| Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen | |
|---|---|
BWV 12 | |
| Church cantata byJ. S. Bach | |
 | |
| Related | base forCrucifixus of Mass in B minor |
| Occasion | Jubilate |
| Cantata text | Salomon Franck |
| Chorale | |
| Performed | 12 April 1714 (1714-04-12):Weimar |
| Movements | 7 |
| Vocal |
|
| Instrumental |
|
Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen (Weeping, lamenting, worrying, fearing),[1]BWV 12, is achurch cantata byJohann Sebastian Bach. He composed it inWeimar forJubilate, the third Sunday afterEaster, and led the first performance on 22 April 1714 in theSchlosskirche, the court chapel of theSchloss in Weimar.
Bach was appointedKonzertmeister in Weimar in the spring of 1714, a position that called for the performance of a church cantata each month. He composedWeinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen as the second cantata in the series, on a text probably written by court poetSalomon Franck. The work is structured in sevenmovements, an instrumentalSinfonia, a choralpassacaglia, arecitative on a Bible quotation, threearias and, as the closing chorale, the last stanza fromSamuel Rodigast'shymn "Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan" (1674). The cantata is scored for three vocal soloists, a four-part choir,trumpet,oboe,bassoon, twoviolins, twoviolas, andbasso continuo.
Bach performed the cantata again in his first year asThomaskantor – director of church music – in Leipzig, on 30 April 1724. He reworked the first section of the first chorus to form theCrucifixus movement of theCredo in hisMass in B minor.Franz Liszt based extended keyboard compositions on the same material.
On 2 March 1714 Bach was appointed concertmaster of the Weimar court capelle of the co-reigning dukesWilhelm Ernst andErnst August of Saxe-Weimar. As concertmaster, he assumed principal responsibility for composing new works, specifically cantatas for theSchlosskirche (palace church), on a monthly schedule.[2][3]Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen is the second cantata in this series, composed for theThird Sunday after Easter, calledJubilate,[4][5] afterHimmelskönig, sei willkommen, BWV 182, forPalm Sunday andAnnunciation, and beforeErschallet, ihr Lieder, erklinget, ihr Saiten! BWV 172, forPentecost. The prescribed readings for that Sunday were from theFirst Epistle of Peter, "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man" (1 Peter 2:11–20), and from theGospel of John, Jesus announcing hissecond coming in the so-calledFarewell Discourse, saying "your sorrow shall be turned into joy" (John 16:16–23). The text, depicting the affliction thatChristians have to pass, is assumed to have been written bySalomon Franck, the Weimar court poet who wrote most texts for Bach cantatas of the Weimar period. It follows details of the Gospel and the idea from the epistle reading: "For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully." (verse 19).[6] The text of the opening chorus corresponds toJohn 16:20, the text of the first recitative is taken fromActs 14:22, "we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God". Franck contends that this is true not only for the disciples who were addressed directly, but for every Christian. Movement 4 sees the suffering of Jesus as a consolation for the afflicted Christian, movement 5 voices a decision to follow Jesus even in suffering, movement 6 offers the consolation that it will be only a short time until all sadness is overcome, alluding to (as in movement 4)Revelation 2:10.[7] The cantata is closed by the sixth and final stanza of thehymn "Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan" (1674) bySamuel Rodigast.[3][8] The theme of the first part of the text is a situation of God's temporary absence.[6]
Bach first performed the cantata in the Weimar court chapel on 22 April 1714, then performed it inLeipzig in his first year asThomaskantor on 30 April 1724.[3] In Leipzig,Jubilate was the beginning of the trade fairOstermesse (Easter fair) which attracted visitors for three weeks. His predecessor, Johan Kuhnau, had already noted that "visitors and distinguished gentlemen certainly want to hear something fine in the principal churches."[4]
Bach reworked the first section of the first chorus to form theCrucifixus movement of theCredo in his Mass in B minor, the central movement of that work, three decades later.[4][9]Franz Liszt based two keyboard works on the first section of movement 2,Prelude after a 'theme from Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen' by J. S. Bach (S. 179, 1854) [for organ or piano] andVariations on a theme from 'Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen' by J. S. Bach (S. 180, 1862) [for piano].[6]
The cantata in seven movements is scored for three vocal soloists (alto (A),tenor (T) andbass (B)), afour-part choir SATB,trumpet (Tr),oboe (Ob),bassoon (Fg), twoviolins (Vl), twoviolas (Va) andbasso continuo (Bc).[10] The duration is given asc. 28 minutes.[7]
In the following table of the movements, the scoring follows theNeue Bach-Ausgabe. Thekeys andtime signatures are taken fromAlfred Dürr, using the symbol for common time (4/4).
