Wer da gläubet und getauft wird, BWV 37
Wer da gläubet und getauft wird (He who believes and is baptised), BWV 37, is a church cantata composed by Johann Sebastian Bach.
It was composed in Leipzig in 1724 for the feast of the Ascension, which fell that year on 18 May, date of the work's premiere; the work was performed again on 3 May 1731.
The prescribed readings for the day are Acts 1: 1-11 and Mark 16: 14-20.
The texts are of mixed authorship,[1] as follows[2]:
- the Gospel of Mark, chapter 16, verse 16, as text for the first movement
- Philipp Nicolai responsible for the text of movement 3 (specifically, verse 5 of the hymn Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, 1599)
- Johann Kolrose for the final chorale (specifically, verse 4 of the hymn Ich dank dir, lieber Herre, 1535)
- an anonymous poet for the remaining movements (R. Wustmann and W. Neumann[3] suggest Christian Weiss, Sr. may be this anonymous poet).
The chorale theme Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (Zahn 8359)[4] was codified by Philipp Nicolai in 1599, although research by C. S. Terry has shown the tune to predate Nicolai's publication by at least 61 years.[5]
Scoring and structure
The piece is scored for oboes d'amore I/II, violins I/II, viola, and basso continuo, along with four vocal soloists (soprano, altus, tenor, bass) and four-part choir. It is in six movements:
- (Coro): "Wer da gläubet und getauft wird" for choral and orchestral tutti.
- Aria: "Der Glaube ist das Pfand der Liebe" for tenor, violin, and continuo.
- Chorale (Duetto): "Herr Gott Vater, mein starker Held!" for soprano, altus, and continuo.
- Recitativo: "Ihr Sterblichen, verlanget ihr" for bass, strings, and continuo.
- Aria: "Der Glaube schafft der Seele Flügel" for bass, oboe d'amore I, strings, and continuo.
- Chorale: "Den Glauben mir verleihe" for choral and orchestral tutti colle parti.
Recordings
- J.S. Bach: Cantatas BWV 37, BWV 76, Wilhelm Ehmann, Westfälische Kantorei, Deutsche Bachsolisten, Nelly van der Spek, Frauke Haasemann, Johannes Hoefflin, Wilhelm Pommerien, Cantate 1965
- J.S. Bach: Das Kantatenwork (2), Hans Grischkat, Schwäbischer Singkreis Stuttgart, Bach-Orchester Stuttgart, Csilla Zentai, Elisabeth Wacker, Kurt Huber, Michael Schopper, FSM Candide 1972
- J.S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk - Sacred Cantatas Vol. 3, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Wiener Sängerknaben, Chorus Viennensis, soloist of the Wiener Sängerknaben, Chorus Viennensis, Paul Esswood, Kurt Equiluz, Ruud van der Meer, Teldec 1974
- J.S. Bach: Ascension Cantatas, John Eliot Gardiner, Nancy Argenta, Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, Michael Chance, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Stephen Varcoe, Archiv Produktion 1996
- J.S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 9, Ton Koopman, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, Sibylla Rubens, Bernhard Landauer, Christoph Prégardien, Klaus Mertens, Antoine Marchand 1998
- Bach Edition Vol. 4 - Cantatas Vol. 1, Pieter Jan Leusink, Holland Boys Choir, Netherlands Bach Collegium, Ruth Holton, Sytse Buwalda, Knut Schoch, Bas Ramselaar, Brilliant Classics 1999
- J.S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 19 - Cantatas from Leipzig 1724, Masaaki Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan, Yukari Nonoshita, Robin Blaze, Makoto Sakurada, Stephan MacLeod, BIS 2001
References
- ^ Christoph Wolff (Eds.): Die Welt der Bach-Kantaten, Metzler/Bärenreiter, Stuttgart und Kassel, 3 Bände Sonderausgabe 2006 ISBN 3-476-02127-0
- ^ C. S. Terry and D. Litti, Bach's Cantata Libretti, Journal of the Royal Musical Association 1917 44(1):71-125; doi:10.1093/jrma/44.1.71
- ^ R. Wustmann and W. Neumann. Johann Sebastian Bach. Sämtliche Kantatentexte. Unter Mitbenutzung von Rudolf Wustmanns - Ausgabe der Bachschen Kantatentexte herausgegeben von Werner Neumann. Leipzig: VEB Breitkopf & Härtel. 1956. xxiv, 634 p.; 1967, xxiv, 643 p.
- ^ Die Melodien der deutschen evangelischen Kirchenlieder, aus den Quellen geschöpft und mitgeteilt von Johannes Zahn (6 volumes), Verlag Bertelsmann, Gütersloh (1889–93). [further edited by the Gesellschaft zur wissenschaftlichen Edition des deutschen Kirchenlieds. Hildesheim, New York: Georg Olms Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1998. 6 volumes. ISBN 3-48709-319-7]
- ^ C. Sanford Terry: "A Note on the Tune, 'Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern'", The Musical Times, Vol. 58, No. 893 (Jul. 1, 1917), pp. 302-303.
Sources
- Craig Smith, Programme notes - BWV 37, Emmanuel Music.
- Walter F. Bischof, Text and orchestration for BWV 37, 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