Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid, BWV 3
Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid | |
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Thomaskirche, Leipzig 1885 | |
Occasion | Second Sunday after Epiphany |
Chorale | "Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid" by Martin Moller |
Performed | 14 January 1725 Leipzig : |
Movements | 6 |
Vocal | SATB soloists and choir |
Instrumental |
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Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid (Oh God, how much heartache),[1] BWV 3, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed the chorale cantata in Leipzig for the Second Sunday after Epiphany and first performed it on 14 January 1725. It is based on the hymn published by Martin Moller in 1587.
Bach composed the cantata in his second year as
History and words
Bach composed the cantata in his second year as Thomaskantor in Leipzig as part of his second annual cycle, planned to consist only of chorale cantatas based on Lutheran hymns.[2] He wrote the cantata for the Second Sunday after Epiphany.[3] The prescribed readings for the Sunday were taken from the Epistle to the Romans (we have several gifts – Romans 12:6–16) and from the Gospel of John (the Wedding at Cana from John 2 ( John 2:1–11)).[3]
The cantata is a chorale cantata based on the hymn "Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid" in 18 stanzas attributed to Martin Moller (1587). It is a paraphrase of the Latin "Jesu dulcis memoria", a medieval hymn attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux,[4] a meditation on Jesus as a comforter and helper in distress.[3][5] The unknown librettist retained the words of stanzas 1, 2 and 18 as movements 1, 2 and 6. In movement 2, stanza 2 is expanded by paraphrases of stanzas 3–5, while movement 3 is a paraphrase of stanza 6; movement 4 incorporates ideas from stanzas 7–14, and movement 5 relies on stanzas 15 and 16. In movement 2, stanza 2 is expanded by paraphrases of stanzas 3–5. Movement 3 is a paraphrase of stanza 6. Movement 4 incorporates ideas from stanzas 7–14. Movement 5 relies on stanzas 15 and 16.[3] The poet did not relate his text to the reading from John 1:2.[2]
Bach led the first performance of the cantata on 14 January 1725.[3]
Scoring and structure
Bach structured the cantata in six movements. An opening chorus and a closing chorale frame a sequence of alternating recitatives and arias. The first recitative is unusual: the chorus sings one line of the hymn's four lines, continued each time by a soloist in words of the poet.[6] The last aria is a duet. Bach scored the work for four vocal soloists (soprano (S), alto (A), tenor (T), bass (B)), a four-part choir and a Baroque instrumental ensemble of horn (Co) to double the cantus firmus in the closing chorale, trombone (Tb) to reinforce the bass in the opening chorus, two oboes d'amore (Oa), two violins (Vl), viola (Va), and basso continuo.[4][7] The autograph score bears the title: "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", which means "Sunday 2 after Epiphany ... for four voices, 2 oboes d'amore, 2 violins, viola and continuo by J. S. Bach".[8]
In the following table of the movements, the scoring and keys follow the
No. | Title | Text | Type | Vocal | Winds | Strings | Key | Time |
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1 | Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid | Moller | Chorus | SATB | Tb 2Oa | 2Vl Va | A major | |
2 | Wie schwerlich läßt sich Fleisch und Blut |
|
Recitative and chorale | T S A B | A major | |||
3 | Empfind ich Höllenangst und Pein | anon. | Aria | B | F-sharp minor | 3/4 | ||
4 | Es mag mir Leib und Geist verschmachten | anon. | Recitative | T | ||||
5 | Wenn Sorgen auf mich dringen | anon. | Aria Duetto | S A | 2Oa | Vl (unis.) | E major | |
6 | Erhalt mein Herz im Glauben rein | Moller | Chorale | SATB | Co 2Ob | 2Vl Va | A major |
Music
Bach uses a melody of "Herr Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht"[4] which appeared first in the Lochamer-Liederbuch. The melody appears in the opening chorus, sung by the bass as a cantus firmus, in the second movement, as a four-part setting with interspersed recitatives, and in the closing chorale.[2]
1
In the opening chorus, "Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid" (Ah, God, how much heartache),
