BWV 36 - Schwingt freudig euch empor

Week 36 (7 January – 12 January 2014)

Recording (BWV 36): Helmuth Rilling, Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart/Bach-Collegium Stuttgart; Arleen Augér, soprano; Gabriele Schreckenbach, alto; Peter Schreier, tenor; Walter Heldwein, bass

Recording (BWV 36b): Helmuth Rilling, Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart/Bach-Collegium Stuttgart; Christiane Oelze, soprano; Ingeborg Danz, alto; Marcus Ullman, tenor

Recording (BWV 36c): Peter Schreier, Berliner Solisten/Kammerorchester Berlin; Edith Mathis, soprano; Peter Schreier, tenor; Siegfried Lorenz, bass

I have to admit that following the delay incurred with the previous two cantatas, confronting the multiple variations of BWV 36 was more than a little daunting. But reminding myself what the original intent of this project was, and still is – to achieve familiarity and not to produce a master’s thesis – I plunged in, accepting that even to skim the surface was going to be a multiple-week endeavor. After all, it’s basically three cantatas rolled into one, and while I didn’t want to dwell at length on the secular versions, some familiarity with them is needed in order to properly understand the origins of the sacred version.

 

A chronology is a good place to start, since the Schmieder designations don’t correspond to the actual compositional order:

·         1725 – BWV 36c, Schwingt freudig euch empor (homage cantata for an unknown “teacher”)

·         1726 – BWV 36a, Steigt freudig in die Luft (birthday cantata for Princess Amalie of Anhalt-Köthen)

·         1731 – BWV 36, Schwingt freudig euch empor (Advent cantata)

·         1735 – BWV 36b, Die Freude reget sich (homage cantata for Professor Johann Rivinus)

With the sequence established, a tabular format was helpful in comparing the structure of the surviving works (the italicized text indicates movements that utilize the same or similar musical setting):

 

 

BWV 36c	BWV 36	BWV 36b
Coro	Coro	Coro
­-	Duetto (soprano/alto)	­-
Recitative (tenor)	­-	Recitative (tenor)
Aria (tenor)	Aria (tenor)	Aria (tenor)
­-	Chorale	­-
Recitative (bass)	­-	Recitative (alto)
Aria (bass)	Aria (bass)	Aria (alto)
­-	Chorale (tenor)	­-
Recitative (soprano)	­-	Recitative (soprano)
Aria (soprano)	Aria (soprano)	Aria (soprano)
Recitative (tenor)	­-	­-
Coro/recitatives (S/T/B)	Chorale	Coro/recitatives (S/A/T)

Note that Freude is front and center for all these cantatas, and both the noun and adverb form are matched to joyous music in the opening coro which sets the mood for the following movements. Using a modified binary structure (A-B-A’-B’), the chorus begins with an upwardly striving fugue as the voices enter, lowest to highest. Bach then contrasts the initial tumult of praises raised to heaven with a homophonic B section advising Doch haltet ein! That is, God approaches, so the singers do not need to make so much noise. Whether the text was modified by the original poet of BWV 36c (thought to be Picander) or someone else, there is a brilliant conceptual change here, from good wishes for a learned teacher kept within the earthly sphere, to voices hushed because the Savior’s birth is approaching.

The coro music is essentially the same in all versions, with the only change in instrumentation the use of an obbligato flute throughout BWV 36b (rather than the oboe d’amore). Although in the Breitkopf & Härtel full score for 36b there is no solo violin notated (in accordance with the surviving instrumental parts), it is difficult to imagine that the performance did not include a Violin I, as it is integral to the structure. Possibly the part was either lost or remained with the player, perhaps still to come to light at some point.

This chorus is an excellent anthem for a choir capable of negotiating its challenges. As always, John Eliot Gardiner nails it by describing the chorus as “deeply satisfying once all its virtuosic technical demands have been met” – not such an easy task! There are challenging passages for all voices, for example, the alto melisma in M. 95-96. For English speakers, the text Schwingt freudig euch empor can be challenging, for both vowel sounds and consonant placement. But it is one of those choruses that makes me wish I had been a conductor – it offers so many choices and opportunities. Rilling’s recording is at a moderate, relaxed tempo with a timing of about 4 ½ minutes. Interestingly, when he recorded the 36c version some years later, he used a much faster tempo, shaving a minute off the time, which makes for a very exciting choral performance. It would be interesting to know if Maestro Rilling felt that the slower tempo was more appropriate for the sacred version, or simply rethought his tempo choice years later when he revisited the music to record 36c. I do like the faster tempo, but as discussed, the technical problems for all the choral parts need to be the determining factor.

Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a separate performing version for the coro. I think we would hear choral movements of the cantatas more often – at least in the States – if there were decent and affordable octavo editions available. Besides playable keyboard accompaniments, these could also provide elements such as pronunciation guides and singable English texts as an alternative to the original German. So there’s a project for someone! Is there a market? I would guess there is, at least for the best examples of these choruses – of which Schwingt freudig euch empor is one.

In keeping with the Advent season, the recitatives have been eliminated from BWV 36 so that two well-known hymns (Luther’s Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland and Nicolai’s Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern) can be incorporated. Klaus Hofmann, commentator for Suzuki’s cantata cycle, says this “anchors the cantata…in the Advent story” and notes the origins of the Luther chorale setting as the 4^th-century hymn Veni redemptor gentium by Saint Ambrose of Milan. Subsequently published in the Erfurt Enchiridion in 1524, the first occurrence of this tune in BWV 36 is the lovely soprano/alto duet, which is balanced by the tenor chorale on the Nicolai tune in the second part of the cantata.

