Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit, BWV 106

"Actus Tragicus" redirects here. For Israeli comics group, see Actus Tragicus (comics).
Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit
BWV 106
Church cantata by J. S. Bach

Organ of the church Divi Blasii, Mühlhausen
Occasion Funeral
Composed 1707 – Mühlhausen
Movements 4
Cantata text anonymous, combining biblical texts with commentary
Bible text Luke 18:31,34
Chorale "Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin" 
by Martin Luther
Vocal SATB solo and choir
Instrumental
  • 2 recorders
  • violas da gamba
  • continuo

Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit (God's time is the very best time),[1] BWV 106,[lower-alpha 1] also known as Actus Tragicus, is a sacred cantata composed by Johann Sebastian Bach in Mühlhausen, intended for a funeral.

History

Although Bach's manuscript is lost, the work is agreed to be one of the earliest Bach cantatas, probably composed during the year he spent in Mühlhausen 1707/1708 as organist of the Divi Blasii church, at the age of 22. Various funerals known to have taken place at this time have been proposed as the occasion for the composition, for example that of his uncle, who died in Erfurt in 1707, and that of Adolf Strecker, a former mayor of Mühlhausen, in 1708.

The earliest surviving manuscript, in the hand of Christian Friedrich Penzel, was copied after Bach's death. It introduced the title Actus tragicus.[2] The cantata was published in 1876 as part of the first complete edition of Bach's works: the Bach Gesellschaft Ausgabe.

Theme

The text consists of different Bible passages from the Old and New Testament, as well as individual verses of hymns by Martin Luther and Adam Reusner,[3] which all together refer to finiteness and dying. There are two distinct parts to the cantata: the view of the Old Testament on death shown in the first part is confronted by that of the New Testament in the second part, leading to a symmetrical structure.[3][4]

Characteristics

The opening sonatina, in which two obbligato alto recorders mournfully echo each other over a sonorous background of viola da gambas and continuo.[5] The cantata ranks among his most important works.[6] Inspired directly by its biblical text, it exhibits a great depth and intensity. The Bach scholar Alfred Dürr called the cantata "a work of genius such as even great masters seldom achieve... The Actus Tragicus belongs to the great musical literature of the world".[7]

Structure and scoring

Bach scored the cantata for two alto recorders, two violas da gamba, basso continuo, and soprano, alto, tenor, and bass voices.[8][3] The cantata can be performed with only four singers, as in the recording by Joshua Rifkin, who is well known in the world of Bach performance for his "one voice to a part" approach. Most recordings feature a choir with multiple voices to a part.

The sections comprising the cantata are traditionally grouped into four movements.

Movement 1
Sonatina (instrumental), molto adagio
Movement 2
  1. Chorus, andante/allegro/adagio assai: Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit (God's time is the best time of all)
  2. Arioso (tenor), lento: Ach, Herr, lehre uns bedenken (Lord, teach us to consider)
  3. Aria (bass), vivace: Bestelle dein Haus (Put your house in order)
  4. Chorus & Arioso (soprano), andante: Es ist der alte Bund (It is the old covenant) & Ja, komm, Herr Jesu, komm! (Yes, come, Lord Jesus, come!)
Movement 3
  1. Aria (alto), andante: In deine Hände befehl ich meinen Geist (Into Your hands I commit my spirit)
  2. Arioso (bass) & Chorale (duet alto & bass), andante: Heute wirst du mit mir im Paradies sein (Today you will be with Me in Paradise) & Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin (With peace and joy I depart)
Movement 4
Chorus, andante/allegro: Glorie, Lob, Ehr und Herrlichkeit (Glory, praise, honour and majesty)

Selected recordings

The list is taken from the listing by Aryeh Oron on the Bach-Cantatas website.[9]

Notes

  1. ↑ "BWV" is Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, a thematic catalogue of Bach's works.

References

  1. ↑ Dellal, Pamela. "BWV 106 – Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit". Emmanuel Music. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  2. ↑ Isoyama, Tadashi (1995). "Cantata No.106: Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit (BWV 106)" (PDF). Bach-Cantatas. pp. 5,7–8. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Dürr, Alfred (1981). Die Kantaten von Johann Sebastian Bach (in German) 1 (4 ed.). Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag. pp. 447–450. ISBN 3-423-04080-7.
  4. ↑ Wendy, Heller (2015). ""Aus eigener Erfahrung redet": Bach, Luther, and Mary’s Voice in the Magnificat, BWV 243" (PDF). bachnetwork.co.uk. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  5. ↑ Mincham, Julian (2010). "Chapter 79 BWV 106 Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit / God's time is the best time. (Actus tragicus).". jsbachcantatas.com. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  6. ↑ Wolff, Christoph (1995). "Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit, BWV 161" (PDF). Bach-Cantatas. pp. 11–14. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  7. ↑ Dürr, Alfred (2006). The Cantatas of J. S. Bach: With Their Librettos in German-English Parallel Text. Translated by Richard D. P. Jones. Oxford University Press. pp. 758–760. ISBN 978-0-19-929776-4.
  8. ↑ Bischof, Walter F. "BWV 106 Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit / Actus tragicus". University of Alberta. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  9. ↑ Oron, Aryeh. "Cantata BWV 106 Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit (Actus Tragicus)". Bach-Cantatas. Retrieved 13 February 2016.

External links

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