O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad, BWV 165
O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad | |
---|---|
Schlosskirche in Weimar | |
Occasion | Trinity |
Cantata text | Salomon Franck |
Chorale | "Nun laßt uns Gott dem Herren" by Ludwig Helmbold |
Performed | 16 June 1715 Weimar : |
Movements | 6 |
Vocal | SATB choir and solo |
Instrumental |
|
O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad (O holy bath of Spirit and water[a]), BWV 165, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it in Weimar for Trinity Sunday and led the first performance on 16 June 1715.
Bach had taken up regular cantata composition a year before when he was promoted to concertmaster at the Weimar court, writing one cantata per month to be performed in the Schlosskirche, the court chapel in the ducal
The music is structured in six
Background
On 2 March 1714 Bach was appointed Konzertmeister (concert master) of the Weimar Hofkapelle (court chapel) of the co-reigning dukes Wilhelm Ernst and Ernst August of Saxe-Weimar.[1] The position was created for him, possibly on his demand, giving him "a newly defined rank order" according to Christoph Wolff.[2]
From 1695, an arrangement shared the responsibility for church music at the Schlosskirche (court church) between the Kapellmeister Samuel Drese and the Vize-Kapellmeister Georg Christoph Strattner, who took care of one Sunday per month while the Kapellmeister served on three Sundays. The pattern probably continued from 1704, when Strattner was succeeded by Drese's son Johann Wilhelm. When Konzertmeister Bach also assumed the principal responsibility for one cantata a month,[1] the Kapellmeister's workload was further reduced to two Sundays per month.[1]
The performance venue on the third tier of the court church, in German called Himmelsburg (Heaven's Castle), has been described by Wolff as "congenial and intimate",[3] calling for a small ensemble of singers and players.[3] Performers of the cantatas were mainly the core group of the Hofkapelle, formed by seven singers, three leaders and five other instrumentalists. Additional players of the military band were available when needed, and also town musicians and singers of the gymnasium. Bach as the concertmaster probably led the performances as the first violinist, while the organ part was played by Bach's students such as Johann Martin Schubart and Johann Caspar Vogler.[4] Even in settings like chamber music, Bach requested a strong continuo section with cello, bassoon and violone in addition to the keyboard instrument.[5]
Monthly cantatas from 1714 to 1715
While Bach had composed vocal music only for special occasions until his promotion, the regular chance to compose and perform a new work resulted in a program into which Bach "threw himself wholeheartedly", as Christoph Wolff notes.[6] In his first cantata of the series, Himmelskönig, sei willkommen, BWV 182, for the double feast of Palm Sunday and Annunciation, he showed his skill in an elaborate work in eight movements, for four vocal parts and at times ten-part instrumental writing,[6] and presenting himself as a violin soloist.[7]
The following table of works performed by Bach as concertmaster between 1714 and the end of 1715 is based on tables by Wolff and Alfred Dürr.[8] According to Dürr, O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad is the eleventh cantata composition of this period.[9] The works contain arias and recitatives, as in contemporary opera, while earlier cantatas had concentrated on biblical text and chorale.[10] Some works, such as Widerstehe doch der Sünde, may have been composed earlier.
