Cantata BWV 56 - Discussions

Cantata BWV 56
Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen
Discussions - Part 2

Continue from Part 1

BWV 56: Does someone know what Olearius said about the 'Kreuzstab'

Dick Wursten wrote (November 17, 2001):
Kreuzstab / The World of the bach Cantatates by Koopman/Wolff

Question:
Is there anyone out there who could help me solve one of my (minor) problems. I once read that the term 'Kreuzstab' (cross-staff), which Bach uses in BWV 56 can simply be explained by looking in a certain German book from the beginning of the 18^th century: the 'Hauptschlüssel, Biblische Erklärung'. This is a homiletic aid in many volumes by a certain Olearius. (there are many of them).

It was in one of the books 'the world of the Bach-cantatas' by Ton Koopman and Christoph Wolff that I read this. The article was - as I remember correctly - by Martin Petzold. I did not buy the books (a matter of a negative price-qualtiy balance). Now the books are gone from the bookshop.. So ..

If my memory is correct, The author gives the reference in Olearius Hauptschlüssel (something like Vol I, page 466..) but does not quote that passage. Or... perhaps he did in a footnote. I had no time / interest at that particular moment, which I now regret very much..

Is there anyone who has this Koopman/Wolff books and can try to look it up. Or -even better - is there somewhere in Germany someone who has access to Olearius works (in Belgium they can not be found in any library) and...

Hopefully waiting for a reaction and apologizing for having troubled you with my little burden...

Thomas Braatz wrote (November 17, 2001):
Dick Wursten commented and asked:
< I once read that the term 'Kreuzstab' (cross-staff), which Bach uses in BWV 56 can simply be explained by looking in a certain German book from the beginning of the 18th century: the 'Hauptschlüssel, Biblische Erklärung'. This is a homiletic aid in many volumes by a certain Olearius. (there are many of them). >
There are two Oleariuses listed in the index of the Wolff/Koopman books: Johann Christoph and Johann Gottfried. As it turns out, neither is the 'certain Olearius' that you are referring to.

< I did not buy the books (a matter of a negative price-qualtiy balance). Now the books are gone from the bookshop.. So .. >
The 'negative price-quality balance' still applies as a whole to all three volumes, especially if you are expecting to find a commentary on a specific cantata. These books contain a few lists of cantatas, lists that you can find elsewhere (Oxford Composer Companions: J.S.Bach) or articles that deal with more general background subjects having to do with the cantatas as the one you are interested in that treats the theological aspects of the Leipzig Bach cantatas.

< If my memory is correct, The author gives the reference in Olearius Hauptschlüssel (something like Vol I, page 466..) but does not quote that passage. Or... perhaps he did in a footnote >
Vol I has only 238 pp.

Vol III Chapter 7 is entitled "Theologische Aspekte der Leipziger Kantaten Bachs" by Martin Petzoldt.

The footnote only gives details on the Olearius Family and the connections with the Bach family. He does not quote the passage.

It is Johann Olearius (with no middle name) [the Olearius family, similar to the Bach family, was extensive in the area where the Bach family is also found. The Olearius family produced lawyers and theologians, an interesting combination!] who produced the five-volume biblical commentary containing 7,200 pages. The reference/concept of "Kreuzstab" is found in vol. 1 pp. 446a and 734b of that extensive work [but then, aren't all biblical commentaries extensive, somewhat like law books?]

Petzoldt's theory is that Bach very likely was acquainted with this work because of personal connections with the family and because the biblical commentary, published in 1678, was available in the area where Bach worked.

Hope this helps.

Joost wrote (November 17, 2001):
[To Dick Wursten] Within a minute (for once I started at the right end) I found what you are looking for: 'Kreuzstab' is to be found in Olearius I, 446a and 734b.

Andrew Oliver wrote (November 17, 2001):
[To Dick Wursten] I made a short comment about the meaning of the Kreuzstab when we discussed this cantata. I posted it on 30 October 2000, and it can be found on the website: http://www.bach-cantatas.com

Thomas Braatz wrote (November 17, 2001):
[To Andrew Oliver] I should have checked the site first. Somehow I vaguely remember reading about this nautical instrument connected to the idea of the cross. I have the feeling that if Olearius explains it this way, he was simply presenting a symbol, a concept that was already in circulation.

Thanks for referring to your reference to the OED.

Now if I had Jakob Grimm's Wörterbuch which is even more extensive than the OED, I am sure we would find the first instance of this word, "Kreuzstab," used in the German language. However there would still be a possibility that the unknown librettist learned of this symbol through Olearius.

Dick Wursten wrote (November 17, 2001):
[Kreuzstab reference in Olearius according to Wolff/Koopman]

Many thanks to Joost and Thomas! Now I know where to look..., if I ever can lay my hands (my eyes) on Johann Olearius 'Biblische Erklärung', vol I. Thanks also to Thomas, for helping me in NOT buying the 3 vols of Koopman/Wolff.

By the way, about his Cross-staff I read some strange things in the discussion of this cantate (BWV56) on the website. As a remote colleague of Johann Olearius I can try to imagine what he - being a late 17^th century theologian - will have written there. I suppose something about all kinds of staffs that played a role in the journey through the desert [BWV 56: Er führet nach meinen Plagen.. in das belobte Land]: Aarons Staff (blooming), Moses Staff (splitting the sea and bringing water from the rock) and then he will probably have jumped to that other piece of wood that was erected in the form of a cross (also symbolically blooming, giving life... living water etc..., when Jesus dies) which – last allegorical turn - we are asked to carry after our Saviour.... : Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen... der führet mich zu Gott... in das Gelobte Land.. mein Heiland

Or something like that

Dick Wursten wrote (November 18, 2001):
[To Andrew Oliver [as well]] Indeed, I checked that discussion and also investigated your suggestion. But as I explained in my earlier mail [Kreuzstab thanks] I believe in Olearius. And yes... your suggestion is one of 'strange things' I refer to in the same mail.

By the way: The combination from Kreuzstab and 'boat-trip' (next recitative, BWV 56, mvt 2) can simply be explained by the first line of the gospel-reading (Matthew 9: 1-8) which says: "And Jesus went into a ship and crossed (the sea) to come in his city..": theme which is thoroughly and litteraly elaborated upon in the rectitative...: [so tret ich aus dem Schiff in meine Stadt]...

But anyway: thanks for taking the time to react... it is the clash of opinions which brings out the truth, isn't ?

