Luogo e data di registrazione		Predikherenkerk, Leuven (Belgium) - 11/12 December 2008
	Registrazione: live / studio		studio
	Recording Staff		Günter Appenheimer, Tonstudio Van Geest (Germany) | Kohei Seguchi | Eckhard Steiger, Tonstudio Van Geest (Germany)
	Prima Edizione CD		ACCENT - ACC 25309 - (1 CD) - durata 76' 39" - (p) 2008 (c) 2009 - DDD
	Note		-

COMMENTARY on the cantatas presented here Advent Cantatas BWV 61, 36, 62 and 132 The season of Advent includes the four last weeks before Christmas: Jesus Christ “arrives” (Latin: advenit). The church year begins with the four Advent Sundays as preparation for the birth of Christ, which is celebrated on the 25th December. In the Lutheran churches in Leipzig cantatas were only performed on the first Sunday in Advent in Bach’s time. In Weimar, however, there were, in the years which Bach spent there, cantata services on all four Sundays in Advent. For the second, third and fourth Sundays in Advent, therefore, only Weimar cantatas have come down to us, among which those for the second and third Sundays have just the text preserved. (BWV 70a “Wachet! Betet!” (Watch! Pray!) for the second Sunday in Advent is a reconstruction based on the Leipzig Cantata for the 26th Sunday after Trinity. From it we know that it, in turn, is based on the Weimar Cantata for the second Sunday in Advent. We intend to use this Leipzig Cantata (BWV 70) for the latter Sunday. So, for listeners to this cycle of recordings, we have decided, in spite of everything and “as a compromise”, to include four cantatas for the whole Advent season, three Cantatas from the first Sunday in Advent (BWV 61, 62 and 36), together with the sole surviving Cantata for the fourth Sunday in Advent (BWV 132). Cantatas BWV 61 and 132 come from Weimar, BWV 62 and 36, on the other hand, are from Leipzig. The fact is that there is a difficulty for today’s listener due to the following correlation: most organs in Bach’s time (including those in both Weimar and Leipzig) were tuned to a pitch which was about a semitone higher than our “official” pitch today of A=440 Hz. In Weimar and many other places it was usual that the instrumentalists and singers played at this high pitch of the organ (A=about 465 Hz). Composers, therefore, took this practical aspect into account with the notation of their compositions. In the process some wind players have to transpose their lowtuned instruments (mostly oboes in the French tradition) correspondingly higher. They got, therefore, notes written higher than those of their colleagues, because they “sounded” lower. In Leipzig, however, the decision had been taken a couple of years before Bach’s employment that the whole ensemble (singers and instrumentalists) should play a tone lower, that is to say, they should sing and play with the organ (thus about A=415 Hz) – in which the organist got notes which were written a tone lower than his colleagues, but ‘sounded’ a tone higher. This variable pitch has also been retained in our recording. Each string player, therefore, plays on two instruments: on one tuned higher (465 Hz) for the two Weimar Cantatas BWV 61 and 132, and on one tuned lower (415 Hz) for the two Leipzig Cantatas BWV 62 and 36. The wind players also use instruments which were usual in Weimar and Leipzig at the time. This results in a clear distinction between the Cantatas, depending on whether they are performed in the Weimar or the Leipzig manner – the higher pitch of the Weimar Cantatas displaying a rather more austere and more archaic colouring. “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland”, BWV 61 (Now come, thou Saviour of the Gentiles), Weimar 1714 (for the First Sunday in Advent) The title on the autograph is: “Concerto à 5 Strom. 4 Voci. Domin: 1 Adventu Xristi. JSBach”. The instruments are “Due Violini, due Viole, Violoncello è Fagotto / Sopr. Alto, Tenore è Basso / col’Organo”. Dated 1714. The text for the Cantata is by Erdmann Neumeister (1671-1756). Neumeister is valued as the creator of the well-known cantata form, in which arias and recitatives alternate, as in Italian chamber cantatas and in opera. From 1704 ten annual cycles of church cantata texts by him were published. The Opening movement (no. 1) of the work (“Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland”) is the first verse of the well-known hymn “Veni, Redemptor Gentium” by St. Ambrose (Milan, end of the 4th century) in Luther’s translation of 1524. This song is, above all, one of the best loved Christmas hymns in the Lutheran tradition. Neumeister retained Luther’s four-line