Luogo e data di registrazione		Academiezaal, Sint-Truiden (Belgium) - 21/22 September 2009
	Registrazione: live / studio		studio
	Recording Staff		Eckhard Steiger
	Prima Edizione CD		ACCENT - ACC 25312 - (1 CD) - durata 69' 52" - (p) 2009 (c) 2011 - DDD
	Note		-

COMMENTARY on the cantatas presented here From the Cantatas, which J. S. Bach, as Thomaskantor, wrote in Leipzig for the 15th to the 18th Sundays after Trinity, we have chosen for our cycle (which is to include one Cantata for each Sunday), the following: - BWV 138 “Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz?” (5th September 1723 – 15th Sunday after Trinity) - BWV 27 “Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende?” (6th October 1726 – 16th Sunday after Trinity) - BWV 47 “Wer sich selbst erhöhet, der soll erniedriget werden” (13th October 1726 – 17th Sunday after Trinity) - BWV 96 “Herr Christ, der einge Gottessohn” (8th October 1724 – 18th Sunday after Trinity) Cantatas BWV 27 and BWV 47 both date from the same year, 1726, and were also performed for the first time on consecutive Sundays. Note: On musical grounds we have departed from the chronological sequence on this CD, and start with BWV 27, followed by BWV 47, BWV 138 and finally BWV 96. “Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz?” - BWV 138 On the 5th September 1723 (the 15th Sunday after Trinity) Bach was still in the first year of his appointment in Leipzig. He first started there after Trinity Sunday (the Sunday after Whitsun). The Cantatas composed during this initial time in Leipzig were the fruit of a creative spirit extraordinarily ‘deep mined’, as we will also see here. The unknown poet of this Cantata had fallen back on an old church hymn from Nuremberg (1561), which is sometimes attributed to Hans Sachs (without any real basis). He only used the first three verses of this 14-verse hymn, and in fact verbatim (in movements 1-2-6 according to the Neue Bach-Ausgabe; A. Dürr, in his Cantatas of J. S. Bach, divides the NBA no. 2 into two numbers, and thereby has seven numbers altogether, against six in the NBA. We adhere to the NBA numbering). All the verses of this church hymn have five lines. The three verses of the old church hymn used intend to summon the faithful to a deeper trust in God. The later Baroque poet, who laid out this Cantata, each time ‘answers’ this call in his contribution to the text. At first with a real complaint about his currently wretched situation; but as of the third movement he concerns himself with his trust in God. The libretto of this Cantata, therefore, holds up a mirror to the faithful, and urges them, despite difficulties and distress, to rely only on God. This connects with the Gospel reading for this Sunday (St. Matthew 6, 24-34): the exhortation not to live with little faith and timidly, but to trust that God in his goodness holds our life in his hand, comes from the Sermon on the Mount. In the verse of the Baroque poet we find clear allusions to this Gospel reading. In both the first movements Bach kept strictly to the structure of the libretto. The old hymn text is fundamentally set polyphonically and assigned to the vocal quartet, the new poem presented alternately by the individual soloists in recitative style (accompagnato and also sometimes secco). In the process, in No. 1 each of the three opening lines is first announced by the tenor, before it is sung by the full vocal quartet. Before this tenor announcement there is each time an instrumental introduction for every line, in which the strings play the tenor motif. In contrast we hear completely different material from the oboes. The first oboe presents the old chorale melody of the respective lines, and the second plays with it a chromatic descending sighing motif. When, finally, the four-part version of the line begins, the soprano sings the old chorale melody already played by the first oboe, and the bass, reinforced by the continuo, brings in the sighing motif of the second oboe as a lamento. Bach’s treatment of these three opening lines is a marvellous, striking example of his constructive invention, in which nothing is left to chance or to a so-called moment of inspiration, but rather everything is carefully weighed and realised in the best way possible. This is emphasised time and again. So, for example, the main motif, which is first presented by the first violins and interprets the words “Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz”, is extended as a connecting thread through the whole structure; it is taken up in the following entries in succession about 3x12 times. The compact structure of the first three lines is now followed by the above mentioned commentary