Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd, BWV 208
Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd (The lively hunt is all my heart's desire), BWV 208, also known as the Hunting Cantata, is a secular cantata composed in 1713 by Johann Sebastian Bach for the 31st birthday of Duke Christian of Saxe-Weissenfels. Aria 5, "Schafe können sicher weiden" (or "Sheep may safely graze"), is the most familiar part of this cantata. A normal performance lasts for about forty minutes.
Personnel and instruments
- Diana, soprano I
- Pales, soprano II
- Endymion, tenor
- Pan, bass
- SATB Chorus
- 2 horns, 2 recorders, 2 oboes, oboe da caccia, bassoon, 2 violins, viola, cello, violone, and continuo.
Movements
- Recitative: Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd! (in F major/B flat major, for soprano I with continuo)
- Aria: Jagen ist die Lust der Götter (in F major, for soprano I with 2 horns and continuo)
- Recitative: Wie, schönste Göttin? wie? (in D minor, for tenor with continuo)
- Aria: Willst du dich nicht mehr ergetzen (in D minor, for tenor with continuo)
- Recitative: Ich liebe dich zwar noch! (in B flat major/C major, for soprano I and tenor with continuo)
- Recitative: Ich, der ich sonst ein Gott (in A minor/G major, for bass and continuo)
- Aria: Ein Fürst ist seines Landes Pan (in C major, for bass with 2 oboes, English horn and continuo)[1]
- Recitative: Soll dann der Pales Opfer hier das letzte sein? (in F major/G minor, for soprano II with continuo)
- Aria: Schafe können sicher weiden (in B flat major, for soprano II with 2 recorders and continuo)
- Recitative: So stimmt mit ein und lasst des Tages Lust volkommen sein (in F major, for soprano I with continuo)
- Chorus: Lebe, Sonne dieser Erden (in F major, for sopranos I and II, tenor, bass with 2 horns, 2 oboes, English horn, bassoon and cello in unison, cords, violone and continuo)[2]
- Aria (duet): Entzücket uns beide, ihr Strahlen der Freude (in F major, for soprano I and tenor with violin solo and continuo)
- Aria: Weil die wollenreichen Heerden (in F major, for soprano II and continuo)[3][4]
- Aria: Ihr Felder und Auen, lass grünend euch schauen (in F major, for bass with continuo)
- Chorus: Ihr lieblichste Blicke, ihr freudige Stunden (in F major, for soprano I and II, tenor, bass with 2 horns, 2 oboes, English horn, bassoon, cords, cello, violone and continuo)[5]
Arrangements
Australian-born composer Percy Grainger wrote several "free rambles" on Bach’s Sheep may safely graze. He first wrote Blithe Bells, (as he called his free ramble), for ‘elastic scoring’ between November 1930 and February 1931. In March 1931, he scored a wind band version. It became one of his most famous arrangements.
Recordings
References
- ^ Used in Aria 4 in Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt, BWV 68
- ^ Oboe 1 with violin 1, oboe 2 with violin 2, English horn with viola; cello with bassoon, violone with continuo
- ^ Continuo theme used in the trio BWV 1040
- ^ Used in Aria 2 in BWV 68
- ^ Used in Chorus 1 in BWV 149
External links