Selected bibliography General sources: Bukhofzer, Manfred F. Music in the Baroque Era. New York: W. W. Norton & Co.

, Inc, 1947. David, Hans and Mendel, Arthur. Revised by Christoph Wolff. The New Bach Reader: A Life of Johann Sebastian Bach in Letters and Documents. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., Inc., 1998. Miles, Russell H. Johann Sebastian Bach: An Introduction to his Life and Works. Englewood, NJ: PrenticeHall, Inc., 1962. Parry, C. Hubert H. Johann Sebastian Bach: The Story of the Development of a Great Personality. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1970. Spitta, Philipp. Johann Sebastian Bach: His Work and Influence on the Music of Germany, 1685-1750. Three volumes, translated by Clara Bell and J.A. Fuller-Maitland. New York: Dover Publications, 1952. Wolff, Christoph. The New Grove Bach Family. New York: W.W. Norton and Co., Inc., 1983. Performance practice: Butt, John. Bachs Vocal Scoring: What Can It Mean? Early Music, Vol. 26, No. 1 (Feb. 1998). Dreyfus, Lawrence. Bachs Continuo Group. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1987. Hochreither, Karl. Performance Practice of the Instrumental-Vocal Works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Translated by Melvin Unger. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2002. Parrott, Andrew. The Essential Bach Choir. Surrey: Boydell Press, 2000. Analysis: Chafe, Eric. Analyzing Bach Cantatas. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Daw, Stephen. The Music of Johann Sebastian Bach, The Choral Works. Rutherford, NJ: Farleigh Dickinson University Press, 1981. Robertson, Alec. The Church Cantatas of J.S. Bach. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1972. Urtext score: Durr, Alfred and Dr. Karl Heller and Werner Neumann. Neue Ausgabe Samtlicher Werke. Complete 40 volumes, Johann Sebastian Bach. Kritischer Bericht, ed. Kassell; Barenreiter, 1955. Other sources: Pelikan, Jaroslav. Bach Among the Theologians. Philadelphia, PA: Forterss Press, 1986.

Christopher Hrtel BWV 131 Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir (1707) MUSI 367 February 19, 2007 The cantata Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir was among the first fruits of Johann Sebastian Bachs (1985-1750) work as organist of St. Blasius church in the town of Mlhausen. Bach was granted the position following the passing of Johann Georg Ahle (1651-1706), the lesser organist of the same surname as his father, Johann Rudolph Ahle (1625-1673). Between them, the Ahles had held the position of organist for the better part of thirty years. Despite Bachs application, the job remained open for six months after the death of the younger Ahle, which indicates that (Bach) was not high on the list of prospects.1 Nevertheless, Bach was allowed to play a trial service, during Easter week in 1707. Shortly thereafter, a terrible fire destroyed a large portion of the town, and even a part of the church. In the chaos that followed, the appointment of an organist became a matter of much lower priority, and Bach was given the position, partly because he asked only for the same salary he was currently receiving in Arnstadt, plus the emoluments to which his predecessor had been entitled.2 Early in his short tenure at St. Blasius, Bach befriended the pastor at a neighboring Catholic church, the Reverend Georg Eilmar. The Reverend Eilmar was, unfortunately, at odds with Pastor Johann Frohne of Bachs own church.

Miles, Russell H. Johann Sebastian Bach: An Introduction to his Life and Works (Englewood, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1962.) p. 29 2 Spitta, Philipp. Johann Sebastian Bach: His Work and Influence on the Music of Germany, 1685-1750 (New York: Dover Publications, 1952.) Vol. 1, p. 33

Pastor Frohne was an adherent to the teachings of Phillip Spencer, A reformer who had split Lutheranism into two groups, much as Martin Luther had produced a cleavage in the Catholic Church2. Bachs friendship, although not good for his job security, was otherwise productive. In addition to becoming the godfather of Bachs first child, Pastor Eilmar evidently commissioned Aus der Tiefen in 1707. The autograph copy bears the inscription, Auf Begehren Tit. Herrn. D. Georg. Christ. Eilmars in die Musik gebracht von Joh. Seb. Bach, Org. Mulhusino (by the request of Herr D.G.C Eilmar, set to music by Joh. Seb. Bach, organist at Mlhausen)3 The cantata that later became known as BWV 131 was one of five sacred cantatas Bach composed at Mlhausen. The other four were later numbered BWV 196, 106, 71, and 4. None of these early cantatas use freely composed libretti along with their psalm texts, as was common of Bachs later Leipzig cantatas. St. Blasius was a very conservative church in a conservative town, and such adventurousness would have been frowned upon. BWV 131 has a symmetrical construction, chorusariachorusariachorus, which foreshadowed Bachs use of symmetry in the Passions. As we will see in the detailed analysis, this symmetry is reflected in the minutiae of the cantata as well.