 

Given its origins and its structural purpose within the cantata, this duet is not flashy or technically difficult. The tessitura of the lines is similar (I am comfortable singing either part) and with voices of equal weight and comparable timbre, a marvelous tonal color is achieved as the lines cross or merge, particularly in the sequences where the voices hand off a figure (e.g., M. 6). The blend of the voices is about perfect on Rilling’s recording.

 

This is a short (approximately 4 minute) movement that is ideal for use in church during the Christmas season. Note that in the B&H vocal score the treble part in the accompaniment is a fabrication meant to take the place of the oboes that double the voice parts in the original – the left-hand corresponds to the notated continuo. It would certainly be appropriate to perform this duet with only the left-hand part accompanying the voices.

 

 

Martin Luther's Setting of a 4th-Century Text in the Erfurt Enchiridion (1524)

 

The tenor aria is owned by Peter Schreier, who recorded it several times. For a good exercise, try matching his long unbroken phrase beginning M. 49. I picked Schreier’s recording of 36c specifically to compare his reading of the score with Rilling’s – they were made about the same time, and undoubtedly each artist was learning from and influencing the other. The tenor’s rendition of this aria for Rilling is to my ear nearly flawless, especially in the creative and sensitive handling of repeated phrases, including the da capo; under his own baton, there seems to be some distraction and not as much attention to detail. The same musical setting is used in 36b and 36c except for minor changes to accommodate text variations.

 

The cheerful bass aria that opens the post-sermon part of the cantata is modified from the secular version, longer by a dozen measures with the added music being a more complex vocal part. It’s obvious that Bach wanted to retain the wonderful string parts, which are essential to the aria. While this movement has the appropriate length and content for a church anthem, it needs either the participation of an excellent violinist, or of an organist capable of negotiating the rippling string line with an appropriate registration.

 

The soprano aria lies in the range D4äG5, with most of the piece in mid-range; thus it is suitable for appropriation by altos! I have had a great time working on this aria, and highly recommend it for any soprano or alto that feels comfortable singing it, both for study and recital use. Tempi used in commercial recordings vary all over the place: Augér’s version clocks in at just over 6 minutes, while Nancy Argenta on John Eliot Gardiner’s recording is a full three minutes longer. I have no problem admitting there has never been a time when I sang at a level in any way approaching Ms. Augér, and while I prefer this aria on the faster end of the spectrum, some relaxation in tempo can enable the singer to execute the ornamentation and melismas easily so that the graceful lilt is maintained.

 

The Breitkopf & Härtel score includes a parenthetical Lento marking, but there does not seem to be an inherent reason for it. The text is not contemplative; rather, in all variants of the cantata, this aria can be considered an extroverted expression of joy. Lots of dynamic choices can be made to express the text: the gedämpfte, schwachen Stimmen are described in relation to resounding angelic voices, a metaphor that is not necessarily an interpretive direction for the singer (since Bach has already referenced this idea by calling for violin con sordino).

The A section of this aria can stand on its own for use in church. If you sing it, you may want to check out a simplified accompaniment available in Michel Rondeau’s arrangement of this aria for trumpet and organ, which is available on IMSLP (along with his recording – a bit jarring at first after listening to so many soprano renditions! – but it shows what a nice prelude piece this would make for an Advent or Christmas service where brass players are available).

 

BWV 36 provided a worthy conclusion to musically-augmented worship prior to the beginning of tempus clausum, which was observed following the first Sunday of Advent through to Christmas. It continues to be one of the more popular cantatas, as evidenced by numerous recordings. Although several commentators note the “secular” origins of the work, nothing that Bach wrote was truly secular – every note he penned was underscored by his faith: hence even the gentle dance rhythm of the tenor aria becomes perfectly at ease in the context of a worship service.

 

A few words on the variants: the music for BWV 36a is lost, although German musicologist Alexander Grychtolik has reconstructed it based on the other surviving scores, the 36a libretto (which was published at the time), and an analysis of Bach’s working method. For the purposes of this project, however, it needed to remain lost – although one wonders how that originally happened given that the older and newer versions did manage to survive. Perhaps the parts for 36a were “marked up” when Bach decided to adapt the cantata for church use, and then destroyed once clear copies were completed for BWV 36. Or perhaps they were presented as a gift for the Princess, who presumably delighted with “her” cantata, probably had no idea it was recycled!

 

BWV 36b was apparently produced for Rivinus’ appointment to the post of Rector of the University of Leipzig. The text refers to his standing as a scholar, with wishes for his further achievements. His listing in German Wikipedia says he was a godparent to Johann Christian Bach (the “London” Bach, youngest son of the master).

 

For his recording of BWV 36b, which supplements the complete recordings of 36 and 36c in his cantata set, Rilling includes only the recitatives and the final chorus-recitative sequence. The latter wraps up the cantata with a fine melismatic passage for the soprano soloist, while the alto recitatives are given lovely readings by Ingeborg Danz. I wish that she had recorded the aria as well, despite the fact the music is virtually identical to the bass aria in 36c, and despite the uninspiring text that goes with it in 36b. With the alto timbre and obbligato flute rather than oboe, an entirely different color would be created.

 

Limitations imposed by time and the intended scope of this project meant that such detours as looking in detail at that final secular coro have remain unexplored. The coro music is quite striking, but the structure requires the presence of the recits, which relate directly to the guest of honor. Perhaps with some minor changes to the text this could become an interesting anthem for use around New Year’s.

 

But I’ll have to leave that analysis for somebody else – I had to cut off somewhere. It’s a difficult thing to do – studying this material is so worthwhile, and so enjoyable – the more you work on it, the more you come to love it. As a musician, there is a great deal to learn here. But the same can be said of all the other cantatas – so time for me to Schwingt freudig euch empor and press on to the learning of BWV 37.