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Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid, BWV 58

January 01, 1970

For Bach's other cantata with the same title, see Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid, BWV 3.

Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid (Ah God, how much heartbreak),[1] BWV 58, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed the dialogue cantata in Leipzig for the Sunday after New Year's Day.

Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid
BWV 58
by J. S. Bach
OccasionSunday after New Year's Day
Cantata textChristoph Birkmann
Chorale
Performed5 January 1727 (1727-01-05): Leipzig
Movements5
Vocal
Instrumental
  • 2 violins
  • viola
  • continuo
  • (2 oboes)
  • (taille)

The text has been attributed to Christoph Birkmann by Christine Blanken of the Bach-Archiv Leipzig.[2] He combined the topics of the readings, the gospel of the Flight into Egypt and teaching about the suffering of Christians from the First Epistle of Peter, in a structure of unusual symmetry with a duet as the first and last of the five movements. Both duets are dialogues of the Soul, represented by a soprano, and Jesus, sung by a bass as the vox Christi (voice of Christ). Both duets are set as a chorale fantasia, combining a stanza from a hymn, sung by the soprano as the cantus firmus, with original poetry set in counterpoint. Both stanzas are sung to the same melody, but come from different hymns, Martin Moller's "Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid",[3] and Martin Behm's "Herr Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht".[4][5] While the poet wrote the duets to fit the same music, Bach composed them in contrast, even changing the meter of the tune, to fit the different mood: lamenting heartbreak in the beginning, comfort in the end.

Bach scored the work for a small Baroque instrumental ensemble of originally just strings and continuo, probably intended to ease the workload of musicians for the Christmas season. In a later version, he added a trio of oboes to the outer movements. Bach counted the work as part of his cycle of chorale cantatas, which he had begun in 1724. It was presumably first performed on 5 January 1727.

History and text edit

Bach composed the dialogue cantata the Sunday after New Year's Day, probably of 1727.[1][6][7] This occasion happens only in years with a Sunday between New Year's Day and Epiphany on 6 January. The prescribed readings for the day are from the First Epistle of Peter, the suffering of Christians (1 Peter 4:12–19), and from the Gospel of Matthew, the Flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13–23).[8] In his first year as Thomaskantor (director of church music) in Leipzig, Bach had composed Schau, lieber Gott, wie meine Feind, BWV 153, for this occasion.

The text has been attributed in 2015 to Christoph Birkmann, a theologian and student of Bach, by Christine Blanken of the Bach-Archiv Leipzig.[2] He retells the topic of the gospel in the first recitative, and expands it to the journey, suffering and perils of the contemporary Christian, with a focus on the contrast between suffering on Earth and joy in Heaven.[9] The two outer movements are unusually similar, both duets of the Soul and Jesus, using a hymn stanza and free text. The first movements includes the first stanza of "Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid", published by Martin Moller in 1587; the last movement includes the second stanza of Martin Behm's "Herr Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht", published in 1610 in the second volume of the collection Centuria precationum rhythmicarum.[1] The melody is the same for both hymns[1] and first appeared in Wolflein Lochamer's Lochamer-Liederbuch (around 1455). The poet's own verse for the two movements is also similar, as if the author expected the composer to repeat the music, but Bach set them differently,[1] even contrasting.[9]

Bach performed the cantata presumably first on 5 January 1727. He performed it again on 4 January 1733 or 3 January 1734. Only this later version survived, for which Bach had added oboes to the orchestra and wrote a new third movement.[1][7] The surviving continuo part of the original aria suggests a significantly different character.[7] As only the continuo part of the first version of the central aria movement survived, it is unknown if the text was also changed.[1]

Bach counted the work as part of his cycle of chorale cantatas, which he had begun in 1724/25. In that year's Christmas season, the Sunday fell between Christmas and New Year, a different occasion with different prescribed readings. Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid is not similar to the early works of that cycle which focus on one Lutheran hymn, such as a cantata on Moller's hymn, Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid, BWV 3, composed for the second Sunday after Epiphany of 1725.[1] According to the Bach scholar Alfred Dürr, the cantata is "to be numbered among the successors of the seventeenth-century dialogue compositions as a 'Dialogue of the Faithful Soul with God'".[1]

Scoring and structure edit

Bach structured the cantata in five movements in a symmetrical arrangement of two framing duets surrounding recitatives and a central aria. Bach scored the work for two vocal soloists (soprano (S) and bass (B)), and a Baroque instrumental ensemble of originally two violins (Vl), viola (Va), and basso continuo.[1] John Eliot Gardiner, who conducted the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage in 2000, notes that the scoring for just two voices and strings was probably intended to ease the workload of musicians who had a busy time during the Christmas season.[10] In the later version, Bach added a trio of two oboes (Ob) and taille (Ot).[11] The duration is given as 17 minutes.[1]

In the following table of the movements, the scoring follows the Neue Bach-Ausgabe of the later version.[11] The keys and time signatures are taken from the book on all cantatas by the Bach scholar Alfred Dürr, using the symbols for common time (4/4).[1] The continuo, playing throughout, is not shown.

