Bach: Cantata No. 104 “Du Hirte Israel, höre” / Nikolaus Harnoncourt

This cantata is for the day of the last second Sunday of the resurrection, of which the orchestra consists of two oboes, taille, string ensemble and basso continuo. The entire piece is composed of pastorales reminiscent of “shepherds”. The cantata begins with the chorus “Du Hirte Israel, höre” a homophonic development of the chorus over a gentle triplet melody played on the orgelpunkt. The second half of the piece shows a counterpoint movement, but soon returns to the original homophony. The tenor recitative turns into an arioso, followed by the tenor aria “Verbirgt mein Hirte sich zu lange”. Here, the two oboes d’amore express anxiety over “the shepherd hides”. The bass recitative is followed by the bass aria “Beglückte Herde, Jesu Schafe” which sings, “Sheeps of Jesus, the world is your peaceful heaven”. The middle part of the aria is followed by the piano, then the pianissimo, and then da capo to the beginning of the piece. The cantata concludes with the chorale “Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt”. #baroque #bach #cantata #片山俊幸 https://excelkobo.net/bachwerke/archive/BWV0104.pdf