Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht mit deinem Knecht, BWV 105

Johann Rist

Lord, do not enter into judgment with your servant ( BWV 105) is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Occasion and content

Bach composed the cantata in its first Cantata cycle in Leipzig for the 9th Sunday after Trinity. It was premiered on 25 July 1723 in one of the city's main churches in Leipzig. The cantata linked textually to at intended for that day gospel which tells of the parable of the unjust steward (Luke 16.1 to 9 LUT). This parable is often interpreted as sacrum commercium as " heavenly trade ," in which Jesus takes the blame on the people and the promissory note tears. The cantata text speaks of sin as guilt and the difficulty of sin decree. The first three movements have no relation to the Gospel.

The unknown librettist used in the opening chorus a verse from the Psalm 143, a prayer of repentance of David (Ps. 143.2 LUT). Even the subsequent alto recitative is linked to such a prayer of repentance to (Ps 51.13 LUT). The subsequent soprano aria shows that salvation from sin is not yet in sight. The text of this aria connects to a passage from the Letter of Paul to the Romans, in the thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another, the speech is ( Rom 2:15 LUT). Only in the second recitative, which builds on a letter from the Apostle Paul to the Colossians (Col. 2:13-14 LUT), is the forgiveness of sins mentioned. With the following tenor aria a final stroke is among the commercial considerations drawn ( Lk 16.9 LUT). One end of the conscience signaled the penultimate stanza of Johann Rist's hymn Jesus, thou my soul ( 1641).

Construction

Bach reached a very versatile and exciting composition with this cantata. The opening chorus is changing from a pleading pleading and slow Lord does not enter into judgment with thy servant to a fast Fugue For in Your sight no man living is righteous, which is accompanied by relentless hammering Quart jumps. In the soprano aria As tremble and shake the sinner thought Bach indicated the loss of the fixed maintenance by the absence of the continuo. Many anxious sounding repeated notes illustrate the issue raised in the text insecurity. In contrast, the subsequent bass recitative is supported by a soft and harmonious movement of the strings, which provides security and confidence. The final chorale is initially as the soprano aria from the subject of jitter coined in court, but the repetitions of one line to be slower: they convert from sixteenth notes to triplet movements, then eighths, finally neighborhoods and describe as impressive gradually growing confidence of the Christian.