Date | Occasion | BWV | Incipit | Text source |
---|---|---|---|---|
25 March 1714 | Annunciation, Palm Sunday | 182 | Himmelskönig, sei willkommen | Franck? |
21 April 1714 | Jubilate |
12 | Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen | Franck? |
20 May 1714 | Pentecost | 172 | Erschallet, ihr Lieder | Franck? |
17 June 1714 | Third Sunday after Trinity | 21 | Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis | Franck? |
15 July 1714 | Seventh Sunday after Trinity | 54 | Widerstehe doch der Sünde | Lehms |
12 August 1714 | Eleventh Sunday after Trinity | 199 | Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut | Lehms |
2 December 1714 | First Sunday in Advent | 61 | Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland | Neumeister |
30 December 1714 | Sunday after Christmas | 152 | Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn | Franck |
24 March 1715 ? | Oculi | 80a | Alles, was von Gott geboren | Franck |
31 April 1715 | Easter | 31 | Der Himmel lacht! Die Erde jubilieret | Franck |
16 June 1715 | Trinity | 165 | O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad | Franck |
14 July 1715 | Fourth Sunday after Trinity | 185 | Barmherziges Herze der ewigen Liebe | Franck |
6 October 1715 ? | 16th Sunday after Trinity | 161 | Komm, du süße Todesstunde | Franck |
3 November 1715 ? | 20th Sunday after Trinity | 162 | Ach! ich sehe, itzt, da ich zur Hochzeit gehe | Franck |
24 November 1715 | 23rd Sunday after Trinity | 163 | Nur jedem das Seine | Franck |
Topic and text
Trinity Sunday
Bach composed O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad for Trinity Sunday,[11] the Sunday concluding the first half of the liturgical year.[12] The prescribed readings for the day were from the Epistle to the Romans, "What depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God" (Romans 11:33–36), and from the Gospel of John, the meeting of Jesus and Nicodemus (John 3:1–15).[11][12]
In Leipzig, Bach composed two more cantatas for the occasion which focused on different aspects of the readings, Höchsterwünschtes Freudenfest, BWV 194, first composed for the inauguration of church and organ in Störmthal on 2 November 1723,[13] Es ist ein trotzig und verzagt Ding, BWV 176 (1725)[14] and the chorale cantata Gelobet sei der Herr, mein Gott, BWV 129 (1726).[15] Scholars debate if Bach performed on Trinity Sunday of 1724, which fell on 4 June, Höchsterwünschtes Freudenfest or O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad or both.[16]
Cantata text
The libretto was written by the court poet, Salomon Franck, and published in Evangelisches Andachts-Opffer in 1715.
Salomon expresses his thought in
Performance and publication
Bach led the first performance of the cantata on 16 June 1715. The performance material for Weimar is lost.[22] Bach performed the work again as Thomaskantor in Leipzig. Extant performance material was prepared by his assistant Johann Christian Köpping.[23] The first possible revival is the Trinity Sunday of Bach's first year in office, 4 June 1724,[24] also the conclusion of his first year and first Leipzig cantata cycle, because he had assumed the office on the first Sunday after Trinity the year before. Bach made presumably minor changes.[25]
The cantata was published in the Bach-Ausgabe, the first edition of Bach's complete works by the
Music
Scoring and structure
The title on the copy by Johann Christian Köpping is: "Concerto a 2 Violi:1 Viola. Fagotto Violoncello S.A.T.e Basso e Continuo / di Joh:Seb:Bach" (Concerto for 2 violins, 1 viola. Bassoon Cello S.A.T and Bass and Continuo / by Joh:Seb:Bach).[26] The cantata in six movements is scored like chamber music for four vocal soloists (soprano, alto, tenor and bass), a four-part choir (SATB) in the closing chorale, two violins (Vl), viola (Va), bassoon (Fg), cello (Vc) and basso continuo (Bc).[21][23] The bassoon is called for, but has no independent part.[17][22] The duration is given as about 15 minutes.[11]
In the following table of the movements, the scoring follows the Neue Bach-Ausgabe,[24] and the abbreviations for voices and instruments the list of Bach cantatas. The keys and time signatures are taken from the Bach scholar Alfred Dürr, using the symbol for common time (4/4). The instruments are shown separately for winds and strings, while the continuo, playing throughout, is not shown.
