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Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben, BWV 8

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Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben? BWV 8
Chorale cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach
Thomaskirche, Leipzig 1885
Occasion16th Sunday after Trinity
Based onhymn by Caspar Neumann
Performed24 September 1724 (1724-09-24): Leipzig
Movements6
VocalSATB choir and soloists
Instrumental
  • horn
  • flauto traverso
  • oboe d'amore
  • 2 violins
  • viola
  • continuo

Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben? (Dearest God, when will I die?),[1] BWV 8, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed the chorale cantata in Leipzig for the 16th Sunday after Trinity and first performed it on 24 September 1724. It is based on the hymn by Caspar Neumann.

History and text

Bach composed the cantata in his second year as Thomaskantor in Leipzig for the 16th Sunday after Trinity. It is based on the hymn of the same name by Caspar Neumann, part of Bach's second cantata cycle, planned as a cycle of chorale cantatas.

The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from the Epistle to the Ephesians, praying for the strengthening of faith in the congregation of Ephesus (Ephesians 3:13–21), and from the Gospel of Luke, the raising from the dead of the young man from Nain (Luke 7:11–17).

Bach first performed the cantata on 24 September 1724.

Scoring and structure

The piece is scored for horn, flauto traverso, two oboes d'amore, strings (violins, violas and basso continuo), vocal soloists and choir.[2] It is in six movements, in E major unless otherwise noted:

Movements of Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben?
No. Title Text Type Vocal Winds Strings Key Time
1 Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben? Chorus SATB 1 flauto transverso, 2 oboe d'amores, natural horn (col soprano) 2 violins, 1 viola E major 12/8
2 Was willst du dich, mein Geist, entsetzen Aria tenor 1 oboe d'amores C-sharp minor 3/4
3 Zwar fühlt mein schwaches Herz Recitative alto 2 violins, 1 viola common time
4 Doch weichet, ihr tollen, vergeblichen Sorgen! Aria bass 1 flauto transverso 2 violins, 1 viola A major common time
5 Behalte nur, o Welt, das Meine! Recitative soprano 1 flauto transverso 2 violins, 1 viola common time
6 Herrscher über Tod und Leben Chorale SATB 1 flauto transverso (col soprano), 1 oboe d'amore (col soprano), 1 oboe d'amore (coll'alto) 1 natural horn (col soprano) 1 violin (col soprano), 1 violin (coll'alto), 1 viola (col tenore) E major common time

Music

The opening chorus is a gapped chorale setting of the tune. The alto, tenor, and bass voices sing free counterpoint, while the sopranos sing the chorale unadorned in long notes. Philipp Spitta described the sound of this movement as a "church-yard full of flowers in the springtime". The setting has a "popular" sound because of the use of 12/8 time and the unique nature of the accompaniment figures: plucked arpeggios, bell tones, and "sinuous" or "lazy" patterns.[3]

The tenor aria is characterized by continued bell tones and string pizzicato in the accompaniment, and a duet with oboe for the vocal line. The following alto recitative "brings forth a bit of the terror of death", in contrast with the "amazingly jolly" aria in "jig tempo" that follows. The soprano recitative leads into a "marching" chorale setting to end the cantata.[3]

Other version

An alternative version of the cantata in D major is also extant, believed to be from 1746–47. Several minor changes to the instrumentation were also implemented; for example, in the first movement the two oboe parts are given to concertante violins, and in the bass aria, the oboe d'amore is used colla parte with the flute. Both variants have been recorded: the aria by Ton Koopman with Klaus Mertens as the bass soloist and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, and the chorus by Koopman's pupil Masaaki Suzuki and the Bach Collegium Japan in addition to the full cantata in E major.[4]

Recordings

The selection is taken from the listing on the Bach Cantatas Website.[4]

References

  1. ^ Dellal, Pamela. "BWV 8 – "Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben?"". Emmanuel Music. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  2. ^ "BWV 8 Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben?". University of Alberta. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  3. ^ a b Smith, Craig. "BWV 8". Emmanuel Music. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  4. ^ a b Oron, Aryeh. "Cantata BWV 8 Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben?". Bach Cantatas Website. Retrieved 22 August 2016.

Sources

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