of the poet, set by Bach as an recitativo accompagnato for the alto “Ach, ich bin Arm, mich drücken schwere Sorgen”. With long-held notes the strings will present the emotional lament (Lamento) of the poet with a chromatic descending basso continuo in regular tempo. At the same time the two oboes repeat a motif, which illustrates very well the “heavy cares”. This particular motif then serves in the vocal bass as a crossover to the four-part setting of the last two lines, which are sung simply (“Vertrau du deinem Herren Gott/Der alle Ding erschaffen hat”). Next No. 2 brings us the second verse of the original hymn, likewise enriched in a new poem by the Baroque poet. Noteworthy here is the poetic structure (which incidentally Bach in turn follows down to the last detail), where, in the first verse, each of the three old lines poses a question, which the poet ‘answers’, but we find the process reversed in this instance; now the Baroque poet asks three sorrowful questions, to which the answers had already been given in the lines of the original hymn. This antithetical symmetry is a typical and much favoured Baroque figure. The bass begins with a dark lamentation (“Ich bin veracht”, which dies away with the question “Wie kann ich nun mein Amt mit Ruh verwalten / Wenn Seufzer meine Speise und Tränen das Getränke sein?”. The answer in the old text (set in four parts as before) is positive: “Er kann und will dich lassen nicht / Er weiss gar wohl was dir gebricht” etc. Bach sets the hymn text (so the first three lines of the second verse) strictly homophonically, so that it is easy to understand – each time the oboes play a short lively figure between the three lines (here again as an antithesis to the accompagnato of the alto in No. 1, where they illustrated the “heavy cares”). The soprano steps in here with an accompagnato with strings. Her lament concludes with the questioning cry “Ist jemand, der sich zu meiner Rettung findt?”. The answer is given by the last two lines of the old verse: “Dein Vater und dein Herre Gott, etc”. This original text is again set by Bach for four voices, but this time in an imitative way: the tenor, bass and alto sing the text in a fugato. The soprano takes the simple old hymn simultaneously with the alto: one must conclude that these repeated statements in the text will give rise to the repeated help of God as well. Now the last lamenting lines of the poet fall to the alto (in a recitativo secco), which end once again with a plea: “Ach! Armut, hartes Wort, wer steht mir denn in meinem Kummer bei?”. A comforting answer follows again in the two lines of the hymn “Dein Vater und dein Herre Gott, etc”, in which Bach, mind you, modifies the sequence of the fugato entries. Thus in a very elaborate way are the first two verses of the 1561 hymn presented to us. After the comforting thoughts of the last lines, which we have just heard, the poet regained his confidence, and changed from his lament to words full of hope. In the Secco for tenor (No. 3) a positive composure clearly shines through: God helps me – if not today, then tomorrow... This recitativo secco leads seamlessly into the Aria (No. 4) for bass and strings. Here the regained confidence has completely penetrated the mind of the poet. Bach’s music again totally reflects this happy state of mind. It sounds like a kind of stylised ‘Polonaise’, in which, above all, the first violins, the bass soloist and the basso continuo frequently imitate each other (to a lesser extent the middle voices also participate). Both the ‘stationary’ chief motif and the more rapid figures jump in a varied way from one part to another. Noteworthy are the long vocalises, which each time must indicate the permanence; on ‘walten’ (“mein Glaube lässt ihn walten”), and on ‘nagen’ and ‘plagen’ (“Nun kann mich keine Sorge nagen, nun kann mich auch kein Armut plagen”, as it is put in the text). Also the words ‘Freude’ (joy) and ‘erhalten’ (provide), (both in the B-part of the aria), are ‘painted’ by the composer as matching rhetorically; ‘Freude’ through a threefold rising motif (matched by the first violin), and ‘erhalten’ with two long-held notes. After this catharsis the alto (Recitativo secco, No. 5) proclaims in a short summary, how we can bid farewell to our cares, and further “wie im Himmel leben” ... Then follows the Closing Chorale (No. 6), (the third verse of the old church hymn of 1561). That invitation “to live as if in heaven” was not left ‘unused’ by Bach. This hymn verse is presented by the singers in a simple homophonic four parts, and meanwhile the instruments enjoy themselves in a festively figured movement, in minuet tempo; the picture of heavenly