the pattern. "Cantata" BWV 51, BWV 56, BWV 82, BWV 84, BWV 199, BWV 204, BWV 208, and BWV 210 are each for one singer (until SATB chorale at the end of several), which takes care of most of those "cantatas": 8 of the 13.

Handy tabulation, thanks.

The web page's point #5 and its allegedly "likely explanation" bears some questioning. Bach often neglected the tiny task of penning "Fine" or "SDG" just from being *so* pressed for time in handing off to the copyist? As if those three or four seconds would matter?

Perhaps the kids at home were so desperately hungry and eager for supper that some of the time they forgot to say "Amen" at the end of grace. Same argument. Same flaw. An absence of "Amen" wouldn't necessarily prove such hunger or haste.

I have to smile at "cantata" BWV 195, listed here as "Copulations Cantata", more normally given as "Trauungskantate", i.e. wedding. But, sure enough: in BWV 195, the fifth movement is a chorus with text "Wir kommen". Next, the sixth movement (chorale) is marked "Post Copulationem" (i.e. after another section of the ceremony ensues, and they're pronounced married), with text "Nun danket all und bringet Ehr". Bach giving us a Monty Python moment with a double entendre? Nice photo of grinning Leonhardt published in his recording. Only about two or three seconds of silence in there between the end of movement 5 and the beginning of 6, during which space the ceremonial coupling is supposed to happen. But hey, it doesn't take terribly long to write the word "Fine" or "SDG" or similarly short things on a piece of paper, either. One dip of the pen and then a few scratching strokes. Sort of like the flair of doing a Zorro Z.

Julian Mincham wrote (August 21, 2007):
Bradley Lehman wrote:
< Only about two or three seconds of silence in there between the end of movement 5 and the beginning of 6, during which space the ceremonial coupling is supposed to happen >
Seems that the growth of technology over the last couple of centuries hasn't made everything go faster!!

Douglas Cowling wrote (August 22, 2007):
Bradley Lehman wrote:
< Next, the sixth movement (chorale) is marked "Post Copulationem" (i.e. after another section of the ceremony ensues, and they're pronounced married), with text "Nun danket all und bringet Ehr". Bach giving us a Monty Python moment with a double entendre? >
Reminds me of a translation in Deutsch's collection of Mozart's Letters in which Wolfgang writes of going off to hear the music at the "Menstrual Mass" -- somehow the Latin for "monthly" didn't make it through the German to English.

The list of cantata=concertos is very helpful, but the absence of a concluding mark is not necesssarily a sign of haste.

Bradley Lehman wrote (August 22, 2007):
< The list of cantata=concertos is very helpful, but the absence of a concluding mark is not necesssarily a sign of haste. >
I concur.

If Bach had cared so much about making the whole oeuvre consistent, as to the SDG, he could have found a couple of hours anytime in the next 20 years to go pen them all in.

Thanks again to Thomas for the tabulation hours put into this.

Jean Laaninen wrote (August 22, 2007):
Cantata 151

Neil Halladay wrote:
< The opening saria has the same kind of `elevated beauty' as BWV 170/1 ("Contented Rest", also in 12/8)) and "Sleep, my dearest" in the Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) (both these latter are alto arias). >
The central fast contrasting section of the opening soprano da capo aria as a call to the faithful to respond is elevated and so elegant and regal. The interplay with the flute celebratory and I find the entire aria refreshing. Salvation history as explained by Chafe in the text I am now working through fits well with this aria and the whole cantata. This cantata seems to me like the history of God's purposes in a nutshell.

The purpose of Christ's humble birth and its intended purpose to bring all to an ultimate heavenly home is spelled out clearly while not avoiding the painful aspects of human suffering expressed by the bass and argumented textually and thoughtfully by the alto.

This again is a new cantata and the soprano part a new aria for me, but it seems to me because of the simplicity of the manner in which Bach combined the essential story this is one work that is therefore memorable even at a first hearing.