| No. | Title | Text | Type | Vocal | Winds | Strings | Key | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sinfonia | Ob | 2Vl 2Va | F minor | 8/8 | |||
| 2 |
| Franck | Chorus | SATB | Ob Fg | 2Vl 2Va | F minor | 3/2 |
| 3 | Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal | Bible | Recitative | A | Ob Fg | 2Vl 2Va | C minor |  |
| 4 | Kreuz und Kronen sind verbunden | Franck | Aria | A | Ob | C minor | | |
| 5 | Ich folge Christo nach | Franck | Aria | B | 2Vl | E-flat major | | |
| 6 | Sei getreu, alle Pein | Franck | Aria | T | Tr | G minor | 3/4 | |
| 7 | Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan | Rodigast | Chorale | SATB | 2Vl 2Va | B-flat major | |
The autograph score is titled "Concerto a 1 Oboe, 2 Violini, 2 Viole, Fagotto è 4 Voci coll' Organo".[11]John Eliot Gardiner notes that the keys of the arias and the closing chorale move upwards like a ladder, ascending by thirds.[4]
The cantata is opened by aSinfonia, markedadagio assai, which resembles the slow movement of an oboe concerto, with an expressive and plaintive solo.[3][5]
The first choral movement, "Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen" (Weeping, lamentation, worry, despair),[1] is inda capo form. The first section is built on abasso ostinato as an old-stylepassacaglia in3/2 time. Thelamento, achromatic fourth ostinato, is repeated twelve times. Musicologist Julian Mincham notes thatHenry Purcell arrived at a similarmotif in Dido's Lament in the operaDido and Aeneas, which Bach probably did not know.[9] The first four words are each sung by a different vocal part, each overlapping the next. Beginning with the highest voice, each part sings an extended sigh. The setting is intensified, until in the seventh repeat all voices continue the text simultaneously: "Angst und Not" ("dread and need" or "anguish and trouble"[1]). The ninth repeat is similar to the first, but in more extreme harmonies. The twelfth repeat is instrumental. The middle section of the line about the Christians "die das Zeichen Jesu tragen" (that bear the marks of Jesus),[1] first marked "un poco allegro", is in a contrasting mood.[5] Its last section is marked andante, the voices enter one after the other, beginning with the lowest and rising. Throughout the middle section, the instruments playcolla parte with the voices.[7]John Eliot Gardiner describes the first section as a "tombeau, one of the most impressive and deeply affecting cantata movements Bach can have composed to that point".[4]
The onlyrecitative, "Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal in das Reich Gottes eingehen" (We must enter the Kingdom of God through much sorrow),[1] is accompanied by the strings in arecitativo accompagnato.[7]
In German, sorrow is mentioned first, then the final Kingdom of God. Bach repeats the beginning text four times, while the singular destination appears only once. The key word "Trübsal" is illustrated each time by a downward line, each time with more intensity.[6] In the end, an ascending scale in the first violin illustrates the idea of entering the kingdom of God.[3] The scale is in C major, while the movement is in C minor, a symbol of the Kingdom of God which is a seen but not yet present.[6] The scale is related to the beginning of the tune of the closing chorale.[5]