joy... “Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende”, BWV 27 (for the 16th Sunday after Trinity, the 6th October 1726) This is the last of four Cantatas, which Bach wrote for this Sunday (the first in Weimar in 1713, the other two in Leipzig in 1723 and 1724). The theme of the Gospel reading (St. Luke 7, 11-17) is the raising from the dead of the young man from the city of Nain. The unknown text poet has here used this theme only as an opportunity to articulate his own thoughts about life and death – above all it is about him and a good end to his own life. He longs to be received afterwards into the peace of God, and therefore directs all his actions toward this moment. He will be ready for it at any time. “Mein Leben hat kein ander Ziel / Als dass ich möge selig sterben / Und meines Glaubens Anteil erben” he says in the Recitativo (no. 2). From this perspective, the poet welcomes death, asks for it and bids the world adieu. Such thoughts are far from us today, in a time when we often view death thanklessly as an ‘enemy’, yet they were commonplace in the Lutheran climate of Bach’s time. In my opinion Bach alone is able to touch on this profound central point like no other, in which life and death meet in a mystical unity. In the Opening Movement (No. 1) of the Cantata the poet uses an old chorale verse (the first verse of the hymn “Wer weiss, wie nahe mir mein Ende” by Ämilie Juliana von Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, from 1686). As was the case with the Cantata BWV 138, the poet here inserts his own lines between the six old chorale lines of this verse, and thus fashions a very meaningful dialogue with the old text. As usual, Bach sets the old text for four voices and the new text as recitative for the various singers. The movement starts with a short instrumental introduction for two oboes, the strings and the basso continuo – twelve bars, of which the first six have a pedal note on C. These bars form one of the most beautiful examples of the ‘correct’ use of the dark character of the key of C minor. The basso continuo sets the calm 3/4 time signature, the remaining strings play a repeated and hesitant phrase with descending quavers. Over this structure, the two oboes, one after the other in imitation, play a lyrically plaintive motif. Where the sinking quaver phrases of the upper strings are heard, the basso continuo undertakes the mirror image of the same figure, rising instead of descending. Undoubtedly the two versions of the same quaver motif represent the death (laying in the tomb?) and the prayer (the rising phrase). Incidentally, after two bars of the rising phrase the violins also join in with a rising figure (this time in semiquavers). When finally in the thirteenth bar the vocal ensemble enters with the first line of the hymn “Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende” (a corno da tirarsi doubles the chorale melody), the descending figures appear again in the upper strings. After this first chorale line the soprano emerges (under the continuing string figures and oboe dialogue). In a measured recitative she gives the poet’s answer to the first line of the hymn: “Das weiß der liebe Gott allein” etc. From here on the movement develops as mentioned above. Chorale lines and the poet’s new lines alternate (in recitative by the alto and afterwards by the tenor, but still sung a tempo), until the end of the verse. Finally, as an epilogue, the instrumental introduction is repeated. This wonderful architecture is followed by a simple Recitativo for tenor (No. 2), which expresses the main thoughts of the poet: “Mein Leben hat kein ander Ziel, als dass ich möge selig sterben”, and again “Ende gut macht alles gut!”. A highly unusual instrumentation in the Aria for alto, oboe da caccia and obbligato organ with string bass (No. 3) makes these thoughts clear. The first two lines of this aria have been borrowed by the poet from the cantata text by Erdmann Neumeister (1700): “Willkommen will ich sagen / Wenn der Tot ans Bette tritt”. In the B-part the aria further states: “alle meine Plage nehm ich mit”, which gives the composer the opportunity for an expressive chromaticism. Why did Bach choose such a strange instrumentation for this piece? I venture to give an answer: could not the organ be a symbol of heavenly music here, and the ‘oboe da caccia’ an instrument blown by an angel? The poet here is yearning for the next world. The introduction to this Aria (before the singer enters) is very detailed, and contains the whole compositional material of the piece. In the following Recitativo accompagnato for soprano and strings (No. 4) the poet once again expressed his yearning and impatience for the mystical