| Laßt uns sorgen, laßt uns wachen | |
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BWV 213 | |
| Dramma per musica byJ. S. Bach | |
 Friedrich Christian, for whose birthday the cantata was written | |
| Related | |
| Text | Picander |
| Performed | 5 September 1733 (1733-09-05):Leipzig |
| Movements | 13 |
| Vocal | SATB soloists and choir |
| Instrumental |
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Laßt uns sorgen, laßt uns wachen (Let us take care, let us watch over),[1]BWV 213,[a] is asecular cantata byJohann Sebastian Bach. Bach composed it inLeipzig on a text byPicander and first performed it on 5 September 1733. It is also known asDie Wahl des Herkules (The choice of Hercules) andHercules am Scheidewege (Hercules at the crossroads).
The work is adramma per musica describing the story of "Hercules at the crossroads". Bach composed the cantata for the 11th birthday of Crown PrinceFriedrich Christian of Saxony, to a text byPicander. It was first performed inLeipzig on 5 September 1733 atZimmermann's coffeehouse, where Bach'sCoffee Cantata was also first performed.[2]
Bach used thearia "Schlafe, mein Liebster" in a revised form inUnd es waren Hirten in derselben Gegend, Part II of hisChristmas Oratorio. Bach also reused the aria "Auf meinen Flügeln sollst du schweben" to form the ariaIch will nur dir zu Ehren leben in Part 4 of hisChristmas Oratorio. A duet of the cantata and the duet "Et in unum Dominum" from hisMass in B minor share a common lost base.
The cantata is counted among the works for celebrations of theLeipzig University,Festmusiken zu Leipziger Universitätsfeiern.[3]
The cantata has four vocal soloists:Lust (soprano), Hercules (alto),Virtue (tenor), andMercury (bass). It is also scored for afour-part choir, twohorns,oboe d'amore, twooboes, twoviolins, twoviolas (or viola andbassoon), andbasso continuo.[2][4]
The cantata has 13 movements:
The opening movement presents a choir of deities giving homage to the young Hercules, with "lullaby-like" chordal instrumental accompaniment. In the firstrecitative, Hercules establishes the "crossroads" at which he finds himself: a choice between the right path and following his desires. Lust responds with a lullaby-likearia to lure Hercules. The duet recitative "encapsulates the age-old good angel/bad angel,good cop/bad cop dichotomy", leading into an aria in which Hercules is "vacillating between them".[5] The aria adopts the "echo" form prominent in early Italian opera: another alto voice engages in imitative exchanges with Hercules and with the instrumental lines.[6] Virtue proceeds with asecco recitative and "ebullient" aria entreating Hercules to follow the right path that he might "soar on his wings like an eagle to the stars". Virtue concludes with another secco recitative warning Hercules not to succumb to Lust's temptations. Hercules sings ada capo aria expressing his conviction to follow Virtue's advice. The accompanying instrumental lines represent the "writhing of serpents ... being torn apart" by his choice. He then sings a duet recitative with Virtue: "metaphorically she 'weds' herself to him and they end together with a vow of unity". This moves into a long duet aria "with all the quiet tranquility of a love song but, perhaps, one that commits minds and emotions rather than bodies". The character of Mercury appears for the first time in the penultimate movement, accompanied by a "haze of God-like mysticism" created by the strings. The closing chorus is combined with a bassarioso in which Mercury addresses the Crown Prince directly. The movement is stylistically agavotte with a balanced structure contrasting orchestra and chorus with the bass solo.[5]
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