Bach: Cantata No. 119 “Preise, Jerusalem, den Herrn” / Nikolaus Harnoncourt
The work opens with a French overture in a magnificent orchestration of four trumpets, timpani, two recorders, three oboes, and strings. The chorus enters only in the middle fugue section, which is the same technique used in, for example, Cantata No. 110. In this kind of Bach’s festive works, three trumpets are usual, but in this work for a municipal ceremony for “Ratswechsel (City Council Member Election)”, a fourth trumpeter was recruited. The tenor recitative is followed by the tenor aria “Wohl dir, du Volk der Linden” with two oboes da caccia obbligato. The following bass recitative is a recitativo accompagnato with four trumpets, two recorders, two oboes da caccia, and timpani. An alto aria “Die Obrigkeit ist Gottes Gabe” follows, with unison obbligato from the recorders. The soprano recitative is followed by the chorus, “Der Herr hat Guts an uns getan” by full orchestra. Following the alto recitative, the piece closes with the chorale “Hilf deinem Volk, Herr Jesu Christ” (German translation of Luther’s “Te Deum”). #baroque #bach #cantata #片山俊幸
