Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut, BWV 199
Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut (English: My heart swims in blood), BWV 199, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed the solo cantata for soprano in Weimar for the eleventh Sunday after Trinity and first performed it on 12 August 1714.
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History and words[edit]
On 2 March 1714 Bach was appointed concertmaster of the Weimar court capelle of the co-reigning dukes Wilhelm Ernst and Ernst August of Saxe-Weimar. As concertmaster, he assumed the principal responsibility for composing new works, specifically cantatas for the Schloßkirche (palace church), on a monthly schedule.[1] He composed the cantata for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity as the fifth cantata of the series, following Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV 12.[2]
The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from the First Epistle to the Corinthians, on the gospel of Christ and his (Paul's) duty as an apostle (1 Corinthians 15:1–10), and from the Gospel of Luke, the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9–14). The text, which concerns a sinner finding redemption, was written by Georg Christian Lehms and published in Gottgefälliges Kirchen-Opffer. The same author had written the text for Widerstehe doch der Sünde, BWV 54, composed the month before. Movement 6 is the third stanza of Johann Heermann's chorale Wo soll ich fliehen hin.[3] The cantata text had been set to music in 1712 by Johann Christoph Graupner in Darmstadt. It is not known if Bach knew of Graupner's composition.[2]
Bach first performed the cantata on 12 August 1714. He made revisions for later performances, and the Neue Bach-Ausgabe recognises two distinct versions, the Weimar version and the Leipzig version.[2]
Scoring and structure[edit]
The cantata is scored for soprano, oboe, two violins, viola, and basso continuo. In the Weimar version, it is C minor, with a viola as the obbligato instrument in movement 6. In the Leipzig version), it is in D minor, with an obbligato violoncello piccolo.[2]
- Recitativo: Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut
- Aria: Stumme Seufzer, stille Klagen
- Recitativo: Doch Gott muss mir genädig sein
- Aria: Tief gebückt und voller Reue
- Recitativo: Auf diese Schmerzensreu
- Chorale: Ich, dein betrübtes Kind
- Recitativo: Ich lege mich in diese Wunden
- Aria: Wie freudig ist mein Herz
Music[edit]
Although limited to one soprano voice, Bach achieves a variety of movements. All but one recitative are accompanied by the strings, only movement 5 is secco, accompanied by the continuo only. The first aria, movement 2, is accompanied by the oboe. The theme of the ritornello is present throughout the movement. In the da capo aria, a brief secco is inserted before the da capo. The following recitative and aria are both dominated by rich string sound. An adagio passage leads to the da capo.
After a short recitative, the soprano sings the only chorale stanza of the work, with an obbligato viola (violoncello piccolo in the Leipzig version) in lively figuration,[2] on a rather unusual melody by Caspar von Stieler, whereas Bach later based his chorale cantata on this hymn on the melody by Jacob Regnart.[4] The last recitative introduces the different mood of the final aria, with a long coloratura on "fröhlich" (joyful). The last aria is a cheerful gigue.[2]
Selected recordings[edit]
- Elisabeth Schwarzkopf: The Unpublished EMI Recordings 1955-1958 - Bach & Mozart, Thurston Dart, Philharmonia Orchestra, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, EMI 1968
- Bach Cantatas Vol. 4 - Sundays after Trinity I, Karl Richter, Münchener Bach-Orchester, Edith Mathis, Archiv Produktion 1972
- Die Bach Kantate Vol. 48, Helmuth Rilling, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Arleen Augér, Hänssler 1976
- J.S. Bach: Cantatas BWV 202 · 82a · 199, Dominique Debart, Ensemble Instrumental de Basse Normandie, Teresa Żylis-Gara, Rudolphe 1986
- J.S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk · Complete Cantatas · Les Cantates, Folge / Vol. 45, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Concentus Musicus Wien, Barbara Bonney, Teldec 1989
- J.S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 2, Ton Koopman, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Barbara Schlick, Antoine Marchand 1995
- J.S. Bach: Cantata BWV 199 Mein Herze schwimmt in Blut, Bruno Weil, Carmel Bach Festival Orchestra, Rosa Lamoreaux, Jonathan Wentworth 1998
- Bach Edition Vol. 5 - Cantatas Vol. 3, Pieter Jan Leusink, Netherlands Bach Collegium, Ruth Holton, Brilliant Classics 1999
- Bach: Cantatas, John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists, Magdalena Kožená, Archiv Produktion 2000
References[edit]
- ^ Koster, Jan. "Weimar 1708–1717". let.rug.nl. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Dürr, Alfred (1971). Die Kantaten von Johann Sebastian Bach (in German) 1. Bärenreiter-Verlag. OCLC 523584.
- ^ "Wo soll ich fliehen hin / Text and Translation of Chorale". bach-cantatas.com. 2005. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- ^ "Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works / Wo soll ich fliehen hin / Auf meinen lieben Gott". bach-cantatas.com. 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
Sources[edit]
The first source is the score.
- Cantatas, BWV 191-200: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project
Several databases provide additional information on each cantata:
- Cantata BWV 199 Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut history, scoring, sources for text and music, translations to various languages, discography, discussion, bach-cantatas website
- BWV 199 – "Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut" English translation, discussion, Emmanuel Music
- Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut history, scoring, Bach website (German)
- BWV 199 Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut English translation, University of Vermont
- BWV 199 Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut text, scoring, University of Alberta
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