Thomas Braatz wrote (November 18, 2001):
Andrew Oliver (Oct. 30, 2000) wrote:
< 'Kreuzstab'. I had not noticed that before, but it gives much more meaning to the libretto. The Oxford English Dictionary gives three meanings for cross-staff (= Kreuzstab). The secmeaning is obsolete. Quoting from the Mariner's Magazine by Sturmy, 1669, the dictionary says: 'Set the end of the Cross-Staff to the... Eye... Then move the Cross...From you or towards you... till that the upper end come upon the... Sun or Star'. I think he means: >+ . If the vertical part slides along the horizontal part until the top of it is in line with a star or the rim of the sun, and the distance along the horizontal is measured, then the altitude of the sun or star can be calculated and then used to work out the latitude of the ship. This makes a lot of sense when we read (No.1) Der führet mich nach meinen Plagen zu Gott, in das gelobte Land, and the sea voyage metaphor then follows naturally. >
Here is the OED entry:

? 2. An instrument formerly used for taking the altitude of the sun or a star. Obs. 1594 Blundevil Exerc. iii. ii. viii. (ed. 7) 386 The Latitude then is to be knowne by the Astrolabe, Quadrant, Crosse-staffe, and by such like Mathematicall instruments. 1669 Sturmy Mariner's Mag. ii. xiii. 80 How to use the Cross-Staff. Set the end of the Cross-Staff to the..Eye..Then move the Cross..from you or towards you..till that the upper end come upon the..Sun or Star.

I think this qualifies as a good argument for the fact that such a nautical instrument was widely known and that "Kreuzstab" is the German equivalent for this term. "Kreuzstab" with this specific meaning is still listed in a German dictionary that I have that is less than 50 years old. The religious symbolic application of this term equating the Sun (which is a star) with Christ "liegt auf der Hand" ["can easily be seen/is rather obvious"].

As I have stated: one glance into Grimm's Wörterbuch would answer this question as to where the first use of this word with its religious connotation was documented. Who know's? Perhaps even exists somewhere in Luther's works. That would demote Olearius to the level of an epigone.

Just one opinion in attempting to uncover the truth.

Andrew Oliver wrote (November 18, 2001):
For an illustration of the Kreuzstab, see: www.starnav.de/T8Eco72-81.htm where you will see it in use, but under the name of Jakobsstab (Bild 6). Immediately below the picture, there is a section of the article headed Mondbeobachtung und Navigation. The reference to the Kreuzstab will be found in this section at the end of the paragraph beginning 'Byrd'.

A larger and clearer version of this same picture may be seen at: www.esys.org/technik/jakobsstab.html

These two sites make it clear that this navigational instrument was used on land as well as at sea.

You could also look (for the commoner interpretation of the meaning) at: www.onlinekunst.de/ostern/Ostern_Kunst.htm
See especially the second picture, and listen to the music!

Dick Wursten wrote (November 18, 2001):
[To Andrew Oliver] Thanks for the very interesting links to nautical and geo-metrical instruments. esp. the article about Eco I liked. But it did not at all convince me that this Kreuzstab has anything to do with BWV 56.

FIVE arguments CONTRA Kreuzstab is nautical object.
1. the normal term is Jakobsstab
2. Bach does not link the Kreuzstab with the BOAT-journey at all
3. Leipzig is not a sea-faring city. The argument that is was also used in navigation on land is not appropriate, because the area in Thüringen was already quite cultivated and road were abundantly there.
4. No star, no sun , no moon is mentioned.
5. The Kreuzstab in this sense is not carried, but looked at...

FIVE arguments PRO Kreuzstab as a contamination of Aaron/Moses Staff and the Cross of Christ... Imagery which links them: Life is a journey in which we have to go through 'deserts' towards a promised land (das ist das Himmelreich)
1. The Crosstaf is the staff of the risen Christ in painting etc.. (as the beautiful link to www.onlinekunst.de/ostern/Ostern_Kunst.htm showed (Holbein). It is the victory image in which the symbol of suffering is retained. (such combinations of opposites are typical for christianity in general and very popular in allegorical and moral sermons in bach’s days Olearius). This staff is also the staff of the bisshop (it is almost the 5/6th of december isn't it !)
2. The first aria of BWV 56 has so many references to the books of Exodus and Numeri (in which the desert-trip of Israel is written) that you must look there first.:
a. the word 'Plagen' is the technical term for the 'Plagen' with which God made Egypte and the Pharaoh suffer so much that he finally had to 'let Gods people go'.
b. The staff of Aaron and Moses really play a prominent role in the story of the deserttrip. As I already pointed out: Splitting the sea, water from the rock, Blossoming. I add: When Moses lifts his staff Israel conquers the Amalekites. And another strange story: IN the middle of a plague a 'staff' has to be erected with a snake on it. Everybody who looks to it, is saved.
c. The goal of the journey is 'das gelobte Land' also term. techn. For the real earthly Canaan, (Palestine/Israel) and 'heaven'.
3. To perform the 'metabasis eis allo genos' is easy: Looking to Christ on his cross saves... You have to carry your cross behind him to get to heaven (quoting the gospel). Kreuz and Stab is combined.
4. The storm in mvt 2 is a. not connected to the Kreuzstab and b. is general imagery to describe the troubles in life. By the way: The Gospelreading of the sunday (Matthew 9: 1-8) not only explains the imagery of the 'sea-trip to get at home' but also the imagery of the storm, because a few pericopes earlier you can read the story of the storm at sea... (That was when Jesus crossed the sea in the opposite direction)
5. Last argument, given by Durr: It is a simple imitation of a complete libretto by Neumeister: Ich will den Kreuz-weg gerne gehen...

Conclusion: Someone should ask Martin Petzold the complete reference from Olearius I, 446a and 734b.
... or someone in Germany should look it up in a theological library, where his books should be part of the collection.

Thomas Braatz wrote (November 19, 2001):
While working on BWV 52 (the cantata for this week's discussion), I also looked for anything more that could shed light on the "Kreuzstab" interpretation. I came across two oddities:

The NBA KB relates that until 1968, everyone had accepted the fact that Bach had originally entitled BWV 56 "Ich will den Xstab gerne tragen" since this was written on the cover of the autograph score. Now with more critical methods and instruments that can be used to analyze paper and handwriting, it turns out that this title was written by Christian Gottlob Meißner, one of two copiers used in writing out the parts. Another cover for the set of parts was written by C.P.E.Bach and uses the same spelling (an abbreviation much like Xmas.) Smend takes this as an indication that Bach was thinking of the Greek letter 'chi' which represents Christos. Later 19^th century copies have the spelling: "KreutzStab." The NBA has normalized the spelling in the title and text as "Kreuzstab" So the latter spellings have been around for a long time (since the early 19^th century.)

