Cantata BWV 64 - Discussions

Suzuki's Bach Cantata Series, Volume 13

Donald Satz wrote (December 4, 2000):
(7) For me, the best reason for a complete Bach Cantata cycle is the opportunity to own and enjoy Bach's rarely performed and recorded sacred choral works. With Volume 13, Suzuki gives us an entire disc of the infrequently recorded cantatas. The contents are BWV 64, BWV 25, BWV 69a, BWV 77, and BWV 50 which is a fragment. I am using Koopman's series on Erato for each comparison, with Andrew Parrott on EMI added for the BWV 50 fragment. The catalog number of Suzuki's new disc is 1041.

BWV 64, BWV 25, BWV 69a, and BWV 77 were written in 1723 during Bach's first year in Leipzig as Cantor of St. Thomas. Starting with BWV 64, this cantata was composed for the 3^rd day of Christmas, and the first two movements correspond in text to the Christmas season. Matters change greatly thereafter as the text concerns giving up the fleeting rewards of the world for God and heaven. The vocal soloists in BWV 64 are soprano Yukari Nonoshita, alto Robin Blaze, and bass Peter Kooy.

BWV 64

BWV 64 opens with a powerful chorus. There's nothing joyous about it either. Its pervasive quality is a current of concern and distress - not bleak music, but far from festive. Suzuki gives the slower performance, and it's very powerful and inevitable; he has matters tightly controlled and is even elegant compared to Koopman [5]. For his part, Koopman is wild in the sense that the distress is causing panic and it is escalating as the movement progresses. This is a hard choice to make. It's like choosing between a classic woman of elegance and a wild woman with danger on her mind; I'll take both. They are each great performances.

A short chorale, a recitative for alto, and another short chorale follow. The first chorale is stately with a subtle majesty, the recitative begins the theme of rejection of this world, and without pause, the second chorale enters with a heroism of irresistable proportion. This chorale is magical in impact. Both Suzuki and Koopman are superb, but Suzuki's Robin Blaze can not match the blend of beauty and depth in the voice of Koopman's Bogna Bartosz; I have heard Bartosz with Koopman before and consider her a major discovery.

The next movement is a soprano aria, and Koopman has the incomparable Dorothea Roschmann. However, various factors combine to lessen the quality of the performance. This aria has strong uplifting qualities, and Koopman is rather slow and heavy. Add in Roschmann's very deep voice, and the result is a reading which never takes flight. Switch to Suzuki and we get a finely paced reading of quicker tempo with Nonoshita providing a young and innocent allure which has excellent lift to it. Her voice is definitely not as good as Roschmann's, but her match with Suzuki's interpretation is perfect.

A bass recitative, alto aria, and chorale conclude the cantata. Aside from preferring Klaus Mertens to Peter Kooij, both versions are equally outstanding. The aria has a great bounce to it, and both conductors well convey it. I was very impressed with Robin Blaze who, this time, is the equal of Bogna Bartosz and that's a high compliment. The chorale gives the final kiss-off to the significance of this world with the best line in the cantata - "Fare thee well, thou empty shell".

BWV 64 is wonderful music, and both Suzuki and Koopman are very rewarding. I have to go with Suzuki primarily because of the soprano aria. He and Nonoshita are outstanding; Koopman drags the aria down.

Conclusion

Suzuki's Volume 13 is one of his best to date. His chorus is excellent, orchestral support is very enjoyable, and the solo vocal work is better than in any previous issue in the cycle. Most important, Suzuki has a great grasp of Bach's music, and he excels in the arias. I do want to emphasize that my rather consistent preference for Suzuki over Koopman [5] just applies to the recordings reviewed in this posting.

Don's Conclusion: Collectors of the Suzuki series should be very pleased with Volume 13 and consider it an essential acquisition. For others, the disc represents a great way to become familiar with outstanding music which is infrequently recorded.

Discussions in the Week of December 24, 2000

Aryeh Oron wrote (December 24, 2000):
Background

This is the week of cantata BWV 64 according to Ryan Michero's suggestion. This is the one before last cantata for year 2000, and Ryan suggested it because of its connection to Christmas. All the quotations in this review are taken from W. Murray Young's book - 'The Cantatas of J.S. Bach - An Analytical Guide'. I shall review the recordings of the opening Chorus (No.1) and the aria for Soprano (No.5). IMHO, these are the most unique movements of this cantata, as well as its most captivating numbers.

"This cantata is pervaded by a quite, reflective tone, unlike the usual Christmas joy that Bach imparts to his music at Christmastide. (Snip) The main idea shows distaste for the world's attractions, which cannot be compared to the joys of heaven. The only Gospel reference occurs in the first Chorus, taken from the first Epistle of John 3: 1, which quotes it for its text, because this date was the feast day of John the Apostle. However, the rest of the cantata has nothing more to do with this nor with the Christmas story; It is concerned simply with renunciation of the world. There are three chorales as well as Chorus for the choir, with solo numbers for soprano, alto and bass. The instruments are a cornetto, an oboe d'amore, three trombones, two violins, a viola, organ and continuo."

Mvt. 1 Chorus
"Like a motet in its fugal style. Right from the beginning, the voices repeat the sections of the fugue, with the orchestra doubling the voices in joy-motif: 'Sehet, welch eine Liebe hat uns der Vater erzeiget, dass wir Gottes kinder heissen.' (See what love the Father has shown to us, that we are called God's children.) It is very powerful opening number."