union with the Lamb of God. With the twice repeated cry “Flügel her!” (yes, the impatience comes through thus far!) the violins are heard in two rapid rising scale passages. A more naïve or simpler description cannot be imagined – here Bach is very simple, and it works wonderfully. The bass follows with his Aria (No. 5) with strings “Gute Nacht, du Weltgetümmel”; the piece initially displays a kind of dance-like dignity (Polonaise, slow Minuet?), for the words “Gute Nacht”, but soon comes the expected description of ‘tumult’ with rapid, violent semiquaver figures. The whole Aria comes alive with the confrontation of these two contrasting features, and ends with “gute Nacht”... In the Closing Chorale (No. 6) (1646, J. G. Albinus) “Welt, Ade! Etc.” (World, farewell!) just this once Bach inserts an existing multi-voice setting of the chorale melody, and in fact uses a five-part harmonisation by Johann Rosenmüller from 1652. The basis for this curious fact is lost for ever, yet this more archaic movement certainly fits in here perfectly. In addition, this indirectly gives us interesting information about the vocal setting. The second soprano in Rosenmüller’s five-voice setting is only found in the instrumental doubling, that is, it was not sung. If now Bach actually had a choir of about sixteen singers for his Cantata performances and had not used a solo vocal quartet, he would certainly not have had to leave out the second soprano ... “Wer sich selbst erhöhet, der soll erniedriget werden”, BWV 47 This Cantata is the third of the three which Bach wrote for this 17th Sunday after Trinity; it was first performed on the 13th October 1726 – thus a week after the Cantata 27 mentioned above. We know the text poet of this Cantata: Johann Friedrich Helbig (1680-1722), the Council Secretary for Eisenach at the time that G. Ph, Telemann was the court Kapellmeister. Helbig wrote a complete year’s cycle in 1720, and Telemann set almost all of them. BWV 47 is the only Cantata that Bach composed to a text by Helbig. He had possibly taken it from Telemann’s compostion, or from Helbig’s printed year’s cycle. The main thought is presented as a ‘motto’ in the opening movement of the Cantata. It is the end of the Gospel lesson for the relevant Sunday (St. Luke, 14, 11): “Wer sich selbst erhöhet, etc.”. The poet develops in the next two movements his ‘sermon’ about the arrogance of mankind, which is in complete contrast to the humility of Christ. There follows a moment of prayer (Aria No. 4) “Jesu, beuge doch mein Herze, etc.”, and it closes with a chorale verse, that is with the eleventh church hymn “Warum betrübst du dich” (Nuremburg 1561) from Cantata BWV 138. Bach has poured the prose text of St. Luke (“Wer sich selbst erhöhet, etc.”) into a monumental Tutti movement (No. 1). The two oboes, strings, four vocal parts and basso continuo form a web which is most cleverly structured and has great variety and inner regularity. It begins with a long instrumental introduction of 44 bars, in which all the material is reviewed. At first one believes that an instrumental concerto is being heard. The attentive listener, however, will soon recognise, in the first four bars, the idea of the ‘high-low’ confrontation (‘raise up’ against ‘abase’). Disjointed individual phrases alternate in different registers, until in the fifth bar a more horizontal quaver figure emerges, which serves as an advance notice of the later fugue subject for the voices. In a purely ‘concertante’ style Bach develops the introduction further using these two main constituents (disjointed figures and horizontal lines of quavers), until finally the vocal fugue enters in the tenor, over an exact repetition of the opening bars of the introduction. Bach designed the fugue subject and its related counter-subject completely within the limits of the text, both of them are, so to speak, grown from the text. The first half of the text (“Wer sich selbst erhöhet, der soll erniedriget werden”) forms the actual subject in two times four and a half bars, and the second half of the text (“und wer sich selbst erniedriget, der soll erhöhet werden” forms the counter-subject of the same length. The main idea of St. Luke’s text, ‘high’ and ‘low’, is used here pointedly, carefully and musically by Bach, so that the whole phrase of St. Luke is set, so to speak, as a painting in music. In the actual theme, the first half of the text therefore, the musical line rises for “Wer sich selbst erhöhet” and descends for “der soll erniedriget werden”. The counter-subject, the second half of the text, starts with “und wer sich selbst erniedriget” at the top, so that it can run downwards and go upwards again with “der soll