Bach: Cantata No. 43 “Gott fähret auf mit Jauchzen” / Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Cantata No.43 was composed by J.S.Bach in Leipzig for feast of the Ascension in 1725. The first piece, “Gott fähret auf mit Jauchzen” is a festive chorus with three trumpets, timpani, and three oboes. After an adagio introduction by the solo oboe, there is a fugue alla breve, and once all the voices have been developed, it becomes homophonic (“lobsinget Gott, lobsinget unserm Könige”), but ends by returning to polyphonic again. Following the tenor recitative, the tenor aria “Ja tausendmal tausend begleiten den Wagen” is sung in unison by the violins in obbligato. Following the soprano recitative, the soprano aria “Mein Jesus hat nunmehr” is sung with the attractive strings and oboe in unison obbligato, thus concluding the first half. The second half begins with a bass recitative accompagnato, followed by the bass aria “Er ists, der ganz allein” sung with glorious and powerful trumpet sounds. Although the lyrics speak of Christ’s suffering, the tone of the song is quite upbeat. The alto recitative was followed by the alto aria “Ich sehe schon im Geist” with obbligato by the two oboes. The humorous movement of the basso continuo (bassoon) is a fun piece. The cantata ends with the chorale “Du Lebensfürst, Herr Jesu Christ” following the recitative by the soprano. #baroque #bach #cantata #片山俊幸
