rssCantata BWV 12
JS Bach Cantata BWV 12: Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen
(Weeping, lamenting, worrying, hesitating)
Third Sunday after Easter (Jubilate) April 22, 1714
Weimar Cantatas
Scoring: Oboe, Trumpet, Violin I II, Viola I II, Bassoon, Continuo
Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass
Bärenreiter vol 4; p 533
Reading: Epistle 1 Peter 2:11-20
Reading: Gospel John 16:16-23
Words: Probably by Solomo Franck
Bach Bibliography
Recordings
Discussion
Literature
Dürr p 305-308
Whittaker vol 1 p 213-217
Green p 31-34
Terry vol 2 p 233
Boyd p 511
If you love woodwinds and brass, you will love Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen. Green (p 25) says the oboe part is quite difficult and exposed, combining long phrases and highly ornamented figurations. Green also states that the string parts are accessible to intermediate players.
The few religious works that have survived from the early years of Bach's career take us into a stylistic world that is deeply impregnated by the rich and varied musical tradition of Middle Germany, which within a short period almost entirely disappeared from the consciousness of contemporary composers, due to the Italianate stylistic reform in the second decade of the eighteenth century.
Considered in a historic perspective, the overcoming of the stylistic conventions and the abandoning of the aesthetic postulates of a work do not, however, mean that it is inferior in quality. Thus in our present musical estimation, Bach's early cantatas on an equal footing with the vocal works of his maturity. --Peter Wollny
Peter Wollny is head of research at the Bach Archive in Leipzig, General Editor of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: Collected Works, Editor of the Wilhelm-Friedemann-Bach-Ausgabe, Editor of the Bach-Jahrbuch and of the Jahrbuch Mitteldeutsche Barockmusik. His numerous publications include editions in the Neue Bach Ausgabe series, books and articles on the Bach family and on the history of 17th and 18th-century music.
1 Sinfonia
The Sinfonia (Leonhardt) is a lovely piece of music which stands alone.
2 Chorus: Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen
This chorus was reworked and used in the Crucifixus B minor Mass, BWV 232.
BWV 12.2 Chorus, Ton Koopman
BWV 12.2 Chorus in old clefs, PDF
BWV 232.17 Crucifixus, Gustave Leonhardt
BWV 232.17 Crucifixus, American Bach Soloists
BWV 232.17 Crucifixus in old clefs, PDF
3 Alto recitative: Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal in das Reich
The third movement is a plaintive and melodic alto recitative. The first violin plays a rising C major scale, which the alto picks up in the middle of measure five, singing "in das Reich Gottes eingehen", into the Kingdom of God. This third movement is a setting of part of Acts 14:22. The John Eliot Gardiner recording brings out the violin part.
Notice that while the violin is playing the C major scale upward, the basso continuo is playing a varied C major scale downward.
4 Alto aria: Kreuz und Krone sind verbunden
The oboe is an obbligato instrument in the fourth piece, an alto aria; the bassoon can also be heard in its continuo part.
5 Bass aria: Ich folge Christo nach,
The bass aria features independent violin parts.
6 Tenor aria: Sei getreu, alle Pein
In this tenor aria the trumpet plays a varied form of the chorale "Jesu meine Freude", discussed on Bach Cantatas.com.
7 Chorale: Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
A four part chorale ends the piece, with an independent line for oboe and trumpet, which may have been written for violin in an earlier version.
Charles S. Terry (p162) discusses the origins of this final chorale melody.
Final chorale melody notes from Bach cantatas.com
The music
Koopman BWV 12.1 Sinfonia
Koopman BWV 12.2 Chorus
Koopman Crucifixus 232.17
Koopman BWV 12.3 Alto recitative
Koopman BWV 12.4 Alto aria
Koopman BWV 12.5 Bass aria
Koopman BWV 12.6 Tenor aria
Koopman BWV 12.7 Chorale
Complete cantata in old clefs, PDF
Instruments and voices for each part
| Section | Instruments, voices | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sinfonia | Oboe, Violin I,II Viola I,II and continuo (NBA: bassoon and organ) | |
| 2 Chorus | SATB Violin I,II Viola I,II, bassoon, and continuo (NBA: organ) | |
| 3 Alto Recitativ | Violin I,II Viola I,II bassoon, and continuo (NBA: organ) | |
| 4 Alto Aria | Oboe and continuo (NBA: organ) | |
| 5 Bass Aria | Violin I,II and continuo (NBA: organ) | |
| 6 Tenor Aria | Trumpet and continuo (NBA: organ) | |
| 7 Chorale | SATB Oboe, Trumpet, Violin I,II Viola I,II and continuo (NBA: bassoon and organ) |
References
Emmanuel Notes BWV 12.
Emmanuel Translation BWV 12.
Discussion from Bach Cantatas Website.
Recordingsfrom Bach Cantatas Website.
John Eliot Gardiner Cantatas, PDF index.
John Eliot Gardiner Cantatas Recording.
Classical.net discussion, Simon Crouch.
London Bach Society Database entry BWV 12
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