Schwingt freudig euch empor, BWV 36

Schwingt freudig euch empor (Soar joyfully upwards), BWV 36, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it in Leipzig in 1731 for the first Sunday in Advent, and first performed it on 2 December 1731. The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from the Epistle to the Romans, night is advanced, day will come (Romans 13:11–14), and from the Gospel of Matthew, the Entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1–9).

The texts are of mixed authorship^[1], with Christian Friedrich Henrici (Picander) possibly responsible for movements 1, 3, 5 and 7,^[2], Martin Luther for the texts of movements 2, 6, and 8, taken from his chorale Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, and Philipp Nicolai for movement 4, his chorale Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern.

Scoring and structure

The piece is scored for oboes d'amore I/II, violins I/II, viola, and basso continuo, along with three vocal soloists (soprano, tenor, bass) and four-part choir. It is in eight movements, divided in two equal parts:

1. Coro: "Schwingt freudig euch empor" for choral and orchestral tutti.
2. Duetto (Chorale): "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland" for soprani & alti, oboes d'amore colle parti, and continuo.
3. Aria: "Die Liebe zieht mit sanften Schritten" for tenor, oboe d'amore, and continuo.
4. Chorale: "Zwingt die Saiten in Cythara" for choral and orchestral tutti colle parti.
5. Aria: "Willkommen, werter Schatz!" for bass, strings, and continuo.
6. Chorale: "Der du bist dem Vater gleich" for tenors, oboes d'amore, and continuo.
7. Aria: "Auch mit gedämpften" for soprano, violino solo, and continuo.
8. Chorale: "Lob sei Gott, dem Vater, g'ton" for choral and orchestral tutti colle parti.

Selected recordings

Additional recordings are listed on the bach-cantatas entry of the cantata.

• Bach Made in Germany Vol. 1 - Cantatas I, Günther Ramin, Thomanerchor, Gewandhausorchester, Elisabeth Meinel-Asbahr, Rolf Apreck, Johannes Oettel, Leipzig Classics 1952
• J.S. Bach: Cantatas BWV 36, BWV 64, Wilhelm Ehmann, Westfälische Kantorei, Deutsche Bachsolisten, Maria Friesenhausen, Andrea von Ramm, Johannes Feyerabend, Hartmut Ochs, Cantate 1969
• J.S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk - Sacred Cantatas Vol. 2, 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 Made in Germany Vol. 4 - Cantatas VIII, Hans-Joachim Rotzsch, Thomanerchor, Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum, Arleen Augér, Peter Schreier, Siegfried Lorenz, Eterna 1981
• Die Bach Kantate Vol. 61, Helmuth Rilling, Gächinger Kantorei, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Arleen Augér, Gabriele Schreckenbach, Peter Schreier, Walter Heldwein, Hänssler 1982
• J.S. Bach: Advent Cantatas, John Eliot Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, Nancy Argenta, Petra Lang, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Olaf Bär, Archiv Produktion 1992
• J.S. Bach: Adventskantaten, Philippe Herreweghe, Collegium Vocale Gent, Sibylla Rubens, Sarah Connolly, Christoph Prégardien, Peter Kooy, Harmonia Mundi France 1996
• Bach: Cantata Advent/Cantata Christmas, Wolfgang Kelber, Heinrich-Schütz-Ensemble München, Monteverdi-Orchester München, Silke Wenzel, Reiner Schneider-Waterberg, Kobie van Rensburg, Christian Hilz, Calig-Verlag 1996
• J.S. Bach: Christmas Cantatas, Kevin Mallon, Aradia Ensemble, Teri Dunn, Matthew White, John Tessier, Steven Pitkanen, Thomas Goerz, Naxos 2000
• Bach Edition Vol. 14 - Cantatas Vol. 7, Pieter Jan Leusink, Holland Boys Choir, Netherlands Bach Collegium, Ruth Holton, Sytse Buwalda, Knut Schoch, Bas Ramselaar, Brilliant Classics 2000
• J.S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 18, Ton Koopman, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, Sandrine Piau, Bogna Bartosz, James Gilchrist, Klaus Mertens, Antoine Marchand 2002
• J.S. Bach: Cantates BWV 36, 39, 106, Christophe Gesseney, Ensemble Vocal Euterpe, Ensemble Baroque du Léman, Natacha Ducret, Catherine Pillonel-Bacchetta, Gilles Bersier, Nicolas Fink, Artlab 2002
• J.S. Bach: Cantatas for the Complete Liturgical Year Vol. 9, Sigiswald Kuijken, La Petite Bande, Gerlinde Sämann, Petra Noskaiová, Christoph Genz, Jan van der Crabben, Accent 2008
• J.S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 47, Masaaki Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan, Hana Blažíková, Robin Blaze, Satoshi Mizukoshi, Peter Kooy, BIS 2010

References

Sources

The first source is the score.

• Cantatas, BWV 81-90: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project.

General sources are found for the Bach cantatas. Several databases provide additional information on each single cantata:

• Cantata BWV 36 Schwingt freudig euch empor history, scoring, sources for text and music, translations to various languages, discography, discussion, bach-cantatas website
• BWV 36 - "Schwingt freudig euch empor" English translation, discussion, Emmanuel Music
• Schwingt freudig euch empor history, scoring, Bach website (German)
• BWV 36 Schwingt freudig euch empor English translation, University of Vermont
• BWV 36 Schwingt freudig euch empor text, scoring, University of Alberta