verse verbatim, and continues with his own poetic work. In this Cantata Bach clearly illustrated the first Sunday in Advent as the start of the church year, by combining this opening text with the form of a French overture. This form stems from French theatre music of the second half of the seventeenth century, and displays a symmetrical three-part structure: starting with a very clearly scanned part in even time (thus binary: vertically crossed C, or 2, or 2/2 as the time signature) in a slower tempo and a dotted rhythm; there follows a faster fugato section in triple time, and finally a return to the first tempo (frequently with the same material as in the opening section). Bach, like most composers throughout Europe at that time, had loved and cultivated this form, as is shown by his four well-known “Orchestral Suites”. Presumably he wrote many more such suites, but sadly only these four have come down to us. With these “overtures” it is usually a question of purely instrumental music, in which the sound colour comes above all from the mixture of strings with oboes and bassoon (flutes arrived for the first time later in the development of the overture, for example with Telemann and J. Ph. Rameau). This “French” sound, and the compositional style connected with it, was in the Baroque era a basic element of music in all the courts of Europe, and was also an important cultural asset of the international bourgeoisie. If Bach, therefore, used a “French Overture with vocal participation” as the instrumental basis for the beginning of this Cantata, this gave rise to familiar feelings for most listeners; here was an expression of both celebration and magnificence. A further reason for Bach to choose the overture form here may have been the fact that he was required, as official Kapellmeister in Weimar, to deliver a church cantata every month, and this Cantata was the first of the series. The four lines of the first verse of Luther’s hymn were spread out in the overture as follows: the first two lines were set to the first part of the overture (Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland / Der Jungfrauen Kind erkannt – Now come thou Saviour of the Gentiles / known as the Virgin’s child), the third line to the faster fugato middle section (Des sich wundert alle Welt – to the astonishment of the whole world) and the last line to the third, again slower, part of the overture (Gott solch Geburt ihm bestellt – a birth so ordered by God). That Bach very skilfully, in the one line (the third), doesn’t speak of the exalted and the Divine but of the worldly “now”, brought the verse alive, with the four singers doubling the instruments in the fugato. Bach used Luther’s hymn in this opening chorus, because every parishioner knew it, but nevertheless very skilfully. The melody of the first lines (Nun komm der Heiden Heiland) is initially heard in the instrumental bass, before it is sung by each of the singers individually (actually in the sequence Soprano – Alto – Tenor – Bass). The descending sequence of voices undoubtedly illustrates the “descent” of God to our world through the birth of Christ. Between the alto and the tenor performance of this opening line the melody is heard once again in the instrumental bass. The second line is only sung once, actually homophonically by the four voices, to the known melody. The fugato theme of the middle section is clearly derived from the original song melody on the text “Des sich wundert alle Welt”. This text is repeated very frequently, and thereby illustrates the crowd of people, who remain astonished. The closing line of the verse is sung like the second line in a simple homophonic four-voice setting to bring the overture to an end. After this splendid movement the Neumeister texts begin: a Secco-Recitativo for tenor (no. 2). The poet clearly shows, how God, through the birth of Jesus, had accepted us as being of his blood, and “allowed his light to shine upon us with his full blessing”. Bach abandons the secco character in favour of an arioso-dialogue between the tenor and the basso continuo in this passage, in which the poet suddenly turns directly to God; the intimacy of contact with God is illustrated here. This recitative leads us to the following Aria (No. 3), in which the tenor, accompanied by all the strings, sings “Komm, Jesu, komm zu deiner Kirche – Come, Jesus, come to Thy church”. Violins and violas play in unison. The movement throughout is strictly three-part. (Ought we to assume that here the whole Trinity is meant, God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost?) The