Mvt. 5 Aria for Soprano
"This is the most beautiful part of the cantata. Bach must have been greatly inspired to have written such mystical music as this, with its emotional, dream-like, haunting melody of the violins. The text comes from Psalm 37: 20, paraphrased thus: 'Was die welt / In sich hält, / Muss als wie ein Rauch vergehen.' (What the world / Holds within itself / Must like smoke vanish.) This picture of poignant emptiness in a desolate landscape is audibly created by Bach's pen. Nowhere has his tone-colour been so touching as in this aria. In the second part of her aria, Bach's artistry is evident in the coloratura runs on the words 'fest' (firmly) and 'stehen' (stand): 'Aber was mir Jesus gibt, / Und was meine Seele liebt, / Bleibet fest und ewig stehen.' (But what Jesus gives to me, / And what my soul loves / Remains standing firmly and eternally.) The da capo returns us to the beauty of the first part of her aria."

Review of the Complete Recordings

(1) Wilhelm Ehmann (Mid 1960’s?)
Opening Chorus: In some of cantatas recorded by Ehmann, I found his renderings most satisfying, even superior to many others. But in his performance of the opening Chorus, I have had major disappointment. It is slow, heavy, lacking joy and clear focus. It stays on the ground and does not take off with lilt. On the other hand, it might be that Ehmann wanted this Chorus to reflect the general atmosphere of the whole cantata, which means 'distaste for the world's attractions, which cannot be compared to the joys of heaven'.
Aria for Soprano: Maria Friesenhausen sings the aria for soprano relatively slow. Usually such approach does not disturb me. In many cases I find myself preferring the slower tempi, which were commonly used in many the Bach recordings from the past (up to about mid 1970's), to the faster tempi adopted by most of modern conductors of the cantatas. But this aria is performed here very slow, too slow to my taste. As a result it becomes sluggish up to being painful to listen to. The shortcomings of the singer become more evident in this rendering - too much vibrato, lack of vividness, and heavy tone. The smoke is stuck in the air, like thick fog in industrial area.

(2) Karl Richter (1970+1972)
Opening Chorus: The performance of the opening Chorus is much more vigorous than the previous one. Despite what seem to be big forces, the various lines of the fugue can be clearly heard. The whole performance has a lot of power and internal conviction.
Aria for Soprano: Edith Mathis almost touches the 'poignant emptiness in a desolate landscape'. Her singing in the coloratura parts is immaculate. The sound of the violins is warm and emotional. The atmosphere created by their playing is earthy rather than 'dreamy'. Everything is overt rather than mystical. However, the match achieved in this rendering between the singer and the accompaniment is perfect, considering the interpretation, which uncover only one option suggested by the text and the music.

[3] Nikolaus Harnoncourt (1976)
Opening Chorus: The opening Chorus sounds simple, naive and chamber-like in comparison to Richter's. In this case I can say that it is more truthful and 'authentic'. In this rendering the opening Chorus becomes old-style motet. However, it lacks power and jollity. Something is missing, like a net with too big holes.
Aria for Soprano: Last week I raved about Sebastian Hennig, the boy soprano in Leonhardt's recording of Cantata BWV 132. And this week we have another fine boy soprano - Peter Jelosits. In some ways he is even better. He is marvellous - pleasant voice in all ranges, good technique, and what is most important - he touches your heart with delicate sensitivity and earnest delivery. I rarely heard violins in H & L cycle playing a tone-picture like the one proposed by the words ' What the world / Holds within itself / Must like smoke vanish' so beautifully and with such poignancy.

(4) Helmuth Rilling (1978+1981)
Opening Chorus: The performance of the opening Chorus has all the qualities missing from most of the previous rendering - good separation between the musical lines, which is needed for satisfying performance of a fugue, warmth, joy and power - 'See what love the Father has shown to us, that we are called God's children.'
Aria for Soprano: Arleen Augér is in class of her own. She penetrates easily everybody's heart, with her sincere expression, and deep grief. The playing of the violins is in the same level with the singer. Together they create a wonderful picture of vanishing, crumbling world.

(5) Ton Koopman (1998)
Opening Chorus: Koopman is trying to make the opening Chorus livelier by playing it faster than usual. To me this approach does not work for this movement. Indeed the cantata was composed for Christmas, 'this cantata is pervaded by a quite, reflective tone' (Murray). The fugal lines are also very hard to follow, when they are played so fast.
Aria for Soprano: Dorothea Röschmann is very much aware to the textual content of her aria, her voice is pure and light and her movement along the musical lines is impeccable. If I miss something that is more weight and depth. If that was the only version I knew, it would have been perfect. Hearing her after Augér and Jelosits (yes, the boy!), reveals that there are more dimensions to this splendid aria. The smoke is also very light and gentle. Like a smoke from a single cigarette in a big empty room in the early evening. You see it and smell it only because the surroundings are clean and nothing disturbs your attention.

(6) John Eliot Gardiner (1998)
Opening Chorus: Even before listening to Gardiner's recording of this movement, I knew how it is going to be sounded. And I wonder, why are Gardiner's interpretations of Bach Cantatas so expected? Is it the simplification, the emphasis on the jolly and danceable side of the works; is it the same rhythmical treatment given to almost every movement? I prefer that a performance of a Bach cantata will be sounded as 'the sound of surprise' (the name of the first book by the renowned Jazz critic Whitney Balliett). This rendering has, of course, the lilting rhythm, but for me it sounds one-dimensional. It has no mystery and no internal depth. It shows 'the joys of heaven', but not 'distaste for the world's attractions'.
Aria for Soprano: The violins set the right mood for the aria, and Ann Monoyios enters calmly and gently. Her singing is moving in apparently innocence and delicate approach. The world is falling apart and what remains is the sadness of the loneliness and emptiness. The tenderness of this rendition of the aria contradicts everything I wrote about Gardiner regarding his performance of the opening Chorus. As I have learnt with many of the recordings of Bach Cantatas, which have been reviewed in our group so far, the greatest enemy of honest and open comparison between the various recordings of a certain cantata are prejudices. Most probably I am not free of some!

Conclusion

Opening Chorus - Richter (2) and Rilling (4).
Aria for Soprano - Jelosits/Harnoncourt (3), Augér/Rilling (4) and Monoyios/Gardiner (6).

