Wer sich selbst erhöhet, der soll erniedriget werden, BWV 47

Who exalts himself shall be abased ( BWV 47 ) is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it in Leipzig in 1726 for the 17th Sunday after Trinity and first performed it on for the first time on October 13, 1726.

History and words

Bach composed the cantata in 1726 in his fourth year in office in Leipzig for the 17th Sunday after Trinity. It is attributed to his third cantata cycle. The prescribed readings for the Sunday were Eph 4:1-6 LUT, the exhortation to unity in the Spirit, and Luke 14.1 to 11 LUT, the healing of a man with dropsy on the Sabbath. The text is by Johann Friedrich Helbig (1680-1722), who was Poet Laureate from 1718 in Saxe- Eisenach. The text was published in 1720 in the collection of cantata texts for a year encouragement of devotion. It is the only cantata text of the poet, the Bach set to music, and you do not know if Bach had known him from the publication or by a composition by Georg Philipp Telemann, who used many texts by the poet in Eisenach. The starting point of the text is the last line of the Gospel ( set 1), in addition, be warned in strong terms against arrogance, the final aria is a prayer for humility. The final chorale is the eleventh and last stanza of Why sadden you feel my heart ( Nuremberg, 1561), the Bach 1723 in the cantata Why are you cast down, my heart was processed.

Scoring and structure

The cantata is occupied by two soloists, soprano and bass, four-part choir, two oboes, two violins, viola, obbligato organ and basso continuo.

Music

The opening chorus is the main focus of the work. For the long ritornello used Bach music of his Prelude in C Minor ( BWV 546), transposed to G minor. The oboes play in an ascending sequence motif in the vocal score a fugue subject is later to represent the self-aggrandizement. A counter-subject in the opposite direction illustrates the humiliation. The joint is sealed by a corroborating homophonic postscript. The sequence of joint and consequent repeated one more time, then the ritornello is repeated with a chorus installation that brings the entire text reaffirming.

The soprano aria was originally accompanied by an obbligato organ, like three weeks later, the aria I go and seek with longing. In a later performance of Bach instead chose the violin. The da capo aria in the first section describes humility, pride in the midsection by rebellious rhythms (Alfred Dürr ), while the continuo themes from the first section maintains. The only recitative is the central movement of the cantata and is accompanied by strings. The second aria is in three parts, but without sung da capo. Oboe and violin are equal partners bass voice in a prayer for humility. The final chorale is set for four voices in a striking simplicity.

Recordings

  • J. S. Bach: Cantata BWV 10, BWV 47; Sanctus BWV 241, Paul Steinitz, London Bach Society, English Chamber Orchestra, Sally Le Sage, Neil Howlett, oryx 1965
  • J. S. Bach: Cantata No.. 47; W. A. Mozart: Missa Brevis, Rudolf Barshai, Yurlov Choir, Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Galina Pisarenko, Alexander Vedernikov, Melodiya 1966
  • J. S. Bach: The cantatas - Sacred Cantatas Vol 3, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Vienna Boys Choir, Concentus Musicus Wien, soloist of the Vienna Boys' Choir, Ruud van der Meer, Teldec 1974
  • The Bach Cantata Vol 53, Helmuth Rilling, Gächinger Kantorei, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Arleen Augér, Philippe Huttenlocher, Haenssler 1982
  • Bach Cantatas Vol 9: Lund / Leipzig / For the 17th Sunday after Trinity / For the 18th Sunday after Trinity, John Eliot Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, Katharine Fuge, Stephan Loges, Soli Deo Gloria 2000
  • J. S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol 18, Ton Koopman, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, Sandrine Piau, Klaus Mertens, Antoine Marchand 2003
  • J. S. Bach: Cantatas for the Complete Liturgical Year Vol 12: " Why art thou cast down, my heart " - Cantatas BWV 138 · 27 · 47 · 96, Sigiswald Kuijken, La Petite Bande, Gerlinde sower, Petra Noskaiová, Christoph Genz, Jan van the crabbing, Accent 2009
  • J. S. Bach: Cantatas Vol 47 - Cantatas from Leipzig in 1723, Masaaki Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan, Hana Blažíková, Peter Kooij, BY 2010
Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis Epistle to the Ephesians Bass (voice type) Motif (music) Homophone 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 Auf Christi Himmelfahrt allein, BWV 128 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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