2
The recitative, "Wie schwerlich läßt sich Fleisch und Blut" (How difficult it is for flesh and blood),[1] combines the hymn tune sung by the four-part choir, with interpolated text sung by the soloists in turn.[2] The lines of the hymn are separated by a joyful ostinato motif derived from the chorale tune.[9] The musicologist Julian Mincham writes that the "hybrid recitative provides an excellent example of Bach's experiments of investing long texts with sustained musical interest".[6]
3
The bass aria, "Empfind ich Höllenangst und Pein" (Although I experience the fear and torment of Hell),[1] is accompanied by the continuo. It expresses the contrast of Höllenangst (hell's anguish) and Freudenhimmel (heaven of joy), with inestimable sorrows (unermessnen Schmerzen) disappearing into light mist (leichte Nebel).[1][4]
4
A tenor recitative, "Es mag mir Leib und Geist verschmachten" (My body and spirit might despair),[1] expresses trust in Jesus to overcome despair.[3]
5
In the
6
The closing chorale, "Erhalt mein Herz im Glauben rein" (If my heart remains pure in faith),[1] is a four-part setting. The choral melody, now in the soprano, is reinforced by a horn.[3]
Recordings
The selection is taken from the listing on the Bach-Cantatas website.[10]
Title | Conductor / Choir / Orchestra | Soloists | Label | Year | Instr. |
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Bach Aria Group – Cantatas, Arias & Choruses | Brian PriestmanBach Aria Group Chorus & Orchestra | Vox | 1960s? | ||
J. S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk • Complete Cantatas • Les Cantates, Folge / Vol. 1 | Nikolaus Harnoncourt
|
|
Teldec | 1970 | Period |
Die Bach Kantate Vol. 22 | Helmuth RillingGächinger KantoreiBach-Collegium Stuttgart | Hänssler
|
1980 | ||
Bach Edition Vol. 12 – Cantatas Vol. 5 | Holland Boys ChoirNetherlands Bach Collegium
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Brilliant Classics | 1999 | Period | |
Bach Cantatas Vol. 19: Greenwich/Romsey | John Eliot GardinerMonteverdi ChoirEnglish Baroque Soloists | Soli Deo Gloria | 2000 | Period | |
J. S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 15 | Ton KoopmanAmsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir | Antoine Marchand | 2001 | Period | |
J. S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 29 | Masaaki SuzukiBach Collegium Japan | BIS | 1996 | Period
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References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Dellal, Pamela. "BWV 3 – Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid". Emmanuel Music. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Wolff, Christoph (2001). The transition between the second and the third yearly cycle of Bach's Leipzig cantatas (1725) (PDF). Bach-Cantatas. pp. 2, 4. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- ^ ISBN 3-423-04080-7.
- ^ a b c d e f g Hofmann, Klaus (2005). "Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid, BWV 3 / Oh God, how many a heartfelt woe" (PDF). Bach-Cantatas. p. 9. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- ^ a b Mincham, Julian (2010). "Chapter 35 Bwv 3 – The Cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach". jsbachcantatas.com. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
- ^ Bischof, Walter F. "BWV 3 Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid". University of Alberta. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
- ^ Grob, Jochen (2014). "BWV 3 / BC A 33" (in German). s-line.de. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
- ^ a b c Gardiner, John Eliot (2006). Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) / Cantatas Nos 3, 13, 14, 26, 81 & 155 (Media notes). Soli Deo Gloria (at Hyperion Records website). Retrieved 19 January 2019.
- ^ Oron, Aryeh. "Cantata BWV 3 Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid I". Bach-Cantatas. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
External links
- Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid, BWV 3: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid BWV 3; BC A 33 / Chorale cantata (2nd Sunday of Epiphany) Bach Digital
- BWV 3 Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid English translation. University of Vermont
- Luke Dahn: BWV 3.6 bach-chorales.com