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

Andrew Oliver wrote (December 29, 2000):
What can we say about this cantata? It is written for the third day of Christmas, but it tells us nothing of Christ's nativity. Instead, it deals with some of the fundamentals of Christianity - the futility and transience of everything to do with the world, and the assured hope of eternal life for the believer, made possible by the gift to the world of Jesus Christ, and although he had to die to procure salvation for believers, he first had to be born, hence the (tenuous) connection with Christmas.

The opening chorus is a good example of Bach's skill in writing counterpoint, but, strangely, it does not inspire me. I admire it but I am not captivated by it (except perhaps by the climax near the end, which is quite exciting), and I think perhaps my mild disappointment may be due to the way Bach has scored it as a motet, that is, without independent instrumental lines. (The orchestral parts simply double the vocal parts.)

Aryeh rightly drew our attention to the soprano aria, with its fine virtuoso violin part, but I particularly like the last aria, for alto, with its long, flowing melodic line. In fact, I think of it more as a duet than a solo, because the part of the oboe d'amore is equally as important as that of the voice, and Bach weaves the two together with great skill. For me, this movement exudes humbly confident serenity.

The final chorale simply reinforces what has gone before, by bidding farewell to everything of a worldly nature.

Jane Newble wrote (December 30, 2000):
This cantata is a box of delights to me, as I love chorales!! And there are three of them. One comes as such a surprise after the alto recitative, almost like everyone saying: "Yes, we agree with that!" Contrary to popular ideas of merriment and enjoyment to remember the birth of Christ, this cantata brings us right back to the real issue...why did Christ come?

It starts with an exciting "Look, this is why"!! Especially with Koopman (5). Aryeh is probably right, when he says it's too fast, but I do find it exciting, especially when it leads up to the 'DASZ' sung with capital letters! Wonderful. Then, instead of going on to rejoicing etc. we are told that it is all about real, lasting values, instead of worldly plea. The cello in the alto recitative almost makes a mockery of the vanity of the world, with it's sliding up and down scales. Nothing solid, nothing to trust in. Then that lovely chorale: 'Was frage ich nach der Welt' - what do I want of worldly things anyway, when I have something far more valuable. The soprano aria confirms this with the long steady notes on 'fest und ewig stehen'. Solid, lasting and eternal.

I have only heard the Leusink (8) and the Koopman (5), and I'd love to hear the boy soprano in L&H (3). I always wonder why HIP people are so keen to use mature female sopranos, especially in arias renouncing the world and it's pleasures. At least I am very glad Koopman did not use Barbara Schlick here. And I like Marjon Strijk, but not as much as the usual Ruth Holton. I like most of the Leusink version, but I feel that the first chorus sounds a bit disjointed. However, that may be after hearing the amazing togetherness in Koopman.

Yoël L. Arbeitman wrote (December 30, 2000):
< Jane Newble wrote: I have only heard the Leusink and the Koopman, and I'd love to hear the boy soprano in L&H. I always wonder why HIP people are so keen to use mature female sopranos, especially in arias renouncing the world and it's pleasures. At least I am very glad Koopman did not use Barbara Schlick here. And I like Marjon Strijk, but not as much as the usual Ruth Holton. I like most of the Leusink version, but I feel that the first chorus sounds a bit disjointed. However, that may be after hearing the amazing togetherness in Koopman. >
Couldn't have expressed this question better. In the L & H set the Wachet auf (BWV 140) dialogue between the boy soprano and Hampson (if I recall) is really most affecting. It's been said on this list (probably on the BachRecordings list actually) by Kirk that the L & H set had been available at what comes to a few bucks a CD. That's how I read it anyway. I have never seen it except at a small fortune. It is the one thing I would really like to have and find beyond affording.

Andrew Oliver wrote (December 31, 2000):
I just wanted to add that I sent my comments having heard only the Teldec version (Harnoncourt) (3), but I have been loaned Koopman's recording (5), and I find that this appeals to me rather more than Harnoncourt's does, generally speaking, especially so in the opening chorus, and does a better job of conveying the joy of the cantata's message.

BWV 64/5 Soprano Aria

Eitan Loew wrote (November 15, 2003):
Today we have been listening to this cantata and the sopran aria sounded very familiar - I guess that Bach used it somewhere else. Who can help?

Thomas Braatz wrote (November 15, 2003):
[To Eitan Loew] Even the Bach experts (Drr, et al) have not found a direct connection with any other composition by Bach. Many experts do mention the gavotte-like treatment Bach uses in this aria.

Here a fairly recent comment by the experts on "Dance and the Music of J. S. Bach" [Little & Jenne, expanded edition, Indiana University Press, 2001, p. 217]:

"More embellishments [than BWV 130/5 {tenor} and BWV 194/5 {soprano}] fill the soprano aria "Was die Welt in sich hält" BWV 64/5 (1723-35.) The time signature is now C, not cut-time, probably indicating a slightly slower tempo [gavotte-like tempo is generally a moderate one] to accommodate the filled-in beats. The text, expressing security in Jesus though the world will vanish, shows the breadth with which the gavotte style can embrace a variety of affects, this one is neither pastoral nor naive and simple. The stability of the 4 + 4 gavotte phrases the perfect foundation for extravagant diminutions in the 1st violin part."

[This illustrates clearly how Bach ennobles the dance forms that he uses for sacred purposes. If some of the current or more recent performers take this aria with a fast, light tempo, it becomes quite apparent that they have not understood properly the message of the text or perhaps have chosen to emphasize some negative aspects of it as they pursue what they think are 'authentic' performance practices.]

