An 8 movement cantata, -oboe x 2 + taille, strings and continuo, the chorus only appearing in its fulness, during the final choral. Alto and tenor remain silent throughout all the previous movements. Bass/Jesus and Soprano/Anima, -or the soul, maintain a dramatic...
Bach: The Cantatas
Bach Cantatas
-Sunday-first day after Christmas-26th December 2021-Sunday after Christmas-J.S.Bach-cantata BWV 122-,Das neugeborne Kindelein’-
A six movement cantata, opening chorus, 2 x aria, -first for bass voice, second for soprano, alto, tenor trio, 2 x recits, soprano and bass, with closing choral. Strings, 2 x oboe + taille, chorus and continuo, make up the band, with a surprise appearance by 3 x...
-Saturday 25th December 2021-Christmas Day-J.S.Bach-cantata BWV 91-,Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ‘-
6 movement cantata, opening chorale fantasia chorus, 2 x recit, -the first of these, in combination with a chorale tune, 2 x arias, -the first for tenor and the second, a soprano/alto duet, followed by closing chorale. A standard orchestra, two oboes, strings and...
-Sunday 12th December 2021-3rd Sunday in Advent-J.S.Bach-NO CANTATA for THIS SUNDAY-cantata for an unspecified occasion-BWV 106 Actus tragicus-,Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit’-
This is a brilliant, early work, most probably written, when its composer was only 22 years of age. It is expressive and profound, leaving all previous and comparable works, a long way behind, in really every way. We can hear Bach’s unique and distinctive voice, as he...
-Sunday 5th December 2021-2nd Sunday in Advent-J.S.Bach-NO CANTATA for THIS SUNDAY-cantata for an unspecified occasion-BWV 131-,Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr zu dir’
This is one of Bach’s earliest surviving cantatas, perhaps penitential, written on the occasion, of a disaster, death, tragedy or some such occurrence. A continuous stream, rather than a sequence of independents, a concept derivative of the motet, combined, very...
-Sunday 28th November 2021-First Sunday in Advent-J.S.Bach cantata BWV 61-,Num komm, der Heiden Heiland’-
An opening chorus -a cleaver combination of French Overture with chorale arrangement, is followed, after a tenor recitativo, by a tenor aria. another Recitativo, -this time for bass, a soprano aria and a closing amen and prayer. Strings, with two viola parts, -along...
-Sunday 21st November-25th Sunday after Trinity-J.S.Bach-cantata BWV 116-, Du Friedefürst, Herr Jesu Christ.‘
The cantata BWV 116, features strings, 2 x Oboe d’amore, Continuo, in its instrumentation, with Chorus, and a single Corno, which appears, in the first and last choral movements, the others being an Alto aria, followed by a Tenor recitativo, followed by a Terzetto,...
-Sunday 14th November-24th Sunday after Trinity-J.S.Bach-cantata BWV 60-,O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort’-
This interesting, innovative and historically important cantata, is both dramatic and theatrical, as well as being, musically, extremely. It is dominated by a rising sequence, sometimes nearly scalic and moving by step, other times fragmentary and most famously, in...
-Sunday 7th November-23rd Sunday after Trinity-J.S.Bach cantata BWV 139-,Wohl dem, der sich auf seinen Gott’
6 movements, choral cantata, opening chorus with choral melody, an incomplete orchestration of a tenor aria, and another incomplete aria, this time for bass, with a violin part prepared for a revival, a recit linking these two and a final chorale. In addition to the...
-Sunday 31st October 2021-22nd Sunday after Trinity-J.S.Bach cantata BWV 89-,Was soll ich aus dir machen, Ephraim,’-
A 6 movement cantata, -aria, recit, aria, recit aria, choral, every voice except tenor being assigned an aria or recit, or in the case of the alto voice, both an aria and recit. Chorus, continuo and strings, are joined by 2 x oboes and in the first and last movements,...