BWV 39 - Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot

Week 39 (24 June– 29 June 2014)

Recording: John Eliot Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir/English Baroque Soloists; Gillian Keith, soprano; Wilke te Brummelstroete, alto; Dietrich Henschel bass

That Bach found himself in less fortunate financial circumstances than many of his musical contemporaries was the unglamorous reality: he had to provide for a very large family. Surviving documents detail his attention to every penny in a business transaction; however, as far as his salary, he appears to have sought only the compensation that had been promised to him, rarely to petition for more. Despite being a recognized “name” by his early 20’s, he never capitalized on his renown as did, for example, Handel. Bach kept to his teaching post and church job, living in a humble manner and abjuring worldly goods – with the exception of a sizable library, his estate was by our modern standards that of a very poor man. But he came from a poor background, and had lived a hard childhood and youth, travelling on foot from town to town in search of education and employment. He probably often depended on “the kindness of strangers” for housing and food in those early days. So he could approach setting the texts for BWV 39 from the perspectives of the one with enough to share, as well as the one in need.

 

The motif that opens the cantata has been compared by many commentators to the depiction of the “breaking of bread”, but John Eliot Gardiner sides with Albert Schweitzer who interprets it as the needy being led into the home where they will be given food and assistance. Schweitzer comments that “the monotonous instrumental accompaniment with the regular crotchets in the bass, has more the character of a march…it is as if we heard uncertain, tottering steps defiling past us.” With the recorders (or flutes) taking the highest instrumental line, the plaintive pairs of eighth notes descend through the oboes and into the strings: perhaps more like a hunger-weakened cry of distress, echoing through history, which is then answered by the text from Isaiah 58, a command to share one’s possessions with those less fortunate. Looking at the entire chapter of Isaiah puts the selected verses in context: this chapter reminds us that acts of faith tear down barriers, remove inqualities, and resolve injustices. The line that gives the cantata its title is a metaphor – the breaking of bread represents the act of sharing.

 

The opening choral movement functions independently of the cantata, a 7-minute demonstration of all the compositional techniques that Bach had now brought to maturity. Sir John labels this chorus “immense” – an accurate description. Written in the same timeframe as the St. Matthew Passion, the coro neatly divides into three sections. But while Bach gives some weight to the declaration from which the cantata takes its name, the bulk of the first section of the coro deals with the second portion of the verse, which describes a more profound act of charity: “und die, so in Elend sind, führe ins Haus”. Following a brief homophonic passage that gracefully transitions into a contrapuntal setting of these words, the tenors initiate a fugue on the same text. Rather than the typical full stop of all voices before a clean start introduces the fugue subject, the tenors begin by singing Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot against the other three voices, emerging from this thicket to focus the listener’s attention on the plight of “und die”. In succession, the altos, sopranos and basses imitate the line, until at M.70 all arrive in the house, and the music revisits the opening structure. Sequential utterances of und die ascend through the voices, leading to a Brahmsian climax (M.88 et. seq.). A short middle section provides contrast, with the instruction to clothe the naked (both literally and metaphorically), and to not turn away in disgust.

 

The master concludes this great chorus with a lively section that is a set piece in its own right. Any extra stuff in the vocal score accompaniment needs to be cleared out – only continuo should be used until the full orchestra enters at the end of M.129. This allows the wonderful interweaving lines of the fugue to be heard in clarity, particularly the extended melismas on Morgenröthe. A short and sweet contrapuntal section yields to a final fugue, that focuses on the glory, Herrlichkeit that will seize hold of you in return for selflessness.

 

The cantata text is attributed to Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, and employer of the master’s cousin, Johann Ludwig Bach, the “Meiningen Bach” we met back in BWV 15. The Leipzig Bach performed many of his cousin’s cantatas, and apparently used some of the texts as well. The gentle, uplifting quality of these words must have appealed to Bach – once the magnificent chorus resolves in its triumphant G major chord, the succeeding recitatives and arias have a much more personal quality. To quote Sir Hubert Parry, we have “a charming aria for alto …a rather melancholy bass aria…a bright aria for soprano.” All three are suitable for extraction and short enough for Sunday anthems – none are da capo, perhaps because the master had used most of his allotted time with the coro!