Just a quick sampling of some of the recordings of this mvt. still leaves me with the usual impressions with one surprise: Leusink, whose much slower version, unfortunately, almost dies under its own weight and heaviness because Strijk, the soprano, is unable to imbue the aria with the necessary strength, intensity, and stability (lax pronunciation does not help here either.) On the extreme opposite end, despite the excellent effort of Peter Jelosits, one of the few leading lights in the boy soprano category of the Harnoncourt/Leonhardt cantata series, Harnoncourt [3] misses the point of this aria entirely by converting it into a peasant dance with heavy accents with additional, unwritten pauses between the notes. Harnoncourt illustrates what commonly can occur when HI performers 'discover' a dance or dance element in Bach's sacred music. The Leonhardt/Harnoncourt legacy in regard to emphasizing strongly the dance elements in Bach's sacred music is still making itself felt in the numerous Passion recordings of recent years, recordings where these dance elements are strongly emphasized to the detriment of the seriousness of the sacred texts which Bach had set to music sometimes using modified dance rhythms.

I like to think that Bach ennobled these dance forms and raised them to a yet higher level of appreciation, without having to resort to the often severe metrical restrictions of a courtly dance nor without having to indulge in the crude characteristics of a peasant dance (heavy, stomping accents.)

Neil Halliday wrote (November 16, 2003):
[To Eitan Loew] For some reason, the soprano aria 'Buss und Reu' (SMP (BWV 244), Klemperer) came to mind, when I played my Rilling recording of the BWV 64 soprano aria [4].

About the only similarity is the start of the 'melody' of the aria on the dominant, in the minor key; perhaps it's more the similarity of the sopranos (Schwarzkopf and Auger), or the timbre of the strings, that jogged my memory. Someone else may be able to come up with something that has a geater resemblance than this.

This BWV 64 soprano aria is another example of a 'catchy' melody (Rilling's timing: 5.32 [4]) in a mainly homophonic setting, similar in this respect to the BWV 188 (major key) tenor aria.

Teseo wrote (November 16, 2003):
Thomas Braatz wrote: < it becomes quite apparent that they have not understood properly the message of the text or perhaps have chosen to emphasize some negative aspects of it as they pursue what they think are 'authentic' performance practices. >
or may be this is exactly what JSB had in his mind while composing these pieces...

Thomas Braatz wrote (November 16, 2003):
[To Eitan Loew] Eitan, I forgot to include another important soprano aria which has the similar gavotte rhythm (also mentioned by Little & Jenne indicated in my previous post.) On p. 218 they state: “The same is true of the elegant soprano aria “Dein sonst hell beliebter Schein” BWV 176/3 (1725). This aria speaks of the power of God’s light in the cantata that tells the story of Nicodemus coming to Jesus by night. Flowing triplets in the strings, and eventually in the voice as well, are reminiscent of the earlier 2^nd gavotte in Bach’s Cello Suite in C minor, BWV 1011 (1720.)

Notice the words the Little & Jenne use in describing these gavotte-like mvts. from the cantatas: 'elegance,' 'breadth,' 'stability,' 'perfect foundation' and 'flowing'

To my statement:
>>it becomes quite apparent that they have not understood properly the message of the text or perhaps have chosen to emphasize some negative aspects of it as they pursue what they think are 'authentic' performance practices.<<

Teseo :
>>or may be this is exactly what JSB had in his mind while composing these pieces...<<

Yes, if you believe critics such as Richard Taruskin, who, in his book, "Text & Act" (Oxford UnivePress, 1995) on p. 314, in referring to the Harnoncourt/Leonhardt Bach cantata series, states "Mr. Leonhardt and Mr. Harnoncourt deserve our admiration. Their achievement is unique and well-nigh unendurable." The word, 'unendurable' is taken here by Taruskin in a positive sense. On p. 310 Taruskin writes: "When his [Bach's] sounds [in his church cantatas] were agreeable, it was only to point out an escape from worldly woe in heavenly submission. Just as often he aimed to torture the ear: when the world was his subject, he wrote music that for sheer deliberate ugliness has perhaps been approached...but never equaled." And on p. 311 he continues: "Mr. Harnoncourt's style has taken on attributes that "performance practice" alone could never have vouchsafed. They can only have come from those "contemptible" Lutheran texts and their unaccommodating polemic. His increasingly hortatory and unbeautiful way of performing Bach reached a peak about halfway through the series, and the intervening decade has done nothing to lessen its power to shock -- or disgust. If you seek contact with the essential Bach at full hideous strength, Mr. Harnoncourt's performances remain the only place to go."

It occurs to me, not for the sake of initiating another argument on this list that might take on too many religious/political overtones, that Harnoncourt, possibly as 'foreigner' or 'outsider' [an instrumentalist, not having grown up within the religion and tradition of singing and performing Bach's sacred music using German Lutheran/Baroque texts] was unable, in the majority of his cantata recordings, to 'connect' properly (in his heart) with the true substance of Bach's music and thus resorted to distortions which he thought necessary to confront and attract a new audience of listeners, who had never before heard any Bach cantatas appropriately/reasonably performed with "Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben."

Andrzej Kozlowski wrote (November 17, 2003):
[To Thomas Braatz] I never take seriously anything written by Richard Taruskin. He has totally discredited himself by his ludicrous views on Shostakovich, which he maintains with the stubborness of a madman against all evidence. The views quoted here just confirm this judgement.

Neil Halliday wrote (November 17, 2003):
[To Thomas Braatz] Mr. Taruskin strikes me as a purveyor of the styles characteristic of the contemporary 'catwalk' scene, where the ugly fashions (and physiques), which are supposed to delight the eye, are all too apparent and common.

I'm sure Mr. Harnoncourt's fans would be none too pleased by the praise heaped on him by this particular critic!