Miles, Russell H. Johann Sebastian Bach: An Introduction to his Life and Works (Englewood, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1962.) p. 29 3 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Bach brought the cantata genre to its apex during his lifetime, so high in fact that shortly after his death, there were no composers to fill the void, and the cantata fell out of favor for use in weekly services. It is estimated that Bach composed five complete liturgical cycles worth of cantatas, some 300 of which remain extant in at least fragmentary form. Now let us examine what is perhaps his first cantata, BWV 131, Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir. The cantata opens with a 24-measure sinfonia which highlights the cantatas unusual instrumentation; oboe, violin, two violas, bassoon, and continuo. This scoring makes for a darker, richer sound than could be had with two violins and only one viola. Additionally, the bassoon selectively doubles the continuo, adding a reedy richness to its harmonic role. The continuo establishes g minor, and the strings follow, intoning the mournful descending motive that becomes the germ of the opening section. The melancholy is deepened by the entrance of the oboe with a poignant, lilting, complementary figure. The violin is shortly persuaded to join it, and the orchestra separates into two groups, the oboe and violin with the more melodic, rhythmically active voice, and the rest, mostly on quarter notes, providing harmonic support. The sinfonia moves, without first cadencing in g minor, to B flat major, where it repeats the motivic material from the opening measures in the new key. The modulation is confirmed by two perfect authentic cadences (PACs) at measures 10 and 16. Then, in the space of a single bar, Bach pivots quickly through c minor and back to g minor, where the oboe indulges in a little bit of motivic development. At measure 24, the voices enter, adding text to the melodic motive from the opening bar. The aus der Tiefen text is begun as a soprano/alto duet, which intensifies

considerably with the addition of the second part of the clause, rufe ich, Herr, zu dir. After this somewhat homophonic beginning, the alto enters alone at measure 26, setting up a polyphonic imitation in the soprano. This imitation is continued through the next two iterations of the opening text, expanding in scope and length each time. Between each polyphonic phrase, the chorus returns briefly to homophony, which the orchestra answers, setting up a choral/instrumental conversation which lasts until the end of the first section, at measure 57. The adagio section of the chorus also modulates, however unlike its companion sinfonia, it moves to d minor, followed by an instrumental codetta which cadences on a surprising D major triad, with the third in voiced low in the continuo. With a quick pivot similar to the earlier instrumental one, Bach takes us again to g minor, where we end the section on a cadence that also marks the sudden start of the vivace. The mood shifts from plaintive to declamatory, as the chorus enters with a homophonic shout of Herr, Herr hre meine Stimme. This alternates with the polyphonic and more supplicant setting of the next clause of the psalm text, las deine Ohren merken auf die Stimme meines Flehens. The vivace ends with two codettas, first a choral then an instrumental one. From there, Bach moves attacca into the first duet, for bass and soprano.

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This opening chorus, with its adagio and vivace sections, suggests binary form. There is considerable attention to text painting, with the descending motive of the aus der Tiefen at the opening, the homophonic shout at the opening of the vivace, and the broken, melismatic treatment of the word Flehens. This section also shows some of Bachs earliest indicated dynamics. The autograph score facsimile4 indicates changes ranging from pp to f in the section from mm. 88-93. The first duetto consists of psalm verses 3 and 4 sung by the baritone soloist, and a chorale text by Bartolomus Ringwaldt, sung by the sopranos and threaded through the aria in long tones, like a cantus firmus. The aria is in binary form, with the major structural division falling between the psalm verses. There are three main melodic motives sung by the soloist. The first is the opening motive, on the text, so du willt, from which the oboe picks up the paired eighth/sixteenth rhythm, and stays with it until long after the soloist has moved on. The second motive is made of eighth notes on a repeated pitch, and it is introduced at measure 11. This motive develops into the descending sixteenth note melisma that is the third motive, best expressed on the text, frchte. The juxtaposition of the psalm verses and the chorale text illustrate Bachs genius for text settings; together they make for a much more powerful message than either could alone. The psalm verses are infused with the awe and fear of the power of the Lord, and the hope for leniency in judgment. The chorale text illuminates the aspect of forgiveness in the psalm verse, and are in turn intensified by the psalms descriptions of the Lords power to forgive.