erhöhet werden”. So after the introduction of the subject (in the tenor), the following entries of the subject (first in the alto, then in the soprano and finally in the bass) are time and again confronted by the counter-subject running in contramotion. It results, therefore, in a thick web of completely ‘regular’ complemantary voices. Even the non-thematic ‘full voices’, which appear next to the subject and counter-subject, ‘obey’ the text idea in their musical portrayal. Like the first tenor entry, the following fugue figures are always accompanied by the opening instrumental bars as well, with the disjointed figures for ‘higher’ and ‘lower’. After the first four bars of the last entry, sung by the bass to “Wer sich selbst erhöhet”, the strings double the remaining vocal group. Four bars later there even comes, at the culmination of the fugal episodes, the entry of a fifth subject, which is entirely unexpected. The two oboes play the subject in unison over the four voices, and actually now in B major instead of the G minor at the start of the fugue. After this a new passage starts, in which the basso continuo plays the runnng quaver figures of the fugue subject one after the other for almost 25 bars. In between, the short, broken figures of the instruments alternate with equally short vocal sections, which carry the fugue subject in the bass (with the dominant basso continuo) and, in the ‘complementary voices’, a three-part ‘stretto’ of the slightly modified fugue subject. This always takes place with the opening text “Wer sich selbst erhöhet”. This alternating passage is repeated twice, and in fact the key rises in turn as is appropriate for the text. After this we have again arrived at G minor, and the whole fugue, which had started in bar 45, is repeated, but with some remarkable variations. So now the soprano starts, and the next entries occur simply in a downward sequence for alto, tenor and bass (yet again the picture of abasement). From the alto entry the instruments (strings and oboes) now also run together, doubling the voices colla parte, until the oboes distance themselves in order to play in turn their fifth entry in the full polyphony. After this, with the arrival of E flat major, Bach brings in again the concentrated passage of short alternating sections and the ‘stretto’ in rising keys (to the opening text). Here, however, with the second, higher ‘stretto’ insertion (and without instrumental interruptions) is added a third fugal episode. The tenor (main subject) and the alto (counter-subject) are doubled by the viola and second violin with the assistance of the two independent oboes. When afterwards the bass (with the main subject) and the soprano come in, all the instruments, colla parte with the voices, join in an eleven-bar transition. This leads to a ‘hidden’ da capo of the instrumental introduction (bars 1 to 45)! I say ‘hidden’, because the polyphonic vocal web, which still continues at this moment, diverts our attention from the da capo entry of the instruments. Two bars later, however, the singers for their part finally join the instruments in a festive tutti. The instruments play their introduction verbatim to the end, the vocal quartet sings over them with all the known material; a new creation which leans towards the instruments, but in part proceeds independently. With this combination, this large-scale choral work of 228 bars comes to an end. One can only marvel at such a piece, and be astonished with what mastery Bach plays with the rules, which he imposes on himself. Freedom within order, it allows us to dream! As Movement No. 2 of the Cantata there follows an Aria for soprano, obbligato violin and basso continuo. “Wer ein wahrer Christ will heißen / Muss der Demut sich befleißen; / Demut stammt aus Jesu Reich”. So the poet begins his ‘sermon’ in the A-part of the text. The violin part, which probably was originally intended for obbligato organ, surely portrays in repeated rapid figures the enthusiasm necessary for man to proceed toward humility, in which the soprano sings the text with a pleasantly lyical and soft line. This A-part is long-spun-out, and makes one continuously aware of the chief message. In the B-part the tone changes completely: “Hoffart ist dem Teufel gleich / Gott pflegt alle die zu hassen / So den Stolz nicht fahren lassen”. To arrive here Bach turns everything upside-down. The opening motif of the violins is now played in the instrumental bass. ‘Arrogance‘ it is with which the servant (the bass accompaniment) undertakes the chief rôle! ... And it does not stop there: the basso continuo goes further with a continuous domineering staccato figure! In the soprano the word “Hoffart” is