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Wo gehest du hin? BWV 166

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Wo gehest du hin? ("Where do you go?" or "Where are you heading?"), BWV 166, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach composed the cantata in Leipzig for Cantate, the fourth Sunday after Easter, and first performed it on 7 May 1724.

History and words

Bach composed the cantata in Leipzig for the fourth Sunday after Easter, called Cantate.

The prescribed readings for the Sunday were James 1Template:Bibleverse with invalid book:17–21 and John 16Template:Bibleverse with invalid book:5–15, Jesus announcing his second coming in his "Abschiedsreden" (Farewell discourses). The unknown poet took the question as a quotation from the gospel to begin the cantata. The theme of the cantata is then the answer to the question in what direction life should go. The poet inserted as movement 3 the third stanza of Bartholomäus Ringwaldt's chorale Herr Jesu Christ, ich weiß gar wohl (1582) and as the closing chorale Ämilie Juliane von Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt's Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende (1688).[1]

Scoring and structure

The cantata is scored for alto, tenor and bass soloists, a four-part choir only for the closing chorale, oboe, two violins, viola and basso continuo. The cantus firmus of movement 3 is typically sung by the soprano of the choir.[1]

  1. Arioso (bass): Wo gehest du hin
  2. Aria (tenor): Ich will an den Himmel denken
  3. Chorale (soprano): Ich bitte dich, Herr Jesu Christ
  4. Recitativo (bass): Gleichwie die Regenwasser bald verfließen
  5. Aria (alto): Man nehme sich in acht
  6. Chorale: Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende

Music

Bach gave the first movement, the quotation from the gospel, to the bass as the Vox Christi. The question "Where do you go?", which in the gospel is missed by Jesus (John 16:5: "but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'"), is thus turned to a more general question which Jesus asks the listener.[1] This simple question is one of the shortest lyrics for a movement in a Bach cantata.[2] The tenor aria was first published completely in the Neue Bach-Ausgabe.[1] The soprano sings the cantus firmus of movement 3 completely unadorned and is accompanied by the violins and viola in unison "of great vigour and determination, urged on by steady continuo quavers".[2][3] The last aria, in great contrast, illustrates mostly the word "lacht" (laughs), although the text warns that a fall may come "wenn das Glück lacht" (when fortune winks). The laughter is pictured in "the various oscillating semi-quaver figures in the strings" and in melismas on the word "lacht".[2] The final chorale is set for four parts.[1]

Recordings

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Dürr, Alfred (1971). Die Kantaten von Johann Sebastian Bach (in German). Vol. 1. Bärenreiter-Verlag. OCLC 523584.
  2. ^ a b c Julius Mincham (2010). "Chapter 53 BWV 166 Wo gehest du hin?". jsbachcantatas.com. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
  3. ^ Leonard, James (2011). "Cantata No. 166, "Wo gehest du hin?" BWV 166". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
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