| Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein | |
|---|---|
BWV 2 | |
| Chorale cantata byJ. S. Bach | |
 Thomaskirche, Leipzig 1885 | |
| Occasion | Second Sunday afterTrinity |
| Chorale | "Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein" byMartin Luther |
| Performed | 18 June 1724 (1724-06-18):Leipzig |
| Movements | 6 |
| Vocal |
|
| Instrumental |
|
Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein (Oh God, look down from heaven),[1]BWV 2, is achorale cantata composed byJohann Sebastian Bach for the second Sunday afterTrinity in 1724. First performed on 18 June inLeipzig, it is the second cantata ofhis chorale cantata cycle. Thechurch cantata is based onMartin Luther's 1524hymn "Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein", a paraphrase ofPsalm 12.
In theformat of Bach's chorale cantata cycle, the words of the hymn are retained unchanged only in the outer movements, while an unknown contemporarylibrettist paraphrased the innerstanzas forrecitatives andarias. Bach structured the cantata in sixmovements, setting the chorale tune in achorale fantasia in the opening movement, and in a four-part setting in the closing movement. The two choral movements frame alternatingrecitatives andarias of three vocal soloists. Bach also used afour-part choir, and aBaroque instrumental ensemble of a choir of trombones, two oboes, strings and continuo. He set the first movement in "archaic"motet style, but the arias in "modern"concertante style, only occasionally reminiscent of the chorale tune.
The cantata was first published in 1851, as No. 2 in the first volume published by theBach Gesellschaft.
Bach took office asThomaskantor, music director inLeipzig, end of May 1723. It was part of his duties to supply music for the Sundays and feast days of theliturgical year at four churches of the town, and he decided to compose new cantatas for these occasions. He began with a cantata for the first Sunday afterTrinity in 1723, performed on 30 May, and wrote a series ofchurch cantatas until Trinity of the next year, which became known ashis first cantata cycle. The following year, he composed new cantatas for the occasions of the liturgical year, each based on oneLutheran chorale, an effort which became known later as hischorale cantata cycle. He wroteAch Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein as the second cantata of this cycle, which he began a week before withO Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort, BWV 20.[2]
Bach wrote the cantata for theSecond Sunday after Trinity. The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from theFirst Epistle of John, "He that loveth not his brother abideth in death" (1 John 3:13–18), and from theGospel of Luke, theparable of the great banquet (Luke 14:16–24). The cantata is based on thechorale in sixthstanzas "Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein", a paraphrase ofPsalm 12 byMartin Luther, published in 1524 in theAchtliederbuch, the first Lutheran hymnal. In the format of Bach's chorale cantata cycle, the words of the hymn are retained unchanged in the outer movements, here the first and the sixth, while an unknown contemporarylibrettist transcribed the ideas of the inner stanzas in poetry forrecitatives andarias, which matched the style of Bach's cantatas of the first cycle.[3] Bach first performed the cantata on 18 June 1724.[4][5]
Bach structured the cantata in six movements. The first and last are set for choir as a chorale fantasia and a closing chorale. They frame alternating recitatives and arias, with the text arranged by the librettist. Bach scored the work for three vocal soloists (alto (A),tenor (T) andbass (B)), afour-part choir, and aBaroque instrumental ensemble: fourtrombones (Tb), twooboes (Ob), twoviolins (Vl),viola (Va), andbasso continuo (Bc).[6] The duration of the piece has been stated as 20 minutes.[7]
In the following table of the movements, the scoring follows theNeue Bach-Ausgabe. Thekeys andtime signatures are taken from the book by Bach scholarAlfred Dürr, using the symbols for common time (4/4) andalla breve (2/2).[6] The instruments are shown separately for winds and strings, while the continuo, playing throughout, is not shown.