 

Following a nicely-worded but generically set bass recitative (one suspects a student was given this task), the alto aria is sweet and tender, and with obbligato oboe and violin, would make a lovely recital piece. The text is a much milder version of “as you sow, so shall you reap”, complete with melismatic scattering of seeds on the verb streuet. This line (beginning M.71) is a useful technical exercise, and the whole aria is especially valuable for teaching handling of the breath, although few will best Anna Reynolds in Richter’s recording, who apparently had no need to breathe in any of these passages.

 

In the original scheme, a sermon followed this aria – and a wise parson would have kept it short, to allow the music to resume with the voice of the divine embodied in the bass aria. This movement stands or falls on the singer’s interpretive skills – the music is secondary to the words in this case. But they are the mildest of admonishments, swept away by the lilting soprano aria. Accompanied by flute (or recorder) in the cantata, this movement would be a lovely church anthem, with or without the obbligato. The aria is not technically difficult, and is excellent material to introduce a young singer to the Bach aria repertoire, with minimal interpretive demands. Here just laying in the line is enough, Bach has already done all the explication in the music.

 

Last but certainly not least – particularly from the alto’s perspective! – is a long alto recitative that essentially consists of three thoughts. The more aria-like and less Sprechstimme this can be sung, the better. Accompanied by hushed string chords, the singer is given a wonderful text to communicate from a very personal level. I would approach the first lines (asking what we can return for the gifts we hourly receive), at a slightly faster tempo, so that the next section – the beautiful and poignant list of what we can return, beginning at M.9 with Ich hab’ nichts als den Geist – can exist in all its solemnity, moving inward until the final und, wenn es dir gefällt, den schwachen Leib der Erd’. The last portion of the recit can be faster and more extroverted, providing a strong transition to the sturdy chorale that utilizes a text from David Denicke’s Beatitudes.

 

Delving into Schweitzer’s Bach biography has added another essential book to my reading list. Just skimming a few pages, I found this unassailable statement: “There is only one way to avoid falling into the fantastic [i.e. fanciful interpretations of the meaning of the music], - a comparative study of all the cantatas. They explain each other.” He goes on to say “No one can conduct one cantata properly unless he knows them all.” That’s a pretty tall order, and how lucky we are today that we have all these recordings by great conductors who made it their life’s work to know this music and present it to us in their own considered interpretations. Masterpieces like BWV 39 can be interpreted and experienced on so many levels – if one insists on hearing the breaking of bread (perhaps stollen handed out to urchins in the street), I’m sure the master would not begrudge it. He wanted his music to make us think, and to contemplate ideas transcending our daily lives. If one person’s bread is another’s march or still another’s sighs for help – he probably would have delighted in all those different impressions – as long as they eventually led back to the reason the music exists in the first place.

BWV 38 - Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu Dir

Week 38 (4 February – 9 February 2014)

Recording: Karl Richter, Münchener Bach-Chor/Orchester; Edith Mathis, soprano; Trudeliese Schmidt, alto; Peter Schreier, tenor; Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, bass 

Out of the depths I cry to you, o Lord. Whether in English translation, the Latin de profundis clamavi ad te, Martin Luther’s Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir in the German Bible (the Biblical text was set by Bach in his much earlier BWV 131), or his chorale paraphrase used as the basis for this cantata, few verses more powerfully and concisely express desolation than the opening line of Psalm 130. Included from early Christian times in the “Penitential Psalms”, the psalm is often used for funerals and occurs in many requiem settings. However, in Hebrew, the psalm is titled a “song of ascents”, carried over into Latin as canticum graduum, a “song of steps”. The speaker suffers, and seeks a path – an upward path – out of his despair.

The Hungarian writer George Klein introduces Pietà, his volume of essays, by examining the human ability to survive extremes of personal suffering – either physical deprivation or psychological depression. In the latter category, he cites several creative personalities who “won” this battle over self (Thomas Mann, Rainer Maria Rilke). Klein asks, “How [did] they build up their inner strength and use it to turn their personal demons into constructive and obedient little helpers...? It is not only the process of creativity that is driven by these tamed furies, but also the ability of the creative machinery to reach others. They are the source of the machinery…They are the volcanic crater and the narrow path along its rim where one can leisurely stroll.”

At the time Bach composed BWV 38, he was nearing the age of forty, and had already endured more hardship than most of us will have in our much longer lifetimes. Although his experiences may not have been that much different from his contemporaries, the susceptibility of a creative personality to these personal tragedies set him apart. That he profoundly felt these sorrows is etched into his music; that he triumphed over them is proven by the very existence of the music. In the midst of Not, Leiden, Sorgen, Sünden – Bach and his unknown poet find an answer to the sorrows and failures of life in the recurring theme of this cantata, Trost: holding the word up like a shield, even embedding it in the soprano recitative as the unheard text referenced by the instrumental chorale.