No. | Title | Text | Type | Vocal | Strings | Bass | Key | Time |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad | Franck | Aria | S | 2Vl Va | Fg Bc | G major | |
2 | Die sündige Geburt verdammter Adamserben | Franck | Recitative | B | Bc | C minor – A minor | ||
3 | Jesu, der aus großer Liebe | Franck | Aria | A | Bc | C minor | 12/8 | |
4 | Ich habe ja, mein Seelenbräutigam | Franck | Recitative | B | 2Vl Va | Fg Bc | B minor – G major | |
5 | Jesu, meines Todes Tod | Franck | Aria | T | 2Vl (unis.) | G major | ||
6 | Sein Wort, sein Tauf, sein Nachtmahl | Helmbold | Chorale | SATB | 2Vl Va | Fg Bc |
|
Movements
The cantata consists of solo movements closed by a four-part chorale. Arias alternate with two recitatives, both sung by the bass. John Eliot Gardiner summarizes: "It is a true sermon in music, based on the Gospel account of Jesus' night-time conversation with Nicodemus on the subject of 'new life', emphasising the spiritual importance of baptism."[27] He points out the many musical images of water.[27]
1
In the first aria, "O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad" (O bath of Holy Spirit and of water), The prominent use made of formal schemes based on the principles of symmetry and inversion is in all probability intentional, serving as a symbol of the inner inversion of mankind — his rebirth in baptism.[21]
2
The first recitative, "Die sündige Geburt verdammter Adamserben" (The sinful birth of the cursed heirs of Adam),
3
The second aria, "Jesu, der aus großer Liebe" (Jesus, who out of great love),[19] accompanied by the continuo, is dominated by an expressive motif with several upward leaps of sixths, which is introduced in the ritornello and picked up by the alto voice in four sections.[14] Mincham notes that "the mood is serious and reflective but also purposeful and quietly resolute".[22]
4
The second recitative, "Ich habe ja, mein Seelenbräutigam" (I have indeed, o bridegroom of my soul),
5
The last aria, "Jesu, meines Todes Tod" (Jesus, death of my death),[19] is set for tenor, accompanied by the violins in unison, marked "Aria Violini unisoni e Tenore".[26] The image of the serpent appears again, described by the composer and musicologist William G. Whittaker: "the whole of the obbligato for violins in unison is constructed out of the image of the bending, writhing, twisting reptile, usually a symbol of horror, but in Bach's musical speech a thing of pellucid beauty".[27]
6
The cantata closes with a four-part setting of the chorale stanza, Sein Wort, sein Tauf, sein Nachtmahl (His word, His baptism, His communion).[14][19][30] The text in four short lines summarizes that Jesus helps any in need by his words, his baptism and his communion, and ends in the prayer that the Holy Spirit may teach to faithfully trust in this.[25][26]
Sein Wort, sein Tauf, sein Nachtmahl |
His Word, His Baptism, His Supper |
The hymn tune by
Recordings
The entries are taken from the listing on the Bach Cantatas Website.[32] Instrumental ensmbles playing period instruments in historically informed performance are marked by green background.
Title | Conductor / Choir / Orchestra | Soloists | Label | Year | Orch. type |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Die Bach Kantate Vol. 38 | Helmuth RillingGächinger KantoreiBach-Collegium Stuttgart |
|
Hänssler
|
1976 | |
J. S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk • Complete Cantatas. Folge / Vol. 39 | Gustav LeonhardtCollegium Vocale GentLeonhardt-Consort |
|
Teldec | 1987 | Period |
J. S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 4 – Man singet mit Freuden, Cantatas • 49 • 145 • 149 • 174 (Cantatas from Leipzig 1726–29) | Masaaki SuzukiBach Collegium Japan | BIS | 1996 | Period | |
J. S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 3 | Ton KoopmanAmsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir | Antoine Marchand | 1997 | Period | |
Bach Edition Vol. 5 – Cantatas Vol. 2 | Holland Boys ChoirNetherlands Bach Collegium
|
Brilliant Classics | 1999 | Period | |
Bach Cantatas Vol. 27: Blythburgh/Kirkwell / For Whit Tuesday / For Trinity Sunday | John Eliot GardinerMonteverdi ChoirEnglish Baroque Soloists |
|
Soli Deo Gloria | 2000 | Period |
J. S. Bach: O heiliges Geist- und Wasserbad, BWV 165 | Gewandhausorchester
|
MDR, (MDR-Figaro-Reihe Kantate) | 2003 |
|
Notes
References
- ^ a b c Wolff 2002, p. 147.
- ^ Wolff 2002, p. 155.
- ^ a b Wolff 2002, pp. 157–159.
- ^ Wolff 2002, pp. 157–158.
