| Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen | |
|---|---|
BWV 51 | |
| Church solo cantata byJ. S. Bach | |
 Gottfried Reiche, for whom the solo trumpet part was probably written | |
| Occasion | 15th Sunday afterTrinity |
| Chorale | Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren |
| Performed | 17 September 1730 (1730-09-17):Leipzig |
| Movements | five |
| Vocal | soprano solo |
| Instrumental |
|
Johann Sebastian Bach composed thechurch cantataJauchzet Gott in allen Landen ("Exult in God in every land"[1] or "Shout for joy to God in all lands"[2])BWV 51, inLeipzig. The work is Bach's only church cantata scored for a solo soprano and trumpet. He composed it for general use (ogni tempo), in other words not for a particular date in the church calendar, although he used it for the 15th Sunday afterTrinity: the first known performance was on 17 September 1730 inLeipzig. The work may have been composed earlier, possibly for an occasion at the court ofChristian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, for whom Bach had composed theHunting Cantata and theShepherd Cantata.
The text was written by an unknown poet who took inspiration from various biblical books, especially from psalms, and included as a closing chorale astanza from the hymn "Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren". Bach structured the work in fivemovements, with the solo voice accompanied by aBaroque instrumental ensemble of a virtuoso trumpet, strings and continuo. While the outer movements with the trumpet express extrovert jubilation of God's goodness and his wonders, the central introspective aria, accompanied only by the continuo, conveys a "profound expression of commitment to God".[3] He set the closing chorale as achorale fantasia, the soprano sings the unadorned melody to a trio of two violins and continuo, leading to an unusual festivefugal Alleluja, in which the trumpet joins.
The Bach scholarKlaus Hofmann notes that the work, unusually popular among Bach's church cantatas, is unique in the demanded virtuosity of the soprano and trumpet soloist, and evidences "overflowing jubilation and radiant beauty".[4]
Bach used the cantata in Leipzig for the15th Sunday after Trinity on 17 September 1730. The prescribed readings for the Sunday came from theEpistle to the Galatians,Paul's admonition to "walk in the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25–6:10), and from theSermon on the Mount in theGospel of Matthew, which exhorts the faithful not to worry about material needs, but to seek God's kingdom first (Matthew 6:23–34). The author is unknown. Without any reference to the prescribed readings,[4] he incorporates in the firstmovement ideas fromMatthew 6:30,Psalms 138:2 andPsalms 26:8, and in the central aria thoughts fromMatthew 6:34 andLamentations 3:22–23.[5] The closingchorale is the fifth stanza of "Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren", added toJohann Gramann's hymn in Königsberg in 1549.[2] Bach used the samestanza in a different setting to close his cantataWir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir, BWV 29.[6] Bach led the performance on 17 September 1730.[2]
Bach's manuscript indicates the 15th Sunday afterTrinity "et in ogni tempo" ("and at any time"). The latter phrase indicates the possible general use of the work, with a cantata text that has no direct relevance to the scriptural readings. The dedication for the 15th Sunday was added later, indicating that the cantata was not intended for the specific occasion.[4]
Bach composed BWV 51 during a period when he composed church cantatas only irregularly, some of them to complete his earlier cycles. According to the Bach scholarChristoph Wolff, Bach may have written the cantata shortly before 1730 for an unknown occasion. The performance material survived but does not reveal further detail, other than indicating one later performance.[7] Hofmann sees a connection to the court ofWeißenfels where a scoring of solo soprano and trumpet was popular, and assumes that the work may have been originally intended for a performance at court by a professional female singer.[4] Bach had written two birthday cantatas forChristian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels.[a] He was invited to the birthday celebration of 1729 and returned with the title ofHofkapellmeister of Sachsen-Weißenfels (court director of music of Saxe-Weissenfels), and Hofmann thinks a connection between the title and cantata "highly probable".[4]
Both the soprano part, which covers twooctaves and requires a high C, and the solo trumpet part, which at times trades melodic lines with the soprano on an equal basis, are extremely virtuosic. The Bach scholarAlfred Dürr assumes that Bach had an unusually gifted singer, adding that a female voice was unlikely in conservative Leipzig.[2] According toJoshua Rifkin,Christoph Nichelmann is a possible candidate because Bach being aware of his capabilities accepted him willingly to theThomasschule and Nichelmann matriculated into the school three weeks before the first performance.[8] The trumpet part was probably written forGottfried Reiche, Bach's principal trumpeter at the time. The scoring is unique in Bach's cantatas, but was frequently used by Italian composers such asAlessandro Scarlatti. Bach's sonFriedemann Bach arranged the work by adding a second trumpet andtimpani.[2]
The cantata is one of only four sacred cantatas that Bach wrote for a solo soprano (if one excludes his arrangement of the cantata for solo bass and oboeIch habe genug, BWV 82, for flute and soprano BWV 82a) and no other vocal soloists (the others beingFalsche Welt, dir trau ich nicht, BWV 52,Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Glücke, BWV 84, andMein Herze schwimmt im Blut, BWV 199), while he wrote several secular cantatas for solo soprano:Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten, BWV 202,Ich bin in mir vergnügt, BWV 204,Non sa che sia dolore, BWV 209, andO holder Tag, erwünschte Zeit, BWV 210.[9]
Bach structured the cantata in five movements and scored it for a soprano soloist and aBaroque instrumental ensemble oftrumpets (Tr), twoviolins (Vl),viola (Va), andbasso continuo (Bc).[10][11] The title of the autograph score reads: "Dominica 15 post Trinitatis / et / In ogni Tempo. / Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen. / à / Soprano solo / 1 Tromba* / 2 Violino / Viola / e / Continuo / di / Joh:Seb:Bach".[5] It is the only church cantata by Bach scored for solo soprano and trumpet. The duration is given as 20 minutes.[2]
In the following table of the movements, the scoring follows theNeue Bach-Ausgabe. Thekeys andtime signatures are taken from Dürr, using the symbol for common time (4/4). The instruments are shown separately for wind instrument and strings. The continuo, playing throughout, is not shown.