Andreas Sparschuh wrote (August 22, 2007):
Bradley Lehman wrote:
<> Only about two or three seconds of silence in there between the end of movement 5 and the beginning of 6, during which space the ceremonial coupling is supposed to happen >>
Julian Mincham wrote:
< Seems that the growth of technology over the last couple of centuries hasn't made everything go faster!! >
in deed:
http://www.fastwedding.com/
http://love.ivillage.com/lnm/lnmweddings/0,,2vp8,00.html
asks:
"How does a couple plan a wedding in thirty days?"

Anyhow, the whole procedure shouldn't never last longer than to doodle down the messy scribble of 11 curly squiggles in order to be finish with that mere ornamental formality before somebody attempts to detune the instrument accordingly to that "daft" idea:

http://em.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/34/4/613
"The premise that a mathematically rigid tuning-scheme is hidden cryptically in a decorative scroll on the title-page of WTC I is daft..."

Jean Laaninen wrote (August 22, 2007):
[To Andreas Sparschuh]
It seems differences of opinion continue to prevail.

That is good. I often think each one just has to find the right answers for him or her. Even temperament is all that I can really work with at this point as a singer, and most of the Baroque performances no doubt continue with this practice even where some other points of view prevail and some performances vary. The main issue seems to be keeping the performance in tune, squiggles or sans squiggles. At least for me.

Your web connections for the quick wedding were entertaining to say the least. It has been so long since I looked at advertisements for wedding things that I really had to chuckle. America's Today Show via Martha Stewart our internally famous homemaker, is giving a wedding to a young couple from Arizona. They will be married on TV in the near future. The couple from Mesa (next door to my town) just won this morning, and now he has to write a song for the bride for the wedding via Martha's instructions. He plays guitar...even sings in tune. Very sweet. Not Bach...but delightful anyway. Weddings should be fun, I think. And music is so key to a happy wedding. We had Bach at our wedding...the music, that is.

Russell Telfer wrote (August 23, 2007):
Julian Mincham wrote: (in reference to our disagreement over the tone of cantata BWV 110)
< Where disagreement becomes positive is when it generates an exchange of views--again, always welcome. >
I agree, and I don't think Ed's playful challenge was a serious one. I believe we're all agreed that at present (at least) our forum is a place for constructive discussion.

Russell Telfer wrote (August 23, 2007):
Re the tempo of Süsser Trost, mein Jesus kömmt

I said I thought that there was a conflict between the tempo needs of the soloist and that required for a particularly artistic and subtle flute part.

The musical form is ABA (a da capo aria) with approximately equal sections. The conflict I perceive is mainly in the outer (A) sections. In the middle (B) section which is in alla breve there is closer imitation; the soprano and flute parts come rhythmically closer together.

I've had access to three modern recordings: that by Aaltje Noordewier-Reddingius [M-1] (which I'm afraid didn't impress) and the BCML's Leusink recording [10], both of which have a tempo of 96 in the outer sections. (I'm counting quavers because this is the pulse.) Then Rilling [6] who gives us a tempo of 88. I felt that Rilling's soloist Hildegard Laurich was happy with this speed, and it gave the flute more chance to be expressive.

What set me off though were two anonymous recordings (anonymous because they were recorded on audiotape with attribution lost) one of which went as low as 76, which I thought was delightful, and one that was probably around 108 (in the A section) which I thought was too fast and which IMO the flautist botched. [A note I made in 1979.]

I finish with points of fact: My score is labelled Molto Adagio. My metronome marks Adagio as the fourth slowest tempo at about 56 ppm.

Bradley Lehman wrote (August 23, 2007):
Russell Telfer wrote:
< I finish with points of fact: My score is labelled Molto Adagio. My metronome marks Adagio as the fourth slowest tempo at about 56 ppm. >
18^th century "Adagio" tends to imply not only slowness, but a loose/casual "at ease" manner of rhythmic delivery, and additionally improvised ornamentation melodically. Molto adagio, more so. No fixed speed in particular.

Ed Myskowski wrote (August 25, 2007):
Russell Telfer wrote:
< I agree, and I don't think Ed's playful challenge was a serious one. I believe we're all agreed that at present (at least) our forum is a place for constructive discussion. >
I was about to let this go by. Perhaps better to confirm that you are exactly right, my 'challenge' was playful.