main outline of the topic is predominantly descending (God comes down from heaven to us below). Above all the basso continuo line displays this characteristic time and again. A simple festiveness prevails, which is already rather “Christmassy”. In the B-part (minor key) of the aria the poet Neumeister goes so far as to ask Jesus “gesunde Lehre zu erhalten – to maintain sound teaching” through his appearance. According to A. Dürr (Die Kantaten von J. S. Bach, 1971) this is a clear allusion to the emerging Pietism. No. 4 is a vivid Accompanied Recitative for Bass and strings. The strings are plucked instead of being bowed (pizzicato is the familiar term for this method of playing). The text comes from the Revelation of Saint John: “Behold, behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me”. The “knocking” can be heard in the pizzicato, the repetitions metrically strict. The bass (as Vox Dei, the voice of God) likewise declaims the text in a deliberate way. How the word “knock” is treated is noteworthy! This recitative leads us on to No. 5, a short, touching Aria for Soprano with basso continuo (here it is specified: Violoncello – in our version therefore violoncello da spalla – with organ). The poet departs from the Revelation text, which he has abbreviated: the soprano sings: “Öffne dich, mein ganzes Herze – Open thou, my whole heart”. That this text is given to a high voice allows us to suspect that Bach connected these words with the “annunciation” (the message of the angel to Mary, that she would bear God’s child), and with Christmas (the birth). Mary is invisibly present here, in my opinion, as the greatest example of the “opening” of the hearts of mankind to the coming of God. The A-part of the aria (in a calm three-four time with striding quavers) is dominated by the rhythmic prosody of the words “öffne dich”. The basso continuo presents this set phrase at the beginning of the six-bar instrumental introduction; a short ascending line, which with a rest at the end stays “open”. Clearly here the picture of an “opening door” is suggested! For the B-part the time changes from three to four, though with striding “andantequavers”. The soprano here is independent of the bass as before, up to the words “O, wie selig - O, how blessed”, where the bass again comes to the fore, and the section ends in a close dialogue. A repetition of the A-part follows (the so-called da capo). This Cantata closes with an atypical Chorale (No. 6) “Amen, Amen! / Komm du schöne Freudenkrone, bleib nicht lange! / Deiner wart ich mit Verlangen – Amen, Amen! / Come, thou crown of joy, delay no longer! / Thee I await with longing”. Erdmann Neumeister borrowed here the second half of the last verse of the hymn “Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern – How beautifully shines the morning star” by Ph. Nicolai (1599). Bach, by analogy, similarly used only the second half of the corresponding chorale tune. This short piece is no simple movement for four voices, but a figured composition with a contrapuntal structure and a festive character. On the final chord the violins play a high g’’’; symbol of joy at the Coming... “Schwingt freudig euch empor”, BWV 36 (Raise thee up with joy), Leipzig 1731 (also for the First Sunday in Advent) This Cantata has a long, interesting history, and is a good example of Bach’s working methods. Its source is a secular feast cantata from 1725 (with the same opening text, BWV 36c) for the birthday of a popular teacher, who cannot be identified with certainty. Bach later altered this composition twice more for other “secular” occasions (BWV 36a “Steigt freudig in die Luft – Soar joyfully in the air” in Cöthen, 1726, and BWV 36b “Die Freude reget sich – Joy awakens” in Leipzig, 1735?) and finally as a church cantata in Leipzig, 1725. For the last the opening chorus and the three arias were taken with suitable texts from the secular versions, and only the closing chorale was added (actually the last verse of the hymn by Ph. Nicolai of 1599, “Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern”, which we have also come across as the close of Cantata 61). By 1731 Bach had given the piece the shape in which it is mostly performed today. To the earlier 5 movements of the church cantata of 1725 (numbered “today” 1, 3, 5, 7 and 4) were added three new ones (movements 2, 6 and 8). The Cantata was divided into two parts (before and after the sermon), and each part closes with a simple chorale. The result is, for Bach, a unique form of cantata composition, in which there is no