Unser Mund sei voll Lachens, BWV 110
Unser Mund sei voll Lachens | |
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BWV 110 | |
by Annunciation to the Shepherds , topic of the prescribed gospel for the feast day, by an anonymous Dutch painter from the 17th century | |
Related |
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Occasion | First Day of Christmas |
Cantata text | Georg Christian Lehms |
Bible text | |
Chorale | "Wir Christenleut" by Caspar Füger |
Performed | 25 December 1725 Leipzig : |
Movements | 7 |
Vocal | SATB choir and solo |
Instrumental |
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Unser Mund sei voll Lachens (May our mouth be full of laughter),[1] BWV 110, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed the Christmas cantata in Leipzig for Christmas Day and first performed it on 25 December 1725.
Bach composed the cantata in his third year as
Bach scored the work festively for four vocal soloists, a
History and words
Bach composed the cantata in his third year as
In 1723, his first year in Leipzig, Bach had composed no new cantata for Christmas Day, but revived
Bach led the
Some Bach scholars believed that the cantata was written in 1734 for the end of the War of the Polish Succession,
Structure and scoring
Bach structured the cantata in seven movements. An opening chorus and a closing chorale frame a sequence of
In the following table of the movements, the scoring follows the
No. | Title | Text | Type | Vocal | Winds | Strings | Key | Time |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Unser Mund sei voll Lachens | Psalm | Chorus | SATB | 3Tr Ti 2Ft 3Ob Fg | 2Vl Va | D major | |
2 | Ihr Gedanken und ihr Sinnen | Lehms | Aria | T | 2Ft Fg | B minor | ||
3 | Dir, Herr, ist niemand gleich | Jeremiah | Recitative | B | 2Vl Va | |||
4 | Ach Herr! was ist ein Menschenkind | Lehms | Aria | A | Oa | F-sharp minor | 3/4 | |
5 | Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe | Luke | Aria (Duet) | S T | A major | 12/8 | ||
6 | Wacht auf, ihr Adern und ihr Glieder | Lehms | Aria | B | Tr 2Ob Oc | 2Vl Va | D major | |
7 | Alleluja! Gelobt sei Gott | Füger | Chorale | SATB | Tr 2Ft 2Ob Oc Fg | 2Vl Va | B minor |
Music
In 1725, Bach typically composed alternating recitatives and arias in his cantatas, both on contemporary poetry. The text for this work is in an older style, with biblical texts interspersed with arias. Bach followed it, using different musical forms for the biblical quotations. The opening chorus on psalm verses is an adaptation of his overture to his fourth
1
The opening chorus is "Unser Mund sei voll Lachens" (May our mouth be full of laughter).
2
A tenor aria, "Ihr Gedanken und ihr Sinnen" (You thoughts and musings),[11] is accompanied by two transverse flutes. Dürr interprets the choice of the flutes as a symbol for the "lowly birth".[1][4]
3
A bass recitative, "Dir, Herr, ist niemand gleich" (There is no one like You, Lord),[11] is accompanied by the strings, which accompany the expressive line of the bass voice by "upward-pointing gestures".[1]
4
The alto aria, "Ach Herr, was ist ein Menschenkind" (Ah, Lord, what is a human being),[11] is accompanied by a solo oboe d'amore that "expresses wonder about the nature of man" and God's interest in him.[10] The aria, as the first one, is not a da capo aria, but in two parts. The idea of man in a sinful condition which is presented first, is changed to redemption.[1] The Bach scholar Klaus Hofmann relates the choice of the oboe d'amore to the answer to the singer's question "Why do you do all this for man?": "Aus Liebe" (through love).[4]
5
The duet "Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe" (Glory to God in the highest),[11] combines two high voices over a simple continuo accompaniment, singing of God's glory in the highest and peace on Earth.[10] The music is based on the Virga Jesse floruit from the Magnificat, changing the vocal lines to the different text but retaining the "essentially lyrical character".[1] Gardiner notes that "goodwill towards men" is expressed in pastoral style, with the voices in parallels of tenths.[9]
6
The bass aria "Wacht auf, ihr Adern und ihr Glieder" (Awaken, veins and limbs),[11] is a final call to wake up and join the praise of the angels. Trumpet and oboe add to energetic music. The oboes double the strings or rest, for more dynamic effect. Virtuoso passages in the trumpet are reminiscent of the first movement.[1] The first triad call of the trumpet is of martial character, and imitated by the voice. When the text refers to the strings, the winds have a rest.[12]
7
The closing chorale, "Alleluja! Gelobt sei Gott" (Alleluia! Praise be to God),[11] is a four-part setting of the tune by an anonymous composer.[13] Bach set the same tune again to close Part III of his Christmas Oratorio with another stanza from the hymn, "Seid froh, dieweil" (Be glad, therefore).[10]
Recordings
The listing is taken from the selection on the Bach Cantatas Website.[5] Instrumental groups playing period instruments in historically informed performances are highlighted green under the header Instr..
