Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir, BWV 38
- Not to be confused with the organ preludes of the same name from Bach's Clavier-Übung III
Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir (Out of deep distress I cry to you), BWV 38, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach composed the chorale cantata in Leipzig in 1724 in his second annual cycle for the twenty-first Sunday after Trinity and first performed it on 19 October 1724. The cantata is based on the Martin Luther's chorale Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir, a paraphrase of Psalm 130.[1][2]
The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians, "take unto you the whole armour of God" (Ephesians 6:10–17), and from the Gospel of John, the healing of the nobleman's son (John 4:46–54). The texts of the chorale is unchanged for the first and last movements. An unknown poet paraphrased the other three stanzas of the chorale for movements 2 to 5.[3]
Scoring and structure
The piece is scored for oboes I/II, tromboni I/II/III/IV, violins I/II, viola, and basso continuo (specifically including fagotto, violone, violoncello, and organ), along with four vocal soloists (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) and four-part choir.
It is in six movements:
- Coro (Chorale): "Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir" for choral and orchestral tutti colle parti.
- Recitativo: "In Jesu Gnade wird allein" for altus and continuo.
- Aria: "Ich höre mitten in den Leiden" for tenor, oboes, and continuo.
- Recitativo: "Ach! Dass mein Glaube noch so schwach" for soprano and continuo (chorale theme).
- Aria (Terzetto): "Wenn meine Trübsal als mit Ketten" for soprano, altus, bass, and continuo.
- Chorale: "Ob bei uns ist der Sünden viel" for choral and orchestral tutti colle parti.
Recordings
- J.S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk - Sacred Cantatas Vol. 3, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Wiener Sängerknaben, Chorus Viennensis, Concentus Musicus Wien, soloist of the Wiener Sängerknaben, Paul Esswood, Kurt Equiluz, Ruud van der Meer, Teldec 1974
- Bach Cantatas Vol. 5 - Sundays after Trinity II, Karl Richter, Münchener Bach-Chor, Münchener Bach-Orchester, Edith Mathis, Trudeliese Schmidt, Peter Schreier, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Archiv Produktion 1978
- Die Bach Kantate Vol. 56m Helmuth Rilling, Gächinger Kantorei, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Arleen Augér, Helen Watts, Lutz-Michael Harder, Philippe Huttenlocher, Hänssler 1980
- Deutsche Barock Kantaten (VIII): Aus der Tiefe, Erik Van Nevel, Capella Sancti Michaelis Vocal Ensemble, Ricercar Consort, Greta de Reyghere, James Bowman, Guy de Mey, Max van Egmond, Ricercar 1991
- Bach Edition Vol. 18 - Cantatas Vol. 9, Pieter Jan Leusink, Holland Boys Choir, Netherlands Bach Collegium, Ruth Holton, Sytse Buwalda, Nico van der Meel, Bas Ramselaar, Brilliant Classics 2000
- Bach Cantatas Vol. 11: Genova/Greenwich / For the 20th Sunday after Trinity / For the 21st Sunday after Trinity, John Eliot Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, Joanne Lunn, William Towers, Paul Agnew, Gotthold Schwarz, Soli Deo Gloria 2000
- J.S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 13, Ton Koopman, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, Deborah York, Franziska Gottwald, Paul Agnew, Klaus Mertens, Antoine Marchand 2000
- J.S. Bach: Weinen, Klagen…, Philippe Herreweghe, Collegium Vocale Gent, Carolyn Sampson, Daniel Taylor, Mark Padmore, Peter Kooy, Harmonia Mundi France 2003
- J.S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 29 - Cantatas from Leipzig 1724, Masaaki Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan & Concerto Palatino Brass Ensemble, Dorothee Mields, Pascal Bertin, Gerd Türk, Peter Kooy, BIS 2004
References
Sources
- Craig Smith, Programme notes - BWV 38, Emmanuel Music.
- Walter F. Bischof, Text and orchestration for BWV 38, Bach Cantatas, University of Alberta.
- Alfred Dürr: Johann Sebastian Bach: Die Kantaten. Bärenreiter, Kassel 1999, ISBN 3-7618-1476-3
- Alfred Dürr: The Cantatas of J.S. Bach, Oxford University Press, 2006. ISBN 0-19-929776-2
- Werner Neumann: Handbuch der Kantaten J.S.Bachs, 1947, 5th Ed. 1984, ISBN 3-7651-0054-4
- Hans-Joachim Schulze: Die Bach-Kantaten: Einführungen zu sämtlichen Kantaten Johann Sebastian Bachs. Leipzig: Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt; Stuttgart: Carus-Verlag 2006 (Edition Bach-Archiv Leipzig) ISBN 3-374-02390-8 (Evang. Verl.-Anst.), ISBN 3-89948-073-2 (Carus-Verl.)
- Christoph Wolff/Ton Koopman (Eds.): Die Welt der Bach-Kantaten, Metzler/Bärenreiter, Stuttgart und Kassel, 3 Bände Sonderausgabe 2006 ISBN 3-476-02127-0
- Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini. Studi sui testi delle Cantate sacre di J. S. Bach. Università di Padova, pubblicazioni della Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia, vol. XXXI, Padova & Kassel, 1956, xv-291.
- Geoffrey Turner. Singing The Word: The Cantatas of J S Bach. New Blackfriars, volume 87, issue 1008, pages 144-154.
- J. C. J. Day. The texts of Bach's Church cantatas: some observations. German Life and Letters, volume 13 (1960), num. 2, pages 137-144.
- Harald Streck. Die Verskunst in den poetischen Texten zu den Kantaten J. S. Bachs. Dissertation: Universität Hamburg 1971, 214 pages.
External links