Bach: Cantata No. 62 “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland” / Nikolaus Harnoncourt

Cantata for the First Sunday of Advent, first performed in Leipzig on December 3, 1724. It is a chorale cantata based on a hymn by Martin Luther. The instrumentation consists of strings, two oboes, horns, and basso continuo. In the opening chorale fantasy, the basso continuo’s chorale melody precedes from the second measure. After that, the oboes play the chorale melody in unison, and after the chorus enters, the sopranos sing the chorale melody in unison with the horns, while the other voices sing the free counterpoint. The tenor aria “Bewundert, o Menschen, dies große Geheimnis” is accompanied by the oboe in unison with the string ensemble. A brightly tuned da capo aria by Siciliano. After the bass recitative, the bass aria “Streite, siege, starker Held!” is an irregular piece with all four string instruments playing the bass passages in unison. Needless to say, this accompaniment expresses “power”. After a recitative accompagnato by the soprano and alto, the piece closes with the chorale “Lob sei Gott dem Vater ton”. #baroque #bach #cantata #片山俊幸