Movements of Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid
No. Title Text Type Vocal Winds Strings Key Time
1 Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid Moller + anon. Chorale + Aria S B 2Ob Ot 2Vl Va C major 3/4
2 Verfolgt dich gleich die arge Welt anon. Recitative B a minor – F major  
3 Ich bin vergnügt in meinem Leiden anon. Aria S Vl solo D minor  
4 Kann es die Welt nicht lassen anon. Recitative S F major – A minor  
5 Ich hab für mir ein schwere Reis Behm + anon. Chorale + Aria S B 2Ob Ot 2Vl Va C major 2/4

Music edit

The structure of the piece is unusually symmetric. It opens and closes with a duet including a chorale text.[12] Harmonically, the piece begins and ends in C major, and the central movement is in D minor. The second movement modulates from A minor to F major, while the fourth movement mirrors this motion.[6]

1 edit

The first movement, "Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid" (Ah, God, how much heartache),[13] is a chorale fantasia, with the soprano, representing the Soul, singing the cantus firmus, reinforced by the taille, while the bass as the vox Christi (voice of Christ) delivers original verse in counterpoint to the melody.[1] The melody is tonal but with a "very chromatic subtext".[12] The movement, marked Adagio, begins with a ritornello of strings doubled by oboes. A dotted-rhythm figure, characteristic of a French overture, dominates the music.[1][6][7] A figure of lament appears first in the continuo, then also in the upper voices.[1] The ritornello recurs midway through the movement.[7]

2 edit

The secco bass recitative, "Verfolgt dich gleich die arge Welt" (Though the angry world might persecute you),[13] is chromatic and in two sections: the first describes a history of persecution related to the Flight into Egypt with "striding angular phrases", while the second section emphasizes the presence of God using a gentler and smoother melodic line.[6][7]

3 edit

The third movement, "Ich bin vergnügt in meinem Leiden" (I am cheerful in my sorrow),[13] is a soprano aria with an obbligato solo violin. The da capo movement describes the spirit's confidence in God. The first section includes a "motto theme" transitioning into a "hectic" violin melody. The middle section is characterized by a "muscular" soprano line and "oddly bizarre" solo violin. The first section returns modified and unheralded.[7]

4 edit

The soprano recitative, "Kann es die Welt nicht lassen" (If the world cannot cease),[13] begins by recounting persecution, but quickly becomes an arioso with a walking continuo.[7]

5 edit

The final movement, "Ich hab für mir ein schwere Reis" (I have a difficult journey before me),[13] opens with a triad fanfare, which the bass voice sings on the words "Nur getrost" (Be comforted).[9] It is similar to a motif in Bach's Violin Concerto in E Major, BWV 1042.[1] The soprano reprises the chorale melody in duple rather than the original triple time, with a responding line in the bass voice. After two phrases, the ritornello plays alone for eight measures before both voices re-enter in counterpoint to complete the chorale.[7]

Recordings edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Dürr, Alfred; Jones, Richard D. P. (2006). The Cantatas of J. S. Bach: With Their Librettos in German-English Parallel Text. Oxford University Press. pp. 166–167. ISBN 0-19-929776-2.
  2. ^ a b Blanken, Christine (2015). "A Cantata-Text Cycle of 1728 from Nuremberg: a Preliminary Report on a Discovery relating to J. S. Bach's so-called 'Third Annual Cantata Cycle'" (PDF). Understanding Bach. Bach Network. pp. 9–30. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  3. ^ "Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid / Text and Translation of Chorale". Bach Cantatas. 2006. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  4. ^ "Herr (or O) Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht / Text and Translation of Chorale". Bach Cantatas Website. 2006. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  5. ^ "Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works / Herr (or O) Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht". Bach Cantatas Website. 2006. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d Leonard, James. "Johann Sebastian Bach / Cantata No. 58, "Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid," BWV 58 (BC A26)". Allmusic. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Mincham, Julian. "Chapter 35 Bwv 58 – The Cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach". jsbachcantatas. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  8. ^ Dürr, Alfred; Jones, Richard D. P. (2005). "1.10 Sunday after New Year". The Cantatas of J. S. Bach: With Their Librettos in German-English Parallel Text. Oxford University Press. p. 162. ISBN 9780198167075.
  9. ^ a b c Hofmann, Klaus (2010). "BWV 58 Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid / Oh God, how much unhappiness" (PDF). Bach Cantatas Website. pp. 7–8. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  10. ^ Gardiner, John Eliot (2008). Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) / Cantatas Nos 16, 41, 58, 143, 153 & 171 (Media notes). Soli Deo Gloria (at Hyperion Records website). Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  11. ^ a b Bischof, Walter F. "BWV 58 Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid". University of Alberta. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  12. ^ a b Smith, Craig. "Cantata BWV 58". Emmanuel Music. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  13. ^ a b c d e Dellal, Pamela (2021). "BWV 58 – Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid". pameladellal.com. Retrieved 23 December 2021.

