rssI had to work hard. Anyone who works as hard will get just as far. - J.S. Bach
2010, August 26
Cantata BWV 152
JS Bach Cantata BWV 152: Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn
(Walk in the path of faith)
Sunday after Christmas December 30 1714
Weimar Cantatas
Scoring: Recorder, oboe, viola d'amore, viola da gamba, organ
Soprano, Bass
Bärenreiter vol 2; p 25
Reading: Epistle Galatians 4:1-7
Reading: Gospel Luke 2:33-40
Words: Salomon Franck: Luke 2:33-40
Recordings
Discussion
Literature
Dürr p 134-137
Whittaker vol 1 p 93-100
Green p 332-333
Boyd p 483
1 Sinfonia
Contrapuntally intricate (Green), this movement starts out with four slow measures, then moves into a fugal section related to BWV 536. Dürr states that this is one of the few purely instrumental fugues in the cantatas.
2 Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn: bass aria with oboe
Really a duet between oboe and bass, the oboe part is truly memorable. I can listen to this part over and over.
3 Der Heiland ist gesetzt: bass recitative and arioso
Tenth measure, transition to fifteen measure arioso. The famous drop of a tenth from F# to D# on 'zum Fall' occurs between the third and fourth measures.
4 Stein, der über alle Schätze: soprano aria
Lovely part for the viola d'amore
5 Es ärgre sich die kluge Welt: bass recitative
Straightforward declamation.
6 Wie soll ich dich, Liebster der Seelen, umfassen?: bass soprano duet
Dialog text alternates with the third voice of the oboe in canon.
Several things combine to make this an unusual cantata for Bach: the distinctive chamber orchestration with only two singers, no violins, no chorales, allusions rather than biblical texts, the use of the viola da gamba (only appears in six cantatas) and a viola d'amore (appears twice again in secular cantatas). Boyd (p 483) states that a feature of this cantata is that it includes no movements in da cappo form. There is no going back along the path of faith.
Green describes this as a true chamber cantata requiring strong players on all parts. It could be very effectively performed without a conductor.Ruth Holton is sublime in the Leusink recording; this is my favorite performance of this cantata. Everything is in miniature in this piece; when you have finished listening, you hardly feel you have heard a cantata.
The music
Sinfonia, aria, recitativ
Aria, recitativ, aria duet
Organ fugue bwv 536
BWV 152 in old clefs PDF
Instruments and voices for each part
| Instruments, voices | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sinfonia: Recorder, oboe, viola d'amore, viola da gamba, and continuo (NBA: organ) |
| 2 | Bass aria: oboe, and continuo (NBA: viola da gamba, organ) |
| 3 | Bass recitative, continuo (NBA: viola da gamba, organ) |
| 4 | Soprano aria, recorder, viola d'amore and continuo (NBA: viola da gamba, organ) |
| 5 | Bass recitative, continuo (NBA: viola da gamba, organ) |
| 6 | Soprano bass duet, recorder, oboe, viola d'amore, continuo (NBA: viola da gamba, organ) |
The viola da gamba and the viola d'amore were members of the viol family played often in the baroque period. The number of strings varied and the tuning of the instruments depended on the music being played. There are people actively engaged in keeping these traditions alive.
- Here is a comparison of a viola da gamba and a modern violoncello.
- A viola d'amore by a modern maker.
- Images from the Viola d'amore Society of America
- Viola da gamba Society of America.
- WikiPedia article about viola d'amore.
Biblical references for each part
| King James Bible | Luther's German Bible | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Luke 2:34 | And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; | Und Simeon segnete sie und sprach zu Maria, seiner Mutter: Siehe, dieser wird gesetzt zu einem Fall und Auferstehen vieler in Israel und zu einem Zeichen, dem widersprochen wird |
| 2 3 4 | Psalm 118:22 | The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. | Der Stein, den die Bauleute verworfen, ist zum Eckstein worden. |
References
Emmanuel Notes BWV 152.
Emmanuel Translation BWV 152.
Discussion from Bach Cantatas Website.
Recordingsfrom Bach Cantatas Website.
Classical.net discussion, Simon Crouch.
London Bach Society Database entry BWV 152
BWV 152 from Answers.com