Title | Conductor / Choir / Orchestra | Soloists | Label | Year | Instr. |
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J. S. Bach: Kantaten BWV 21, 110 (Ramin Edition Vol. 1) | Gewandhausorchester
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Fidelio | 1947 | |
J. S. Bach: Cantata BWV 110 | Hans ThammWindsbacher KnabenchorPforzheim Chamber Orchestra |
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Cantate | 1961 | |
Les Grandes Cantates de J. S. Bach Vol. 11 | Heinrich-Schütz-Chor HeilbronnPforzheim Chamber Orchestra
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Erato | 1961 | ||
J. S. Bach: Cantata BWV 110 & Magnificat BWV 243 | Gerhard Schmidt-GadenTölzer KnabenchorCollegium Aureum |
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Deutsche Harmonia Mundi | 1972 | |
Die Bach Kantate Vol. 62 | Helmuth RillingGächinger KantoreiBach-Collegium Stuttgart |
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Hänssler
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1974 | |
J. S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk • Complete Cantatas • Les Cantates, Folge / Vol. 27 – BWV 107-110 | Nikolaus HarnoncourtTölzer KnabenchorConcentus Musicus Wien |
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Teldec | 1979 | Period |
Bach Kantaten BWV 110, BWV 40, BWV 71 | Hans-Joachim RotzschThomanerchorNeues Bachisches Collegium Musicum |
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Berlin Classics | 1982 | |
J. S. Bach: Cantates de Nöel | Philippe HerrewegheCollegium Vocale Gent | Harmonia Mundi France | 1995 | Period | |
Bach Cantatas Vol. 14: New York / Christmas Cantatas | John Eliot GardinerMonteverdi ChoirEnglish Baroque Soloists |
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Soli Deo Gloria | 2000 | Period |
Bach Edition Vol. 14 – Cantatas Vol. 7 | Holland Boys ChoirNetherlands Bach Collegium
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Brilliant Classics | 2000 | Period | |
J. S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 15 | Ton KoopmanAmsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir | Antoine Marchand | 2001 | Period | |
J. S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 43 – BWV 57, 110, 151 | Masaaki SuzukiBach Collegium Japan | BIS | 2008 | Period | |
J. S. Bach: Magnificat, Unser Mund sei voll Lachens | Jos van VeldhovenNetherlands Bach Society | Channel Classics Records | 2010 | Period
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References
- ^ ISBN 0-19-929776-2.
- ^ a b c Wolff, Christoph. "The transition between the second and the third yearly cycle of Bach's Leipzig cantatas (1725 Leipzig, I)" (PDF). Bach Cantatas Website. pp. 2–3. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
- ^ "Wir Christenleut habn jetzund Freud / Text and Translation of Chorale". Bach Cantatas Website. 2006. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Hofmann, Klaus (2012). "Unser Mund sei voll Lachens , BWV 110 / Then Was our Mouth Filled with Laughter" (PDF). Bach Cantatas Website. pp. 5–6. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ^ a b Oron, Aryeh. "Cantata BWV 110 Unser Mund sei voll Lachens". Bach Cantatas Website. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
- The Bach Choir of Bethlehem. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
- ^ a b Bischof, Walter F. "BWV 110 Unser Mund sei voll Lachens". University of Alberta. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
- ^ Grob, Jochen (2014). "BWV 110 / BC A 10" (in German). s-line.de. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
- ^ a b c Gardiner, John Eliot (2005). Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) / Cantatas Nos 40, 91, 110 & 121 (Media notes). Soli Deo Gloria (at Hyperion Records website). Retrieved 31 December 2018.
- ^ a b c d Eriksson, Erik (2006). "Johann Sebastian Bach / Cantata No. 110, "Unser Mund sei voll Lachens," BWV 110 (BC A10)". classicalarchives.com. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Dellal, Pamela (2021). "BWV 110 – Unser Mund sei voll Lachens". pameladellal.com. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- ^ Mincham, Julian (2010). "Chapter 6 BWV 110 Unser Mund sei voll Lachens / Fill our mouths with the sounds of laughter". jsbachcantatas.com. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- ^ "Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works / Wir Christenleut habn jetzund Freud". Bach Cantatas Website. 2006. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
Sources
- Unser Mund sei voll Lachens, BWV 110: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- Unser Mund sei voll Lachens BWV 110; BC A 10 / Sacred cantata (1st Christmas Day) Bach Digital
- BWV 110 Unser Mund sei voll Lachens English translation, University of Vermont
- Recordings of BWV 110 at Classical Music Online
- Luke Dahn: BWV 110.7 bach-chorales.com
External links
- Unser Mund sei voll Lachens, BWV 110: performance by the Netherlands Bach Society (video and background information)