Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt, BWV 112

The Lord is my faithful shepherd ( BWV 112) is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed the chorale cantata in Leipzig in 1731.

History and words

Bach wrote the cantata for Sunday Misericordias Domini, the second Sunday after Easter. The prescribed readings were 1 Peter 2.21-25 LUT Christ as a model, and Jn 10.11-16 LUT Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Bach added with this cantata his second cycle of chorale cantatas, which he had begun in 1724 on the first Sunday after Trinity. For the period from Easter 1725 he had composed in that year no chorale cantatas.

The text of the cantata is unchanged that of the hymn by Wolfgang Meuslin, a paraphrase of Psalm 23 (1530). The song is to the tune of " God alone in the Hoh Kudos " by Nikolaus Decius ( 1522) sung. It is not the song with the same starting line of Cornelius Becker, sung to the same melody that Bach had used in the previous two cantatas on the same occasion, Shepherd of Israel, hear, and I am a good shepherd. Its contents, the Lord as the Good Shepherd, has traditionally been interpreted to Jesus and so corresponds to the Gospel. This stream could use it unchanged as text.

Bach led the cantata at St. Nicholas Church on April 8, 1731 on the first time.

Scoring and structure

The cantata is staffed with four soloists, soprano, alto, tenor and bass, four -part chorus, two horns, two oboes d' amore, two violins, viola and basso continuo. The cantata contains five sets.

Music

In the opening chorus, a chorale fantasy, the melody of the "German Gloria " is " God alone in the Hoh glory be " embedded in an independent orchestra concert. The set begins with horn signals that are derived from the chorale melody, then the concert horns with the strings, which are amplified by oboes. The cantus firmus is in the soprano, while the lower voices are done in imitation. John Eliot Gardiner compares the set with the opening words of the previous two cantatas on the same occasion and noted that this draws a königlicheres image of the good shepherd. Both Alfred Dürr and Klaus Hofmann suggest that the music was originally composed not for the text of the shepherd, but for the Gloria. Bach had been alone a chorale fantasy written in On Ascension to this melody.

The inner movements of the cantata use the lyrics unchanged, but their music is independent of the song melody. The alto aria is accompanied by the obligatory oboe d' amore. It is in pastoral 6/8-measure and consists of two similar parts. The steady flow of the oboe melody, as the "pure water " be interpreted that mentions the text, the steps in the continuo as steps " on the right road ".

The central movement begins as Arioso, accompanied by continuo, and portrays the walking " through the darkest valley ". The second part is a dramatic recitative with strings. the first " persecution, suffering, tribulation " expresses in a broken melodic line against sustained chords, then the protection "Your rod and staff comfort me ."

The following duet shows the joy in God's table in a dance, a Bourrée.

The cantata will be decided by a four-part chorale setting in which the instruments play colla parte.

Recordings

  • JS Bach: Cantatas BWV 112 & BWV 185 Hans Grischkat, Swabian Singkreis Stuttgart, Stuttgart Bach Orchestra, Claire Fassbender -Luz, Hetty Plümacher, Klaus Stemann, Hermann Werdermann. Renaissance / Baroque / Joker, 1951.
  • JS Bach: Cantata BWV 112 Günther Ramin, St. Thomas Boys Choir, the Gewandhaus Orchestra, Elisabeth Meinel Asbahr, Lotte Wolf- Matthew, Gert Lutze, John Oettel. Eterna, 1954.
  • East German revolution. Hans -Joachim Rotzsch, St. Thomas Boys Choir, the Gewandhaus Orchestra, Regina Werner, Gerda Schriever, Peter Menzel, Hermann Christian Polster. MUSHROOM, about 1975.
  • JS Bach: The cantatas, Episode 28 Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Vienna Boys Choir, Tölz Boys Choir, Concentus Musicus Wien, soloist of the Tölz Boys Choir, Paul Esswood, Kurt Equiluz, Ruud van der Meer. Teldec, 1979.
  • The Bach Cantata, Vol 9, Helmuth Rilling, Gächinger Kantorei, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Inga Nielsen, Gabriele terror Bach, Aldo Baldin, Walter Held wine. Hänssler, 1981.
  • Bach Cantatas Vol 23: Arnstadt / Echternach / For the 1st Sunday after Easter ( Quasimodogeniti ) / For the 2nd Sunday after Easter ( Misericordas Domini ). John Eliot Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, Katharine Fuge, William Towers, Norbert Meyn, Stephen Varcoe. Soli Deo Gloria, 2000.
  • Bach Edition Vol 21 - Cantatas Vol 12 Pieter Jan Leusink, Holland Boys Choir, Netherlands Bach Collegium, Ruth Holton, Nico van der Meel, Bas Ramselaar. Brilliant Classics, 2000.
  • JS Bach: Complete Cantatas, Vol 20, Ton Koopman, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, Sandrine Piau, Bogna Bartosz, Christoph Prégardien, Klaus Mertens. Antoine Marchand, 2003.
  • JS Bach: Cantatas Vol 52 - Awake, voice is calling, Cantatas 29, 112, 140 ( Cantatas from Leipzig 1730s - 40s (I)). Masaaki Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan, Hana Blažíková, Robin Blaze, Gerd Türk, Peter Kooij. BIS, 2011.
Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis First Epistle of Peter Bass (voice type) Auf Christi Himmelfahrt allein, BWV 128 Obbligato Pastorale Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra Hans-Joachim Rotzsch Peter Kooy Werner Neumann Christoph Wolff Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid, BWV 3 Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 33 Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot, BWV 39 Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats, BWV 42 Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt, BWV 68 Alles nur nach Gottes Willen, BWV 72 Alles, was von Gott geboren, BWV 80a Bisher habt ihr nichts gebeten in meinem Namen, BWV 87 Ach, lieben Christen, seid getrost, BWV 114 Christum wir sollen loben schon, BWV 121 Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir, BWV 131 Bereitet die Wege, bereitet die Bahn! BWV 132 Erforsche mich, Gott, und erfahre mein Herz, BWV 136 Bringet dem Herrn Ehre seines Namens, BWV 148 Ach! ich sehe, itzt, da ich zur Hochzeit gehe, BWV 162 Barmherziges Herze der ewigen Liebe, BWV 185 Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut, BWV 199 Entfliehet, verschwindet, entweichet, ihr Sorgen, BWV 249a St Mark Passion (Bach)
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