Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, BWV 1
Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern | |
---|---|
Johann Andreas Kuhnau)[1] | |
Key | F major |
Occasion | |
Chorale | "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern" by Philipp Nicolai |
Performed | 25 March 1725 Leipzig : |
Movements | 6 |
Vocal | |
Instrumental |
|
Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern ('How beautifully the morning star shines'),
Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern is the last
The original performance parts of the cantata, partly written by the composer, are conserved in Leipzig. Commentators writing about the cantata, such as
Background
In 1723, Bach was appointed as Thomaskantor and director musices in Leipzig, which made him responsible for the music at four churches. He provided church music for the two main churches, St. Thomas and St. Nicholas, and occasionally also for two others, the New Church and St. Peter.[3] Bach took office in the middle of the liturgical year, on the first Sunday after Trinity.[4]
In Leipzig, cantata music was expected on Sundays and on feast days, except during the
Cantata cycles
In his first twelve months in office, Bach decided to compose new works for almost all liturgical occasions. These works became known as his
Bach's earliest extant chorale cantata,
Hymn
Bach's cantata Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern is based on Philipp Nicolai's
The image of the morning star is taken from Revelation 22:16[17] ("I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star."). In its title, Nicolai indicated the hymn as Brautlied ('Bridal song') of the soul addressing Jesus as its heavenly bridegroom,[13][14] which refers to Psalm 45, described as a bridal song in the Luther Bible, and to the Song of Songs.[14][18] Nicolai did not write a paraphrase of the biblical texts, but used elements from them for the seven stanzas of his hymn.[19] He also alludes to the nativity.[20]
The hymn was associated with
Libretto and first performance
A librettist retained the first and last stanzas of the hymn and paraphrased the other stanzas, using the second stanza for the first recitative, the third stanza for the first aria, the fourth stanza and part of the fifth for the second recitative, and the sixth stanza for the second aria. Bach scholar Alfred Dürr wrote: "The librettist must be credited with the empathy he shows for that fervour which characterises Nicolai's poem and which has made his hymns into an enduring possession of the Protestant Church."[22] While the identity of the librettist, a "poetically and theologically competent specialist", is not certain, scholars have suggested Andreas Stübel, a Leipzig intellectual who held controversial theological views.[6][23]
For the first performance of the cantata, on 25 March 1725, Bach helped copy out his composition score for the musicians participating in the premiere.
Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern was to be the last newly-composed chorale cantata of Bach's second cantata cycle.[22] If Stübel was the librettist, his death in January 1725 would explain the end of the chorale cantatas in the second cycle, because Bach lost a competent collaborator and source of inspiration.[23] Bach returned to other texts for the remaining liturgical times of Easter, Pentecost and Trinity. The completion of the cycle of chorale cantatas was so important to him that he included the early chorale cantata for Easter, Christ lag in Todes Banden, in 1725, and over the following decade added a few chorale cantatas for some missing occasions.[28]
Music
The title page of the extant 18th-century set of performance parts of BWV 1, written around 1750 by an unknown scribe, mentions the occasion (Annunciation), the cantata's title (incipit) and scoring, and its composer.[1]
Scoring and structure
Bach structured the cantata in six
In the following table of the movements, the scoring, keys and time signatures are taken from Dürr.[29] The continuo, which plays throughout, is not shown.
No. | Title | Text | Type | Vocal | Winds | Strings | Key | Time |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern | Nicolai | Chorale fantasia | SATB | 2Co 2Oc | 2Vs 2Vl Va | F major | 12 8 |
2 | Du wahrer Gottes und Marien Sohn | anon. | Recitative | T | ||||
3 | Erfüllet, ihr himmlischen göttlichen Flammen | anon. | Aria | S | Oc | B-flat major | ||
4 | Ein irdscher Glanz, ein leiblich Licht | anon. | Recitative | B | ||||
5 | Unser Mund und Ton der Saiten | anon. | Aria | T | 2Vs 2Vl Va | F major | 3 8 | |
6 | Wie bin ich doch so herzlich froh | Nicolai | Chorale | SATB | 2Co 2Oc | 2Vl Va | F major |
Movements
Bach provided a rich orchestration. The sparkle of the morning star is illustrated by two solo violins, first in the first chorus, and reappearing with the other strings in the second aria.
