Bach: Cantata No. 167 “Ihr Menschen, Rühmet Gottes Liebe” / Nikolaus Harnoncourt
The piece begins with the tenor aria “Ihr Menschen, rühmet Gottes Liebe (You people, praise God’s love)” accompanied by a flowing string ensemble. What a tender and loving melody. The parallel fourths that appear between the upper voices sometimes have the power to bring relief to the listener. Following the alto recitative (the second half is an arioso), the duet aria “Gottes Wort, das trüget nicht” is sung by the soprano and alto of the Tölzer Knabenchor. The obbligato instrument is the oboe da caccia. Although this piece is often sung by a female soprano and countertenor, the upper voices of the two boys are exceptional. At the end of the bass recitative, the melody of the next chorale “Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren” appears in advance. In the final chorale, “Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren”, the chorale melody is overlaid in clarino (cornett), and the oboe further changes the tone of the strings. #baroque #bach #cantata #片山俊幸