External links edit

January 01, 1970
gott, manches, herzeleid, bach, other, cantata, with, same, title, gott, manches, herzeleid, gott, manches, herzeleid, much, heartbreak, church, cantata, johann, sebastian, bach, composed, dialogue, cantata, leipzig, sunday, after, year, gott, manches, herzele. For Bach s other cantata with the same title see Ach Gott wie manches Herzeleid BWV 3 Ach Gott wie manches Herzeleid Ah God how much heartbreak 1 BWV 58 is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach He composed the dialogue cantata in Leipzig for the Sunday after New Year s Day Ach Gott wie manches HerzeleidBWV 58Church cantataDialogue cantata by J S BachThe Flight into Egypt Rembrandt 1627 OccasionSunday after New Year s DayCantata textChristoph BirkmannChorale Ach Gott wie manches Herzeleid Moller Herr Jesu Christ meins Lebens Licht Behm Performed5 January 1727 1727 01 05 LeipzigMovements5VocalsopranobassInstrumental2 violinsviolacontinuo 2 oboes taille The text has been attributed to Christoph Birkmann by Christine Blanken of the Bach Archiv Leipzig 2 He combined the topics of the readings the gospel of the Flight into Egypt and teaching about the suffering of Christians from the First Epistle of Peter in a structure of unusual symmetry with a duet as the first and last of the five movements Both duets are dialogues of the Soul represented by a soprano and Jesus sung by a bass as the vox Christi voice of Christ Both duets are set as a chorale fantasia combining a stanza from a hymn sung by the soprano as the cantus firmus with original poetry set in counterpoint Both stanzas are sung to the same melody but come from different hymns Martin Moller s Ach Gott wie manches Herzeleid 3 and Martin Behm s Herr Jesu Christ meins Lebens Licht 4 5 While the poet wrote the duets to fit the same music Bach composed them in contrast even changing the meter of the tune to fit the different mood lamenting heartbreak in the beginning comfort in the end Bach scored the work for a small Baroque instrumental ensemble of originally just strings and continuo probably intended to ease the workload of musicians for the Christmas season In a later version he added a trio of oboes to the outer movements Bach counted the work as part of his cycle of chorale cantatas which he had begun in 1724 It was presumably first performed on 5 January 1727 Contents 1 History and text 2 Scoring and structure 3 Music 3 1 1 3 2 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 3 5 5 4 Recordings 5 References 6 External linksHistory and text editBach composed the dialogue cantata the Sunday after New Year s Day probably of 1727 1 6 7 This occasion happens only in years with a Sunday between New Year s Day and Epiphany on 6 January The prescribed readings for the day are from the First Epistle of Peter the suffering of Christians 1 Peter 4 12 19 and from the Gospel of Matthew the Flight into Egypt Matthew 2 13 23 8 In his first year as Thomaskantor director of church music in Leipzig Bach had composed Schau lieber Gott wie meine Feind BWV 153 for this occasion The text has been attributed in 2015 to Christoph Birkmann a theologian and student of Bach by Christine Blanken of the Bach Archiv Leipzig 2 He retells the topic of the gospel in the first recitative and expands it to the journey suffering and perils of the contemporary Christian with a focus on the contrast between suffering on Earth and joy in Heaven 9 The two outer movements are unusually similar both duets of the Soul and Jesus using a hymn stanza and free text The first movements includes the first stanza of Ach Gott wie manches Herzeleid published by Martin Moller in 1587 the last movement includes the second stanza of Martin Behm s Herr Jesu Christ meins Lebens Licht published in 1610 in the second volume of the collection Centuria precationum rhythmicarum 1 The melody is the same for both hymns 1 and first appeared in Wolflein Lochamer s Lochamer Liederbuch around 1455 The poet s own verse for the two movements is also similar as if the author expected the composer to repeat the music but Bach set them differently 1 even contrasting 9 Bach performed the cantata presumably first on 5 January 1727 He performed it again on 4 January 1733 or 3 January 1734 Only this later version survived for which Bach had added oboes to the orchestra and wrote a new third movement 1 7 The