1
The first movement, "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern" ('How beautifully the morning star shines'),
The text of the hymn is reflected in the music iconography: the horn calls signify the majesty of the king, while the virtuosic concertante violin passagework signifies the morning star and joy in the universe.
Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern |
How fairly shines the morning star, |
—Philipp Nicolai |
The 12-bar sinfonia is based on themes that are derived directly from the cantus firmus (notated here in the
After the sinfonia, the first line of the soprano cantus firmus is countered by the lower voices with a version of the first theme, doubled by instruments. Throughout the fantasia, whenever the cantus firmus is exposed, it is doubled by the horn. The other nine lines are punctuated by instrumental episodes of differing lengths. Some are quite short, where other pairs of instruments briefly play the first theme. For line 2, the tenor, followed by the alto, sing the cantus firmus in diminution, i.e. sung at twice the speed, with dotted crotchets instead of minims. Line 5 is similar, but this time the alto is followed by the tenor. In the episode between lines 2 and 3, the second themes are heard. Between lines 3 and 4 there is a recurrence of the sinfonia with different solo instruments allocated to the parts. Between lines 4 and 5, there is a two bar episode with the first theme; and between lines 5 and 6, the second theme is heard again. The vocal lines 4–6 are a repetition of lines 1–3, reflecting the over-arching bar form of the movement.[36][40]
The extended instrumental passage between lines 6 and 7 features a duet between the two concertante violins, with the first theme countering the semiquaver bariolage.[41] In line 7 the word "lieblich" ('lovely') is sung to plain chords in the choir, punctuated by one bar of the first theme; in line 8 the same happens for the word "freundlich" ('kindly').[2] After a two-bar episode similar to the violin duet, the whole orchestra and chorus are heard in line 9, with rolling quavers, in contrary motion. A 4-bar episode for the concertante violins leads to fugal entries in the lower voices and the climactic tenth line: with animated accompaniment from the entire orchestra and lower voices, the sopranos sing a descending scale to the words "Hoch und sehr prächtig erhaben" ('high and most sublime in splendour'). The orchestral ritornello closes the movement.[32][41]
Dürr and
2
The tenor expresses in
3
In the first aria, the soprano renders "Erfüllet, ihr himmlischen göttlichen Flammen" ('Fill utterly, you divine celestial flames'),[2] accompanied by an obbligato oboe da caccia, an instrument in alto range. The instruments illustrate the celestial flames in coloraturas.[31] Two oboe parts exist for the obbligato instrument, one in the normal clef for an oboe da caccia, the other in a "fingering notation". Ulrich Leisinger, editor of a publication by Carus, noted that it is unclear if the latter was meant to help a player not experienced in the instrument, or if actually two players alternated, which would make breathing easier.[32]
4
In another secco recitative, "Ein irdscher Glanz, ein leiblich Licht rührt meine Seele nicht" ('No earthly gloss, no fleshly light could ever stir my soul'), the bass contrasts earthly light with heavenly light.[43] The terms "Freudenschein" ('joyful radiance') and "Erquickung" ('refreshment') are emphasised by a melisma.[34] Editor Leisinger summarised: "Nothing worldly pleases the soul, only that semblance of joy which is sent by God alone (for which the morning star can evidently serve as an image)".[32]
5
The text of the fifth movement, "Unser Mund und Ton der Saiten" ('Our mouths and the tones of strings'),[2] paraphrases the stanza "Zwingt die Saiten in Cythara" ('Pluck the strings of the cittern').[32] The aria is sung by the tenor who, following the text, is accompanied by strings only, including the two solo violins from the first movement.[32] An expression of thanks and praise, it is intensified by a dance-like motion, described as "graceful minuet pulse" by Bach scholar Klaus Hofmann.[31] The soloist sings coloraturas on the repeated word "Gesang" ('singing').[6]