Smend points out a reference that he feels is closer to the truth than "the usual interpretation given." I have to assume that he was aware of the 'nautical' interpretation, but he does not refer to it specifically. Smend calls attention to a hymn by Paul Gerhardt, a chorale text first published circa 1670, probably even a few years before this date as the chorale melody is by someone else and as given as 1670. In the chorale, "Gib dich zufrieden und sei stille" ["Be satisfied and be quiet"] which begins in the first verse with a reference to Christ as being your Sun. "Er idein Quell und deine Sonne." {nautical?} Vs. 3: "er sieht und kennet aus der Höhe..." ["he looks down from on high and knows you"]{nautical?} Vs. 6: "halt an Gott, so wirst du siegen, ob alle Fluten einhergingen" ["keep focused on God and you will be victorious even in the midst of floods" {nautical? sea image?} Vs. 13 "Des Kreuzes Stab schlägt unsre Lenden, bis in das Grab, da wird sichs enden." {"the staff of the cross hits against our loins until we reach the grave where everything will come to an end"] {definitely non-nautical}

And from Paul Gerhardt's chorale "Die güldne Sonne" ["The golden Sun"]{nautical?} vs. 12 "Kreuz und Elende/das nimmt ein Ende;/nach Meeresbrausen/und Windessausen/leuchtet der Sonnen gewünschtes Gesicht" ["Cross and suffering will come to an end; after all the sound of the raging sea and the howling wind, the much desired face of the Sun will once again give forth light."]

As Dick Wursten indicated -- Dürr sees the unknown librettist's text as a reworking of a cantata text by Erdmann Neumeister which has the title "Ich will den Kreuzweg gerne gehen" ["I want to go gladly the way of the cross."] The nautical link seems to be missing. With Paul Gerhardt's chorale texts, that Bach's librettist would certainly have been aware of, we once again have the connection of Christ = Sun, but the Kreuzstab is hitting our loins rather than being used as an instrument used to focus on Christ during a perilous sea journey [life's journey.]

Is there a way to do a quick computer search for "Kreuzstab" or "Kreuzes=Stab" in all of Luther's works? I wonder what we might find there. In any case, it does not appear as though Olearius would be the originator of the non-nautical interpretation of "Kreuzstab" since Paul Gerhardt uses this concept in a non-nautical connotation.

Of course, Grimm's Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache would quickly shed light on this matter but I do not have access to this monumental work (it is more extensive than the Oxford English Dictionary in its unabbreviated incarnation.)

Dick Wursten wrote (November 19, 2001):
[To Thomas Braatz] Thanks Thomas Braatz for shedding more light on the Xstab discussion. I continue this line of thinking.

1. In preparation of a performance of BWV 56 a month ago, I went to the library of the conservatory of Antwerp to look at the Neue Bach Ausgabe of this cantata. The volume opens with a reproduction of the first page of the Bach’s AUTOGRAPH of this cantata. In the text Bach himself uses the abbreviation: X-stab (note: C-#). The habit to use this abbreviation for Christ is very old: The Greek CHI from CHristos and the sign of the cross in one symbol.... too wonderful and meaningful not to use.

2. Olearius voluminous writings - as I understand it - are not meant to be original, but rather a kind of compendium for preachers c.s. A kind of 'Predigthilfe', compiling all kinds of tips and tricks how you can preach about the most difficult and awkward scriptural passages in such a way that your sermon will be edifying (f.i. by constructing all kinds of hyperlinks in the bible). Must be a very interesting book.

3. The appearance of the Kreuzstab in the hymnof Paul Gerhardt suggests indeed that listerners in Bachs days were familiar with the term and just knew the symbolic meaning. In my German Lutheran hymnbook it is hymn 295, (full 15-verses).
By the way: there is more interesting textual intertwining between this hymn and BWV 56 ['Plagen' vers 12, the same rhyme: Kreuzesstab / Grab].

4. The fact that the 'Kreuzes stab' is used to hit us to death... [schlägt unsre Lenden bis in das Grab] rules out any connection to the nautical instrument and at the same time strengthens my hypothesis that the Staff of Moses/Aaron is the Ur-Stab. This staff is frequently used to 'hit' to death, for many of the 10 plagues are initiated by Moses or Aaron hitting something with their staff. F.i. the water of the Nile is hit and then the water > blood. (This staff is sometimes called: Gods staff, it's magic... Harry Potter would be jealous of it).

4. About a way of searching the entire Luther with 'Stichwort' Kreuzstab, I'm not able to do that, nor do I know whether this possibility exists (somewhere on a theolog. faculty in Germany?). Can we not write a request to the very eminent dr. Martin Petzold to do that for us...?.

Richard Grant wrote (November 20, 2001):
[To Thomas Braatz] Having Kreutzstab come so soon after the mention of a flood would seem to me to make it more rather than less difficult to dismiss the nautical connection altogether.

BWV 56 - Schlafesbrude

Dick Wursten wrote (January 25, 2002):
Yesterday evening I watched a curious film (borrowed from a friend) entitled 'Schlafesbruder' ... I think it is an austrian movie (german-spoken), the title of course being borrowed from the final choral bwv56: Komm o tod, du Schlafesbruder.

It was the first time I heard a Karl Richter interpretation [18] of this chorale (title-music). I was impressed in a negative way (both by Richter’s performance and the contents of the film): The film was about musical genius, contrasted with life in a rural village somewhere in the mountains, beginning 19^th century? (this aspect of the film was quite impressive, Fellini-like). If anyone else also saw this film, I am curious about your reaction/opinion. My humble opinion is this: The film is one big mis-understanding about what musicality is all about. Much like the overvalued film: The piano.

But still: I'd like to know more about the film (based on a book), background, intention, reception, criticism etc...

Accompaniment in BWV 56/2

Matthew Neugebauer wrote (January 16, 2004):
hey all-this question is for those in the "shortened recit accompaniment" camp, otherwise it's irrelevant, so if you believe that all recit accompaniment should be played as written, then delete this message as it isn't meant to be a forum for perhaps the most overdone debate ever to "grace" this list

I'm playing BWV 56 (yes, playing on euph) for a masterclass and want to know the opinions of the group on this matter-

in the recit Mvt. 2, obviously the accompanist is going to play as written in the piano transcription (obtained with great thanks to Aryeh's incredible resource) up to when the arpeggiations in the bass (cello in original) stop. What follows is the usual notation of secco recits, that is long-held notes, mostly whole notes and half notes (sorry for the North Am system!). Should these longer notes be shortened to the quarter notes and rests that is the norm when they are in the entire recit?