Despite the availability of four study recordings, I did not find a version of the opening chorus that gave me what I was looking for: a middle ground between high drama and historically-informed precision, with emphasis on pulling out the words Not and schrei as they crest the waves of the various vocal lines. Richter’s cluttered performance will grate on some sensibilities as it in no way represents the current Bach aesthetic. But he captures a desperation that is visceral and very true to the meaning of the text: every other version sounds subdued by comparison.

Although written in stile antico, the construction is dense and tormented, the music flows organically from the opening line of text, replicating into an outpouring of pain that continually resolves only to begin again (the next phase of the ascent). Bach brings all his tricks to the writing: fugues, chromatic lines, syncopation, all laid against the plaintive soprano cantus firmus. The marvelous descending chromaticism on the phrase Sünd und Unrecht (M. 103 et. seq.) is nothing less than the sound of shame. As with BWV 2, the instrumental score calls for a quartet of trombones. John Eliot Gardiner observes “what they bring to the overall mood, besides their unique burnished sonority, is ritual and solemnity.” This is a heavyweight chorus, opening a dramatic work that is severe in tone – the triumph is never achieved easily.

The short alto recitative is a dramatic monologue, a sequence of thoughts that requires shifts in tonal color. It also provides the ultimate expression of original sin with the opportunity to sing the untranslatable word Sündengräuel – a strong mixture of mortal sin, horror, and atrocity, all pointing back to the petitioner.

The tenor aria is the only solo aria in the cantata, and in Richter’s performance it is expertly interpreted by Peter Schreier. Study and learn: for example, how (M.34) he drives through sustained sorrow (Leiden) to turn the corner, modulating into Trost. The buoyant figures in the continuo are like air bubbles rising from the depths, pushing the drowning one toward the surface: this is a sturdy expression of comfort through faith. At around six minutes, this da capo aria with its lovely text is a worthwhile recital piece, especially if the obbligato oboes can be included to enliven the instrumental interlude that frames the A section.

The following soprano recitative is a bit unusual, beginning with the marking a battuta (“to the beating”, or, precisely in tempo). Why? I was not able to come up with a good explanation, except possibly the use of the instrumented chorale. But I suspect this recit was the result of the master tutoring a composition student, allowing them the opportunity to participate in writing a section of the weekly cantata – details in the setting of the text suggest other ideas are at play. Note, however, the diminished 7th chord on the word Zeichen – Bach’s game of deploying the musical accidental signs (F#, Eb, C♮) to underline this word. As with the alto recit, the text is a dramatic reading, requiring the soloist to act the part of a believer questioning herself. The words include a lovely metaphor for a soft, or weak, spirit with rain-softened ground. Arleen Augér (on Helmuth Rilling’s recording) shows how it’s done.

The recitative leads into an unusual terzetto for S/A/B soloists. One reason I used Richter’s version was the irresistible allure of his trio singers: Klaus Hoffmann notes the “operatic quality” of the terzetto, and who better to capture that than this “cast”. This may not be a purist’s “Bach”, but it is some great singing. Rilling’s crew uses more détaché which is very helpful for clarifying the vocal lines. But altos, be warned – you will not be heard in certain parts of this trio, which actually is a blessing in disguise, since it offers the chance to breathe discreetly. The image of chains drives the use of the three individual voices, intertwining and linking on to each other. The Trost we search for is never more present than in this movement, in the repeated figures of des Trostes Morgen, the morning of comfort, that are a comfort and a joy to sing.

Well, the cantata project incurred a significant interruption due to procrastination, a job change, a computer hard drive replacement, and a very busy spring, which included performances of Vaughan Williams’ magnificent Dona nobis pacem and Britten’s seminal War Requiem as well as many other works. Other than the unique experience of attending a dance concert choreographed to the Art of the Fugue at Holy Trinity Lutheran in New York (one of the few American churches regularly performing the cantatas, by the way), there has not been much Bach for me. I’m hopeful that I can get back on track now that life has settled down: this is work that feeds the intellect, the musical intelligence, and the soul. It was great to get back in the saddle this week, so onward and – like the master’s music in BWV 38 – upward!