6
The closing chorale, "Wie bin ich doch so herzlich froh"[44] ('How heartily glad I am indeed'),[22] is complemented by an independent part of the second horn,[32] while the other instruments play colla parte with the four-part chorale sung by the choir. Thus, the last chorale cantata in the second cantata cycle reaches an "air of baroque festive splendour".[31]
Reception
When the composer died in 1750, the
Carl von Winterfeld's description of the cantata, published in 1847, focuses mostly on the composition's opening movement.[47] Writing in the second half of the 19th century, Philipp Spitta listed 35 Bach chorale cantatas in alphabetical order in the second volume of his biography Johann Sebastian Bach, but assumed that all these works were composed late in Bach's career.[48] He wrote: "In these thirty-five cantatas a series of the most beautiful and the best known Protestant chorales of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries is subjected to elaborate treatment."[49] He noted that in Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, the chorale, which was not originally written for the occasion of the Annunciation, had to be connected by expanded poetry to the topic of the feast.[50] Building on Spitta's educated guesswork about the time of origin of Bach's church cantatas—which was later proven to be largely mistaken[51]—Reginald Lane Poole listed the cantata as the last one composed by Bach, thus ranging it as a very mature work.[52]
In the 1906 Bach-Jahrbuch, the third yearbook of the Neue Bachgesellschaft, Woldemar Voigt wrote about the cantata:
Ein kostbares Stück, und wohl wert, die Gesamtausgabe der Werke S. Bachs zu eröffnen. Insbesondere gehört der einleitende figurierte Choral nach Stimmungsgehalt und Farbenreichtum zu den schönsten, und man wird trotz der unbestreitbaren Länge keinen Takt entbehren.[53] |
A precious work, and well worth opening the complete edition of Bach's works. In particular, the introductory chorale fantasia is among the most beautiful in terms of mood and richness of colour, and one will not want to miss a single measure of it despite its considerable length. |
The same Bach-Jahrbuch volume presents an overview of performances of Bach's works between late 1904 and early 1907: two are listed for Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, one in Leipzig, and one at the
In 1950, the cantata was listed as BWV 1 in the Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis.[56] Dürr's comprehensive study of the chronology of Bach's cantatas was first published in the late 1950s: in it, the cantata's time of origin was fixed to Bach's second year in Leipzig.[57] In preparation of the 2018 Bachfest Leipzig, three Bach experts were asked to name their favourites among Bach's cantatas: Gardiner, Michael Maul (then the festival's new director), and Peter Wollny, the director of the Bach Archive. 15 cantatas appeared in the lists of all three, including Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern.[58]
Publication
The
- The text of the cantata consisted of words and thoughtful paraphrases of a traditional chorale, countering mid-19th-century views that "wretched" late Baroque lyrics were an obstacle for reviving Bach's vocal music.
- The cantata's designation for a Marian feast could make it attractive for a Catholic audience too, thus helping to establish the nation-wide importance of the BGA edition.
- Choosing a particularly well-crafted and mature composition, like this cantata, would add to the prestige of its composer, confirming the perception he had composed nothing but masterpieces.
An English version was published in London as a vocal score, as part of
Recordings
The conductor
In 1971, Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern was the first cantata recorded for the
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "D-LEb Thomana 1" at Bach Digital.
- ^ a b c d e f Dellal 2019.
- ^ Wolff 2002, pp. 237–240.
- ^ a b c Wolff 2002, pp. 269–273.
- ^ "Annunciation: Christianity" at Britannica.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Hofmann 2006, p. 5.
- ^ Isaiah 7:10–16
- ^ Luke 1:26–38
- ^ a b Dürr & Jones 2006, p. 666.
