Bach: Cantata No. 64 “Sehet, welch eine Liebe hat uns der Vater erzeiget” / Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Cantata for the third day of Christmas, first performed on December 27, 1723. The instrumentation consists of strings, cornet, three trombones, and oboe d’amore. The first choral piece, “Sehet, welch eine Liebe hat uns der Vater erzeiget,” is a simple fugue, with the opening “Sehet” becoming a stretta at the end. Each voice is overlapped by a cornet (an obsolete instrument) and trombones of various sizes. As early as second piece, “Das hat er alles uns getan” is a chorale piece. Following the alto recitative, the chorale again “Was frag ich nach der Welt” is sung. The soprano aria “Was die Welt in sich hält” follows, accompanied by a string ensemble. This aria has a gavotte-like rhythm. Following the bass recitative, the alto aria “Von der Welt verlang ich nichts” is sung with oboe d’amore obbligato. The cantata ends with the chorale “Gute Nacht, o Wesen. The chorale melody is the same melody that plays an important role in Bach’s motet “Jesu meine Freude”. #baroque #bach #cantata #片山俊幸