Teseo wrote (November 17, 2003):
Thomas Braatz wrote:
< Yes, if you believe critics such as Richard Taruskin >
Actually I do not care of anything Mr. Taruskin can write, say or think. I only point out that a little of humility never does any harm in discussing about music. Unless one is in direct contact with the ghost of JSB what we can only say about any performance of his music is: "I agree because... etc" or "I do not agree because....etc", "I like this because....etc" or "I do not like this because.... etc". Nobody knows exactly how Bach intended his music to be played. I think that almost any approach to Bach's music - from, say, Richter's to Rifkin's - contains a part of the "true substance of Bach's music" and that is extremely difficult to entirely reject a performance practice, HIP or non-HIP it may be, on an objective basis.

John Pike wrote (November 17, 2003):
[To Teseo] Yes, I agree with much of this. I once remember Andras Schiff saying that Bach was the most generous composer since his music can withstand almost any kind of treatment and a wide variety of tempi and to still sound wonderful. All that really matters is that it must be beautiful.

BWV 64 "Sehet,, welch eine Liebe"

Neil Halliday wrote (December 29, 2003):
Regarding the opening chorus, the BGA score shows this fugal motet-like movement to have cornet and trombones (and strings) doubling the voice parts; of the Richter [2] and Rilling [4] performances, only the former has the brass instruments.

Both recordings are very good, with a high degree of clarity of the parts of the fugue, but different in effect, because Rilling takes a slower tempo (3.22 c.f. 2.33 for Richter [2]) , and lacks the sombre tone colouring provided by the trombones.

I wonder if Koopman [5] and Suzuki [7], who have also recorded this cantata, have included the brass instruments?

Bob Henderson wrote (December 29, 2003):
[To Neil Halliday] [7] Suzuki employs the Concerto Palatino, three trombones, one cornetto in his rendering of BWV 64. Volume 13. Because of the somber tone produced it is one of my favorites.

Neil Halliday wrote (December 29, 2003):
[To Bob Henderson] Thanks, Bob.

[7] It's interesting that Suzuki has employed an expert group, the Concerto Palatino, outside of the BCJ, to play the parts for these instruments. (Probably the same thing happened in Bach's time.)

Bradley Lehman wrote (December 30, 2003):
Neil Halliday wrote: Regarding the opening chorus, the BGA score shows this fugal motet-like movement to have cornet and trombones (and strings) doubling the voice parts; of the Richter [2] and Rilling [4] performances, only the former has the brass instruments. >
For what it's worth: a cornetto (Zink) is made of wood and leather, not brass. And, historically, its principal role was to blend with (and in some cases substitute for!) voices: having a tone more like the human voice than any other instrument.

Trombones had a similar traditional role (their blending ability in church music, reinforcing the middle of a texture with a warm glow, instead of standing out separately) all the way through the 17th century (the Italians and Germans), right through the end of the 18^th. Check out the Salzburg and Viennese masses (Reutter, Michael and Joseph Haydn, the Mozarts, et al) that have strings, trombones, and organ continuo as the "standard" orchestra to accompany sacred choral music.

Discussions in the Week of January 8, 2006

John Pike wrote (January 7, 2006):
BWV 64 "Sehet, welch eine Liebe hat uns der Vater erzeiget" : Introduction

As we proceed with our chronological survey of Bach's cantatas, in order of composition, the cantata for discussion this week (beginning 8th January 2006) is Cantata BWV 64 "Sehet, welch eine Liebe hat uns der Vater erzeiget" ("Behold, what a love the Father has shown to us" (by W. Murray Young))

Basic Information

Event in the Lutheran church calendar: Cantata for the 3rd Day of Christmas [Christmas Tuesday, St John's Day]
Readings: Epistle: Hebrews 1: 1-14 / Ecclesiastical Letters 15: 1-8; Gospel: John 1: 1-14
See: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Read/Christmas3.htm

Composed: Leipzig, 1723
1^st performance: December 27, 1723 - Leipzig; 2^nd performance: c. 1742 - Leipzig

Text: I John 3: 1 (Mvt. 1); Martin Luther (Mvt. 2); Georg Michael Pfefferkorn (Mvt. 4); Johann Franck (Mvt. 8); Christian Weiss, Sr. or Anon (Mvts. 3, 5, 6-7) [based on text from Johann Oswald (?) Knauer cantata cycle]
See: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Luther.htm
See: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Franck-Johann.htm
See: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Knauer.htm

Short Commentary

The notes below are taken from sleeve notes from Suzu's recording (by Andreas Gloeckner, 2000):

For the composition of the first year of cantatas in Leipzig in 1723, Bach had no librettist at his disposal, and the texts are of very divese origins. The textual basis for BWV 64 has only recently been established. These texts are partly by Johann Oswald Knauer, and were published as early as 1720 for performances by the Gotha Hofkapelle in the chapel of Schloss Friedenstein. The libretti - originally set to music by Gottfried Heinrich Stoelzel and Johann Friedrich Fasch - appear in considerably altered forms in Bach's settings - and it is unclear who undertook the revisions. It is likewise impossible to say how Knauer's poems came to be in Bach's possession.

In Bach's setting, Knauer's text appears in radically shortened and at times considerably modified form. A further difference is that it contains two additional chorale strophes ("Das hat er alles uns getan" and "Was frag ich nach der Welt"). Knauer's libretto does not refer directly to the texts of the reading (epistle and gospel) for the third day of Christmas, which is also the commemoration day of St John the apostle. In order to incorporate a reference to this commemoration day, however, he places a textual quotation from from the First Letter of John (3:1) at the beginning of the poem. Bach gives this dictum a four-part motet-like choral setting, with the vocal parts doubled by instruments (cornet, three trombones and strings). In Bach's cantata movements without separate instrumental parts, this practice can be observed relatively often. It is evidently to be ascribed to the lack of choral singers, especially noticeable on major feast days when two choirs performed at!
The same time in the main Leipzig churches (St. Nicholas and St. Thomas).

