Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte, BWV 174

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Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte
Thomaskirche, Leipzig
OccasionPentecost Monday
Cantata textPicander
ChoraleHerzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr
Performed6 June 1729 (1729-06-06): Leipzig
Movements6
Vocal
  • SATB choir
  • solo: alto, tenor and bass
Instrumental
  • 2 corni da caccia
  • 2 oboes
  • taille
  • 3 violins
  • 3 violas
  • 3 cellos
  • continuo

Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte (I love the Highest with my entire being),[1] BWV 174, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed the cantata in Leipzig for the second day of Pentecost and first performed it on 6 June 1729.

History and words

Bach wrote the cantata in Leipzig for

Martin Schalling's hymn "Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr", expressing love for God.[4]

For the opening Sinfonia, Bach added parts to a movement from his Brandenburg Concerto No. 3. He could employ many players as he had started to direct a Collegium Musicum, a Bürgervereinigung (an association of musically inclined burghers) who played his church music as well.[3][5] Bach first performed the cantata on 6 June 1729; the year is noted in the original parts.[6]

Scoring and structure

The cantata in five movements is "lavishly scored"[3] for the feast day, for three soloists, alto, tenor and bass, a four-part choir only in the chorale, two corni da caccia, two oboes, taille (tenor oboe), three solo violins, three solo violas, three solo cellos and basso continuo.[2]

  1. Sinfonia
  2. Aria (alto): Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte
  3. Recitative (tenor): O Liebe, welcher keine gleich
  4. Aria (bass): Greifet zu, faßt das Heil
  5. Chorale: Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr

Music

The cantata begins with a Sinfonia, which Bach derived from the first movement of his Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, possibly composed already in Weimar.[5] For the cantata, he added to the nine string parts two new parts for corno da caccia and a ripieno trio of oboe I and violin I, oboe II and violin II, taille and viola, parts that are also new, but reinforcing existing parts.[2][3] John Eliot Gardiner hears in the result the addition of "new-minted sheen and force to the original concerto movement, its colours and rhythms even sharper than before".[7]

In the first aria, two

themes which the voice picks up. "Gently rocking siciliano melodies, expressing spiritual tranquillity and compassion" appear in extended ritornellos.[5] The recitative is accompanied by three upper string parts, similar to the original Brandenburg concerto movement.[7] In the second aria, the violins and violas are combined to an obbligato part, "whose 'knocking' motif of repeated notes insistently underlines the urgency of the text".[5] The cantata is closed by a four-part chorale setting of the well-known melody which Bach used to conclude his St John Passion with the third stanza, "Ach Herr, laß dein lieb Engelein".[2]

Recordings

References

  1. ^ Dellal, Pamela. "BWV 174 – "Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte"". Emmanuel Music. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  2. ^
    ISBN 3-423-04080-7
    .
  3. ^ a b c d Christoph Wolff (2003). "The cantatas of the period 1726–1731 and of the Picander cycle (1728–29)" (PDF). Bach Cantatas Website. pp. 12–13. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  4. ^ "Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr / Text and Translation of Chorale". Bach Cantatas Website. 2003. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d Hofmann, Klaus (2011). "Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte / (I Love the Highest With All My Heart), BWV 174" (PDF). Bach Cantatas Website. p. 7. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  6. ^ "Bach digital - Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte BWV 174". www.bach-digital.de. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
  7. ^ a b Gardiner, John Eliot (2006). Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) / Cantatas Nos 34, 59, 68, 74, 172, 173 & 174 (Media notes). Soli Deo Gloria (at Hyperion Records website). Retrieved 8 June 2019.

Sources

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