recitative. The same is also found in the strict Chorale Cantatas, where each verse of the selected church hymn is set in a different harmonisation. After the splendid opening chorus, arias alternate with choral harmonisations – though with chorale texts which do not come from the same hymn. The (new) 2, 6 and 8 come from the Lutheran translation of the old hymn “Veni, Redemptor Gentium” by St. Ambrose (see also Cantatas BWV 61 and 62), and the closing chorale of the first part (No. 4) is by Ph. Nicolai, as noted above. The poet of movements 1-3-5-7 (the movements, therefore, which were not taken from existing church hymns) is not known. His style is very “artificial”, which, at that time, was thought to be positive rather than negative (“artificial” meant “elaborate” basically). So the text of the opening chorus, in simple words, meant: Sing to the heavens with joy – but with the thought that God Himself is coming towards you (this is clearly the Advent idea, as contained in the Lutheran hymn “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland”). The sense of the text for No. 7 (soprano aria “Auch mit gedämpften Stimmen – Also with muted voices”) is: one must not shout at God, in order to honour Him – He also hears the weak voices! The Baroque word picture sometimes almost veils the direct meaning through its elaborate invention. The Opening chorus (No. 1) is pervaded by an inspired enthusiasm. In the 13-bar introduction the two oboes d’amore and the first violin follow soaring lines (“Schwingt freudig euch empor”) with varied changes from binary semiquavers to groups of triplets. Then the same main motif is heard in succession from the bass, tenor, alto and soprano: always with a rising sweep in the sequence! Already this opening shows, in my opinion, how this music was soloistically envisaged – madrilesque, virtuoso. A doubling of the vocal parts would only have darkened what, with soloists, is so simple, bright and clear. With the B-part (“Doch haltet ein – Yet stay”) the flow correspondingly falters: the voices scan vertically and homophonically in this section of the text, while the instruments continue as before. Then the A-text and the B-text are again repeated in other keys, which the vocalists close with a jubilant “Es naht sich selbst zu euch der Herr der Herrlichkeit – The Lord himself in His Glory approaches you”). In the six bars of the instrumental postlude the first violins depict “Es naht sich der Herr” with a last descending phrase, and “Schwingt freudig euch empor, ihr Zungen” with an ascending one. The No. 2 (added in 1731) is an astonishing threepart Chorale Harmonisation of “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland”. The librettist used the first verse of the well-known church hymn (see above). The original melody for each line of the verse is treated contrapuntally by Bach according to the relevant words. The piece is a duet for soprano and alto, in which each voice is doubled by an oboe d’amore. The continuo part (organ and violone) is the fundamental voice, which binds together all the motivic sections into a continuous flow. It is, for a change, embellished more richly than the two upper voices. An intoxicating meditative force comes from this section. Here the normal “expressiveness” of music no longer prevails... There follows an Aria (No. 3) for tenor and basso continuo with obbligato oboe d’amore (“Die Liebe zieht mit sanften Schritten” – Love lures with gentle steps). The clear iambic prosody of the text characterises the dialogue between the tenor and the oboe. The tempo recalls an elegant minuet. The poet sings of how the love of God fills the heart of man. As the Closing Chorale to the first part of the Cantata No. 4 follows the sixth verse of the Nicolai hymn from 1599, “Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern”: “Zwingt die Saiten in Cythara – Press hard the strings in Cythara”) (in the earlier, shorter church version of the Cantata the seventh and last verse of this hymn was used as the closing chorale) – the chorale poet sings of the Glory of God, and rejoices in the Lord. The Second part (after the sermon) begins with an enthusiastic Basso aria (No. 5) with strings and basso continuo, “Willkommen, werter Schatz ... Zieh bei mir ein! – Welcome, dear treasure ... draw near to me!”