Cantata BWV 3 - Provenance

Thomas Braatz wrote (January 24, 2003):
The Autograph Score:

The autograph score probably went to W. F. Bach along with most of the other scores from the 2^nd yearly cycle (Leipzig). Some of these scores were returned to Leipzig during the decade after Bach’s death. It is not known for certain whether Johann Georg Nacke, who was Christian Friedrich Penzel’s teacher, owned this score for a while before it came into Penzel’s possession. Penzel copied out a set of parts from this score. From Penzel, the score went to Johann Gottlob Schuster, who was Penzel’s nephew. After Schuster’s death (1832), it became part of Franz Hauser’s collection of Bach manuscripts. The original doublets and the parts copied by Penzel now went to the BB, but the original score was separated from this group and had been given to Julius Joseph Maier (1821-1889) as a present. (Maier was a professor of counterpoint in Munich and soon copied out another set of parts from this score.) In the 20th century the ownership of this score changed a number of times: Adolf Baumgartner (Munich); Hedwig Fischer (Berlin); Paul Gottschalk (Berlin); in 1932 it was in the Archive for Photogrammic Musically Outstanding Manuscripts (Vienna); privately owned by someone in Vienna; in 1957 Walter Schatzki, an original manuscript dealer in New York acquired it; it was then, at some point, sold on the open market to Dr. Arthur Wilhelm, the present owner.

The Original Set of Parts:

The original set of parts was already separated into two groups at the time the cantatas were distributed among the heirs in 1750. It is possible that the set of originals without the doublets went to Anna Magdalena Bach and eventually this set found its way to the St. Thomas School in Leipzig where it is located today. The doublets are now located in the BB.

The Title Page of the Autograph Score:

Dominica 2 post Epiphanias | Ach Gott! Wie manches Hertzeleyd. | à | 4 Voci. | 2 Hautb: d’Amour | 2 Violini | Viola. | e Continuo | di J. S. Bach.

On the 1^st Page of the Score:

J. J. Dominica [previous word abbreviated] 2. post Ephiphanias Ach Gott! Wie manches Hertzeleyd.

Some of the mvts. are indicated such as “Recit.”; “Aria”; “Choral”

The Original Parts:

The bulk of the copy work was completed by Johann Andreas Kuhnau who was assisted by 3 anonymous copyists and W. F. Bach who did the continuo doublet. J. S. Bach did the trombone part, revised the other parts, and made corrections.

The parts include the following (15 parts):

Soprano
Alto
Tenore
Basso
Trombona/Corno
Hautbois 1:d’Amour
Hautb: 2.d’Amour
Violino 1mo
Violino 1mo (Doublet)
Violino 2do
Violino 2do. (Doublet)
Viola
Continuo (partly figured bass)
Continuo (Doublet)
Continuo (transposed and figured)

Text:

The text is based upon chorale text by Martin Moller (1587) which in turn is based upon the Latin, “Jesu dulcis memoria.”
The unknown librettist has taken over directly/literally verses 1, 2, and 18 and placed them as mvts. 1, 2 and 6. In mvt. 2, the individual lines of the 2nd verse are interrupted by short recitative sections. Verses 9 and 17 are only hinted at in the libretto text. The other verses were used as follows:

Verses 3 to 6 = mvt. 2
Verses 5 to 6 = mvt. 3
Verses 7 to 10= mvt. 4
Verses 15 to 17 = mvt. 5

Date of 1^st Performance

The cantata was composed for its 1st performance on January 14, 1725. There are no direct indications that this cantata was ever performed again under Bach.

Cantata BWV 3: Complete Recordings | Recordings of Individual Movements | Discussions

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Last update: ýJune 29, 2006 ý22:03:32