The first of three arias, "Kreuz und Krone sind verbunden" (Cross and crown are bound together),[1] reflects the conflicting motifs of "Kreuz und Krone" (cross and crown) and "Kampf und Kleinod" (conflict and jewel).[4] The aria for alto voice and an oboe which is almost always present, is inda capo form, ABA. Aritornello frames part A, but also accompanies the vocal entry. It is thus heard six times in different context, related to the repetitions of the passacaglia of movement 2. The music illustrates the union of the four contrasting elements (all beginning with K):Kampf is sung as amelisma with atrill in measure 15, the preciousness of the jewel appears as a trill in the voice or the accompaniment. The text is also repeated in the middle section, as Bach was still experimenting with theda capo form.[6]
In the second aria, "Ich folge Christo nach" (I follow after Christ),[1] the decision to follow Jesus is made. "Walking steps" in imitation symbolize the following.[5] The first motif is an upward scale, illustrating the direction of Heaven, played by the first violin, imitated in fast succession by the second violin and then the continuo. The voice enters with the same motif.[6] Towards the end, the steps are expanded to more than an octave, reaching Heaven.[5] The bass singer and the continuo are inunison, interpreted as amystical union of man and God.[6]
During the last aria, "Sei getreu, alle Pein" (Be faithful, all pain),[1] the trumpet plays thechorale tune "Jesu, meine Freude" as acantus firmus;[11] Bach may have thought of the stanza "Weicht, ihr Trauergeister" (Go away, mournful spirits). The form of the aria follows thebar form of the chorale instead of the usualda capo form.[6]
The closing chorale, "Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan" (What God does, is well done),[1][12] is set for four parts, illuminated by an instrumentalobbligato part.[9]Masaaki Suzuki and Gardiner use the trumpet that played the cantus firmus in the preceding aria.[4][5]
The table entries are excerpted from the list of recordings from the selection on the Bach Cantatas Website.[13] Orchestras playing period instruments inhistorically informed performance, and vocal ensembles withone voice per part are marked by green background.
| Title | Conductor / Choir / Orchestra | Soloists | Label | Year | Choir type | Orch. type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk – Sacred Cantatas Vol. 1 | Gustav LeonhardtLeonhardt-Consort |
| Teldec | 1971 (1971) | Period | |
| Die Bach Kantate Vol. 32 | Helmuth RillingGächinger KantoreiBach-Collegium Stuttgart | Hänssler | 1972 (1972) | |||
| Bach Cantatas Vol. 2 – Easter | Karl RichterMünchener Bach-ChorMünchener Bach-Orchester | Archiv Produktion | 1974 (1974) | |||
| J. S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 2 | Ton KoopmanAmsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir | Antoine Marchand | 1995 (1995) | Period | ||
| J.S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 8 – Leipzig Cantatas | Masaaki SuzukiBach Collegium Japan | BIS | 1996 (1996) | Period | ||
| J.S. Bach: Actus Tragicus – Cantatas BWV 4, 12, 106 & 196 | Konrad JunghänelCantus Cölln | Harmonia Mundi France | 1999 (1999) | OVPP | Period | |
| Bach Cantatas Vol. 24: Altenburg/Warwick | John Eliot GardinerEnglish Baroque Soloists | Soli Deo Gloria | 2000 (2000) | Period | ||
| Bach Edition Vol. 20 – Cantatas Vol. 11 | Pieter Jan LeusinkHolland Boys ChoirNetherlands Bach Collegium | Brilliant Classics | 2000 (2000) | Period | ||
| J. S. Bach: Weinen, Klagen ... | Philippe HerrewegheCollegium Vocale Gent | Harmonia Mundi France | 2003 (2003) | Period | ||
| J. S. Bach: Cantatas for the Complete Liturgical Year Vol. 11 | Sigiswald KuijkenLa Petite Bande | Accent | 2008 (2008) | OVPP | Period |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