. The instrumental first announcement of the word “Willkommen” runs through the whole piece like a leitmotif. The highly-figured first violin part recalls the opening movement of the Cantata. In love and faith the heart welcomes the Lord. No. 6 follows, likewise a 1731 insertion of a Chorale Harmonisation of the sixth verse of the Lutheran “Nun komm der Heiden Heiland”: “Der du bist dem Vater gleich / Führ hinaus den Sieg im Fleisch – Thou, who art the father of us all / lead us to victory over our flesh” for tenor, two oboes d’amore and basso continuo. The tenor sings the chorale melody in slow equal notes. At the same time the oboes d’amore and the basso continuo provide a fast, feverish and imitative framework (molt’allegro), which undoubtedly portrays the “eternal power of God”. The Aria (No. 7) for soprano and basso continuo with obbligato violin again stems from the original secular version of the work, in which the viola d’amore was thought of for the violin part. The first lines of the original text are “Auch mit gedämpften, schwachen Stimmen / Verkündigt man der Lehrer Preis – Also with muted, feeble voices / the prize of the teacher is announced”. The first church version (1725) was a tone higher, in A major. Here Bach returns to the original key of G major, and stipulates the necessity of a mute for the violin, so that the violin sound is muted and closer to the strength of the viola d’amore’s sound. Thus the “gedämpften, schwachen Stimmen” are in practise achieved here musically. In this aria a very intimate atmosphere prevails. The “flowery” violin part shows us the gentle exaltation of the awakened spirit, which “praises God’s Majesty”. At the beginning of the B-part Bach takes advantage musically of the word “schallet – resounds” by putting in an “echo effect”, which allows us to live through “schallen” three-dimensionally. This aria is one of the most charming in all the cantatas of Bach. This extended Cantata closes with an added simple Chorale (No. 8) on the last verse of the hymn “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland” of St. Ambrose in Luther’s version, from which the two Chorale Harmonisations added in 1731 also come: “Lob sei Gott dem Vater ton – Praised be God, the Father”. This text corresponds to the Latin “Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto” – “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost“, with which today the psalms are very often ended. “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland”, BWV 62 (Now come, thou Saviour of the Gentiles) Leipzig, 1724 (also for the First Sunday in Advent) This Cantata belongs to the second annual cycle of the Leipzig cantatas (as from Trinity 1724), the cycle of the so-called Chorale Cantatas. These Chorale Cantatas are always based on a particular church hymn – not, for instance, the Gospel or the Epistle reading for the appropriate Sunday. There are two kinds of this genre. In the first the whole hymn text is simply retained word for word in all the verses, in which each verse is a through-composed section and lacks recitative completely. In the second, only the beginning and the end of the hymn are retained, and the middle verses are freely shaped into recitative and aria by the Baroque poet, as we know from the majority of other cantatas. Cantata 62 belongs to the second category. Of the eight verses of the chosen church hymn (here again the well-known “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland” by Luther after the old hymn “Veni, Redemptor Gentium” by St. Ambrose from c. AD 395) verses 1 and 8 are retained verbatim, verses 2/3 and 4/5 were collected by a poet, who sadly remains unknown today, and reworked (Nos. 2 and 3 of the Cantata), and the sixth and seventh verses were shaped in a new form (Nos. 4 and 5 of the work). The Cantata is set for 2 oboes, strings and basso continuo, and a cornett (Zink), which takes part in the chorale melody in the first and last movements. The First Movement (opening chorus) is a highly calculated composition with a brilliant concertante character. The 16-bar introduction in 6/4 time starts in the high register (oboes with violins and violas in unison: these strings represent a “bassetto”, i.e. a bass part an octave higher). In the third bar the chorale theme appears in the basso continuo, clearly recognisable by the long note values. At the same time the first violins separate themselves from the other strings and start figures of scales and arpeggios, which last throughout the piece and lend it a characteristic colour. At the end of the introduction the chorale theme is heard again in the oboes – but this time twice as fast as it was in the bass before (the Saviour coming soon?). The singers enter here: first the three lower voices with imitative entries of a motif derived from the chorale