Cantata BWV 162
2010, December 12
JS Bach Cantata BWV 162: Ach! Ich sehe, jetzt, da ich zur Hochzeit gehe
(Ah! now I see, as I go to the marriage)
Twentieth Sunday after Trinity October 25 1716
Weimar Cantatas
Scoring: Violin I,II, Viola, Corno da tirarsi (slide horn) added to Leipzig version, Continuo (NBA: Violone, violoncello, bassoon, organ)
Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass
Bärenreiter vol 10; p 27
Reading: Ephesians 5:15- 21
Reading: Gospel Matthew 22:1-14
Words: Salomo Franck
Bach Bibliography
Recordings
Discussion
Literature
Dürr p 585-589
Whittaker vol 1 p 65-70
Green p 348-350
Terry vol 2 p 434
Boyd p 4
In the Leipzig version of this cantata, Bach employs a horn, the corno da tirarsi in the first and last movements.
Corno da tirarsi information
Corno da tirarsi, more information
A thesis on the corno da tirarsi by Olivier Picon
A discussion of horns in Bach's works on Bach Cantatas.com
Some baroque horns by Matthew Parker
Another cantata, not for the Christmas season, this is assigned to the last week of October. The Harnoncourt recording below under Music tends to take the tempos a little slower.
1 Ach! ich sehe, itzt, da ich zur Hochzeit gehe: bass aria
2 O großes Hochzeitfest: tenor recitative
3 Jesu, Brunnquell aller Gnaden: soprano aria
The Barenreiter score places an empty instrumental obbligato staff above the soprano. There is not agreement among writers regarding this part; most recordings attempt to place the part in the right hand of the organ. Suzuki has reconstructed an obbligato part for recorder.
4 Mein Jesu, laß mich nicht: alto recitative
I think this is my favorite part of this cantata, I can't say why.
5 In meinem Gott bin ich erfreut: alto, tenor aria duet
About 4 minutes in length this duet also has a prominent continuo part with a cello that is very attractive.
6 Ach, ich habe schon erblicket: Chorale
Discussion of the chorale in an excerpt from C.S. Terry
The music
Harnoncourt part 1 2 3 4
Harnoncourt part 5 6
PDF of cantata score in old clefs
Instruments and voices for each part
| Section | Instruments, voices |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bass, violin I,II, viola, corno da tirarsi has independent line in Leipzig version, continuo (NBA: Violone, violoncello, bassoon, organ) |
| 2 | Tenor, continuo (NBA: Violone, violoncello, bassoon, organ) |
| 3 | Soprano aria, obbligato instrument part lost, continuo (NBA: Violone, violoncello, bassoon, organ) |
| 4 | Alto, continuo (NBA: Violone, violoncello, bassoon, organ) |
| 5 | Alto tenor duet, continuo (NBA: Violone, violoncello, bassoon, organ) |
| 6 | Chorale SATB, corno da tirarsi (Leipzig version), violin I with soprano, violin II with alto, viola with tenor, continuo (NBA: Violone, violoncello, bassoon, organ) |
Biblical references for each part
References for the text: King James Bible, Luther's German Bible
| Scripture | Text | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Isaiah 66:1 | Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? | So spricht der Herr: Der Himmel ist mein Stuhl und die Erde meine Fußbank; was ist's denn für ein Haus, das ihr mir bauen wollt, oder welches ist die Stätte, da ich ruhen soll? |
| 4 | Revelation 19:9 | And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. | Und er sprach zu mir: Schreibe: Selig sind, die zum Abendmahl des Lammes berufen sind. Und er sprach zu mir: Dies sind wahrhaftige Worte Gottes. |
| 5 | Isaiah 61:10 | I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. | Ich freue mich im Herrn, und meine Seele ist fröhlich in meinem Gott; denn er hat mich angezogen mit Kleidern des Heils und mit dem Rock der Gerechtigkeit gekleidet, wie einen Bräutigam mit priesterlichem Schmuck gezieret, und wie eine Braut in ihrem Geschmeide bärdet. |
References
Emmanuel Notes BWV 162.
Emmanuel Translation BWV 162.
Discussion from Bach Cantatas Website.
Recordingsfrom Bach Cantatas Website.
Classical.net discussion, Simon Crouch.
London Bach Society Database entry BWV 162
BWV 162 on Wikipedia
