Easter Oratorio
Easter Oratorio | |
---|---|
BWV 249a | |
Performed | 1 April 1725 Leipzig : |
Movements | 11 |
Scoring | SATB soloists and choir, instruments |
The Easter Oratorio (German: Oster-Oratorium), BWV 249, is an oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach, beginning with Kommt, eilet und laufet ("Come, hasten and run"). Bach composed it in Leipzig and first performed it on 1 April 1725.
History
The first version of the work was completed as a
Structure
Unlike the
No. | First line | ||
---|---|---|---|
1 | Sinfonia | ||
2 | Adagio | ||
3 | Aria | tenor, bass | Kommt, eilet und laufet (1st version, Kommt, gehet und eilet), 3rd and 4th versions with Chorus |
4 | Recitative | soprano, alto, tenor, bass | O kalter Männer Sinn |
5 | Aria | soprano | Seele, deine Spezereien |
6 | Recitative | alto, tenor, bass | Hier ist die Gruft |
7 | Aria | tenor | Sanfte soll mein Todeskummer |
8 | Recitative | soprano, alto | Indessen seufzen wir |
9 | Aria | alto | Saget, saget mir geschwinde |
10 | Recitative | bass | Wir sind erfreut |
11 | Chorus | SATB | Preis und Dank |
Music
The oratorio opens with two contrasting instrumental movements, an Allegro concerto grosso of the full orchestra with solo sections for trumpets, violins and oboes, and an Adagio oboe melody over "Seufzer" motifs (sighs) in the strings (in 3rd version, solo instrument is a Flute).
The first duet of the disciples was set for chorus in a later version, the middle section remaining a duet. Many
Saget, saget mir geschwinde, the aria of Mary Magdalene, is based on words from the Song of Songs, asking where to find the beloved, without whom she is "ganz verwaiset und betrübt" (completely orphaned and desolate), set in the middle section as Adagio, different from the original. The words are close to those opening Part Two of the St Matthew Passion.
The final movement in two contrasting sections resembles the Sanctus composed for Christmas 1724 and later part of the Mass in B minor.[1]
Recordings
- Heinrich-Schütz-Chor Heilbronn, Pforzheim Chamber Orchestra, Edith Selig, Claudia Hellmann, Helmut Krebs, Jakob Stämpfli, conductor Fritz Werner, Erato1964
- Süddeutscher Madrigalchor, Süddeutsches Kammerorchester, Teresa Żylis-Gara, Patricia Johnson, Theo Altmeyer, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, conductor Wolfgang Gönnenwein, HMV 1965
- Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, Lisa Larsson, Elisabeth von Magnus, Gerd Türk, Klaus Mertens, conductor Ton Koopman, Erato, 1998
- Gabrieli Consort and Players, conductor Paul McCreesh, Archiv Produktion, 2001
Literature
- Markus Rathey: Bach's Major Vocal Works: Music-Drama-Liturgy. London: Yale University Press, 2016, 138-165
References
- ^ a b c d Alfred Dürr. 1971. Die Kantaten von Johann Sebastian Bach, Bärenreiter (in German)
External links
- Autograph score in the Digitized Collections of Berlin State Library and in Bach digital
- Easter Oratorio: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- Oster-Oratorium BWV 249 / Kommet, eilet und laufet history, scoring, sources for text and music, translations to various languages, discography, discussion, Bach Cantatas Website
- BWV 249 – BWV 249 – "Kommt, eilet und laufet, ihr flüchtigen Füße" / (The Easter Oratorio) Archived 2008-03-17 at the Wayback Machine English translation, discussion, Emmanuel Music
- BWV 249 Kommt, eilet und laufet, ihr flüchtigen Füßen (Oster-Oratorium) English translation, University of Vermont
- BWV 249 Kommt, eilet und laufet, ihr flüchtigen Füße (Oster-Oratorium) text, scoring, University of Alberta
- Traupman-Carr, Carol. "Easter Oratorio (Oster-Oratorium) BWV 249". Bach Choir of Bethlehem. Archived from the original on 22 November 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
- Easter Oratorio on YouTube, State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart, conductor Hans-Christoph Rademann