Whereas the first two movements of the cantata ("Sehet welch eine Liebe hat uns der Vater erzeigt" and "Das hat er alles uns getan") refer directly to the Christmas story, the cantata text undergoes a surprising change of direction before the third movement, a recitative ("Geh, Welt! Behalte nur das Deine") by renouncing everything worldly and and turning to Jesus, "the world" is clearly rejected. This concern with the next world becomes evident not only in the chamber-music-like intimacy of the two arias, but also in the choral movements that are not connected with the Christmas story - "Was frag ich nach der Welt" and "Gute Nacht, o Wesen" (these were added later).

BWV 64 was performed again, with no recognisable changes, in the years around 1742. It is among the works by Bach that were performed not only in Leipzig's two principal churches but apparently also outside his area of authority (perhaps in the Neue Kirche ?). As late as Michaelmas 1761, the publisher Johann Gottlob Immanuel Breitkopf still offered a copy of this cantata in his catalogue of manuscripts.

Useful information

Link to texts, translations, details of scoring, references, provenance, commentary, vocal score, music examples, and list of known recordings:
http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV64.htm

Link to previous discussions:
http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV64-D.htm

Chorales used in this cantata

Bach used the chorale "Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ" in this cantata. See:
CT: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/Chorale003-Eng3.htm
CM: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/CM/Gelobet-seist-du.htm

Music

Streamed over the internet, it is possible to hear Leusink's version of
the whole cantata:
http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Mus/BWV64-Mus.htm

You can listen to short examples from other recordings through the links to Amazon provided at the Recordings page.

I look forward to reading your comments about this cantata and about the available recordings.

Peter Smaill wrote (January 7, 2006):
BWV 64, “Sehet, Welche eine Liebe hat uns der Vater Erzeiget”, continues the breathtaking run BWV 63-BWV 40- BWV 64 with which Bach celebrates his first Christmas at Leipzig.

John Pike sets out the recent scholarship by which we know the author of part of the text, which originates with Johan Knauer, “unmistakably” in Dǖrr’s view. Through Knauer we are led to Johann Friederich Fasch, 1688-1759, for whom Knauer wrote several texts which found their way into the former’s cycle of Cantatas. Fasch was Kappelmeister in Zerbst and was admired by Bach, who appears to have arranged the organ Trio BWV 585. One reason to be interested in Fasch is his correspondence with the leader of the quasi-pietist revival in Saxony led by the Moravian Brotherhood set up at Herrnhut in Saxony by Count Zinzendorf and which, as mentioned recently, was suppressed in the mid 1730’s by Augustus III. However, precisely how this libretto came to be formed remains a mystery.

My contention is that it is , however, not wholly independent of the sentiment of the preceding work BWV 40, which expresses the coming down of Christ from majesty and , in its ascending final bars in the Schlusschoral hints at the raising up of mankind. In BWV 64 this sentiment is made manifest:

BWV 64/1 – emphasised by a hiatus:
“dass wir Gottes Kinder heissen!”
(“that we God’s children are called!)
BWV64/3
“Denn Jesus will den Himmel mit mir teilen,
Und dazu hat er mich erkoren
(“For Jesus would heaven with me share
And for that he has me chosen”)

It is striking that none of these Christmas cantatas has much reliance on the usual Christmas fare and that a theological exegesis runs through them.. Eric Chafe’s take on this period in the church year is that “ while “Christen, ätzet diesen tag” utilizes its symmetrical design to emphasise the meaning of Christmas Day as the turning of the ages, cantata BWV 121 “Christum wir sollen loben schon”, for the second day of Christmas (1725) draws an implied analogy between the unfathomable mystery of the incarnation and the turning of the sun at the winter solstice, and the Cantata BWV 64 emphasizes instead something closer to the division of the worlds “above” and “below” rather than past and future , a theme that is more in keeping with its Johannine Gospel reading”
..
The Christmas cantatas we are reviewing are certainly replete with allusions to the impact of new light of Christ as befits the Christmas message; we have the elaboration of “strahl” (“ray”) in BWV 63 , “erschienen” (“shining forth”) in BWV 40, and the emphasis on “Sehet!” (“See!”). The tension with the light of this world , which in BWV 64/6 only reveals sin, is apparent too. Since these three Cantatas so tentatively relate to the season and feast days it is tempting to wonder if it is the sermons fixed for this period which drove the content.

What of the opening motet-like BWV 64/1? It is one of seven settings of biblical texts in the surviving Cantatas in which Bach deploys this form, a technique beginning with “Deine Alter sei wie deine Jugend” in BWV 71 at Mühlhausen in 1707 and continuing right up to the 1730’s in the adaptation of “Siehe zu, das Gottesfurcht nicht heuchelei sei” to the Kyrie of the Mass in G (BWV 236). In general his technique is to use such an emphatic, disciplined choral structure where there is a “Spruch” or dictum to be driven home. For example, the surviving libretti of the Christiane Mariane von Ziegler texts of BWV 68 and BWV 108 actually call suchlike movements “Dictum”. So the decision here is deliberate and not just patching together a Cantata under pressure frsome old contrapuntal essay from the Weimar days.

Other commentators have found the robust, brass-reinforced subject of BWV 64/1 ungainly in the context of the tender love of the baby Jesus; and yet the emphatic break before “Wir Gottes Kinder heissen” is so bespoke to the words that it seems unlikely that Bach simply adapted this movement from an earlier work, even though his enormous workload would arguably have inclined him to such a path. One ultimately agrees with Whittaker that it is “extremely beautiful, sheer musical joy from start to finish.” The attaca running of the recitative BWV 64/3 into the chorale BWV 64/4 is a dramatic detail indicative of a skilful adaptation.

Finally we have the chorale ,”Jesu, meine Freude”, which was harmonised, according to Daniel Melamed, ten times by Bach in the Cantatas or independently, as well as set five times in the Motet BWV 227, and in two melody variants.

