| Gott ist mein König | |
|---|---|
BWV 71 | |
| Church cantata byJ. S. Bach | |
 Title page of the first edition, Bach's only cantata with an extant print | |
| Occasion | Ratswechsel, the inauguration of a new town council |
| Bible text | Psalm 74 and several others |
| Chorale | "O Gott, du frommer Gott" byJohann Heermann |
| Performed | 4 February 1708 (1708-02-04):Marienkirche, Mühlhausen |
| Movements | 7 |
| Vocal | SATB choir and solo |
| Instrumental |
|
Gott ist mein König (God is my King),[1]BWV 71,[a] is acantata byJohann Sebastian Bach written inMühlhausen when the composer was 22 years old. Unusually for anearly cantata by Bach, the date of first performance is known: at the inauguration of a new town council on 4 February 1708.
The text is compiled mainly from biblical sources, three different sections fromPsalm 74 and several other verses. In addition, one stanza fromJohann Heermann's hymn "O Gott, du frommer Gott" is sung simultaneously with corresponding biblical text, and free poetry by an unknown poet of Bach's time which relates to the political occasion. The cantata in seven movements is scored festively with aBaroque instrumental ensemble includingtrumpets andtimpani, "four separate instrumental 'choirs', set against a vocal consort of four singers, an optionalCapelle of ripienists and an organ".[2] Stylistically it shares features with Bach's other early cantatas.
Bach, then organist in Mühlhausen's churchDivi Blasii, led the performance on 4 February 1708 in the town's main church, theMarienkirche. Although the cantata was planned to be performed only twice,[3] it was printed the same year,the first of his works to be printed and the only cantata extant in print that was printed in Bach's lifetime.
From 1707 to 1708, Bach was the organist at one ofMühlhausen's principal churches,Divi Blasii, dedicated toSt Blaise, where he composed some of his earliest surviving cantatas. One or two early cantatas, for exampleNach dir, Herr, verlanget mich, BWV 150, may have been written atArnstadt, his previous residence, for a performance at Mühlhausen. He composedGott ist mein König for a church service that was held annually to celebrate the inauguration of a new town council.[4]
Thelibrettist is unknown; it has been speculated that the text was written by Georg Christian Eilmar, minister of Marienkirche, who had earlier prompted the composition of Bach's cantataAus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir, BWV 131.[4] It has also been thought that Bach himself may have assembled the text, although the suggestion is unlikely since Bach's musical setting of the final part of the text departs from itsbi-strophic form.[5] There is no evidence either way to indicate the authorship of the cantata's text. Along with other early cantatas,Gott ist mein König is of a pre-Neumeister character, not featuring the combination ofrecitative andarias found in later cantatas.[4]
The service was held on 4 February 1708 in theMarienkirche, the town's largest church. The score indicates that Bach deployed his musicians in different locations in the building.[4] He composed another cantata for the occasion the following year, but it is lost.[4][6]
The text centres onPsalm 74, with additional material drawn from the2 Samuel,Genesis, andDeuteronomy. Unusual for Bach's early cantatas, some contemporary unknown poet added free text that makes reference to the "new regiment" of office bearers and the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Germany,Joseph I, as Mühlhausen was anImperial free city, thus subject immediately to the emperor.[7][8]
There are three quotations from Psalm 74 (Psalms 74):
It has been suggested that these themes include a number of distinct allusions of relevance to the inhabitants of Mühlhausen. First, the reference to Psalm 74 in general, and the inclusion of verse 19 in the cantata may be making an oblique reference, accessible to contemporary audiences, to the fire of May 1707 which had destroyed parts of the city.[9] The importance of "borders" may be an allusion to the threat to the city's independence posed by themilitary campaigns ofCharles XII.
Movement 2 combines three texts, two biblical verses and stanza 6 fromJohann Heermann's hymn "O Gott, du frommer Gott", which all make reference to old age. An older view suggested this was likely a reference to the septuagenarian Conrad Meckbach, a member of the city council who was connected to Bach.[10] More recent research lead to thinking that it likely refers to Adolf Strecker, the former mayor who had just left office aged 83 years, since "details of his public and private life match extremely well with the texts chosen for the cantata, and it seems likely that hearers would have recognized Strecker in them".[9]
Bach structured the cantata in seven movements. He scored the vocal parts for four soloists:soprano,alto,tenor andbass. The choral writing is in four parts, and the work can be sung with just four singers, the so-calledOVPP approach. Some performances deploy more singers in the choral sections. The use of a larger choir is partly a question of balance with the relatively large instrumental forces,[12] but there is also supporting evidence for the use of more than four singers in the score, where a marking implies that Bach envisaged the option of a vocal ensemble that is separate from the four soloists.[b]
This was Bach's first cantata for festive orchestra, includingtrumpets andtimpani. The instruments are divided into four spatially separated "choirs", placing the work in thepolychoral tradition associated with composers such asHeinrich Schütz.[13] The instruments required for theBaroque instrumental ensemble are three trumpets (Tr), timpani (Ti), tworecorders (Fl), twooboes (Ob),bassoon (Fg),organobbligato (Org), twoviolins (Vl),viola (Va),violoncello (Vc),viola da gamba (Vg) andbasso continuo.[14]
In the following table of the movements, the scoring follows theNeue Bach-Ausgabe.[14] Thekeys are taken fromChristoph Wolff,[13] thetime signatures fromAlfred Dürr, using the symbol for common time (4/4). The continuo, playing throughout, is not shown.
