| Erwünschtes Freudenlicht | |
|---|---|
BWV 184 | |
| Church cantata byJ. S. Bach | |
 Thomaskirche, Leipzig | |
| Occasion | Third day ofPentecost |
| Performed | 30 May 1724 (1724-05-30):Leipzig |
Erwünschtes Freudenlicht (Desired light of joy),BWV 184, is acantata byJohann Sebastian Bach for theLutheran church service. He composed it inLeipzig for the third day ofPentecost (Whit Tuesday) and first performed it on 30 May 1724. It was probably based on an earlier secular cantata (BWV 184a). This work, mostly lost, was composed inKöthen as aduet cantata forsoprano andbass with several dancemovements.
Bach structured the Pentecost cantata in six movements and scored it for three solo voices, a four-part choir andBaroque instrumental ensemble of two flutes, strings and continuo. Unusually for Bach'schurch cantatas, the work is not concluded by achorale: a setting of the finalstanza of thehymn "O Herre Gott, dein göttlichs Wort" byAnarg zu Wildenfels is instead in the penultimate position, followed by a chorus. The dance influence from the secular model is reflected in thepassepied-like second movement, theminuet of the fourth, and thegavotte of the last.
Bach composed this cantata forPentecost Tuesday, the third day of Pentecost.[1][2] It was likely based on an earlier secular cantata for New Year's Day composed inKöthen (BWV 184a).[1][3] The musicologist Szymon Paczkowski suggests two other possible occasions for the secular model: the birthday ofPrince Leopold of Anhalt-Coethen on 10 December 1720,[4] and the wedding of the prince and Friderica Henrietta on 11 December 1721.[5]
The Bach scholarAlfred Dürr points out many similarities toErhöhtes Fleisch und Blut, BWV 173: both were adapted from secular models, both written for Pentecost in Bach's first year in Leipzig, and both revived in 1731.[1] While the model for the other cantata survived (the congratulatory cantataDurchlauchtster Leopold, BWV 173a), the model forErwünschtes Freudenlicht is mostly lost, with only a few instrumental parts extant.[1] It was a duet cantata, with several dance movements.[6]
The prescribed readings for the feast day were from theActs of the Apostles, theHoly Spirit in Samaria (Acts 8:14–17), and from theGospel of John, theGood Shepherd (John 10:1–10).[7] The poet who adapted a text to the existing music is unknown.[2] He possibly kept the wording of the beginning of the openingrecitative, continuing to describe Jesus as the shepherd of his "blissful flock".[1] The librettist included as the penultimatemovement of the cantata the final (eighth) stanza of the hymn "O Herre Gott, dein göttlichs Wort" byAnarg zu Wildenfels.[1]
Bach first performedErwünschtes Freudenlicht inLeipzig on 30 May 1724, as a rough adaption of BWV 184a.[1] He performed it there again on 3 June 1727 and 15 May 1731.[2]
Bach scored the work for three vocal soloists (soprano (S),alto (A) andtenor (T)), afour-part choir, and aBaroque instrumental ensemble: twotransverse flutes (Ft), twoviolins (Vl),viola (Va), andbasso continuo.[8][9] The duration of the piece has been stated as 25 minutes.[7]
Bach structured the cantata in six movements. A chorale movement, which ends most of his cantatas originally conceived for church use, is here penultimate movement, followed by the only chorus. The first movements are for the soloists: recitatives, a duet and anaria. In the following table of the movements, the scoring follows theNeue Bach-Ausgabe.[9] Thekeys andtime signatures are taken from the book by Bach scholarAlfred Dürr, using the symbols for common time (4/4) andalla breve (2/2).[8] The instruments are shown according to type (winds and strings), while the continuo, playing throughout, is not shown.
| No. | Title | Text | Type | Vocal | Winds | Strings | Key | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erwünschtes Freudenlicht | anon. | Recitative | T | 2Ft | G major |  | |
| 2 | Gesegnete Christen, glückselige Herde | anon. | Duet aria | S A | 2Ft | 2Vl Va | G major | 3/8 |
| 3 | So freuet euch, ihr auserwählten Seelen | anon. | Recitative | T | | |||
| 4 | Glück und Segen sind bereit | anon. | Aria | T | Vl solo | B minor | 3/4 | |
| 5 | Herr, ich hoff je, du werdest die | von Wildenfels | Chorale | SATB | 2Ft | 2Vl Va | D major | |
| 6 | Guter Hirte, Trost der Deinen | anon. | Chorus | SATB | 2Ft | 2Vl Va | G major |  |
The opening recitative, "Erwünschtes Freudenlicht" (Desired light of joy),[1] isaccompagnato, sung by the tenor and accompanied by two flutes. It was possibly not changed from the original cantata for New Year's Day. The "desired light" is illustrated by a risingmotif in the flutes which is repeated throughout the movement. Dürr interprets the figure as the flames mentioned in the Pentecost narration.[1] The movement concludes with anarioso section.[10]
The duet aria is written for soprano and alto voice: "Gesegnete Christen, glückselige Herde, kommt, stellt euch bei Jesu mit Dankbarkeit ein!" (Blessed Christians, enraptured flock, come, dwell with Jesus with thankfulness!).[11] It is ada capo aria intriple time with longritornello episodes.[1] The musicologist Julian Mincham describes it as "retaining a little more of the spirit of the rustic dance".[10] The Bach scholarKlaus Hofmann called it apassepied.[6] The movement was probably already apastorale in the secular model, and suits the image of the Good Shepherd and his flock.[1]John Eliot Gardiner, who conducted the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage in 2000, believes that the music was actually danced to in the secular version heard in Köthen.[12]
The third movement is asecco tenor recitative: "So freuet euch, ihr auserwählten Seelen!" (So rejoice, you chosen souls!).[1][11] It also closes as an arioso, ending the movement in D major rather than the C major in which it began.[10]
The fourth movement is a tenor aria: "Glück und Segen sind bereit, die geweihte Schar zu krönen" (Happiness and blessing are prepared to crown the consecrated flock).[11] Paczkowski notes that the movement's text deals with thesecond coming of Christ, using the symbolism of Shepherd and King, common in theNear East.[5] It is formally atrio sonata for voice, solo violin and continuo, in adaptedternary form.[3][10] It is in B minor, the only movement not in a major key.[10] Gardiner describes it as aminuet.[12]
The penultimate movement is a four-part setting of a chorale stanza:[10] "Herr, ich hoff je, du werdest die in keiner Not verlassen" (Lord, I hope that you will not leave in any distress).[13] This is unusual for Bach, as typically his church cantatas place the chorale as the final movement.[10]
The closing chorus, "Guter Hirte, Trost der Deinen, laß uns nur dein heilig Wort!" (Good Shepherd, solace of Your followers, leave us Your holy Word alone!),[11] is agavotte, basically a duet of soprano and bass, expanded by the choir in therefrains.[12] Bach reused the music of this movement to concludeLaßt uns sorgen, laßt uns wachen, BWV 213, composed for the birthday of Crown PrinceFriedrich Christian of Saxony on 5 September 1733.[14]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
