Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn, BWV 23

Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn
BWV 23
Church cantata by J. S. Bach
Thomaskirche Leipzig, the location of the first performance, 1885
Related	performed with BWV 22
Occasion	Quinquagesima
Composed	1723 (1723)?: Köthen
Performed	7 February 1723 (1723-02-07) and 20 February 1724 (1724-02-20), Leipzig
Movements	4
Chorale	"Christe, du Lamm Gottes"
Vocal	solo soprano, alto and tenor SATB choir
Instrumental	(cornett) (3 trombones) 2 oboes (oboes d'amore) 2 violins viola continuo

Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn (You true God and Son of David),^[1] BWV 23,^{[lower-alpha 1]} is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it in Köthen between 1717 and 1723 for Quinquagesima Sunday and performed it as an audition piece for the position of Thomaskantor in Leipzig on 7 February 1723. The Sunday was the last occasion for music at church before the quiet time of Lent.

Bach had at least the first three movements ready for the audition in Leipzig and may have added the substantial last movement, derived from the lost Weimarer Passion, rather late. The cantata deals with healing the blind near Jericho. An anonymous author stayed close to the gospel, having the blind man call Jesus in the first movement, and begging Jesus not to pass in the second. In the last movement Bach presents an extended version of "Christe, du Lamm Gottes", the German Agnus Dei of the Lutheran mass. He scored the cantata for three vocal soloists, a four-part choir, and a Baroque instrumental ensemble with oboes, strings and continuo.

Bach possibly led the audition performance of the work in Leipzig in the Thomaskirche on 7 February 1723, probably after the sermon. He performed the cantata again for the same occasion on 20 February 1724, this time reinforcing the voices by a brass choir in the final movement.

History and words

Bach probably composed the cantata in Köthen between 1717 and 1723 for Quinquagesima Sunday, the last Sunday before Lent, also known as Estomihi. He revised it, transposing it from C minor to B minor and possibly adding the last movement, to be a test piece, together with Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe, BWV 22, for his application for the position of Thomaskantor, director of church music in Leipzig. The prescribed readings for the Sunday were taken from the First Epistle to the Corinthians, "praise of love" (1 Corinthians 13:1–13), and from the Gospel of Luke, healing the blind near Jericho (Luke 18:31–43). The authorship of the poetry is unknown.^[2] The Sunday was meaningful because it was the last chance to perform cantata music before the quiet time of Lent began.^[3]

The chorale theme assigned to Christe, du Lamm Gottes, first appeared in print in Johannes Bugenhagen's Braunschweig church order, published in Wittenberg in 1525.^[4] Luther assigned it then to the Kyrie eleison of his Deutsche Messe.^[5]^[6]

Bach possibly led the audition performance of the work in Leipzig in the Thomaskirche on 7 February 1723, probably after the sermon.^[7] It is unclear whether a "test" performance of the 1723 revised version took place in Köthen before Bach's audition. Bach performed the cantata again for the same occasion on 20 February 1724,^[8] reinforcing the voices by a brass choir in the final movement.^[2] When he performed the cantata again between 1728 and 1731, he returned to the original Köthen key and performed without brass.^[8]

Structure and scoring

Bach structured the cantata in four movements: a duet for soprano (S) and alto (A), a recitative for tenor (T), a chorus, and a closing chorale. He scored it for the three vocal soloists, a four-part choir and a Baroque instrumental ensemble.^[9] The duration is given as 20 minutes.^[2]

In the following table of the movements, the scoring and keys follow the Neue Bach-Ausgabe for the version performed in 1724, which is in B minor, uses oboes d'amore in the first movement and brass playing colla parte with the voices in the last movement, a choir of cornett (Ct) and three trombones (Tb) (or trombe (Tr)). According to the Bach scholar Alfred Dürr, the audition version of 1723 had no reinforcement by brass, matching the scoring of the other audition piece.^[2] The originally composed version, which was not performed until 1728, was in C minor, had oboes in the opening movement and no brass. The time signatures are taken from the book on all cantatas by the Bach scholar Alfred Dürr, using the symbol for common time (4/4).^[2] The continuo, played throughout, is not shown.