Bradley Lehman wrote (January 17, 2004):
[To Matthew Neugebauer] Perhaps--if we're lucky--you've already alienated the literalists sufficiently by saying you're going to play the piece on euphonium instead of singing it. :)

Doesn't your (and your accompanist's) decision of note-lengths depend on a bigger set of factors than you've said here? At least: the acoustics of the room you'll be playing in; the way you'll be phrasing the "voice" part yourself (how much accent, and so on); the skill of your accompanist at thinking on the spot; the willingness of your accompanist not to be a literalist (willing to play more by listening than by having eyes glued to the page); the relative loudness of your euphonium and the piano; the open-mindedness of the people who are going to be listening to you; more....

Good luck with the gig, sounds like fun! All I can really say as advice is: if I were the one accompanying you, I'd take all those factors (at least) into consideration, and probably end up making every note a different length and loudness from every other note from there to the end of the movement, all according to context. And probably different every time we rehearsed it, too, depending what you did with the "voice" part on each occasion. The punctuating strokes folloyour lead, whatever you do in your declamatory shaping of your line.

Be sure to take a look at a full score, too, to see how heavily arranged that piano part has been. I'd play a simpler right hand, and omit at least some of the bass octaves, for starters....

Matthew Neugebauer wrote (January 17, 2004):
[To Bradley Lehman] Brad-thanks for the reply!

Neil Halliday wrote (January 17, 2004):
Bradley Lehman wrote:
"Be sure to take a look at a full score, too, to see how heavily arranged that piano part has been. I'd play a simpler right hand, and omit at least some of the bass octaves, for starters...."
OTOH, these piano reduction scores have been written as a replacemnt for the whole orchestra, including the continuo instruments.

If Matt only has piano accompaniment, then this score looks pretty good. Furthermore, a piano overcomes Niedt's objections about recitative accompaniment sounding like "a rattling old mill-wheel", or Heinichen concened about about "humming organ pipes", because a piano chord immediately begins to diminish in volume after being struck, unlike a cello and double bass held note, which can sound unpleasant.

(For those interested in accompanied (ie, non-HIP) secco recitative presentation, there are some examples of this unpleasant sound in the Rilling cycle. My guess is that Rilling, in featuring string-based sound in this context - unlike Richter [18], who satisfactorily features an organ-based sound - should not use a double bass as part of the small secco recitative ensemble, noting that classical (and later) string quartets and sextets usually do not use a double bass, whose main function should be to add depth to the sound of larger ensembles and orchestras. I note this problem does not arise in the soprano secco recitatives, where Rilling usually uses the cello without the double bass.)

Discussions in the Week of January 13, 2008

Ed Myskowski wrote (January 11, 2008):
Introduction to BWV 56 - Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen

Discussion for the week of January 13, 2008

Cantata BWV 56 - Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen (I will gladly carry the Cross)

Date of composition for first performance, October 27, 1726, 19^th Sunday after Trinity.

Data on recordings, and links to text, readings for the day, commentary, and score (piano reduction), can be found at: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV56.htm

A link to the previous round of discussions is also available on that page, or directly at: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV56-D.htm

The previous discussion and linked commentary is extensive and informative. In particular, the Bethlehem (Bach Choir of) commentary is new since the previous round, good details with music examples - highly recommended. Usually Emmanuel Music commentary is linked, in this case it is not. It can be reached via the English-6 translation link, then accessing cantata notes, for some insights based on performance experience, from the late Craig Smith.

Thanks to Julian Mincham for last weeks comments on the solo cantatas of Jahrgang III. Various writers (not including Julian) have speculated that the motivation for the solo cantata compositions was the availability of an exceptionally good voice, or alternatively, the lack of acceptable chorus quality, necessitating the reliance on soloists. In fact, in the closing weeks of the Sundays after Trinity in 1726, we have four solo cantatas among a group of new cantatas composed for ten consecutive weeks (14^th to 23^rd Sundays after Trinity). Three of the solo cantatas are within the group of five for my introductions, the fourth (for soprano) will begin the next group by Jean Laaninen. Each features a different solo voice, SAT or B. As we have already heard in recent weeks, the other cantatas feature some of Bach’s finest writing for chorus. And as Doug Cowling never fails to point out, there was plenty of other work for the choir in the weekly service, in addition to the cantata performances.

This hardly suggests or supports either an exceptional soloist or poor choir ability as the motivation for Bach’s scoring for solo voice. It might suggest planned composition over an extended period of time, given the relaxed (if only a bit) demands of the Jahrgang III two-year schedule, with an opportunity for study of parts and for rehearsal. All with an eye toward an ultimate objective, the 1727 SMP (BWV 244) performance?

Specific to BWV 56, I find Christoph Wolff direct and concise, from the CD booklet notes to Koopman, Vol. 17 [40]:
<In this bass solo cantata the four-voice choir enters only in the final chorale (Mvt. 5). The scoring of the preceding four solo movements presents a finely shaded series of timbres: Mvt. 1 opens the work with the full complement of instruments (three oboes, strings, and continuo), Mvt. 2 (recitative) uses only the continuo, Mvt. 3 is a trio with oboe, and Mvt. 4 (recitative) uses the strings to emphasize the text: Ich stehe fertig und bereit (I am ready and prepared)>

If I were in the mood for quibbling, I might take issue with the translation, which is given elsewhere in the same booklet as <I stand here ready and prepared>, and in several other sources at hand as the apparently exact <I stand ready and prepared>. I have acquired enough respect for Prof. Wolff that I am willing to ponder whether his less emphatic choice might in fact be best. In any case, the key point is to note the varied musical textures.

Durr comments with respect to the opening aria, Mvt. 1: <Section A draws its thematic material from the opening ritornello, whose head motive (which recurs in the continuo at the close of each ritornello and of vocal sections A and A*), with its augmented second, unmistakably symbolizes the Cross beam [Kreuzstab]>

In his own notes to his recording, Kuijken [43] says: <The typical madrigalism at the word Kreuzstab attracts attention at the very beginning of the principal theme of the first aria. Bach conceived the motif in such a way that the syllable Kreuz (which means both cross and sharp sign) comes on a sharpened note (C sharp), creating a painful dissonance; and that device weaves its way through the entire movement like an unbroken thread, always reminding us of he idea of the cross.>

Whatever your native language, you may enjoy giving some thought to the fact that both those statements are reasonably good English, and both are saying almost exactly the same thing. It took me a bit of effort to realize that. Full disclosure: both are translated from German originals. I cannot comment on the quality of either the originals, or the accuracy of translation. In fairness to Dürr, his words accompany a few bars of music example. The picture is worth a thousand words.