- ^ Wolff 2002, pp. 157–160.
- ^ a b Wolff 2002, p. 156.
- ^ Wolff 2002, p. 158.
- ^ Wolff 2002, pp. 162–163.
- ^ Dürr 2006, p. 14.
- ^ Dürr 1971, p. 29.
- ^ a b c d Dürr 2006, p. 371.
- ^ a b Werthemann 2015.
- ^ Dürr 2006, p. 715.
- ^ a b c Dürr 2006, p. 374.
- ^ Dürr 2006, p. 377.
- ^ Dürr 1971, p. 40.
- ^ a b c Ambrose 2012.
- ^ a b Hofmann 1996, p. 6.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Dellal 2012.
- ^ a b Browne 2007.
- ^ a b c Dürr 2006, p. 373.
- ^ a b c d Mincham 2010.
- ^ a b Hofmann 1996, p. 7.
- ^ a b c Bach Digital 2014.
- ^ a b c Dürr 2006, p. 372.
- ^ a b c d e Grob 2014.
- ^ a b c d Gardiner 2008.
- ^ Dürr 2006, pp. 373–374.
- ^ Hofmann 1996.
- ^ Luke Dahn: BWV 165.6 bach-chorales.com
- ^ Braatz & Oron 2005.
- ^ Oron 2012.
Bibliography
Scores
- O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad, BWV 165: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- "O heil'ges Geist- und Wasserbad BWV 165; BC A 90 / Sacred cantata (Trinity Sunday)". Bach Digital. 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
Books
- ISBN 3-423-04080-7.
- ISBN 978-0-19-929776-4.
- ISBN 978-0-393-32256-9.
Online sources
The complete recordings of Bach's cantatas are accompanied by liner notes from musicians and musicologists; Gardiner commented on his
- Ambrose, Z. Philip (2012). "BWV 165 O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad". University of Vermont. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- Braatz, Thomas; Oron, Aryeh (2005). "Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works / Nun laßt uns Gott dem Herren". Bach Cantatas Website. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
- Browne, Francis (2007). "Nun laßt uns Gott dem Herren / Text and Translation of Chorale". Bach Cantatas Website. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
- Dellal, Pamela (2012). "BWV 165 – O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad". Emmanuel Music. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- Gardiner, John Eliot (2008). Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) / Cantatas Nos 129, 165, 175, 176, 184 & 194 (Media notes). Soli Deo Gloria (at Hyperion Records website). Retrieved 15 June 2019.
- Grob, Jochen (2014). "BWV 165 / BC A 90" (in German). s-line.de. Archived from the original on 2015-02-21. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- Hofmann, Klaus (1996). "BWV 165: O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad / (O Holy Spiritual and Water Bath)" (PDF). Bach Cantatas Website. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
- Mincham, Julian (2010). "Chapter 62: BWV 165, O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad / Oh sacred spring and spirit". jsbachcantatas.com. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- Oron, Aryeh (2012). "Cantata BWV 165 O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad". Bach Cantatas Website. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- Werthemann, Helene (2015). "Bachkantaten in der Predigerkirche" (in German). Bachkantaten. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
External links
- Literature by and about O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad, BWV 165 in the German National Library catalogue
- Arnold, Jochen (2009). Von Gott poetisch-musikalisch reden: Gottes verborgenes und offenbares Handeln in Bachs Kantaten (in German). ISBN 978-3-647-57124-9.
- Koster, Jan (2011). "Weimar 1708–1717". let.rug.nl. Archived from the original on 28 March 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
- Leonard, James (2015). "Johann Sebastian Bach Cantata No. 165, "O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad," BWV 165 (BC A90)". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- Zedler, Günther (2008). Die erhaltenen Kirchenkantaten Johann Sebastian Bachs (Mühlhausen, Weimar, Leipzig I): Besprechungen in Form von Analysen – Erklärungen – Deutungen (in German). BoD – Books on Demand. p. 102. ISBN 978-3-8370-4401-0.
- Luke Dahn: BWV 165.6 bach-chorales.com