BWV 37 - Wer da gläubet und getauft wird

Week 37 (21 January – 26 January 2014)

Recording: Ton Koopman, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir; Sibylla Rubens, soprano; Bernhard Landauer, alto; Christoph Prégardien, tenor; Klaus Mertens, bass

Although nominally an Ascension cantata, this short work is first and foremost about Glaube – belief. The text (by an unknown poet) emphasizes the Lutheran concept that salvation will not be won by good deeds alone, but through unwavering, unquestioning faith. The word Glaube and its various grammatical forms appear in every movement but one (the chorale for soprano and alto) so that in Hubert Parry’s assessment, “…the whole work seems suffused with one idea, which is amply enforced by the music.”

The eingangschor echoes older models with “traces of the motet tradition,” as Klaus Hofmann notes. In its unembellished, sturdy 3/2 construction, the chorus is reminiscent of the opening choral movement from the Weimar cantata BWV 12 (albeit without the expressive force of that piece), suggesting the BWV 37 coro might be a remnant from Bach’s pre-Leipzig years; however, the form may simply be the master’s compositional response to the text. Setting a scripture verse, Bach avoids complex counterpoint in order to emphasize words. A notable instance of this begins in M. 63, where the higher voices (S/A) declaim the first line of the verse, with the T/B joining at M. 68 to emphasize der wird selig werden; this sequence is then reversed. Although recent recordings tend to move this coro briskly along, the words and structure seem to call out for a more relaxed, stately tempo. While Ristenpart for RIAS is a bit too lugubrious, he does provide a reference point (his other tempi for the ensemble movements in this cantata are not significantly different from Koopman’s, recorded a half-century later). This is a case where Karl Richter would have provided a guidepost, but unfortunately, he never recorded BWV 37.

Note that the public domain vocal score available on IMSLP omits the umlaut in gläubet, as does the Breitkopf & Härtel full score; in the RIAS recording, the German choristers pronounce the word glaubet. I believe the latter form is acceptable grammatically, in that it is a gender change to the pronoun (He that believes compared to The one who believes). However, consistent with modern performance practice (as well as the surviving manuscript parts), you should write in and sing the umlaut.

Bach scholars have agreed that a violin obbligato part belongs with the tenor aria, although the manuscript part has been lost. Ton Koopman reconstructed the part for his recording; Helmuth Rilling also uses a reconstruction; while the RIAS recording relies primarily on the original continuo part. As with Mozart cadenzas, this will probably be a matter of taste: I prefer Rilling’s version, but here, too, a Richter recording would provide a valuable insight.

The aria is a pleasant, confident statement that faith (dieses Kleinod) is a birthright; one has only to claim it. For a high tenor, the dal segno aria is not particularly demanding, but due to the problem with the scoring, this aria is probably not a good candidate for use outside the cantata.

The duetto utilizes again Nicolai’s Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, which means I’m back where I started about a year ago! In contrast to the chorale duet for soprano and alto in BWV 36 (which benefits from voices of similar timbre), this piece works better for high soprano and contralto, creating a different sonic world that echoes an older tradition. The blend of voices in Koopman’s recording is authentic, but in keeping with the chorale feel, I prefer a slightly freer tempo (Rilling, again). The movement can also be done with more than one voice on a part, although this will obviously increase the difficulty of maintaining ensemble in the melismatic passages, particularly the long concluding passage starting M.35. Whether soloists or sections, the singers need to be sensitive to the constantly changing prominence of their part. For example, in M. 10 the alto voice hands off to the soprano in a lovely sequence of triplet figures, but immediately in M. 11 the alto is again the most important voice for several beats, crossing above the soprano and then back down at which point both voices are given equal material on the final beat.

Some corrections to note for the IMSLP vocal score: there are missing dots on rests and the bracketing of the rhythms is inconsistent. The word eia (also eya) is an exclamation of praise, roughly equivalent to Hurrah, and if the recordings are any guide, with variable pronounciation: [æja] or [eja] both seem to be acceptable. Danish organist Peter Baekgaard has provided a transcription of the duetto for organ solo on IMSLP. Since it is in the same key as the vocal parts, his arrangement could also be used as an alternative to the piano reduction in the vocal score, which would make for a very nice anthem selection.