Here it is the more antiquated , pre-Leipzig version of the tune which is deployed , and the use of a motet introduction in this work and the following year’s BWV 121 may be a piece of deliberate archaism by Bach to emphasise the handing down of faith from the past in the re-enactment of the Christmas mysteries and the theology of the Incarnation.

Drew wrote (January 8, 2006):
Some Comments on BWV 64: "Sehet, welch eine Liebe..."

The recording I own of BWV 64 is from the Archiv (DG) releases from
Gardiner's Bach Cantata Pilgrimage: Amazon.com

Gardiner' reading of BWV 63 (Christen, aeztet diesen Tag) is worth the price of the disc alone. A brilliant interpretation of a perfect cantata (certainly one of Bach's best - the opening and closing choruses are superb, not to mention the duets).

It is interesting that on the Gardiner disc BWV 64 follows right after BWV 63. What a striking - even startling - shift in tone, from the boisterous, euphoric (yet simultaneously tender and reflective) BWV 63 and the much more subdued, almost chastened BWV 64. Good night pomp and pride (No. 8, "Gute Nacht, du Stolz und Pracht!") indeed!

This musically ascetic tone fits the major themes of the cantata:

(1) a humbled gratitude in response to the "gross Lieb" (great love, no. 2) of God expressed in sending Jesus, the true treasure.

(2) (as a response to the great "Christmas" gift) renunciation of the world (in keeping with the emphasis of St. John in his epistles).

What is most noteworthy to me about this cantatas is, not surprisingly, the two beautiful arias (nos. 5 and 7). In Gardiner's recording, no. 5 (Was die Welt / In sich hält, / Muß als wie ein Rauch vergehen) is sung beautifully by Ann Monoyios. The interplay of the Violins I / II and the Viola is lovely. I seem to have read somewhere that the flourishes of Violin I suggest the movement / dissipation of "Rauch" (smoke). (For some reason, the Violin I embellishments remind me a little bit - just a little bit, in spots - of V. William's "Lark Ascending"). Everything in this world is ephemeral - only in Jesus can lasting "Schaetzen" (treasure, no. 4) be found.

Denunciation of the world's vanity is even more dramatic in the alto aria (no. 7), sung by Sara Mingardo in the Gardiner recording. It is not a highly dramatic aria, as one might expect, but graceful and assured (what type of baroque dance is this?). The soloist repeats the sibilant "nichts" ("From the world I long for NOTHING") some 34 times (17 in Part A, and 17 in the da capo). With this attention-getting iteration, no one doubts the sentiment of the final chorale: "Gute Nacht, o Wesen, Das die Welt erlesen!" (Good Night, o Existence, Which the World has chosen!).

S. Sper wrote (January 8, 2006):
Text in Cantata 64

Notes on Cantata 64

I am new to this group, and new to studying the Cantatas (though I have listened to many of them, but not very closely).

I am greatly interested in the text of the Cantatas, how the music and the text relate to the designated readings, and how the music and text would minister to the listener sitting in a church service. How I wish that my church performed a Bach cantata weekly! How spiritually edifying that would be to the congregation! Indeed, as it is, studying the Cantatas, with headphones on, is certainly a personally moving experience.

The readings for Cantata BWV 64 are John 1: 1-14 and Hebrews 1: 1-14. These texts speak of the mystery of the incarnation, and also the exaltation of Christ. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world know Him not" (John 1: 10). "God... hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1: 3). So, these texts speak of the world and of heaven: Christ coming into the world; Christ being exalted in heaven.

At first glance, it seems that the text for Cantata BWV 64 does not relate to these readings, or relates only tangentially. Given the readings, one might have expected a Cantata that speaks of the mystery of the incarnation and the exaltation of Christ in heaven. Certainly some majestic music could have been (and has been) written on those subjects!

Yet, how does the Cantata start: "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God" (I John 3:1). The Cantata begins speaking of "us", drawing the listener in. It should be noted that the Cantata was written for St John's day and, appropriately, the Cantata begins with one of the most beloved verses that St John wrote, concerning the love of God for us. But also, this verse does relate directly to a verse in the readings: "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become children of God, even to them that believe on His name" (John 1: 12).

The second movement is a choral response to the Biblical text in the first movement: "All this for us our God hath done, whose great love gave us His Son, so joyful let all Christians be, and give Him thanks eternally." The music for the Chorale is peaceful and beautiful, lulling the listener.

But the peace is broken by the sharp beginning of the third movement Recitativo: "Geh, Welt!..." This movement presents a second response to the text of the first movement, and presents the textual theme for the rest of the Cantata. Not only should we respond with "joy" and "thanks" (as expressed in the second movement), but also we should look heavenward, and realize where our true riches lie. "Hence, world! Keep earth's poor riches... Heaven is now mine, in this my soul will revel."

Each of the following movements build on this textual theme of looking heavenward: the 4^th movement aria ("Little worth's found on earth"), the 5^th movement Recititavo ("In heaven above one day I'll rest"), the 6^th movement Aria ("Of this world I ask for nought, nought, nought"), and finally the concluding Chorale ("Farewell all that earth doth treasure").

What is interesting, upon reflection, is that the text of the Cantata does parallel the text in the readings. The readings summarize the incarnation of Christ on earth, and His exaltation in heaven. The text of the Cantata begins with the love of God exalting us to be children of God, and the result is for us to turn from earth and look toward heaven.

Another note of interest to me, is exactly how appropriate the text of this Cantata is us nowadays, given the way we celebrate Christmas. I don't know how things were in 18^th Leipzig, but here in 21^st century America, during the Christmas season, there is far too much focus on the world's riches (which "perish like smoke"), and far too little focus on the true riches of heaven.

