Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats, BWV 42
Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats | |
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BWV 42 | |
Church cantata by J. S. Bach | |
Occasion | Sunday after Easter |
Bible text | John 20:19–31 |
Chorale |
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Performed | 8 April 1725 Leipzig : |
Movements | 7 |
Vocal | SATB solo and choir |
Instrumental |
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Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats (On the evening, however, of the same Sabbath),[1] BWV 42, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it in Leipzig for the first Sunday after Easter and first performed it on 8 April 1725.
History and words
Bach composed the cantata in Leipzig for the First Sunday after Easter, called Quasimodogeniti.[2] He composed it in his second annual cycle, which consisted of chorale cantatas since the first Sunday after Trinity of 1724. Bach ended the sequence on Palm Sunday of 1725, this cantata is not a chorale cantata and the only cantata in the second cycle to begin with an extended sinfonia.[3]
The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from the
After the quote from the Gospel of John, the poet paraphrases, in movement 3, words of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew 18:20, "Wo zwei oder drei versammelt sind in meinem Namen, da bin ich mitten unter ihnen" (For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them).
Bach first performed the cantata on 8 April 1725,[2] and again in Leipzig at least twice, on 1 April 1731 and either on 1 April 1742 or on 7 April 1743.
Scoring and structure
The cantata in seven movements is scored for soprano, alto, tenor, and bass soloists, a four-part choir only in the closing chorale, two oboes, bassoon, two violins, viola and basso continuo.[2] The reason for the choir appearing only in the closing chorale may have been that the Thomanerchor had been in high demand during the Holy Week and Easter, performing Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, BWV 1, the St John Passion and Christ lag in Todes Banden, BWV 4, among others.[3]
No. | Title | Type | Vocal | Winds | Strings | Key | Time |
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1 | Sinfonia | 2Ob, Bsn | 2Vl, Va, Bc | D major |
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2 | Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats | Recitative | Tenor | Bsn | Bc | ||
3 | Wo zwei und drei versammlet sind | Aria | Alto | 2Ob, Bsn | 2Vl, Va, Bc | G major | |
4 | Verzage nicht, o Häuflein klein | Duet | Soprano, tenor | Bsn | Cl, Bc | B minor | 3/4 |
5 | Man kann hiervon ein schön Exempel sehen | Recitative | Bass | Bsn | Bc | ||
6 | Jesus ist ein Schild der Seinen | Aria | Bass | 1Vl (divisi), Bc | A major | ||
7 | Verleih uns Frieden gnädiglich | Chorale | SATB | 2Ob (col Soprano), Bsn | 1Vl (col soprano), 1Vl (coll'Alto), Va (col Tenore), Bc |
F♯ minor |
Music
Possibly Bach took the opening
The Bible quote is sung in recitative by the tenor as the Evangelist, accompanied by the continuo in repeated fast notes, possibly illustrating the anxious heart beat of the disciples, when Jesus appears, "On the evening, however, of the same Sabbath, when the disciples had gathered and the door was locked out of fear of the Jews, Jesus came and walked among them".
In movement 3, an aria marked adagio, the repetition is kept in the bassoon, but the strings hold long chords and the oboes play extended melodic lines. According to Dürr, it may have been another movement from the same concerto that movement 1 relies on.
Bach composed the chorale text of movement 4, "Do not despair, o little flock",[1] as a duet, accompanied only by the continuo including bassoon. Fragments of the usual chorale theme, "Kommt her zu mir, spricht Gottes Sohn", can be detected occasionally. Terry interprets that the bassoon obbligato was intended to accompany a chorale melody which "never actually sounded", conveying the "hiddenness" of the church in the world.[6]
The bass prepares in a recitative, ending as an arioso, the last aria, which is accompanied by the divided violins and the continuo. The theme is again a contrast between the "Unruhe der Welt" (restlessness of "the world") and "Friede bei Jesus" (peace with Jesus). While the instruments play in wild motion, the bass sings a calm expressive melody, only accenting the word "Verfolgung" (persecution) by faster motion in long melismas.[2] According to Mincham, this aria might go back to a different movement from the same concerto as the sinfonia.[3]
The chorale theme of Luther's chorale was published by Martin Luther in the Kirchē gesenge, mit vil schönen Psalmen unnd Melodey (edited by
Recordings
- Bach Made in Germany Vol. 1 – Cantatas IV, , Berlin Classics 1953
- Bach Aria Group – Cantatas & Cantata Movements, Robert Shaw, Bach Aria Group Orchestra, Robert Shaw Chorale & Orchestra, Eileen Farrell, Carol Smith, Jan Peerce, Norman Farrow, RCA Victor 1954
- J. S. Bach: Cantatas No. 42, No. 35, Wiener Akademie-Kammerchor, Vienna Radio Orchestra, Teresa Stich-Randall, Maureen Forrester, Alexander Young, John Boyden, Westminster/Baroque Music Club 1964
- J. S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk – Sacred Cantatas Vol. 3, Wiener Sängerknaben, Chorus Viennensis, Concentus Musicus Wien, soloist of the Wiener Sängerknaben, Paul Esswood, Kurt Equiluz, Ruud van der Meer, Teldec1974
- Die Bach Kantate Vol. 31, Hänssler1981
- J. S. Bach: Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis, Philippe Herreweghe, Collegium Vocale Gent, La Chapelle Royale, Barbara Schlick, Gérard Lesne, Howard Crook, Peter Kooy, Harmonia Mundi France 1990
- Bach Edition Vol. 4 – Cantatas Vol. 1, Holland Boys Choir, Netherlands Bach Collegium, Ruth Holton, Sytse Buwalda, Knut Schoch, Bas Ramselaar, Brilliant Classics1999
- Bach Cantatas Vol. 23: Arnstadt/Echternach, Soli Deo Gloria2000
- J. S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 14, Ton Koopman, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, Deborah York, Bogna Bartosz, Jörg Dürmüller, Klaus Mertens, Antoine Marchand 2001
- J. S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 36 (Cantatas from Leipzig 1725), Masaaki Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan, Yukari Nonoshita, Robin Blaze, James Gilchrist, Dominik Wörner, BIS 2006
References
- ^ a b Dellal, Pamela. "BWV 42 – Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats". Emmanuel Music. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- ^ ISBN 3-423-04080-7.
- ^ a b c d Mincham, Julian (2010). "Chapter 42 Bwv 4 42 – The Cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach". jsbachcantatas.com. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- OCLC 523584.[page needed]
- ^ Wustmann, Rudolf; Neumann, Werner (1956). "Johann Sebastian Bach. Sämtliche Kantatentexte" Unter Mitbenutzung von Rudolf Wustmanns – Ausgabe der Bachschen Kantatentexte. Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel.
- ^ a b Gardiner, John Eliot (2007). Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) / Cantatas Nos 42, 67, 85, 104, 112, 150 & 158 (Media notes). Soli Deo Gloria (at Hyperion Records website). Retrieved 27 April 2019.
- ^ Bacon, Leonard Woolsey; Allen, Nathan H., eds. (1884). Dr. Martin Luther's Deutsche Geistliche Lieder. The Hymns of Martin Luther set to their original Melodies with an English version. Hodder and Stoughton.
External links
- Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats, BWV 42: performance by the Netherlands Bach Society (video and background information)
- Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats, BWV 42: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats (concerto da chiesa) BWV 42; BC A 63 / Sacred cantata Bach Digital
- Cantata BWV 42 Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats: history, scoring, sources for text and music, translations to various languages, discography, discussion, Bach Cantatas website
- Luke Dahn: BWV 42.7 bach-chorales.com