Followers of the recent OT dissonance thread may enjoy giving some thought to how painful (or not) that augmented second is to us, also to how differently it might have sounded to Bach’s audience, three centuries ago. Just to let you know that I am a quick (if not always deep) study, at the Crouch link, you can learn that the dissonant C sharp resolves to a D in the key of g minor.

BWV 56 is included in an inexpensive Dover publication of Eleven Great Cantatas in full vocal and instrumental score, from the now superseded BGA edition. Not of professional quality, but a convenient source for folks like me who like to occasionally use a score as a listening adjunct, and as convenient hard copy to supplement the piano reductions available on BCW.

I have run on longer than intended, but I cannot sign off without urging everyone who can do so to give a listen to Kuijken [43]. Perhaps Neilcan advise on the availability of samples? I hope to post additional comments on recordings separately, but there is already plenty of reading available in the previous discussions. As Aryeh might suggest, you are likely to have at least one recording of BWV 56. Let us know what you think, even if just to say you like it (or not).

Julian Mincham wrote (January 11, 2008):
[To Ed Myskowski] I must say that I prefer this type of semi-discursive essay as a way of introducing the cantatas combining, as it does, some second source material with the writer's own reactions to the piece. For this forum it seems much more inviting to read through than lists of web references.

All Bach cantatas that begin with a bass aria set the tone with a imperious statement of some import--compare this with Cs 85, 108 and 87 from the second cycle (although these cantatas, although beginning with a bass aria are not 'solo' cantatas).

But this is the longest and largest in scale of the four movements. The cantata is concerned with the inevitable journey to and through death and there is a world-wearly yet stolidly determined quality about it.

Note the introduction 3/4s of the way through the movement of the triplets signifying the tears and the wiping of them away--notice also where the triplets re-appear with the same phrase at a later stage in the cantata--a sure sign of Bach's determination to impose a sense of structural unity through a single image.

Virtually every movement contains imagery of a journey, voyage or safe arrival, and it's fascinating to attempt to determine how Bach may have wrought the shapes of the musical ideas from these images.

As Ed points out Bach was very much interested in the solo cantata at this point of his career and many of them contain some of his most stunning arias and recitatives, more than compensating for the lack of choruses.

Jean Laaninen wrote (January 12, 2008):
Ed Myskowski wrote:
< Thanks to Julian Mincham for last weeks comments on the solo cantatas of Jahrgang III. Various writers (not including Julian) have speculated that the motivation for the solo cantata compositions was the availability of an exceptionally good voice, or alternatively, the lack of acceptable chorus quality, necessitating the reliance on soloists.... >
In Schweitzer, Vol. II, page 255-6, we have the following quotation: "This is one of the most splendid of Bach's works. It makes unparalled demand, however, on the dramatic imagination of the singer who would depict convincingly this transition from the resigned expectation of death to the jubilant longing for death."

Sometimes I think of the cantatas as short story or sermonette, and an offering for the worship service in which more of the story can be brought to life. I say this even though this is not the common case, unfortunately in my view, today. But certainly the bass has a great opportunity to give a meaningful performance.

I don't know if Schweitzer comments often on the work of the singer, but surely his described transition moves forward through the cantata, until the final number, at which point great solemnity can be found in the chorale (Mvt. 5). I find this work interesting in this regard because as I listen I am made aware of the finality of human life and breath as we know it, and I also think this moves from the individual's personal hopes, beliefs and expectations to the corporate reality of a loss. I say this because of the addition of the other parts at the end. However, many cantatas end with this corporate aspect, but it is interesting here that the language here is still in the first person even though the performance is corporate.

Julian Mincham wrote (January 12, 2008):
[To Jean Laaninen] Jean and Ed touch on some interesting points about the solo cantatas. Firstly why did Bach relatively suddenly become so interested in them?? This was one of the issues i discussed with Professor Wolff last week and i asked him if he thought it might have indicated a (possibly opera driven?) change of taste in Leipzig. He thought probably not and his reasons were that Bach, whom he described as the most liberated composer of his time, taking little or no?account of contemporary taste or regulation, was not usually swayed by what the 'public' wanted or even enjoyed.He thought it likely that Bach simply found it to be another aspect of the genre that was worth exploring.

Jean's point about the narrative is interesting. Did Bach feel that the cantata was becoming more of a journey/story/narrative and that this was best told by a single rather than by several voices? Also why did he include the chorale in some and not others? (see also the dialogue cantatas on this point). Her comments on the private-versus-communal aspects of faith and belief are also relevant--an aspect that keeps cropping up right throughout the repertoire.

I hope that these are questions that members will ponder and offer views upon as we continue to explore the solo repertoire coming?up on list?in the immediate weeks ahead.

Peter Smaill wrote (January 12, 2008):
[To Julian Mincham] Why the solo Cantatas in Jahrgang III?

Just as the second cycle has a sequence of choral fantasias commenced in entry order by S,A,T,B, so does this period in Bach's output have BWV 170 (Soprano) BWV 169 (alto) BWV 55 (Tenor) and BWV 56 (Bass).

According to Schulze the bass soloist (and also for BWV 82) was Johann Christoph Samuel Lipsius, a law student at Leipzig University, later associated with the Hofkapelle at Merseburg. If my German is correct he suffered financial hardship and left Leipzig; but to have been the first to sing this superbly poetic work....!! Seldom have the mystical beauty of text and the the musical imagery been so well married.

The final Chorale (Mvt. 5), with its harmonically illicit shift of the tonal basis by a semitone at the end of line one, illustrating the relationship of death and sleep as adjacent brothers, is one of many masterstrokes in the deservedly popular work. "Loose Thou my little ship's rudder and bring it safely into port for through thee I come to the fairest Jesus" is identified by Robertson as noteworthy ("charming"). I hope later to shed some light on the authorship of the libretto.

Neil Halliday wrote (January 13, 2008):
Julian Mincham wrote:
>Professor Wolff,,,described (Bach) as the most liberated composer of his time, taking little or no?account of contemporary taste or regulation<
I meant to comment last week on the effect the opening sinfonia of BWV 169 must have had in church - such convivial music suggesting, for example, communal high spirits in a park on a public holiday. Did this please all the church authorities? One suspects not.

