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 Bach
literally had to scramble for suitable cantata texts during his
first year in Leipzig, according to Bach historian and musicologist
Christoph Wolff. Given that plus all the other challenges and adjustments
he faced, it is a wonder that the composer created an annual cycle
of works that year, let alone one that set new compositional standards
for both himself and the genre in general. But because of this scrambling,
Wolff maintains, the works in this cycle lacked literary conformity
and musical consistency.
For
his second annual cycle of 1724-25, Bach possessed the luxury of
increased preparation time, which allowed him to turn his thoughts
to a cantata cycle based on a uniform libretto type. Each cantata
would be based on a well-known church hymn appropriate for that
time in the ecclesiastical year. The first and last stanzas of the
hymn would serve unaltered as the cantata's opening and final movements,
while the stanzas in between would be paraphrased, condensed and
reconfigured to serve as texts for recitatives and arias.
However,
around Easter 1725, Bach had to cancel the project. Wolff explains:
"The
way in which the project proceeded and eventually ended suggests
that Bach's anonymous librettist was a close collaborator who
resided in Leipzig. According to the most likely among various
hypotheses, the author of the chorale cantata texts was Andreas
Stubel, conrector emeritus of the St. Thomas School, a man of
solid theological background (if somewhat nonconformist views)
and ample poetic experience. Stubel's death on January 27, 1725,
after only three days of illness and after he had received from
the printer texts for the booklet of cantatas to be performed
from Septugesimae Sunday (January 28) to Annunciation (March 25)
1725, would explain the abrupt ending of the chorale cantata cycle
with "Wie schon leuchter der Morgenstern," BWV 1, on
the feast of Annunciation of that year."
It
also explains why Bach's texts for the last two cantatas on this
disc deviate from the usual formula. BWV 128 is not based on a chorale,
while BWV 129, written for the 1725-26 annual cycle, features chorale
lyrics without additions or paraphrases.
BWV
126 Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort ("Maintain
us, Lord, within thy word"), first performed on Septugesimae
Sunday (February 4), 1725, was probably among the first compositions
Bach wrote for the second annual cycle, knowing of Stubel's death
and the potential challenges he faced in continuing the cycle. This
plus the words themselves would explain the somewhat martial air
of the opening chorale, with a single high trumpet dominating the
proceedings and the choir proclaiming:
"Maintain
us, Lord, within thy word,
And fend off murd'rous Pope and Turk,
Who Jesus Christ, thy very Son,
Strive to bring down from his throne."
The
references to Catholicism and Islam notwithstanding, Bach evidently
saw this not just as a rallying cry for Protestants but, understandably,
for the personal fight of faith he set for himself in writing the
new cantata cycle, and probably hoping someone as talented as Stubel
would manifest before his texts ran out.
The
aria that follows, "Send down thy great strength from heaven,"
is similarly serious and imploring. Tenor Adalbert Kraus sings with
fervor and great sensitivity to the text, while the Hanssler engineers,
still following their recording strategy of "here are the instruments
and out there are the singers," are somewhat better behaved
than usual. Kraus and alto Helen Watts handle their recitative movingly,
and bass Wolfgang Schone sings "Crash to ruin, arrogant bombast"
ringingly, with fullness of tone. In general, the solo work here
is among the best in the series so far.
BWV
127 Herr Jesu Christ, wahr' Mensch und Gott ("Lord
Jesus Christ, true man and God") was first performed one week
after BWV 126, on February 11, 1724. In his notes for this disc,
Dr. Andreas Bomba mentions the special significance the Sunday after
Sexagesima held for Bach. On that day in 1722, Bach had auditioned
in Leipzig on this Sunday, presenting cantatas BWV 22 and 23 and
convincing the city council of his special approach to liturgical
music.