now proudly heard on a long-held note, which, after a set phrase, turns into a nervous short trill, which also comes back in the next two bars metrically accented. On “hassen” Bach writes two staccato dots, in order to emphasize the word; these two scanned accents also form the kernel of the ostinato rhythmic figure in the violin part, which throughout this B-part is written for two voices. This rather un-violin-like writing is perhaps also indicative of a previous organ part. Shortly before the end of the B-part, the soprano is allowed a virtuoso passage on “fahren lassen”: the picture of the detour, the long journey away from pride ... The whole A-part is then repeated. No. 3 is an Recitativo accompagnato for bass with the strings. The text poet Helbig moralises further. Without too much poetics he portrays the arrogant, proud man. He ought to be ashamed in the face of Christ, who really exercises the greatest humility. After “Folge Christi Spur” the strings play a series of rising chords. They culminate in a long note on the word “Gott”. Nothing with Bach is chance... The bass follows with an Aria (No. 4) with basso continuo and two obbligato treble instruments: oboe and violin. After his ‘sermon’ the poet composes a prayer: “Jesu, beuge doch mein Herze”. The piece is a wonderful example of four-part counterpoint for two high and two low parts. The thematic material ‘shows’ the bending with multiple ‘bowed’ figures (clearly represented in the opening bars of the violins. One only follows the line of sound ‘visually!); all parts make use of the same figures, always alternately. With “und den Hochmut ganz verfluchen” Bach again writes staccato dots in the middle of the vocalise on “Hochmut”, and also a short trill on “verfluchen”; small suggestions for a description full of affekt! For the penultimate line, “Gib mir einen niedern Sinn”, the “Gib mir” is beautifully set with repeated descending figures; God ‘gives’ from on high... In the last line, “dass ich dir gefällig bin”, the long vocalise by the bass on “gefällig” is remarkable. At the same time the ‘bowed’ motifs are omnipresent in every part. The instrumental introduction is repeated at the end, which closes the aria reverently. A simple Chorale (No. 5 – Nuremberg 1561) summarises this Cantata. “Herr Christ, der einge Gottessohn”, BWV 96 (18th Sunday after Trinity) This Cantata was first performed on the 8th October 1724 in Leipzig. In 1726 Bach wrote a second Cantata for this same Sunday (then the 20th October): BWV 169 “Gott soll allein mein Herze haben” (God alone should have my heart). This Cantata BWV 96 is a Chorale Cantata, that is to say, the whole text comes from a single Chorale text; in this case an old church hymn of five verses from 1524, by Elisabeth Creutziger. Chorale Cantatas either used the whole text verbatim, or only the first and last verses verbatim, combined with a ‘reworking’ of the middle verses in a newer form. BWV 96 belongs to the latter category; so here the second and third original verses for Recitativo no. 2 and Aria no. 3 have been reworked. The Recitativo no. 4 and the Aria no. 5 were derived from the fourth verse. No. 6 is thus the fifth and last verse of the old hymn. Each verse of the old hymn consists of seven lines. As so often, the text reworker also remains unknown. The church hymn contains a correlation with two liturgical events: on the one hand with Epiphany (6th January), and on the other hand with this 18th Sunday after Trinity. In the related Gospel reading (St. Matthew 22, 34-46) there is the scene in which Jesus asks the Pharisees about the Messiah, and at the same alludes to the latter being called ‘Son’ and also ‘Lord’ of David... The comparison of Christ with the morning star is pointed out in the first verse (first movement here therefore), clearly from the Epiphany (6th january); in the Recitativo secco (no. 2) reference is made to the end of the Sunday lesson, in which Christ, who has now appeared, is already anticipated by King David, of whose line he was born, and by whom he was honoured as his Lord. Further on in this Recitative, as well as in the following Aria (no. 3), the emphasis is placed on the boon, which the Coming of Jesus symbolises for all the faithful. The Secco no. 4 and the Aria no. 5 (both of them derived from the original fourth verse) are a personal plea from the poet, who reworked the text: may Jesus lead him in the right way. He must not let him stray “bald zur Rechten, bald zur Linken”, but guide him straight to Heaven’s gate. The Closing Chorale from 1524 implies verbatim, in early Baroque contrast, how Christ our Lord, the only Son of God, “must kill the old mankind” in us, and awaken us