surviving continuo part of the original aria suggests a significantly different character 7 As only the continuo part of the first version of the central aria movement survived it is unknown if the text was also changed 1 Bach counted the work as part of his cycle of chorale cantatas which he had begun in 1724 25 In that year s Christmas season the Sunday fell between Christmas and New Year a different occasion with different prescribed readings Ach Gott wie manches Herzeleid is not similar to the early works of that cycle which focus on one Lutheran hymn such as a cantata on Moller s hymn Ach Gott wie manches Herzeleid BWV 3 composed for the second Sunday after Epiphany of 1725 1 According to the Bach scholar Alfred Durr the cantata is to be numbered among the successors of the seventeenth century dialogue compositions as a Dialogue of the Faithful Soul with God 1 Scoring and structure editBach structured the cantata in five movements in a symmetrical arrangement of two framing duets surrounding recitatives and a central aria Bach scored the work for two vocal soloists soprano S and bass B and a Baroque instrumental ensemble of originally two violins Vl viola Va and basso continuo 1 John Eliot Gardiner who conducted the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage in 2000 notes that the scoring for just two voices and strings was probably intended to ease the workload of musicians who had a busy time during the Christmas season 10 In the later version Bach added a trio of two oboes Ob and taille Ot 11 The duration is given as 17 minutes 1 In the following table of the movements the scoring follows the Neue Bach Ausgabe of the later version 11 The keys and time signatures are taken from the book on all cantatas by the Bach scholar Alfred Durr using the symbols for common time 4 4 1 The continuo playing throughout is not shown Movements of Ach Gott wie manches Herzeleid No Title Text Type Vocal Winds Strings Key Time 1 Ach Gott wie manches Herzeleid Moller anon Chorale Aria S B 2Ob Ot 2Vl Va C major 3 4 2 Verfolgt dich gleich die arge Welt anon Recitative B a minor F major nbsp 3 Ich bin vergnugt in meinem Leiden anon Aria S Vl solo D minor nbsp 4 Kann es die Welt nicht lassen anon Recitative S F major A minor nbsp 5 Ich hab fur mir ein schwere Reis Behm anon Chorale Aria S B 2Ob Ot 2Vl Va C major 2 4Music editThe structure of the piece is unusually symmetric It opens and closes with a duet including a chorale text 12 Harmonically the piece begins and ends in C major and the central movement is in D minor The second movement modulates from A minor to F major while the fourth movement mirrors this motion 6 1 edit The first movement Ach Gott wie manches Herzeleid Ah God how much heartache 13 is a chorale fantasia with the soprano representing the Soul singing the cantus firmus reinforced by the taille while the bass as the vox Christi voice of Christ delivers original verse in counterpoint to the melody 1 The melody is tonal but with a very chromatic subtext 12 The movement marked Adagio begins with a ritornello of strings doubled by oboes A dotted rhythm figure characteristic of a French overture dominates the music 1 6 7 A figure of lament appears first in the continuo then also in the upper voices 1 The ritornello recurs midway through the movement 7 2 edit The secco bass recitative Verfolgt dich gleich die arge Welt Though the angry world might persecute you 13 is chromatic and in two sections the first describes a history of persecution related to the Flight into Egypt with striding angular phrases while the second section emphasizes the presence of God using a gentler and smoother melodic line 6 7 3 edit The third movement Ich bin vergnugt in meinem Leiden I am cheerful in my sorrow 13 is a soprano aria with an obbligato solo violin The da capo movement describes the spirit s confidence in God The first section includes a motto theme transitioning into a hectic violin melody The middle section is characterized by a muscular soprano line and oddly bizarre solo violin The first section returns modified and unheralded 7 4 edit The soprano recitative Kann es die Welt nicht lassen If the world cannot cease 13 begins by recounting persecution but quickly becomes an arioso with a walking continuo 7 5 edit The final movement Ich hab fur mir ein schwere Reis I have a difficult journey before me 13 