| No. | Title | Text | Type | Vocal | Winds | Strings | Key | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gott ist mein König | Ps. 74:12 | Chorus (Tutti) | SATB | 3Tr Ti 2Fl 2Ob Fg | 2Vl Va Vc | C major |  |
| 2 |
|
| Aria (Air) | T S | E minor | | ||
| 3 | Dein Alter sei wie deine Jugend | Deut. 33:25 | Chorus (Fuga) | SATB | Vg | A minor | | |
| 4 | Tag und Nacht ist dein | Ps. 74:16–17 | Arioso | B | 2Fl 2Ob Fg | Vc | F major | 3/2 |
| 5 | Durch mächtige Kraft | anon. | Aria (Air) | A | 3Tr Ti | C major |
| |
| 6 | Du wollest dem Feinde nicht geben | Ps. 74:19 | Chorus | SATB | 2Fl 2Ob Fg | 2Vl Va Vc | C minor | |
| 7 | Das neue Regiment auf jeglichen Wegen | anon. | Chorus (Tutti) | SATB | 3Tr Ti 2Fl 2Ob Fg | 2Vl Va Vc | C major |
With short movements that flow into each other, the cantata shows typical characteristics of traditional 17th-century cantatas.[15] Unlike other early cantatas, it has no instrumental introduction.[6]John Eliot Gardiner, who conducted theBach Cantata Pilgrimage in 2000 and performed this cantata in the Mühlhausen church where Bach was organist, notes:
No other work of his is laid out on such a grand scale in terms of its deployment of four separate instrumental 'choirs', set against a vocal consort of four singers, an optional Capelle of ripienists and an organ.[2]
A model for such "theatrical splendour" wereoratorios byDieterich Buxtehude, performed in Bach's presence at the Lübeck in 1705.[2][16]
The opening chorus,Gott ist mein König von altersher (God is my King from long ago),[1] is based on Psalm 74:12. It begins with a chord inC major from the instruments.[6] The first line is repeated separating sections and as a summary at the end, accompanied always by a trumpet fanfare.[15]
An aria for tenor,Ich bin nun achtzig Jahr, warum soll dein Knecht sich mehr beschweren? (I am now eighty years old, why shall Your servant burden himself any more?)[1] is complemented by a hymn, sung simultaneously by the soprano,Soll ich auf dieser Welt mein Leben höher bringen (Should I upon this earth carry my life farther).[1] All texts deal with old age.[6] The section begins with the image of a descending continuo line. The tenor melody expresses sadness about the condition of old age. The chorale tune, sung with embellishments is not the most usual one for the hymn, possibly chosen to match the theme.[15]
Another choral movement,Dein Alter sei wie deine Jugend, und Gott ist mit dir in allem, das du tust (May your old age be like your youth, and God is with you in everything that you do)[1] sets more biblical passages, assuring that God is with people both old and young. It is set as apermutation fugue.[6]
A bass arioso sets two more verses from the psalm,Tag und Nacht ist dein (Day and night are Yours).[1] Internary form, the outer sections are asarabande, dealing with day and night, while the middle section describes light and sun, with a joyfulmotif in the continuo and word-painting in the voice.[15]
An alto aria,Durch mächtige Kraft erhältst du unsre Grenzen (Through powerful strength You maintain our borders)[1] is based on contemporary poetry. Set in C major with the trumpets and timpani as the onlyobbligato instruments,[15] it is in two sections: the first intriple time marked Vivace corresponds to God's power and glory, while the second in common time is a prayer for peace on Earth.[6]
Another psalm verse is again set as a chorus,Du wollest dem Feinde nicht geben die Seele deiner Turteltauben (You would not give the soul of Your turtledove to the enemy).[1] The voices are set inhomophony on a cello in undulating motion.[6] Gardiner notes that it is a very personal setting, "a movement of extraordinary reticence, delicacy and the utmost tonal subtlety".[2] He notes an upward semitone as a feature to express both yearning and the sound of the turtledove. The instruments are grouped to achieve subtle colour: recorders and cello,reeds, and strings.[2]
The last chorusDas neue Regiment (The new regime)[1] expresses wishes for peace and well-being under the new council.
Gott ist mein König is a significant early work of Bach. It differs from the other extant cantatas from Bach's time in Mühlhausen by its elaborate instrumentation. It was so positively received that it was the first ofBach's works to be printed (paid for by the city council); it is the only cantata to have been printed in his lifetime, at least in a version which has survived to this day. The printing is all the more remarkable asGott ist mein König appears to have been intended for not more than one repeat performance, and a new piece was commissioned the following year. Bach was commissioned to compose another cantata for the following year's council inauguration; there is evidence that the piece was composed and even printed, but no copies are known to survive.[6][15]
The selection is taken from the listing by Aryeh Oron on the Bach-Cantatas website.[17] Green background indicates instrumental groups playing period instruments inhistorically informed performances.
| Title | Conductor / Choir / Orchestra | Soloists | Label | Year | Instr. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. S. Bach:Das Kantatenwerk • Complete Cantatas •Les Cantates, Folge / Vol. 18 | Nikolaus HarnoncourtTölzer KnabenchorConcentus Musicus Wien |
| Teldec | 1977 (1977) | Period |
| J. S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 1 | Ton KoopmanAmsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir | Antoine Marchand | 1994 (1994) | Period | |
| J. S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 2 – BWV 71, 106, 131 | Masaaki SuzukiBach Collegium Japan | BIS | 1995 (1995) | Period | |
| Bach Edition Vol. 20 – Cantatas Vol. 11 | Pieter Jan LeusinkHolland Boys ChoirNetherlands Bach Collegium | Brilliant Classics | 2000 (2000) | Period | |
| Bach Cantatas Vol. 3: Tewkesbury/Mühlhausen | John Eliot GardinerMonteverdi ChoirEnglish Baroque Soloists | Soli Deo Gloria | 2000 (2000) | Period |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