| No. | Title | Type | Vocal | Winds | Strings | Key | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen | Aria | Soprano | Tr | 2Vl Va | C major |  |
| 2 | Wir beten zu dem Tempel an | Recitative | Soprano | 2Vl Va | A minor | | |
| 3 | Höchster, mache deine Güte | Aria | Soprano | A minor | 12/8 | ||
| 4 | Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren | Chorale | Soprano | 2Vl | C major | 3/4 | |
| 5 | Alleluja | [Finale] | Soprano | Tr | 2Vl Va | C major | 2/4 |
The music is concertante and virtuoso for both the trumpet and the soloist. The first aria and the concludingAlleluja are in the style of an Italianconcerto.[4] Dürr observes that the five movements are in five different musical forms: concerto,monody,variation,chorale fantasia andfugue.[2] The scoring is richest in the outer movements (with the trumpet), and reduced to just continuo in the central aria.
The first aria, "Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen" (Exult in God in every land),[1] is inda capo form, with extendedcoloraturas.[2][3] The theme, with a beginning in atriad fanfare, is well suited to the trumpet. It is first developed in aritornello of the orchestra and then "constantly worked" in the soprano part.[4]
The only recitative, "Wir beten zu dem Tempel an" (We pray at your temple),[1] is first accompanied by the strings, a second part is secco butarioso.[2][3] The second part develops the idea of "von seinen Wundern lallen" (chatter about His wonders) in coloraturas of rhythmical complexity.[4]
The second aria, "Höchster, mache deine Güte" (Highest, renew Your goodness),[1] is accompanied only by the continuo "quasiostinato"[2][4] which supports expressive coloraturas of the voice. The lines in the continuo, in constant movement in 12/8 time seem to constantly rise, towards the addressed "Höchster" (Highest) which appears as anoctave jump down. Two extendedmelismas express gratefulness for being a child of God. The musicologist Julian Minchem notes that Bach is able to convey with modest means a "profound expression of commitment to God".[3]
The chorale, "Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren" (Glory, and praise with honor),[1] is achorale fantasia, with the soprano singing the unadorned melody to a three-part accompaniment of two violins and continuo.[2][3]
The chorale leads without a break to a concluding fugal "Alleluja" with the trumpet, bringing the cantata to a particularly festive close.[2] The movement begins with the soprano and the responding trumpet, before the other instruments come in to build a "fine display piece".[4] Mincham summarizes: "The long flowing melismas leave one literally breathless with the sheer pleasure in, and energy generated through, the relationship with God."[3]
The selection is taken from the listing provided by Bach Cantatas Website.[12]
The cantata was recorded by sopranos such asElisabeth Schwarzkopf (from 1948),Maria Stader (1959),Elly Ameling (1970),Edith Mathis (1972),Edita Gruberova (1979),Lucia Popp (1980),Helen Donath (1983),Elizabeth Parcells (1983),Monika Frimmer (1984),Barbara Hendricks (1989),Christine Schäfer (1999),Siri Thornhill (2007), andNatalie Dessay (2009).
In the following table, the second soloist is the trumpeter. Ensembles playing on period instruments inhistorically informed performance are marked by a green background under the headerInstr..
| Title | Conductor / Choir / Orchestra | Soloists | Label | Year | Instr. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. S. Bach:Johann Sebastian Bach Solo-Kantaten | Gustav LeonhardtConcerto Amsterdam | Telefunken | 1963 (1963) | ||
| Bach: Kantate BWV 51 – Kantate BWV 202 | Kurt MasurGewandhausorchester |
| Eterna | 1971 (1971) | |
| Les Grandes Cantates de J. S. Bach Vol. 25 | Fritz WernerWürttembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn | Erato | 1972 (1972) | Chamber | |
| J. S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk Vol. 14 | Gustav LeonhardtLeonhardt-Consort | Teldec | 1974 | Period | |
| J.S. Bach: Magnificat-Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen | John Eliot GardinerEnglish Baroque Soloists | Philips | 1983 (1983) | Period | |
| J. S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 19 | Ton KoopmanAmsterdam Baroque Orchestra |
| Antoine Marchand | 2001 (2001) | Period |
| J.S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 30 – BWV 51, 210, 1127 (Solo Cantatas) | Masaaki SuzukiBach Collegium Japan |
| BIS | 2005 (2005) | Period |
| Baroque Duet | John NelsonOrchestra of St. Luke's | Sony Music | 1992 (1992) |
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| National | |
| Other | |