More
interestingly, the name for this Sunday, Estomihi, comes from the
first line of the Latin introit of the mass for this Sunday - "Esto
mihi in Deum protectorem," which translates as "Be thou
my strong rock." Considering the circumstances in which Bach
found himself with the loss of Steubel's services, and his decision
to forge ahead with neither a continued source of new libretti nor
falling back on old texts, those words could probably not be more
appropriate. Looking over Steubel's texts, one cannot help but sympathize
with Bach, as their excellence is readily apparent.
The
quality of Steubel's texts inspired Bach to some of his finest chorale
music to date, and that in turn has rubbed off on the performances
here. Schöne in "When once at last the trumps have sounded"
and "In truth, in truth, I say to you," soprano Arlene
Augér in "My soul shall rest in Jesus' bosom,"
and tenor Lutz-Michael Harder in "When ev'rything at that hour
strikes terror" are all outstanding, as is the chorus and orchestra.
Neither can the recording be faulted this time - even Auger comes
through clearly. Though there is still more echo with the singers
than the instruments, the overall balance is first-rate.
BWV
128 Auf Christi Himmelfahrt ("On Christ's ascent
to heaven alone"): Since Steubel had adapted only the texts
up to Annunciation (March 25), this left Bach in a dilemma on completing
enough music to last through Trinity Sunday (May 27). Wolff comments:
"On
Easter Sunday, he re-performed an old work, 'Christ lag in Todes
Banden," BWV 4, which fit in well despite its traditional outlook;
consisting of unaltered chorale stanzas only; it represented the
per omnes versus (pure hymn text) type of chorale cantata. Works
of mixed origin and structure followed until Bach turned, for the
remaining weeks until Trinity Sunday, to nine cantata texts by the
young Leipzig poet Christine Mariane von Ziegler, daughter of the
former burgomaster Franz Conrad Romanus. However, he chose to make
some substantial changes to her words, and although she published
her cantata texts later in the form of a complete annual cycle,
Bach did not return to her sacred poetry."
One
fact that becomes apparent on reading Ziegler's text for BWV 128
is that it is not on the same level of quality as Steubel's libretti.
Therefore, it is a tribute to Bach's craftsmanship that the music
for the cantata, which was performed May 10, 1724, more than makes
up for this deficiency, with an air of lightness and celebration
that befits Ascension Sunday. Schöne, alto Gabrielle Schreckenbach
and tenor Aldo Baldin outdo themselves once again, although there
is a more pronounced echo-chamber effect to their voices than in
the previous two cantatas.
BWV
129 Gelobet sei der Herr, mein Gott ("Give honor
to the Lord"): On Ascension Sunday 1725, Bach should have performed
a chorale cantata to close out the ecclesiastical year. Instead,
the congregation heard the cantata BWV 176 "Es ist ein trotzig
und vergatz Ding" ("There is a daring and a sly thing),
based on a text by Zeigler. With BWV 129, which was performed for
Trinity Sunday of the following year (June 16, 1726), Dr. Bomba
suggests that Bach intended to complete his project of a chorale
cantata cycle after all, and added this cantata, along with a dozen
others, to replace compositions based on Zeigler's texts. The only
two cantatas with her words that he did not replace were BWV 128
and BWV 68 "Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt."
BWV
129, like some of these newly-composed cantatas, utilize hymn texts
without any changes. Unlike many of Bach's cantatas, the lyrics
bear no reference to the Gospel reading for the day. Rather, it
is a song of praise that Bach augments with equally festive instrumentation.
The arias, though not as opulently scored, are equally celebratory.
Bass Phillipe Huttenlocher's voice quavers in his solo; Auger's
is full, steady and beautiful; and Schreckenbach's, while a bit
rich, is equally solid. The recording quality is excellent.
Altogether,
this disc is one of the high points in the Hanssler series -- definitely
not to be missed.
Bibliography:
Wolff, Christoph, Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician
(New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2000), 275-279.
JONATHAN
YUNGKANS fully understands Bach's challenge with finding the
right words, especially when writing some of his taglines. Usually,
some Ben & Jerry's ice cream helps.
841:
2.11.2000 ©Jonathan Yungkans
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