''Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden'', BWV 1083

Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden, BWV 1083, is an arrangement by Johann Sebastian Bach of Pergolesi's 1736 Stabat Mater.[1] Bach used a German paraphrase of psalm 51 as text for his composition. The incipit translates as "Cancel, Highest, my sins".[2] Bach wrote his version in the 1740s, slightly expanding the orchestral material.

History and text

Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden is a musical parody of the Stabat Mater Giovanni Battista Pergolesi had composed in 1736. It uses a German text based on Psalm 51.[3][4] The parody version was made c. 1745/1747. A first performance in 1746-1747 in Leipzig has been assumed.[2] Bach's performance of Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden, before Pergolesi's work was printed for the first time in 1748, is the earliest demonstrable performance of this music by Pergolesi in Germany.[5]

Scoring

Bach's version is scored for soprano and alto soloists, two concertante violin parts, two ripieno violin parts, viola, violone, violoncello, and basso continuo.[1] Bach's orchestration is richer than Pergolesi's original. Where in Pergolesi's version the viola often plays in unison with the continuo, Bach increases the independence of this instrument, thus creating the four-part harmony typical of his own style.[6]

Recordings

References

  1. 1 2 Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden BWV 1083 at www.bach-digital.de
  2. 1 2 Tilge, Höchester, meine Sünden at www.bach-cantatas.com
  3. ↑ Lyrics of Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden at www.bach-digital.de
  4. ↑ "Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden" at The LiederNet Archive
  5. ↑ Jürgen Heidrich. Protestantische Kirchenmusikanschauung in der zweiten Hälfte des 18. Jahrhunderts: Studien zur Ideengeschichte "wahrer" Kirchenmusik, p. 65. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2001 ISBN 9783525279069
  6. ↑ Clemens Romijn. Liner notes for Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden BWV 1083 (after Pergolesi's Stabat Mater). Brilliant Classics, 2000. (2014 reissue: J.S. BACH COMPLETE EDITION. "Liner notes" p. 54)
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