| No. | Title | Text | Type | Vocal | Winds | Strings | Key | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein | Luther | Chorale fantasia | SATB | 4Tb 2Ob | 2Vl Va | D minor |  |
| 2 | Sie lehren eitel falsche List | anon. | Recitative | T |  | |||
| 3 | Tilg, o Gott, die Lehren | anon. | Aria | A | Vl solo | B-flat major | 3/4 | |
| 4 | Die Armen sind verstört | anon. | Recitative | B | 2Vl Va | | ||
| 5 | Durchs Feuer wird das Silber rein | anon. | Aria | T | 2Ob | 2Vl Va | G minor | |
| 6 | Das wollst du, Gott, bewahren rein | Luther | Chorale | SATB | 4Tb 2Ob | 2Vl Va | D minor | |
The first and last movements set Luther's original words and the original melody, both dating to 1524 and thus already 200 years old when Bach wrote his cantata. Bach used a style that has been called "archaic": the instruments include a choir of trombones doubling the voices.[8]
In the opening chorale fantasia, "Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein" (Ah God, look down from heaven),[1] the melody of the chorale is sung by the alto in long notes as acantus firmus, doubled by two oboes. Dürr calls it an exemplary cantus firmus motet, with each entrance of the chorale tune prepared by fugal entrances of the other voices on the same theme.[9] The instruments double the voices, with the occasional exception of the continuo.[8][9]John Eliot Gardiner, who conducted theBach Cantata Pilgrimage in 2000 and recordedAch Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein at theBasilique Saint-Denis in Paris, assumes that the severe text caused Bach to return to the austere motet style which was already old-fashioned.[8]
The second movement is asecco recitative, "Sie lehren eitel falsche List, was wider Gott und seine Wahrheit ist" (They teach vain, false deceit, which is opposed to God and His truth),[1] which changes toarioso for two lines that resemble the words of the chorale. These lines are markedadagio, and in them the continuo plays incanon with the voice.[9]
The alto aria, "Tilg, o Gott, die Lehren, so dein Wort verkehren!" (O God, remove the teachings that pervert your word!),[1] is written in more modernconcertante style with a solo violin as theobbligato instrument, playing lively figuration. The last line of the text remains close to the original, and again Bach quotes the chorale tune.[9]
The bass recitative, "Die Armen sind verstört" (The wretched are confused),[1] is accompanied by the strings. It changes toarioso during the middle section, which lets God respond to the pleas of the sinners: "Ich muss ihr Helfer sein" (I must be their helper).[8] Even in the outer sections, the string writing enforces a certain rigidity of the rhythm.[10]
The tenor aria, "Durchs Feuer wird das Silber rein, durchs Kreuz das Wort bewährt erfunden." (Through fire silver is purified, through the cross the Word is verified.),[1] is accompanied by a concerto of the oboes and strings. The instruments are first silent in the middle section, but return for its transition to theda capo with the words "Im Kreuz und Tod geduldig sein" (be patient in cross-bearing and distress).[10] Gardiner notes that the instrumental music suggests "liquid movement or the flow of molten metal", and recalls Bach's interest in coins and precious metals, and of contemporaryalchemists in Dresden trying to turn base metal to gold forAugust the Strong, but making porcelain instead.[8]
The closing chorale, "Das wollst du, Gott, bewahren rein für diesem arg'n Geschlechte" (This, God, you would keep pure before this wicked race; ),[1] is a four-part setting, with all instruments reinforcing the voices.[10][11]
Theautograph score is held by theStaatsbibliothek zu Berlin (Preußischer Kulturbesitz).[12]
The cantata was originally published in 1851 asNo. 2 in the first volume of theBach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe (BGA), edited byMoritz Hauptmann. TheNew Bach Edition (Neue Bach-Ausgabe, NBA) published the score in 1981, edited by George S. Bozarth, with the critical commentary published in 1984.[4]
Recordings of Bach's cantatas began in the first half of the 20th century. Several series of recordings, often for broadcasting, were made from 1950.Nikolaus Harnoncourt andGustav Leonhardt were the first to begin recording the complete cantatas in a20-year collaboration using period instruments, boys' choirs and boy soloists.Helmuth Rilling completed a recording of the sacred cantatas and oratorios on Bach's 300th birthday, 21 March 1985. Other projects to record all sacred cantatas inhistorically informed performance were completed byTon Koopman,John Eliot Gardiner,Pieter Jan Leusink[13] andMasaaki Suzuki.[14]Sigiswald Kuijken began to record a cycle of cantatas for theComplete Liturgical Year with anOVPP choir and historic instruments, the ensembleLa Petite Bande.[15][16]
In the following table, green background indicates an ensemble playing period instruments inhistorically informed performance. The year is of the recording, then of a release, if different.
| Title | Conductor / Choir / Orchestra | Soloists | Label | Year | Orch. type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk – Sacred Cantatas Vol. 1[17] | Nikolaus HarnoncourtConcentus Musicus Wien | Teldec | 1971 (1971) | Period[18] | |
| Die Bach Kantate Vol. 39[19] | Helmuth RillingGächinger KantoreiBach-Collegium Stuttgart | Hänssler | 1979 (1979) | ||
| J. S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 10[20] | Ton KoopmanAmsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir | Antoine Marchand | (2005) | Period[18] | |
| Bach Edition Vol. 12 – Cantatas Vol. 6[21] | Pieter Jan LeusinkHolland Boys ChoirNetherlands Bach Collegium | Brilliant Classics | (2006) | Period[13] | |
| Bach Cantatas Vol. 2: Paris/Zürich[22] | John Eliot GardinerMonteverdi ChoirEnglish Baroque Soloists | Soli Deo Gloria | (2010) | Period[18] | |
| J.S. Bach: Cantatas for the First and Second Sundays After Trinity[23] | Craig SmithChorus ofEmmanuel MusicOrchestra ofEmmanuel Music | Koch International | 2001 (2001) | ||
| J.S. Bach: "O Ewigkeit du Donnerwort" – Cantatas BWV 2, 20 & 176[24] | Philippe HerrewegheCollegium Vocale Gent | Harmonia Mundi France | 2002 (2002) | Period[18] | |
| J.S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 29 – Cantatas from Leipzig 1724[25][26] | Masaaki Suzuki
| BIS | 2004 (2004) (2005) | Period[14] | |
| Cantatas : BWV 20–2–10 / "O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort"[16][27] | Sigiswald Kuijkensoloists + sopranoSiri Thornhill (OVPP)[16]La Petite Bande | Accent | (2008) | Period[15] |
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