Note that Bach has used a similar dotted eighth and 32^nd-note figure to set the word Glaube in both the tenor and bass arias, though the similarity between arias ends there. The word-painting in the bass aria is more extensive and the writing more complex, e.g., the nice cadence in M. 34. The challenging melisma on the final getaufet depicts the water falling on the one being baptized, with the aria overall benefitting from a sprightly tempo such as Klaus Mertens achieves. Paired with the recitative, this is an excellent aria for worship or recital, and contains the most inspired text of the cantata – the imagery of faith giving the soul wings.

Some background on Johann Kolrose, the author of the text for the concluding chorale, since this is the only time in the project that we will encounter him. Born in the late 15^th-century in Germany, he eventually made his way to Basel where he ran a school and among other accomplishments published a book on orthography (that is, spelling – and yes, I had to look it up). His hymn Ich dank dir, lieber Herre, which provides the verse that Bach set, was published in Musika Deutsch (1532) and subsequently used by many composers, including Hassler and Buxtehude.

IMSLP also has Robert Franz’ arrangement of BWV 37 for augmented 19^th-century orchestral forces (including the addition of flute, clarinet, bassoon and horn). Remembered today for his lieder, Franz studied with a former Thomaskirche organist, and was consequently very familiar with Bach. More at home with the older forms than the blossoming Romanticism of his time, he himself said, “my music generally has its basis less in Schubert and Schumann than in Bach and Händel”. He produced editions of Bach’s major choral works as well as ten cantatas. These arrangements are ignored today in the name of authentic practice, and even in his own day were disparaged by some critics, but Franz sincerely intended his publications to bring a neglected body of work to a larger audience (and it would be interesting to hear the tenor aria of BWV 37 as Franz envisioned it). Later in life, having been forced by deafness to resign his professional positions, Franz began a quixotic search throughout Germany for Bach manuscripts: he never discovered any.

 

 

 

 

Cover Page from Robert Franz' Edition of BWV 37 (c.1875)

 

Finally, I have to give a shout out to the liner notes for Sir John’s Pilgrimage recording of BWV 37, which include a numerology factoid. The significance of numerology in Bach’s works is far beyond the scope of this project, but I wanted to reference it at some point, and this is a most convincing example. The liner notes present the analysis showing that the numerical values of the letters in the first line of text (the opening line of scripture) add up to the number of measures in the cantata (283 for both), “a bit too exact to be coincidental,” in Gardiner’s opinion. The mind boggles – as if composing a musically-complex and spiritually-profound expression of faith on a weekly basis wasn’t enough, the master set himself these additional challenges and/or constraints as well. Just all in a day’s work – Soli Deo Gloria!

 

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.

 

 

 

BWV 35 - Geist und Seele wird verwirret

Week 35 (31 December 2013 – 5 January 2014)

Recording: Helmuth Rilling, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart; Julia Hamari, alto

Although this is the first solo cantata encountered when following the Schmieder numbering sequence, BWV 35 was actually the second in a series of cantatas composed for solo alto in mid-late 1726 (the others are BWV 170 and BWV 169). For this work, scholarship suggests that “assembling” may be as apt a term as composing, since some components – notably the virtuosic sinfonia movements for organ that begin each section of the cantata – were apparently borrowed from earlier instrumental works. The challenging vocal music also suggests that a highly competent alto was available, perhaps a professional brought in as a substitute during a time of year when many students may have been occupied with family obligations.

One distinctive feature of this cantata is that Bach selected a text that exactly matched but also amplified the Gospel reading for the Sunday in question: the verses from Mark 7 describing Christ healing the deaf-mute man. The words are those of Georg Christian Lehms (1684-1717), a poet already met several times in this project, whose text explores figurative as well as literal meanings of the condition of being deaf and mute. In the first aria, the wonder of God leaves the awestruck believer taub und stumm. The ability to heal the deaf, mute, and blind is reiterated in the following recitative as proof of the miraculous nature of God. Following the sermon (which logically was surely based on the same scripture reading), the recitative invokes the command Hephata (“be opened”) to heal the recalcitrant who resists placing faith in God. And in the final aria, being released into eternal life with God represents overcoming the loss of senses at death.

If you can master the technical skills required to sing this cantata, you can probably sing just about anything in the Bach alto canon, as the three arias present an encyclopedia of rhythm, pitch, agility, and diction challenges. Any number of vocal exercises can be extracted for general training purposes, e.g., in the first aria M. 30-32 for rhythm and pitches; M.55-56 for rapid passage work; and M. 65-68 as an arpeggio study. This aria, centered on the verb verwirren (to confuse) makes more sense to me if the word is taken in the sense of cheerful or expectant bemusement, rather than in the negative connotation of confusion. After all, the text (and musical depiction) in the B section refers to believers describing God’s miracles mit Jauchzen. The one who contemplates divine greatness is at first so overwhelmed that she cannot comprehend human language or find words to communicate – but it is a positive, hopeful situation.

