Bach: Cantata No. 140 “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme” / Nikolaus Harnoncourt
One of Bach’s most famous chorale cantatas, written in Leipzig. It was written for the extremely rare holiday of the 27th Sunday after Trinity and performed on November 25, 1731. It uses a chorale melody by Philipp Nicolai and full lyrics. The first piece”Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme” is a chorale fantasy with lyrics from the first verse, with the soprano singing the chorale melody over a three-beat accompaniment that begins with a dotted rhythm, and the other voices singing the free melody mimetically throughout. Following the tenor recitative a soprano and bass duett (dialogue between soul and Jesus) aria “Wann kommst du, mein Heil?” is sung. Violino piccolo adds an ornate siciliano obbligato melody. The fourth piece is a tenor chorale with lyrics from the second verse “Zion hört die Wächter singen”. The chorale melody is intermittently incorporated while the violins and violas play the antiphonal melody in unison. This piece is also often heard as the first piece of “Schübler Chorale Collection” for organ. Following the bass recitative with string ensemble, the soprano and bass duett aria is sung again “Mein Freund ist mein!”. The obbligato is replaced by an oboe, and this time the tone is different and joyful. The piece concludes with a chorale based on the lyrics of the third verse “Gloria sei dir gesungen”. #baroque #bach #cantata #片山俊幸