Peter Smaill wrote (January 9, 2006):
S. Sper writes:
< Another note of interest to me, is exactly how appropriate the text of this Cantata is to us nowadays, given the way we celebrate Christmas. I don't know how things were in 18^th Leipzig, but here in 21^st century America, during the Christmas season, there is far too much focus on the world's riches (which "perish like smoke"), and far too little focus on the true riches of heaven. >
The recent posting underscores the relative strangeness of the libretti for the first Christmas at Leipzig , with their heavily theological exegeses and only a couple of (rather indirectly) Christmas-connected chorales in evidence. John Eliot Gardiner's notes (by Ruth Tatlow) let us glimpse into a very different attitude to Christmas in Lutheran orthodoxy:

"There would have been neither Santa Claus nor Nativity palys for the Bach children at Christmas time: in Leipzig both were considered potentially harmful to children - an opinion echoed in Johann Heinrich Zedler's "Universal Lexicon" (Leipzig, 1733-52) under the entry "Weynachten" ("Christmas"):

"For it is nothing more than shameful foolishness to try to make children good by invoking Father Christmas. Indeed, it is akin of idolatry which, with God's gracious judgement, turns out so badly for some parents that they regret it for the rest of their lives.....all Christmas plays are worthless, and no matter if one makes a thousand excuses,,joking about such serious matters remains sinful nonetheless; it is unseemly for Christians".

We have to recall that the Reformation did turn against the accretions of medievalism which attached to Christmas; in the 1960's in my native (Presbyterian/Calvinist) Scotland, many did not celebrate it at all (N ew Year is big instead) and shops were open on the 25 December. Christmas has certainly metamorphosed even in my lifetime!

A trick to play even with quite churchy folk is to ask, "which book of the bible mentions the ox and ass looking on at the Nativity scene?" We are all in the Anglican world brought up to to the Christina Rossetti hymn:

"Enough for Him, whom Cherubim
Worship night and day,
A breastful of milk
and a manger full of hay;
Enough for him, whom Angels
fall down before,
the ox and ass and camel
Which adore"

Unfortunately, none of this delightful tableau can be found anywhere in the New Testament! (The "manger" is a mistranslation of the Aramaic anyhow). So it is perhaps not entirely surprising that Bach sets quite ascetic texts given the Lutheran atmosphere of biblical fidelity and doctrinal emphasis . When we come to the Christmas Oratorio, although the descriptive components from the Gospels of the shepherds, the star, the wise men and the gifts are indeed apparent (unlike the first Christmas at Leipzig), Bach scrupulously avoids the apocryphal worshipping animals. The nearest he gets is:

BWV248 1/17 Chorale:

"da speise vormals sucht ein Rind
Da ruhet itzt der Jungfrau'n Kind"

(" where once the ox sought food
Now sleeps the Virgin's child").

There certainly were Chorale texts which were extant that bring on the Christmas menagerie, such as the macaronic "Puer Natus in Bethlehem". As far as I know (any contrary observations?) however, Bach and/or his librettists avoids this fiction which is, and always has been, extra-biblical.

Neil Halliday wrote (January 9, 2006):
BWV 64: some more observations

The alto aria is a quietly confident expression of rejection of the attractions of this world, and has some charming syncopation (in 6/8 time) in the voice and oboe parts.

I notice in the Richter recording [2] the somewhat pronounced semi staccato treatment of the continuo, in contrast to Rilling's mostly sempre-legato approach [4]; this is an area where the HIP groups have shown an improvement, with their more flexible treatment of the phrasing of the continuo line. Harnoncourt [3], with the earliest of the period recordings, is quite successful here.

Richter [2] is fortunate to have the lovely alto voice of Anna Reynolds, so that his recording including the oboe is quite attractive in its expression of calm optimism, despite the above-mentioned flaw. Rilling's Ann Murray [4] is not appealing, and this is perhaps the least attractive performance of the aria; the samples of all the other recordings seem acceptable.

Rilling [4] turns the tables on Richter [2] in the soprano aria, where the latter's vocalist (Mathis) has the excessively strong vibrato problem; Augér with Rilling manages to tone down her usual tendency to shrillness, and the strings are typically bright. The viola line in the middle section that briefly replaces the continuo is quite clear. The other problem with the Richter is the over-strong contrast of the strings' loudness level between the ritornellos and the accompaniment.

Richter [2] has pleasing treatment of the recitatives with subtle instrumental accompaniment; the organist might even be opening and closing the swell box in the bass recitative, a technique usually totally inappropriate in Bach, but here the effect is magical. Leusink has a similar approach in this recitative (without the swell pedal), gaining more expressiveness in comparison to the typically scrappy effect of the other HIP ensembles.

The opening chorus, with its dense contrapuntal choral writing, is obviously difficult to transfer to CD; clarity in the lower voices seems to be a problem in the recordings. Rilling [4] and Harnoncourt [3] have slower tempos that allow for more audibility of the parts. Richter's vigorous performance [2] appears to have set the tempo for most of the more recent recordings.

BTW, the entire Richter CD [2] (BWV 121, BWV 64, BWV 28, and BWV 171) is a pleasing example of his art, the major drawback being soprano Mathis' occasionally shrill vibrato (occasionally, because her soprano aria in 171 remains attractive, in a lovely, calm performance). Also, the Rilling CD containing BWV 64 [4] starts with one of my favourite choruses, BWV 62/1, in a performance that rocks with joyous animation.

John Pike wrote (January 14, 2006):
BWV 64

This week's cantata is very pleasant. I particularly enjoyed the arias. I listened to Gardiner [6], Suzuki [7], Rilling [4] and Harnoncourt [3] and enjoyed them all. The string introduction to Rilling's contralto aria (No. 7) was particularly fine and touching, but the effect was spoilt by the soloist's vibrato when her entry came.

Cantata BWV 64: Complete Recordings | Recordings of Individual Movements | Discussions

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Last update: ýMarch 21, 2006 ý01:48:33