It is now our challenge to add to the wealth of material in the BCW archives. Playful or not, to each his own way.

Thanks for the introductions, and subsequent comments, every detail adds something.

Ed Myskowski wrote (August 25, 2007):
Andreas Sparschuh wrote:
< http://em.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/34/4/613
"The premise that a mathematically rigid tuning-scheme is hidden cryptically in a decorative scroll on the title-page of WTC I is daft..." >
(1) That would explain your insistence on prior discovery.

(2) I don't believe Lehman claims 'mathematical rigidity'. Indeed, if my superficial reading is correct, he insists on proportional, analog, relations.

Russell Telfer wrote (August 25, 2007):
Ed Myskowski wrote:
< Perhaps better to confirm that you are exactly right, my 'challenge' was playful. >
It takes a while to learn one another's foibles, so I took your silence for some sort of acknowledgement.

In the same way, Brad Lehman added to my remark about Adagio with a more meaningful description of the usage of Molto Adagio in Bach's time. A useful point which I didn't thank him for at the time.

Thanks too to the other correspondents who have added depth to the discussion.

Ed Myskowski wrote (September 3, 2007):
BWV 151 recordings

A few belated words before moving on. There is the 'hometown' version of BWV 151, Craig Smith / Emmanuel Music [9], which I cannot be objective about. It is my favorite, hands down (ACE), but many of the performers are friends and acquaintances. That said, I will just quote a few words from Craig, and tell you why I like the recording..

<BWV 151 is a treasurable miniature. While it seems as long as the the other pieces on this disc [and other recent BCdiscussions], it has no opening chorus and has a kind of intimacy that makes it the most personal of Bach's Christmas cantatas.>

This strikes close to some of Julian's comments.

In the first round of discussions, referencing the Soprano Aria (Mvt. 1) including Craig's notes, the evaluation is the least satisfactory performance. This may deter casual readers from looking further. Specific to the recording [9], and to Emmanuel Music philosophically, it has always been a group with a small chorus, and where various choir members have the opportunity to sing solo parts. To put it another way, from BCW notes, the soloists come from the choir.

Comparing this style of performance with Richter, for example, is likely to lead to a comment (hypothetical) such as 'the bass does not measure up to DFD'. True enough, as far as it goes. But it misses the point of what Emmanuel Music is about, and I expect, many other groups around the world: professional (or equal) musicians dedicated to performing Bach's music on a regular basis.

For that reason alone, I think many of the performing musicians on BCML would enjoy hearing the EM performance [9]. It is well balanced, not in the HIP camp, but with more modest forces than most of the traditional offerings.

In the case of EM, the few available recordings belie the long term dedication of these musicians. Many of them have of performed all of the Bach Cantatas, and the group has a continuous performance history of more than thirty years.

<The bass recitative begins rejoicing in the birth of Jesus but soon becomes a contemplation on the lowliness of Jesus' status. This theme permeates the rest of the cantata. The alto aria that follows, with solo violin and all the upper strings in unison, expands on this idea. The unusual texture begins with the strings and solo violin playing a complex chromatic melody over a marching bass line. When the singer enters, the solo violin breaks loose and becomes inextricably, even obsessively, intertwined with the voice part. There is a density and seriousness about the aria that surprises, even when looking at the text. The middle section of the aria lightens up somewhat, but the melancholy chromaticism of the opening keeps insinuating itself into the texture.> (Smith)

Neil Halliday wrote:
< Watts' vibrato, with Britten [4], is too heavy, IMO. Rilling's [6] alto is fine, but the continuo line lacks phrasing. OTOH, Gardiner has too much staccato. >
The alto aria, Mvt. 3 is worth special mention. Pamela Dellal [9] compares very favorably with the more well known soloists on other versions. In addition, you can witness her dedication to the music by accessing her original text translations via the BCW link to Emmanuel Music, or text translations, English-6. My guess is that her translations gain a subtle distinction as the result of her intimate involvement with performance.

Cantata BWV 151: Complete Recordings | Recordings of Individual Movements | Discussions

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Last update: ýSeptember 27, 2007 ý21:59:51