to a “new life” - so that we direct “our souls only to him”. Musically the Opening movement (No. 1) is a highly calculated structure, merely because the old chorale verse consists of seven lines. At the beginning Bach wrote vivace; the piece is in 9/8 time (in which 9 is three times three), and here “Herr Christ, der einge Gottessohn!” certainly embodies perfection, as it had already existed centuries earlier in mensural notation. The relationship with Epiphany and also thereby with Christmas is clearly recognisable in Bach’s composition. The piccolo recorder undoubtedly describes the shining morning star (symbol of the newborn Jesus child) with its extremely high figuration, and the whole character of the piece is unmistakably pastoral. After an instrumental introduction comes the first line. The vocal parts are simply set, in that the alto sings the old chorale melody with long notes (doubled by a ‘corno’ and the two oboes), during which the three others freely imitate the opening motif of the instrumental introduction (as it is presented by the oboe and the first violin). The following lines are set in a similar way, and each one is connected to the previous one by an interlude in the character of the introduction. The music for both the first lines is repeated for the third and fourth lines; then follows the three last parts in the manner described above. For the fifth line (“Er ist der Morgensterne”) Bach lays out the harmonic structure so that the key is rapidly raised by a tone (undoubtedly indicating the rising morning star); for that he must allow himself some freedom. The prevailing chorale melody is accordingly raised by a semitone, otherwise this charming ploy would not have been possible. After the last line there follows a greatly reduced version of the introduction. The Recitativo secco (No. 2) for alto follows, in which, first of all, the Coming of Christ is recalled. On the words “im letzten Teil der Zeit zur Erde sinket” the secco declamation changes to a more arioso kind of singing, in which the voice and basso continuo imitate each other with the descending figure, as expected. The remaining lines of this reworked verse are again declaimed in the secco style. The Tenor Aria (No. 3) with obligato transverse flute and basso continuo, a reworking of the original verse of the old hymn, has at the beginning the verb “ziehe” as the “keyword”: (The text reads: “ Ach ziehe die Seele mit Seilen der Liebe”. Bach meets it precisely and simply. Three adjacent notes (going up and also sometimes going down) form the descriptive figure, which is regularly repeated, in the three parts. This is the ‘drawing’, upwards as in every direction, the hand of Jesus leading us ...! The text is set in the dactylic sounding Amfibrachus, a dynamic metrical foot (short/long/short), which, with steady repetition, has a strong binary effect (2/4 or 4/4 time). Bach uses this characteristic feature deliberately, does not  avoid the more certain force given to the expression, which was already perceptible through the many repetitions of the text. For colourful words like “kräftig” (mighty) and “entbrennen” (flare up), Bach writes longer figurations for the voice and (analogously) in the flute part. Time and again the basso continuo makes a great effort to present the figure of “ziehen”. No. 4 is a short Recitativo secco for soprano, which leads into Aria No. 5 (bass and strings); as mentioned, both are from the original fourth verse ‘reworked’. The secco limits itself to communicating the text, without particular ploys or ‘descriptive’ elements: “mit deiner Hilfe, Jesu, werde ich bestimmt die Bahn zum Himmel gehen” – so runs the sense of this verse. Instead, however, the Aria is a true description of the text. The “Bald zur Rechten, bald zur Linken / Lenkt sich mein verirrter Schritt” in the A-part of the Aria is a rewarding opportunity for the contrasting portrayal of the theme, and as such is used in exemplary fashion by the composer. In the first line of the B-part (“Gehe doch, mein Heiland, mit”) Bach limits himself to a simple measured and supporting illustration of the ‘going’ in the strings. When it then goes further, however, with “Lass mich in gefahr nicht sinken” (let me not sink into danger) etc., there comes again into view the contrasting portrayal of the ‘right-left’, until the end of the Aria (exceptionally, the A-text is not repeated, the strings only repeat the introduction). After this very rhetorical bass Aria the whole ends with the simply set Closing Chorale from 1524 (No. 6 of the Cantata), in which the basic idea of the text is once again summarised. Sigiswald Kuijken Translation by Christopher Cartwright and Godwin Stewart