theme, and finally the soprano (reinforced by the cornett) with the original melody of the first line of text, which as before is heard in the bass with long notes. On the last syllable an 8-bar intermezzo starts, in which, in the last two bars, the opening theme of the chorale is heard in the oboes, and in fact – as at the end of the introduction – twice as fast as in the soprano previously. There follows the second line of the church hymn in the soprano (with the cornett, in long notes as in the first line), supported by the three lower voices with a free fugato. After an intermezzo – this time 7 bars long – the third line “des sich wundert alle Welt – at which the whole world marvels” begins. As in the Weimar Cantata BWV 61, this line is also very freely developed here by the vocalists, like the remaining three lines. The alto, tenor and bass declaim in a fast syllabic prosody, combined with a rapid vocalise: “des sich wundert alle Welt” – the picture of ‘marvelling’ together? This highly imaginative lay-out is typical of the Baroque method of composition. After a 10-bar intermezzo (the two last bars again bring in the main theme in the oboes!), the last line is heard, whose melody is the same as for the first line. The lower voices again begin with a fugato entry derived from the motifs, and the chorale melody appears in the soprano as before, reinforced by the cornett. On the last syllables the whole instrumental introduction is repeated, as a postlude. This movement is continuously controlled and supported by the instrumental ensemble, which presents itself, really, as a concerto movement and a dynamic background to great events – a picture of an always “active” human community, which is soon to receive the Saviour? As the second movement there follows Tenor Aria (no. 2), which, as noted above, combines the original chorale verses 2 and 3 in a new poem. In an infectious 3/8 time the text “Bewundert, O Menschen, dieses grosse Geheimnis – Marvel, O mankind, at this great secret” is brought nearer to the listener. This da capo aria, in rondo form, is through-composed with dance-like joy. The tenor sings, typically enough, long vocalises on the important “höchster – highest” and “Beherrscher – Almighty”. This “grosse Geheimnis” concerns the coming birth of Jesus to the virgin Mary. A short Secco Rezitativo (No. 3) for bass combines the original verses 4 and 5 of the Lutheran hymn. Here the heralded Son of God is welcomed, named and praised in advance as the Hero from Judaea. Melismas on “laufen – hasten” and “heller Glanz – bright splendour” decorate this recitative. The following Aria (No. 4) for Bass and strings ‘all’unisono’, “Streite, siege, starker Held! / Sei für uns im Fleische kräftig – Strive, conquer, bold Hero! / Be strong for us in Thy Incarnation” is based on the new working of the original verse 6. The united strings symbolise, as it were, the power of a triumphant army. The whole aria is a straightforward twopart web. The vocal soloist on the one hand and the strings with organ on the other are in competition. As we on occasion hear the Vox Dei assigned to a bass, so now we “hear” the Power of God at work, in the form of the bass. There now follows a modified repetition of the original verse 7 (Accompanied Recitative for soprano and alto, with strings, No. 5). The text describes the coming journey to the manger, where Jesus is going to be born. The faithful unite in their worship (soprano and alto sing in absolutely identical prosody!). This Cantata for the first Sunday in Advent also closes with the last verse of the hymn “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland” (No. 6 “Lob sei Gott – Praised be God”) – of the exact text, which also closes Cantata 36: the doxology Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto, which Luther put into German. “Bereitet die Wege, bereitet die Bahn!, BWV 132 (Prepare ye the way, prepare ye the highway!) Weimar, 1715 (for the fourth Sunday in Advent) This work is the only surviving Bach cantata for the fourth Sunday in Advent. The autograph says: “Domenica 4 Adventu Xristi / Concerto / Bereitet die Wege, bereitet die Bahn / à 9 / 1 Hautbois / 2 Violoni / 1 Viola / Violoncello / S. A. T. è B / col Basso per l’Organo / di GS Bach / 1715.” In the score, however, bassoon and violone are also mentioned next to the named instruments of the title page. (Incidentally the Italian signature “di G(iovanni) S(ebastiano) Bach” is noteworthy. The Italian predominance in the music of that time is indeed obvious). This Cantata comes from Weimar, and is clearly