Movements of *Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid*, BWV 3
No.	Title	Text	Type	Vocal	Winds	Strings	Key	Time
1	Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn	anon.	Aria (Duetto)	S A	2Oa	2Vl Va	B minor
2	Ach! gehe nicht vorüber	anon.	Recitative e chorale	T	2Ob	2Vl Va
3	Aller Augen warten, Herr	anon.	Chorus	SATB	2Ob	2Vl Va	D major	3/4
4	Christe, du Lamm Gottes	German Agnus Dei	Chorale	SATB	Ct 3Tb 2Ob	2Vl Va	F-sharp minor B minor

Music

In this cantata, Bach combines elements of ritornello and concerto writing to expand his range of structural experimentation. Although the closing chorale was a later addition, its melody is incorporated earlier in the piece, unifying the form. The theme of the text is optimistic, but the music throughout has a sense of underlying sadness.^[10] Craig Smith describes the cantata as "one of the densest and greatest".^[11] The Bach scholar Christoph Wolff notes that the opening duet and also the duet passages on the chorus are in the style of Bach's secular cantatas written in Köthen.^[8]

1

The opening movement, "Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn" (You true God and Son of David),^[1] is "a sinewy and somewhat enigmatic quintet" for soprano and alto voices (assuming the role of the blind man addressing Jesus) with low active oboes and continuo. The movement is in adapted ternary form with an opening and closing "Italianate" ritornello. The soprano line includes a "drooping" motive, hinting at later harmonic and emotional development.^[10] There is a "thorny, even awkward juxtaposition of triple and duple meters" throughout the duet.^[11]

2

The tenor recitative, "Ach! gehe nicht vorüber" (Ah! do not pass by),^[1] is similar to that for bass in Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe: they are both in major mode and accompanied by chordal strings underlying the vocal line. This movement adds an instrumental rendition of the melody of the closing chorale in oboe and violin.^[10]

3

The chorus, "Aller Augen warten, Herr" (All eyes wait, Lord),^[1] is, according to the musicologist Julian Mincham, "dance-like but not toe-tapping, major but not ebulliently so, employing the full chorus but restrained throughout".^[10] The form is a free rondo with interspersed extended episodes of tenor and bass duet. The opening includes the BACH motif.^[10]^[11]

4

The last movement, "Christe, du Lamm Gottes" (Christ, Lamb of God),^[1] is probably older than the first three movements and may have originated in the lost Weimarer Passion from 1717.^[8] The three calls of the Agnus Dei are all set differently, with an independent prelude and interludes by the oboes and strings, between the verses.^[2] The first verse is marked "adagio". Instrumental motifs are derived from the hymn tune, which appears in the soprano and mostly chordal support by the lower voices. In the second verse, marked "andante", the tune appears in a three-part canon in soprano, oboes and first violin.^[2] The third verse returns to B minor.^[7] It has the tune in the soprano with polyphony in the lower voices and the instruments. The oboes play a syncopated independent role, while the strings support the voices, and the oboes in the interludes. The complex artful composition is a good preparation for Lent, the time of the Passion.^[2] Bach used it again to conclude the second version of his St John Passion in 1725.^[7]

Recordings

The selection is taken from the listing on the Bach-Cantatas website.^[12]