opens with a triad fanfare which the bass voice sings on the words Nur getrost Be comforted 9 It is similar to a motif in Bach s Violin Concerto in E Major BWV 1042 1 The soprano reprises the chorale melody in duple rather than the original triple time with a responding line in the bass voice After two phrases the ritornello plays alone for eight measures before both voices re enter in counterpoint to complete the chorale 7 Recordings editKarl Ristenpart RIAS Kammerchor RIAS Kammerorchester The RIAS Bach Cantatas Project 1949 1952 Recorded 1952 Published 2012 Frank Brieff Bach Aria Group Bach Aria Group Decca 1960 Karl Richter Munchener Bach Chor Munchener Bach Orchester Bach Cantatas Vol 1 Advent and Christmas Archiv Produktion 1970 Helmuth Rilling Gachinger Kantorei Bach Collegium Stuttgart Die Bach Kantate Vol 20 Hanssler 1971 Nikolaus Harnoncourt Tolzer Knabenchor Concentus Musicus Wien J S Bach Das Kantatenwerk Sacred Cantatas Vol 3 Teldec 1976 Michel Corboz Ensemble vocal de Lausanne fr Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne Bach Cantatas Erato 1976 Pieter Jan Leusink Holland Boys Choir Netherlands Bach Collegium Bach Edition Vol 18 Cantatas Vol 9 Brilliant Classics 2000 John Eliot Gardiner Monteverdi Choir English Baroque Soloists Bach Cantatas Vol 17 Berlin Soli Deo Gloria 2000 Ton Koopman Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra amp Choir J S Bach Complete Cantatas Vol 17 Antoine Marchand 2003 Masaaki Suzuki Bach Collegium Japan J S Bach Cantatas Vol 38 Solo Cantatas BIS 2006 Alfredo Bernardini Kirchheimer BachConsort Hana Blazikova Dominik Worner J S Bach Dialogkantaten BWV 32 57 58 cpoReferences edit a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Durr Alfred Jones Richard D P 2006 The Cantatas of J S Bach With Their Librettos in German English Parallel Text Oxford University Press pp 166 167 ISBN 0 19 929776 2 a b Blanken Christine 2015 A Cantata Text Cycle of 1728 from Nuremberg a Preliminary Report on a Discovery relating to J S Bach s so called Third Annual Cantata Cycle PDF Understanding Bach Bach Network pp 9 30 Retrieved 29 December 2015 Ach Gott wie manches Herzeleid Text and Translation of Chorale Bach Cantatas 2006 Retrieved 14 January 2013 Herr or O Jesu Christ meins Lebens Licht Text and Translation of Chorale Bach Cantatas Website 2006 Retrieved 29 December 2015 Chorale Melodies used in Bach s Vocal Works Herr or O Jesu Christ meins Lebens Licht Bach Cantatas Website 2006 Retrieved 14 January 2013 a b c d Leonard James Johann Sebastian Bach Cantata No 58 Ach Gott wie manches Herzeleid BWV 58 BC A26 Allmusic Retrieved 8 August 2013 a b c d e f g h i Mincham Julian Chapter 35 Bwv 58 The Cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach jsbachcantatas Retrieved 21 August 2022 Durr Alfred Jones Richard D P 2005 1 10 Sunday after New Year The Cantatas of J S Bach With Their Librettos in German English Parallel Text Oxford University Press p 162 ISBN 9780198167075 a b c Hofmann Klaus 2010 BWV 58 Ach Gott wie manches Herzeleid Oh God how much unhappiness PDF Bach Cantatas Website pp 7 8 Retrieved 28 December 2015 Gardiner John Eliot 2008 Johann Sebastian Bach 1685 1750 Cantatas Nos 16 41 58 143 153 amp 171 Media notes Soli Deo Gloria at Hyperion Records website Retrieved 31 December 2018 a b Bischof Walter F BWV 58 Ach Gott wie manches Herzeleid University of Alberta Retrieved 3 August 2013 a b Smith Craig Cantata BWV 58 Emmanuel Music Retrieved 21 August 2022 a b c d e Dellal Pamela 2021 BWV 58 Ach Gott wie manches Herzeleid pameladellal com Retrieved 23 December 2021 External links editAch Gott wie manches Herzeleid BWV 58 Scores at the International Music Score Library Project Ach Gott wie manches Herzeleid BWV 58 performance by the Netherlands Bach Society video and background information Ach Gott wie manches Herzeleid concerto in dialogo early version BWV 58 BC A 26a Sacred cantata 2nd Sunday of Christmas Bach Digital Ach Gott wie manches Herzeleid concerto in dialogo later version BWV 58 BC A 26b Sacred cantata 2nd Sunday of Christmas Bach Digital BWV 58 Ach Gott wie manches Herzeleid English translation University of Vermont Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ach Gott wie manches Herzeleid BWV 58 amp oldid 1221625834, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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