Regarding BWV 56, Peter has drawn attention to the attractions of the final chorale (Mvt. 5), also noted in the OCC as "particularly expressive."

Playing the BCW piano score, I was struck by the similarity, at least in its noble harmonies, to Chopin's Prelude in C minor - one imagines Chopin writing his prelude immediately after playing this chorale (Mvt. 5) on the piano. The subtle syncopation at the start of Bach's setting is noteworthy.

Peter Smaill wrote (January 13, 2008):
[To Neil Halliday] Neil notes the affinity to Chopin; nearer to home, Whittaker detects similarity in the downward-lapping motif of the Bass in BWV 56/1 (Mvt. 1) with the F sharp minor fugue of Book 1 of the "48". This work is a source of many layers of interpretation. I would like to turn now to the literary aspects.

Reconsideration of the literary source and purpose of BWV 56, “Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne Tragen”

This noble work, unusually entitled “Cantata” by Bach, is considered be one of the finest poetic creations in the entire series. Often coupled with BWV 82, “Ich habe Genug”, “they must have been written for the same sympathetic singer” (Whittaker), whom we nowadays can identify as the young student, Johann Christoph Samuel Lipsius.

The inspiration for the text is generally stated to lie with Neumeister, whose first cycle includes a libretto, “Ich will den Kreuzweg gerne gehen”, “I will glady go the way of the Cross”. Furthermore, the extended metaphor of the navigatio vitae, starting with the cross –shaft which recalls ship-masts and/or navigation, ending with the harbour of heaven, is suggested by the incipit of Matthew 9, “And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city”.

The case might rest there: inspired by Neumeister, and dutifully having an allusion to the Gospel, an unknown librettist has culled the image-book for a nautical theme. However, there are a number of problems with this analysis.

The Gospel for the day (Matthew 9: 1-8) is focussed on the miracle of the healing of the man with palsy; the sea voyage is an incidental. Yet there is no reference to the miracle, which ends in life, not death for the palsied man whose sins Jesus forgives, to the horror of the scribes, in BWV 56. It does not really fit the message of the Gospel for the day.

The voyage depicted in St Matthew is not that of the sinner through the storms of life; nor is it the storm on Galilee dealt with in the 4^th Sunday in Epiphany. It is Jesus whose voyage is recalled, not ours. While a metaphysical parallel can be drawn, it is a weak link relative to many other Cantata themes. The Gospel does not end in longing for death in any way.

Next, consider the Neumeister text, originally for Trinity 21 (BWV 56 is of course for Trinity19) (he was, it is true, briefly and closely quoted for two lines a few Sundays back in BWV 27). It is not closely allied to the nautical image “Kreuzstab”, which we can in fact identify from another source close to Bach, the Wagnerschen Gesangbuch, particularly “Ach Gott, wird denn mein Lied” with the strophe, “Du Herr probierest mich, mit deinem Kreuzzestabe “ (Lord, test me with thy Cross-shaft”); or the “Kreuzes-stab” in “Gib dich zufrieden und sei stille”, as found (like “Ich habe genug” in the Anna Magdalena Notebook.

So, if the source of the imagery is not necessarily or exclusively Neumeister, who else could it be? David Schulenburg suggests the arch-Pietist Heinrich Müller may have contributed imagery via Picander. However, since the combination of the longing for death via the navigatio vitae is a very particular emphasis, it may be that a source nearby already combining the affect with the mystic image is even more plausible.

Such a source exists in the library of J S Bach. It is the “Evangelische Schatz-Kamer”, the Evangelical Treasure-House” of August Pfeiffer, a series of sermons published in 1679. Pfeiffer was Archdeacon of St Thomas (1640-98). I am grateful to Ruth Tatlow for supplying the texts.

The sermon for the 4^th Sunday in Epiphany consists of a metaphysical tour de force, eliciting the idea of the “Schiffahrt”, the spiritual sea journey, in every possible meaning. However, particular emphasis is given to a link between the figure of Simeon, he of the “Nunc dimittis”, who is directly associated with BWV 82 for the Purification of the BVM.

Here is a taste of the parallels created by Pfeiffer, who starts with a reflection on the Nunc Dimittis and then moves to the voyage theme , that of the “fröliche Schiffart Simeons “, the joyful ship of Simeon”, bearing the inscription on the fore side (“facing the sea”):

“Mein Gott! Du führet mich
Durchs Welt-Meer wunderlich”
And aft (“facing the harbour”):
“Doch laufft mein Schifflein
Zum Himmels-Hafen ein”
(“My God! Thou leadest me
Across the Sea of Life wonderfully!”
“Yet my little boat
Runs to the Haven of Heaven”)

Pfeiffer then expounds the image of the Church as the ship of the faithful, with Truth as the ballast; entry being by crossing the waters of baptism; bringing in the crossing of the Jordan and the Sea of Galilee storm; with Jesus the Captain or ship’s Master (“Schiffsherr oder Patron”), and way-finding helmsman (“weg-fundigen Steuermann”), “Peace and Joy in Jesus being better Treasure than the entire Spanish silver fleet”(!). Repeatedly, the voyage is alluded to as the pilgrim’s way to peace and heaven.

The use of “Schifflein” (little boat”) and “Jesulein” (“little Jesus”) suggests the infant Jesus as witnessed by Simeon and also the littleness of the pilgrim. In point of sentiment and focus on the pilgrim as the subject helped by Jesus , rather than the Gospel account where Jesus is the voyager, the Pfeiffer sermon strikes me as a better fit for the source of the text of BWV 56, and the inspiration for the choice of Chorale (Mvt. 5).

But why focus on the Simeon sentiment, welcoming death, on this Sunday? BWV 56 was performed on 27 November 1726. Four days later, on 31 October 1726 the funeral occurred of the Court Counsellor, Johann Christoph von Ponickau, owner of the magnificent estate of Pommsen, and a person of such significance that BWV 157 was written for graveside performance .The adaptation of this Sunday to presentiment of death is thus a possibility with the Simeon idea found appropriate to the demise of the 65 year old Leipzig grandee who would likely have known Pfeiffer in earlier days.