Recordings of *Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn*, BWV 23
Title	Conductor / Choir / Orchestra	Soloists	Label	Year
J. S. Bach: Cantatas BWV 23 & BWV 159	Thomas, KurtKurt Thomas Frankfurter Kantorei Deutsche Bachsolisten	Ursula Buckel Eva Bornemann Johannes Hoefflin	Cantate	1962 (1962)
Bach Cantatas Vol. 2 – Easter	Richter, KarlKarl Richter Münchener Bach-Chor Münchener Bach-Orchester	Edith Mathis Anna Reynolds Peter Schreier	Archiv Produktion	1974 (1974)
Les Grandes Cantates de J. S. Bach Vol. 29	Werner, FritzFritz Werner Heinrich-Schütz-Chor Heilbronn Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn	Ingeborg Reichelt Barbara Scherler Friedrich Melzer	Erato	1973 (1973)
J. S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk – Sacred Cantatas Vol. 2	Leonhardt, GustavGustav Leonhardt Tölzer Knabenchor Choir of King's College Leonhardt-Consort	soloist of the Tölzer Knabenchor Paul Esswood Marius van Altena	Teldec	1973 (1973)
Die Bach Kantate Vol. 28	Rilling, HelmuthHelmuth Rilling Gächinger Kantorei Bach-Collegium Stuttgart	Arleen Augér Helen Watts Aldo Baldin	Hänssler	1977 (1977)
J. S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 3	Koopman, TonTon Koopman Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir	Barbara Schlick Elisabeth von Magnus Paul Agnew	Antoine Marchand	1995 (1995)
J. S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 8 – Leipzig Cantatas	Suzuki, MasaakiMasaaki Suzuki Bach Collegium Japan	Midori Suzuki Yoshikazu Mera Gerd Türk	BIS	1998 (1998)
Bach Edition Vol. 5 – Cantatas Vol. 2	Leusink, Pieter JanPieter Jan Leusink Holland Boys Choir Netherlands Bach Collegium	Ruth Holton Sytse Buwalda Nico van der Meel	Brilliant Classics	1999 (1999)
Bach Cantatas Vol. 21: Cambridge/Walpole St Peter	Gardiner, John EliotJohn Eliot Gardiner Monteverdi Choir Choir of Clare College Choir of Trinity College English Baroque Soloists	Ruth Holton Claudia Schubert James Oxley	Soli Deo Gloria	2000 (2000)
J. S. Bach: Cantatas for the Complete Liturgical Year Vol. 6 (Sexagesima and Estomihi Sundays)	Kuijken, SigiswaldSigiswald Kuijken La Petite Bande	Siri Thornhill Petra Noskaiová Marcus Ullmann Jan van der Crabben	Accent	2007 (2007)
J. S. Bach: Jesus, deine Passion	Herreweghe, PhilippePhilippe Herreweghe Collegium Vocale Gent	Dorothee Mields Matthew White Jan Kobow	Harmonia Mundi France	2007 (2007)

Notes

↑ "BWV" is Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, a thematic catalogue of Bach's works.

References

1 2 3 4 5 Dellal, Pamela. "BWV 23 – Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn". Emmanuel Music. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Dürr, Alfred (2006). The Cantatas of J. S. Bach: With Their Librettos in German-English Parallel Text. Translated by Richard D. P. Jones. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-929776-4.
↑ Gardiner, John Eliot (2000). "Cantatas for Quinquagesima / King's College Chapel, Cambridge" (PDF). Bach-Cantatas. pp. 1–3. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
↑ Leaver, Robin A. (2007). Luther's liturgical music: principles and implications. William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. ISBN 978-0-8028-3221-4.
↑ Terry, Charles Sanford (1921). Bach's Chorals (PDF). III. pp. 124–125.
↑ Chafe, Eric (2000). Analyzing Bach cantatas. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-516182-3.
1 2 3 Hofmann, Klaus (1998). "Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn, BWV 23 / Thou true God and David's Son" (PDF). Bach-Cantatas. pp. 5–6. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
1 2 3 4 Wolff, Christoph (1995). "From konzertmeister to thomaskantor: Bach's cantata production 1713 to 1723" (PDF). Bach-Cantatas. pp. 17–19. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
↑ Bischof, Walter F. "BWV 23 Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn". University of Alberta. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
1 2 3 4 5 Mincham, Julian. "Chapter 45 BWV 23". jsbachcantatas. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
1 2 3 Smith, Craig. "BWV 23". Emmanuel Music. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
↑ Oron, Aryeh. "Cantata BWV 23 Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn". Bach-Cantatas. Retrieved 6 February 2016.