characteristic of the situation there with regard to pitch. The “Hautbois – oboe” part is a minor third higher than the other parts. The “Hautbois” was introduced into Germany by the French oboists, who had to flee from the homeland on account of their Protestant religion. The normal French pitch was actually a minor third lower than the high choir pitch of the organ in the North. The text of the Cantata is by Salomon Franck, the famous Weimar cantata poet. In 1715 there appeared a collection by him, “Evangelisches Andachts-Opffer”, which contains this Cantata. Salomon Franck turned his attention to the Gospel lecture for the fourth Sunday in Advent: the evidence of John the Baptist. The lecture also contains the paraphrase from the Old Testament of Isaiah 40: “Bereitet die Wege – Prepare ye the way”. The piece starts with a very virtuoso Soprano Aria (No. 1) with oboe, strings, bassoon and basso continuo. The “Prepare ye the way” is suggested musically by the frequently repeated entry of the main motif. The soprano has to sing a really very long and difficult vocalise on the word “Bahn – highway”, which cannot indicate anything other than the long road which the Christian must travel in Imitation of Christ. The oboe part forms, as it were, the main duet with the soprano, which often illustrates the “Bereiten – prepare” and “Nachfolgen – imitate”. Three times in the course of the piece the unaccompanied soprano cries out, as an inspired herald: “The Messiah comes!” In the Secco Recitativo (No. 2) for tenor the appeal, from Isaiah, to the individual Christian is referred to: “Willst du dich Gottes Kind und Christi Bruder nennen – Wouldst thou call thyself a child of God and a brother of Christ”. In this long recitative free “secco” fragments alternate with measured “arioso” phrases, where singer and instrumental bass play together on the same level as a duet. On the words “Wälze ab die schweren Sündensteine – Roll away from the heavy rocks of sin” Bach writes in both parts a curved melodic line, which clearly illustrates the “rolling away”. There follows an ostinato Bass Aria (No. 3) with obbligato violoncello (“da spalla” with us) and basso continuo (organ and 8’ violone). The keystone of the composition is the continually repeated rhythmic form, which corresponds to the syllables of the phrase “Wer bist du? - Who art thou?”. The poet takes this question (in the Gospel: the Jews’ question to John) as a leitmotif, in order to force on the listeners the selfsame question. Admittedly in the B-part of the aria he even allows a negative judgment: “ein Kind des Zorns in Satan’s Netze – a child of evil in Satan’s meshes”. For the section “Kind des Zorns” Bach uses a harsh chromaticism. That this aria is allotted to the bass is again clearly meant to show that the listener recognises, in the bass, the voice of God (Vox Dei) and fears it. In the following Accompanied Recitative for Alto (No. 4) the hypocritical soul repents, so that he, who “has broken the covenant”, may beg God for His mercy and His help. On the important words and ideas of the text Bach skilfully writes appropriate dissonances. The alto follows his words with a short Aria (no. 5) with a solo violin and basso continuo. The poet reminds the listener of what gifts of Christ were given through baptism in the “Christi Blut- und Wasserquelle – Christ’s source of blood and water”: they are given “zum neuen Kleide rotes Purpur, weisse Seide – new clothes of purple, white silk”. The alto part, simply set against the running figures of the violin, must surely portray the rustling clothes (and even the rushing waters of the source) – in each case, therefore, the gift of God. In the printed edition of this Cantata text by Salomon Franck the work closes with a chorale verse (No. 6) by Elisabeth Creutziger (Weimar 1513). In Bach’s score, however, there is no longer a closing chorale (any more?). Very probably the last page of the manuscript has gone missing. Presumably it was a loose page of paper as the last page of the surviving manuscript is fully written. The same chorale text was used by Bach as the closing chorale in another Cantata (BWV 164, “Ihr, die ihr euch von Christo nennet – Thou, who the name of Christ hath taken”, 1716). We have, therefore, also used this untransposed version as a closing chorale for BWV 132 (as is usual today). This does not assume that Bach would have ended this Cantata with an aria which has a pronounced chamber music quality like the previous piece (No. 5). Sigiswald Kuijken Translation by Christopher Cartwright and Godwin Stewart