Terejia wrote (January 13, 2008):
Belated happy new year to all and
How do you do Mr. Ed Myskowski

Ed Myskowski wrote:
< Discussion for the week of January 13, 2008
Cantata BWV 56 - Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen (I will gladly carry the Cross)
(..) >
It happens to be a solo cantata that a web-friend of mine, who is a baritone singer, has been working on. I myself enjoy listening to Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau directed by Karl Richter [18]. I like profound aethetic of this piece overall. I'd like to find Kuijken version [43] you recommend someday. On other pieces like Mozart, I have Kuijken CDs but no Bach's Cantatas.

< (..)
In his own notes to his recording, Kuijken [43] says: <The typical madrigalism at the word Kreuzstab attracts attention at the very beginning of the principal theme of the first aria. Bach conceived the motif in such a way that the syllable Kreuz (which means both cross and sharp sign) comes on a sharpened note (C sharp), creating a painful dissonance; and that device weaves its way through the entire movement like an unbroken thread, always reminding us of he idea of the cross.>
I find this quotation extremely inspiring. Mvt. 1 happens to remind me of organ piece BWV 537 Fantagia C-moll part in that its rhysm has a kind of similarity although the movement on our current discussion has 3/4 and BWV 537 Fantagia 4/6.

Thank you for inspiring info. May this new year find all of us well and happy.

Neil Halliday wrote (January 13, 2008):
[To Peter Smaill & Terejia] Yes, the "downward-lapping" figure in 56/1 (Mvt. 1), especially beautiful with the viola harmonisations in bars 8-10, etc, definitely recall similar figures in the pieces referred to, ie, the countersubject in the Book I F# minor fugue, and the 'second motif' (first appearing in the pedals in bar 11) in the organ fantasia BWV 537, all examples of music that is marvellously expressive of 'serene nobility'.

Thanks for pointing them out. (I suppose there may be other examples).

Jean Laaninen wrote (January 13, 2008):
Peter Smaill wrote:
< The uof “Schifflein” (little boat”) and “Jesulein” (“little Jesus”) suggests the infant Jesus as witnessed by Simeon and also the littleness of the pilgrim. In point of sentiment and focus on the pilgrim as the subject helped by Jesus , rather than the Gospel account where Jesus is the voyager, the Pfeiffer sermon strikes me as a better fit for the source of the text of BWV 56, and the inspiration for the choice of Chorale (Mvt. 5). >
Thanks for the detailed information Peter. I was curious about the diminutive terminology, but failed to ask. Fantastic that you have all of those resources and are able present a more detailed history of possibilities than is sometimes available.

Peter Smaill wrote (January 13, 2008):
[To Jean Laaninen] The discovery in BWV 56, if it is one, is really a coincidence, between an interest in medieval mystical ideas surfacing in the texts, and Ruth Tatlow happening to have copies of the Pfeiffer sermons, and generously letting me see them. But one thing leads to another...

...if you follow the link below to wikipedia.de , there is an illustration of Bach pointing out (?for instruction?) three works by Pfeiffer in the frontispiece to the first Anna Magdalena notebook of 1722. "Bach's favourite author" is one comment on the connection.

It is also interesting maybe that Bach always sets the Cantatas for the Purification of the BVM with the story of Simeon, rather than focussing on the Virgin. My suggestion is that he is also subtly referring to the "Simeons-Schifflein" of August Pfeiffer in BWV 56.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Pfeiffer

Neil Halliday wrote (January 15, 2008):
Regarding the orchestration in 56/1, Bach separates oboes and upper strings in two bars only - 73 and 74 - to highlight the accompanying chords to the first long held note on "Plagen"; apart from this, oboes double the strings throughout.

[As it happens, the BGA has a wrong note in bar 74; the first quaver on the 2nd oboe is shown as an 'A' instead of a 'Bb'].

Both recitatives have noteworthy concluding bars; the first has an arresting modulation to Cb major in the penultimate bar, and the second has a repeat of the last two lines of the opening aria, with a most expressive instrumetal conclusion.

Regarding recordings of BWV 56, Richter's large orchestra [18] has a full-bodied timbre, the perfect foil to DFD who is obviously at the hight of his expressive powers, in this 1969 recording. The expressive 'piano' performance of the final chorale (leading to a 'forte' in the final line) is pure magic.

I'll listen to other recordings later.

Terejia wrote (January 16, 2008):
Karl Richter Re: Introduction to BWV 56 - Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen

Neil Halliday wrote:
< (snipped)
Regarding recordings of BWV 56, Richter's large orchestra [18] has a full-bodied timbre, the perfect foil to DFD who is obviously at the hight of his expressive powers, in this 1969 recording. The expressive 'piano' performance of the final chorale (leading to a 'forte' in the final line) is pure magic.
I'll listen to other recordings later. >
My "favorite " Bach rendition varies from time to time. I came to admire Karl Richter [18] so much when I first started listeneing to Bach Cantatas. Periodical instruments were not spotlighted at that time.

Later, Harnoncourt and Leonhardt became my favorite. Today, although I find their performance superior to that of Karl Richter in many respects especially in technical authenticity, more elegance or graciousness in its nuiance, etc, by some reason or other I came back to admire Karl Richter the best despite many things. I don't have enough vocabrary in expressing what exactly it is-actually I don't understand exactly what it is either.

I only wish to say I like Karl Richter [18] the best despite many other "superior" performers and despite many "lack in whatevers" in him. Really unresistable unexplicable power in Karl Richter.

I may well be hypnotised...

Neil Halliday wrote (January 19, 2008):
BWV 56 recordings

http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV56.htm
(There are samples for about half of the recordings listed).

Peter Schreier's recording [32] shows the most vigorous approach to the first movement. Is it successful? I find the accompaniment to be stilted. Bass Oläf Bar has a powerful voice.

Koopman's Klaus Mertens [40] carries the 'strong note-weak note' doctrine into his singing in a manner that some will find distracting.

Winschermann/Prey ([27], sample available), Richter/DFD [18], and Werner/McDaniel [13] are all fine examples of the 60's style.

Funfgeld's choir is too big/lacks definition in the final chorale.

Genearally speaking, we have a fine array of great bass singers in the recordings.

Leusink's version can be heard in full: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Mus/BWV56-Mus.htm

I enjoyed it, apart from a dull accompaniment in the first recitative Rilling [24] has a somewhat clunky harpsichord in this particular movement; Funfgeld [29], for example, is better with a subtle organ sound added to the cello line.

-------

Listening to this cantata, one is struck by the huge contrast between the fervent, lavishly orchestrated, gloomy first movement (with its long 'tortured' melisma on "Plagen", and the lightly scored, happy second aria, with its charming imitative interplay between voice and oboe.

