Cantata BWV 123
Liebster Immanuel, Herzog der Frommen
Provenance

Thomas Braatz wrote (January 7, 2002):
Provenance

The autograph was lost during WWII when it was placed elsewhere for secure storage. Many details regarding this score were recorded for the 1^st printed edition in the BG.

The original set of parts:

The main set was turned over to the St. Thomas School in Leipzig by Bach’s widow soon after his death. This set is now located in the Bach-Archiv in Leipzig.
3 doublets are currently in the State Library (Staatsbibliothek, Preußischer Kulturbesitz) Berlin. Various copiers were used in preparing all the parts: Johann Andreas Kuhnau, Christian Gottlob Meißner and 3 identified, but anonymous copiers, and even Wilhelm Friedemann Bach worked on the doublets. Of considerable interest is the fact that no single part (even W.F.Bach’s) was completed all the way to the end. Bach personally added the final chorale to each part (even the doublets!)

Text:

The librettist (unknown) kept as is vs. 1 and 6 of the chorale by Ahasverus Fritsch (1679). This original chorale text seems to be based on the type of language used in the early period of Pietism. It is in the tradition which is called “Jesusminne” [“Jesus love” where “Minne’ in German usually refers to courtly love in the Middle Ages. Unfortunately the word, “Minne” in German suffered from a degradation of its original meaning to that of a baser form of love in the period immediately following the Middle Ages. This change, however, is not reflected in the term “Jesusminne” which still hearkens to the earlier, original meaning.] The other vs. (2-5) were paraphrased in the form of recitatives or arias.

1^st Performance:

(Dürr) January 6, 1725 (Epiphany) and belongs to the 2^nd Leipzig cantata cycle.

Cantata BWV 123: Details & Complete Recordings | Recordings of Individual Movements | Discussions: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3