Recording:
Karl Richter, Münchener Bach-Chor/Orchester; Edith Mathis, soprano; Anna Reynolds, alto;
Peter Schreier, tenor
Conveniently,
the two halves of the master’s audition for the job of Leipzig Thomaskantor sit
side-by-side in the Schmieder listing. BWV 23 has only four movements, but is
about equal in length to BWV 22, and also treats scripture from the Gospel of
Luke – beyond that there’s not much common ground. Written when Bach was at Köthen
(where he served as Kapellmeister following the Weimar period), the dating of
this cantata originates with Philipp Spitta’s detailed investigation of the
manuscript paper watermarks (a fine example of scholarship be it 19th-century
or 21st). Spitta identified the watermark on the paper used for BWV
23 as the “wild man with the fir tree”, aligning it with compositions written
on the same paper during the Köthen period. This discovery supported other
evidence to place the cantata within the years Bach spent
employed by Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen. During this time, there was negligible
demand for religious service music at the Prince’s court: although secular
cantatas were composed there was only an occasional sacred piece. Although the
watermark is not something you can usually see on the manuscript scans
available through www.bach-digital.de, there is an extensive archive
of watermarks on that site which provides some entertaining exploration.
So combining his older piece with the purpose-written BWV 22, Bach
pulled together a convincing audition repertoire which taken together
demonstrates the full range of solo, choral, and instrumental writing in the
context of worship music. However, one of the rules of a process like this is
that you don’t let other people control your fate. The choral material is less
complex and shorter than in many other cantatas, demonstrating the composer’s
skills without making extraordinary technical demands on the choir (if a choir
was used for this “performance”). Perhaps Bach arranged for singers well-known
to him to perform the solo parts – rehearsal alone would not help if the singer
was not technically qualified. While the solos/duets are not as demanding as many of Bach's more florid vocal compositions, some rehearsals would still have been necessary to
unify the instrumental and vocal pieces as well as to blend the choir or
quartet of soloists. Assuming that due preparations were made, the Leipzig
congregation received an amazing musical offering that Quinquagesima Sunday of
1723.
The extended dal segno duet for
soprano and alto that opens BWV 23 movingly depicts the deepest spiritual wish
for divine consolation. Omnisciently watched from der Entfernung
– the outer reaches of infinity – the believer, cast out either through
physical or spiritual deficiency, knows that Jesus has seen their pain and has
come to bring healing. The duet provides phrasing challenges, particularly the
sustained notes that occur in each voice as the other sings text on the words erbarm’ dich mein. Aim for a focused,
moderately soft tone that keeps the pitch present, but facilitates breath management
through the phrase. This is a lengthy movement, but if well-sung with a carefully
thought-out interpretation, it is a beautiful and personal plea that will be
effective in a church service.
The choral movement (No. 3) is structured as a refrain with verses sung by soloists: while the “solo” designation appears to
be an emendation to the manuscript, it probably indicates Bach’s intent since
the verses portray a more personal request. When the verses are sung with the
entire sections (as on Richter’s recording), the clarity of the text and
contrast with the refrain are lost. The refrain Aller Augen warten, Herr, which recalls the line from Psalm 145
“The eyes of all wait upon Thee”, is a textual refrain only, as the music is varied in each
repeat of the words. Every voice part gets some testing material: for example, M.129-134 in the
alto line is an excellent exercise and a good sight-reading snippet as well.
The phrase allmächt’ger Gott
can be a mouthful for non-German speakers. Whether the direction is to use a
hard [x] or soft [ʃ] “ch” sound, if this word is difficult for you, there is no
shortcut, you just have to practice until it comes easily. The movement also shows
many potential musical usages of the grammatical comma: it can be
used as a lift (M. 104 in the soprano/tenor parts); for phrasing (M. 103 in the
alto/tenor parts where placing the final consonant on an eighth rest allows the
bass text Herr to emerge); or simply sung
in the line (M. 104 in the alto/bass parts).
The chorale movement (No. 4) was
appended to the existing cantata for its use as a “probationary piece” and
utilizes the Christe, du Lamm Gottes
(Agnus Dei) originally from Luther’s Deutsche Messe. The choral setting of
the tune links back to its use in the instrumental accompaniment to the earlier
tenor recitative (No. 2). More through-composed than the typical Leipzig
closing chorale, Bach sets the first verse in a solemn and straightforward
A-B-A’ section (marked Adagio in the
Breitkopf & Härtel full score). A carefully constructed Andante section follows, which builds in
contrapuntal complexity through the final two verses of the chorale culminating
in a concluding 8-measure Amen that
is calling out to be extracted as a Lenten choral response (not that I need another side project, but it’s about time for the cantata project to bear some
fruit!). The accretion of vocal and instrumental forces is accentuated in
Richter’s modern instrument version, with an effective crescendo on the final Amen.
Whether or not this was at all similar to what those Leipzigers heard that Sunday is debatable, but they definitely received their money’s worth!
If I had
money, and time, this week would have found me blasting off for Leipzig and
Bachfest 2013, http://www.bach-leipzig.de/index.php?id=618&L=1. Check out the PDF of the
festival brochure for the line-up of all-Bach, all-the-time. What a fantastic
event this appears to be, including creative approaches to draw younger
audiences into the world of J.S. without compromising the core mission or musical
quality. There’s a big difference between attracting an audience and bringing
them to a higher-level of understanding versus pandering to current tastes by
portraying the music as something’s it’s not – when all that is needed is what
it is. Leipzig and Bachfest are
definitely on the list to achieve before this project concludes!
The Festival
awards a “Bach Medal” (actually made of Meissen porcelain) each year to a
prominent exponent of Bach’s music: the list of past honorees reads like a
summary of every major figure in Bach scholarship and discography over the last
quarter-century. Certainly this is a high honor for a musician who has
specialized in Bach – it would be difficult to think of a greater one. This
year, the recipient is Peter Schreier, in whose honor this week’s recording was
selected. Although the tenor has only a recitative in BWV 23, Schreier’s precise
singing, sensitive phrasing and subtle reading of the text mark him as an
interpreter at the highest level. He has served this music not only as a singer
but also as a conductor and teacher. As I move through this project, his name
will continue to appear many times, and for that let us truly be thankful – he
is one of the greats. Congratulations, Herr Schreier!
2013 Bach Medal
Recipient – Kammersänger Peter Schreier
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