Ed Myskowski wrote (January 21, 2008):
There are now forty-six recordings listed for BWV 56, six of them new since the first round of discussions. The number of choices is intimidating, but Aryeh Oron provided extensive comments on a large group of the earlier recordings for the first round of discussions, and Neil Halliday added helpful comments in recent days. Most of you have likely noticed that Neil makes good use of the samples and recordings available online, and shares his observations and opinions weekly. Thanks, as always.

Of the recent releases, I have listened to Koopman [40] with Klaus Mertens, bass, Gardiner [39] with Peter Harvey, and Kuijken [43] with Dominik Worner. You will not go wrong with any of these, but I find Kuijken worthy of special mention, and I would add it to Aryehs *A list* of essential recordings.

The balance of vocal and instrumental lines sounds just right at all times, and the SACD sound provides superb detail (which I once hastily called *edgy*), even in conventional stereo. Kuijken includes excellent booklet notes, regarding both the individual works, and his overall performance philosophy. He pays special attention to Bachs specific indication for violincello, as in Mvt. 2 of BWV 56. Once you have heard it, nothing else sounds quite as good. He specifically acknowledges his adoption of the reduced forces we have come to call OVPP, based on the published research of Rifkin and others. The final chorale, Mvt. 5, makes a wonderful effect, with the bass voice of Worner continuing to stand out clearly as part of the quartet. Worner is wonderful throughout, rich, warm and expressive, like a fine instrument.

I first encountered Kuijken via a radio broadcast of BWV 21 a year or so ago, and at about the same time Brad Lehman recommended this recording. I took a chance, without hearing it first. Thanks Brad, an excellent choice. By happy coincidence, the next three cantatas I will be introducing are all included in Kuijkens as yet limited selection, in fact two of th(BWV 98 and BWV 55) are on the same disc with BWV 56, so you will be hearing a few more words about him.

Aryeh included Herreweghe [31] with Peter Kooy on his A list. I agree that Kooy is on the highest level. In addition, the oboe of Marcel Ponseele in Mvt. 3 is not to be missed, and the cello line is nearly the equal of Kuijken. The loud-soft tone that Neil mentioned with respect to Koopman [40] is also a characteristic of Herreweghe performances, so be aware if that is not to your taste. With that warning, I would suggest a small group of essential recordings, covering a range of styles - Kuijken and Herreweghe, along with one of the Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau options. I find the version with Rilling [24] equally enjoyable as Richter [18], even if significantly different. What others have called restrained with the later version, I hear as mature. In any case, the Rilling version may be the more economically available choice, on Hanssler from Berkshire Record Outlet as either a single disc coupled with BWV 82, or as part of a four-disc set also featuring many cher!
ished Arleen Auger performances.

The Gardiner [39] is part of the ongoing releases of the pilgrimage series recorded in concert performances throughout the year 2000. Despite what must have been a hectic schedule, to say the least, these performances always sound well prepared, and Gardiner usually finds unique elements in his presentation. In BWV 56, he takes Mvt. 1 a bit slower than most others, while Mvt. 3 is a bit quicker, light and jaunty. Perhaps not to everyones taste, but I find it a pleasing touch of variety.

It is a bit unfair to let many other fine recordings go without a mention, but most were covered in the first discussions. In particular, I share the enthusiasm expressed there for Rifkin [30]. Of the newer releases that I have not heard, Kussmaul [41] with Thomas Quastoff has received good notices. I tried Neils approach and looked for samples; I found a few brief ones for the companion BWV 82, but not for BWV 56. Perhaps someone has this recording and can provide a few comments for completeness?

Yoël L. Arbeitman wrote (January 21, 2008):
Ed Myskowski wrote:
> There are now forty-six recordings listed for BWV 56, six of them new since the first round of discussions. The number of choices is intimidating, but Aryeh Oron provided extensive comments on a large group of the earlier recordings for the first round of discussions, and Neil Halliday added helpful comments in recent days. Most of you have likely noticed that Neil makes good use of the samples and recordings available online, and shares his observations and opinions weekly. Thanks, as always. >
Some time ago, maybe a year or so ago a great admirer of what I denominate as "high cholesterol Bach" uploaded elsewhere Mark Harrell's 2^nd recording, that under Robert Shaw [8]. I rarely have such a visceral reaction to any Bach performance of anything and it was not to Harrell's singing at all. It was to the very high cholesterol orchestra that made this baroque music sound like Furtwängler doing Wagner.

And so I find more and more often that singers often interfere with my judgment of the orchestral part of Bach and, if I do not respond to the singers, I fail to appreciate the orchestral interpretation andconversely orchestras often can preclude my appreciation of the singers.

Mostly singers dominate my listening and when they do not appeal to me, I miss what the conductor is doing. In the Harrell case it was the opposite.

I have found that it is far easier to listen and appreciate non-vocal Bach as one major variable is missing and one can judge one single variable, the orchestral/instrumental interpretation.

So it was yesterday with two sets of Brandenburgs I spent some hours with but spare you the details here.

Neil Halliday wrote (January 22, 2008):
Ed Myskowski wrote:
>In BWV 56, (Gardiner) takes Mvt. 1 a bit slower than most others, while Mvt. 3 is a bit quicker, light and jaunty.<
I love the 'jauntiness' of this aria, and prefer tempos such as Gardiner's.

Interestingly, I have just discovered the mp3 samples of Rilling's 1999 version with the fine bass Andreas Schmidt ([36] on the BCW list): http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV56.htm

(the amazon.com link leads to the mp3 samples at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000CAQ4E

(click on the "Buy the MP3 album" link, for short samples: BWV 56 is the first cantata on disc 4).

Rilling's version [36] of Mvt. 3 also has the lively tempo adopted by Gardiner [39], in an attractive recording of the aria.

In the first recitative (Mvt. 2), I see Rilling [36] has overcome the problem I mentioned about the accompaniment in the first recitative (boring 'clunky' harpsichord realisation) that spoilt his 1983 recording [24]; the 1999 recording has the cello expressively conveying the image of gentle wavelets against the side of a ship, with a subtle organ realisation adding the right colour.

But the first aria has the typically fast tempos of Rilling's later performances, reducing the emotional impact, in the case of this aria, IMO.

Cantata BWV 56: Complete Recordings | Recordings of Individual Movements | Discussions: Part 1 | Part 2
Article: Program Notes to Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen, BWV 56 [Sean Burton]

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Last update: ýMarch 26, 2008 ý18:52:28