External links

Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn, BWV 23: performance by the Netherlands Bach Society (video and background information)
Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn, BWV 23: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn (1st version) BWV 23; BC A 47a / Sacred cantata (Estomihi) Leipzig University
Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn (2nd version) BWV 23; BC A 47b / Sacred cantata (Estomihi) Leipzig University
Jung Jin Baek: A Conductor's Guide to J. S. Bach's Quinquagesima Cantatas, University of Cincinnati (dissertation), 14 May 2012
BWV 23 Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn, English translation, University of Vermont

Church cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach

Before Leipzig	Early: BWV 4 131 71 106 196 150 143 Weimar: BWV 61 70a 186a 132 174a 63 152 155 18 54 80a 182 31 12 172 165 21 185 199 161 162 163 Köthen: BWV Anh. 5

First cycle (1723–24)	Between Trinity and Advent: BWV 75 76 24 167 147 186 136 105 46 179 69a 77 25 138 95 148 48 109 89 60 90 70 From Advent to Trinity: BWV 40 64 190 153 65 154 73 81 83 144 181 22 23 66 134 67 104 166 86 37 44 59 184

Second cycle (& chorale cantatas)	Chorale cantatas between Trinity and Easter: BWV 20 2 7 135 10 93 107 178 94 101 113 33 78 99 8 130 114 96 5 180 38 115 139 26 116 62 91 121 133 122 41 123 124 3 111 92 125 126 127 1 Continuation of the second cycle: BWV 6 42 85 103 108 87 128 183 74 68 175 176 Later additions to the chorale cantata cycle: BWV 80 137 129 58 112 140 177 9 14 Other late chorale cantatas: BWV 117 192 100 97

Third cycle	After Trinity 1725: BWV 168 164 79 Liturgical year 1725–26: BWV 110 57 151 28 16 32 13 72 146 43 39 88 170 187 45 102 35 17 19 27 47 169 56 49 98 55 52 1727: BWV 82 84 34 173

Later and other	Picander cycle: BWV 149 188 197a 171 156 159 145 174 Late parodies: BWV 36 30 191 200 1083 Council election: BWV 119 193 Anh. 3 29 120 69 Wedding: BWV 34a 195 120a 197 Funeral: 157 244a Other: 194 190a 120b 51 158 50 248/VIa Doubtful: 53 142 189 217 220 221 223 224

Bach cantata List of Bach cantatas Discography: Monteverdi Choir/Koopman/Teldec

Cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach by BWV number

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 (oratorio) 12 13 14 15^** 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 30a 31 32 33 34 34a 35 36 36a 36b 36c 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 (53)^* 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 66a 67 68 69 69a 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 80a 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 (motet) 119 120 120a 120b 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 (131a)^* 132 133 134 134a 135 136 137 138 139 140 ~~141~~^** (142)^* 143 144 145 146 147 147a 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 ~~160~~^** 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 173a 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 (189)^* 190 190a 191 192 193 193a 194 195 196 197 197a 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 205a 206 207 207a 208 208a 209 210 210a 211 212 213 214 215 216 216a (217)^* ~~218~~^ ~~219~~^ (220)^* (221)^* ~~222~~^** 223 224 244a 248a 249a 249b 1040 1045 1083 1127 Anh. 3 Anh. 5 Anh. 9 Anh. 11 Anh. 18 — ^(Doubtful) ^*~~Spurious~~

Lists: Compositions Cantatas ; Church cantatas: Chorale cantatas Early Weimar 1st cycle 2nd cycle 3rd cycle Picander cycle Late ; Secular cantatas

Authority control	WorldCat Identities VIAF: 180715242 LCCN: no89019463 GND: 300007019 BNF: cb13909551k (data) BNE: XX5063231

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/11/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.