The technical handling of the somewhat disconnected phrases in this aria must be carefully thought through. In some cases the intent is for a true pause (M. 38), while in others a connection needs to be maintained (that is, the vocal mechanism should not relax but remain active – M. 11). Meanwhile, the continuity of the text itself needs to frame the singer’s musical decisions. This fairly long da capo aria should not be abridged since the B section is needed for textual completeness, but it could be used for a recital (although it is an endurance exercise).

The two long recitatives illustrate that there is fully as much interpretive skill needed in this cantata as in any operatic role. For instance, the lines: Du machst es eben/Dass sonst ein Wunderwerk vor dir was Schlechtes ist. What a concept to try to convey, when there are no theatrical gestures to help you, and only the most delicate musical scaffolding. The meaning that you find in the text must be conveyed through intellectual assimilation and processing of the words so that the subtle partnership between singer and composer is transparent to the listener and it is always the composer that is heard. In both recitatives and arias, Bach’s intent can only speak after you have done a lot of work.

The aria Gott hat alles wohlgemacht which concludes the first part of the cantata is as cheerful and elegant as you will find, a perfect choice for an all-purpose solo anthem for church, or for a bright opening to a recital. The characteristic melisma in M. 8-9 recurs several times in the same or a slightly modified format, so that perfecting that sequence goes a long way to mastering the aria’s technical challenges. The voice definitely needs to be kept light and flexible, without dark, contralto tones. The F major edition invites lower sopranos to partake as well, and that is certainly one solution to obtaining the right tone and weight for these pieces. I pulled this aria out many times over the past months when I wanted something optimistic and happy to sing – and it proved to be a wonderful warm-up piece as well.

The final aria is the most problematic both in meaning as well as structure. The 18^th-century Lutheran idea that one longs for death so as to be with God can be a challenge for our 21^st-century sensibilities. Here the text might also suggest that we can find release from the cares of everyday life by placing ultimate faith in God. The musical format is somewhat atypical, although the aria stands on its own, with its built-in organ introduction and postlude. Once again, the music calls for a light voice, or a lightened voice. That doesn’t mean it can’t be a full, rich sound, but that any heaviness is to be avoided (remembering that this aria was originally sung by a young male alto). The recording with Julia Hamari is the best I heard with a mezzo. There are two very difficult melismatic passages (M. 31-42 and M. 89-95) that will put this aria beyond most singers. While these passages are excellent training exercises, in actual performance they would be pretty treacherous. So if you are looking for a recital piece, there are better choices – this aria works best left within the cantata.

But the cantata done in its entirety is excellent concert material not only for a great singer but also for a fine organist. Another unique aspect of BWV 35 is that in addition to the solo organ movements, the organ is used as the obbligato instrument in the arias. A very cool graduate recital for an ambitious alto would be to marshal your colleagues to present BWV 34 and 35 on a program – you would seldom have the opportunity to do this outside a conservatory setting, and you will seldom find such a rewarding pairing.

The more I have worked with this cantata, the more I have become taub und stumm recognizing all the challenges and rewards of this music. “Assembled” or not, the end result is as unified a structure as you could ask, permeated with the master’s melodic genius. It’s truly a special work, and endlessly gratifying, for a soloist to attempt. I’ll often return to BWV 35 for study and just maybe at some point to perform that second aria!

Finally, an interesting tidbit concerning Bach’s librettist for this work. Lehms’ short but productive life also yielded a series of novels based on Biblical stories that were intended for general readership (i.e. both men and women), and he appears to have been an early advocate for women’s education as well as a proponent of recognizing their literary abilities: he compiled and published a collection of poetry by female authors. This was undoubtedly a controversial position for his time, and with his early death (from tuberculosis) we can only speculate as to whether he would have pursued any further initiatives. But certainly he never could have dreamed that nearly three centuries after his demise, his words would still be read, studied, and sung, by educated women (and men) all over the world.

Excerpt from Title Page of Lehms' Teutschlands Galante Poetinnen
(Dass das Weibliche Geschlecht so geschick zum Studieren als das Männliche)