- ^ Wolff 2002, pp. 275–278.
- ^ Jones 2007, p. 144.
- ^ Wolff 2002, p. 275.
- ^ a b Stalmann 2000, p. 44.
- ^ a b c Fischer 2006.
- ^ Zahn 1892, pp. 129–130.
- ^ Stalmann 2000, p. 43.
- ^ Revelation 22:16
- ^ Vopelius 1682, p. 814.
- ^ Stalmann 2000, p. 46.
- ^ Stalmann 2000, p. 45.
- ^ Stalmann 2000, p. 49.
- ^ a b c d e f Dürr & Jones 2006, p. 668.
- ^ a b Wolff 2002, p. 278.
- ^ a b c "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern BWV 1" at Bach Digital.
- ^ a b c d Gardiner 2013, p. 256.
- ^ "Kuhnau, Johann Andreas" Archived 2021-01-26 at the Wayback Machine at Bach Digital (10 September 2020).
- ^ Dürr 1958, p. 147.
- ^ Gardiner 2013, pp. 256–257.
- ^ a b Dürr & Jones 2006, pp. 666–668.
- ^ Jones 2007, p. 154.
- ^ a b c d Hofmann 2006, p. 6.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Leisinger 1998, p. 4.
- ^ a b Whittaker 1978, p. 104.
- ^ a b c d e Dürr & Jones 2006, p. 669.
- ^ Whittaker 1978, p. 104–105.
- ^ a b c d Cantagrel 2010, p. 1169.
- ^ a b c Whittaker 1978, p. 105.
- ^ Marissen 2014, pp. 53–54.
- ^ "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern" at Hymns and Carols of Christmas.
- ^ Whittaker 1978, p. 106.
- ^ a b Whittaker 1978, pp. 106–107.
- ^ Whittaker 1978, pp. 105, 107.
- ^ Ambrose 2021.
- ^ Dahn 2019.
- ^ Dürr 1958, p. 13.
- ^ Dörffel 1878, pp. V–IX.
- ^ Winterfeld 1847.
- ^ Spitta 1884, pp. 89–91.
- ^ Spitta 1884, p. 91.
- ^ Spitta 1884, p. 94.
- ^ Dürr 1958.
- ^ Poole 1882, p. 138.
- ^ Voigt 1906, p. 17.
- ^ Neue Bachgesellschaft 1906, p. 121.
- ^ Schweitzer 1911.
- ^ Schmieder 1950.
- ^ Dürr 1958, p. 79.
- ^ Fulker 2018.
- ^ a b Leisinger 1998, p. 3.
- ^ a b c Kenney 1960, p. 56.
- ^ Kenney 1960, p. 57.
- ^ Leisinger 1998, p. 1.
- ^ Lehmann 2018.
- ^ Quinn 2004.
- ^ a b Henahan 1971.
- ^ Marshall 1973.
- ^ a b Kenyon 2011.
- ^ Rilling 1981.
- ^ Freeman-Attwood 2001.
- ^ Gardiner 2006.
- ^ Kemp 2017.
- ^ Suzuki 2007.
Cited sources
By title
- "Annunciation: Christianity". Britannica. 6 February 2018.
- "D-LEb Thomana 1". Bach Digital. 13 January 2020.
- "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern BWV 1". Bach Digital. 2 December 2020.
- "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern". Hymns and Carols of Christmas. 19 March 2019.
By author
- Ambrose, Z. Philip. "BWV 1 Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern". University of Vermont. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- ISBN 978-2213660752.
- Dahn, Luke (2019). "BWV 1.6". bach-chorales.com. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- Dellal, Pamela. "BWV 1 – 'Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern'". Emmanuel Music. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
- Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe (in German). Vol. 27. Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel. pp. V–IX.
- doi:10.13141/bjb.v19571520 – via Qucosa].
- ISBN 978-0-19-969628-4.
- Fischer, Michael (2006). "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern". Freiburger Anthologie Lied und Lyrik (in German). Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
- Freeman-Attwood, Jonathan (April 2001). "Bach Cantatas, Volume 9 / The end of a series recorded on a shoestring but still containing many beautiful offerings". Gramophone. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
- Fulker, Rick (12 June 2018). "Music / Everything you need to know about the Bach cantatas". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
- Gardiner, John Eliot (2006). Johann Sebastian Bach 1685–1750 / Cantatas Vol 21: Cambridge/Walpole St Pete (PDF) (Media notes). Monteverdi Choir. pp. 21–22. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ISBN 978-1-84-614721-0.
- Henahan, Donal (12 December 1971). "J. S. Bach: As He Originally Was". The New York Times. p. 31.
- Hofmann, Klaus (2006). "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern / How beautifully shines the morning star, BWV 1". Bach, Johann Sebastian (1685–1750) / Cantatas 34 · Leipzig 1725 (liner notes). BIS Records. pp. 5–6.
- ISBN 978-0-19-816440-1.
- Kemp, Lindsay (18 April 2017). "Recording Bach's Cantatas, with Masaaki Suzuki and Bach Collegium Japan". Gramophone. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
- Kenney, Sylvia W., ed. (1960). "Cantatas". Catalog of the Emilie and Karl Riemenschneider Memorial Bach Library. New York City: Columbia University Press. pp. 56–57.
- ISBN 978-0-57-127200-6.
- Lehmann, Fritz (2018). Bach: Nine Sacred Cantatas (CD). Eloquence. 4827642. 8133493 at jpc.
- Leisinger, Ulrich (1998). Johann Sebastian Bach / Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern / How beauteous is the morning star / BWV 1 (PDF). Translated by Kosviner, David. Stuttgart: Carus-Verlag. pp. 3–4.
- ISBN 9780300206999.
- Marshall, Robert L. (January 1973). "Review of Records / Johann Sebastian Bach: The Complete Cantatas, Volume 1". JSTOR 741467.
- .
- Poole, Reginald Lane (1882). "A List of Church Cantatas in Presumed Order of Production". Sebastian Bach. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington. pp. 131–138.
- Quinn, John (November 2004). "Review of Records / Johann Sebastian Bach: The Complete Cantatas, Volume 1". musicweb-international.com. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- OCLC 313016652.
- OCLC 963027464.
- Schweitzer, Albert (1911). J. S. Bach. Translated by Newman, Ernest. London: A & C Black. p. 362.
- Novello & Co. pp. 64–108.
- Stalmann, Joachim (2000). "Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern". In Hahn, Gerhard; Henkys, Jürgen (eds.). Liederkunde zum Evangelischen Gesangbuch (in German). ISBN 978-3-52-550325-6.
- Suzuki, Masaaki (2007). J.S. Bach – Cantatas, Vol.34 (BWV 1, 126, 127) (SACD Hybrid). BIS Records.
- .
- Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch. Leipzig: Klinger. p. 814.
- ISBN 019315238X.
- Winterfeld, Carl von (1847). Der Evangelische Kirchengesang im achtzehnten Jahrhunderte. Der evangelische Kirchengesang und sein Verhältniss zur Kunst des Tonsatzes (in German). Vol. III. Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel. pp. 337–339.
- ISBN 978-0-393-32256-9.
- Zahn, Johannes (1892). Die Melodien der deutschen evangelischen Kirchenlieder (in German). Vol. V. Gütersloh: Bertelsmann.
Further reading
- Hänssler Classic.
- Mincham, Julian (2010). "Chapter 41 Bwv 1 – The Cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach". jsbachcantatas.com.
- Oron, Aryeh (2020). "Cantata BWV 1 / Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern". Bach Cantatas Website.
External links
- Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, BWV 1: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern: BWV 001 on the website of the J. S. Bach Foundation(includes video).