The second chorus begins with a striking declamation in E-flat major. This homophonic, six bar adagio opens with the text, Ich harre des Herrn. The three iterations of this text are divided by two ascending melismatic passages for individual sections, first altos, then tenors. This symmetrical adagio is a microcosm of the form of the complete work, three choruses divided by two duetti. Each of the three choral statements in the adagio end without a true cadence, and the last one leaves us on IV of the g minor which suffuses the entire work. A sense of harmonic unrest pervades this chorus, and increases as the adagio moves into the largo that follows. As we enter the fugal section of the chorus, the homophony of the opening section is abandoned, and each section is left alone, waiting for the Lord. The text is divided into the subject and countersubject of the fugue. The subject, meine Seele harret is set to a descending long-tone melisma that extends the word harret over as many as three measures. The countersubject, Ich hoffe auf sein Wort is syllabic, and the ich hoffe is repeated to accommodate the length of the subject. Surrounding the vocal elements of the fugue, the instruments are freed from simply doubling the voice parts. There is much happening here; the continuo is doubled by the bassoon, but where the former has a quarter note, the latter has an eighth note followed by an eighth rest. This adds surprising vitality and forward motion to the line. The violas have an ongoing conversation that is related to the ich hoffe motive in the vocal line, and the violin and oboe have a complementary duet that is independent of the other material in the chorus.

In the words of Whittaker, these things result in long stretches of eight-part writing which show an early command over intricate polyohony5 Bach also shows an early propensity for text painting, as the long, descending melisma on harret works exceedingly well to communicate longing for the Lord. The composer also uses some subtly effective harmonic devices to juxtapose the restlessness of waiting with the serenity of faith. There are only two true cadences in the chorus, the PACs at measures 40 and 42. In every other case, Bach either evades or subverts the cadential figure. During the first ten bars of the largo, the continuo has four recognizable cadential figures, but each one is weakened in some way. The first, at m. 8, is placed on a weak beat, and not aligned with the end of either the vocal figure or the oboe phrase. The second, at m. 11, is missing the strength of the eighth-note octave leap present in m. 8, and is also deliberately misaligned with the oboe phrase. At m. 13, the weaknesses of the two figures just described are combined, and at m. 16, any sense of repose is counterbalanced by the bass entrance on the fugue subject. After this point, we enter the region of greatest tonal instability, where Bach avoids anything more than a momentary suggestion of an established key; we taste D major, B-flat major, f minor, c minor, and finally we get a strong sense of impending g minor, which is subverted one last time with a deceptive cadence at m. 35. Ultimately, we feel the weight of g minor, and sure enough, we come back to it in the approach to the structural final cadence at m. 42.

W. Giles Whittaker, The Cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach, Sacred and Secular. (London: Oxford University Press,

1959), vol. 1, p. 35

We feel a sense of comfort in the presence of g minor, and perhaps that was meant as a salve for the listener. It is suggested that this cantata was composed to commemorate the great fire in Mlhausen on the eve of Bachs appointment to the position of organist. Perhaps the inescapable tonic is metaphor for the presence of God in the midst of strife and confusion. The second duet, for tenor and alto, sets the sixth verse of the psalm text (My soul waits for the Lord from one morning watch to the next) against another chorale text, also by Ringwaldt. Unlike the first duet, here there is a structural repeat in which the tenor sings the same text, but the alto sings the next two stanzas of the chorale tune to the same music. This aria is also in binary form, divided after the word Herrn. The division is not entirely symmetrical because of the repeated verse in the first part. Harmonically this duet is fairly stable, never straying too far from c minor. The instrumentation is sparse, just continuo and voice. What makes this duet interesting is the interplay between the restless, almost agitated continuo line, with the tenor solo against the ethereal, introspective chorale verses sung by the alto. The tenor avoids the tonic note almost entirely until his third entrance, adding to the longing for unity with the Lord. Even at the very end of the aria, Bach undermines the sense of finality by bringing the solo to a metrically weak close in the middle of a bar, leaving the listener with the sense that there is more to come. The third chorus sets the last two psalm verses. Like the second chorus, it opens with a thrice-repeated, homophonic statement from the tutti chorus and orchestra, this time on the word, Israel. Immediately, the tempo accelerates, with the oboe and violin in paired sixteenth notes, and the chorus tells us to hoffe auf den Herrn (trust in the

Lord). This quickly becomes a short imitative section, as the word hoffe becomes neumatic. The tonal center shifts briefly during this section, as we cadence in B-flat major in m. 8, but we return quickly to g minor. At m. 13 we encounter a chorale-like adagio in which the chorus sings the text, denn bei dem Herrn ist die Gnade. This is transformed into a joyous allegro at m. 21, and a polyphonic setting of, und viel Erlsung bei ihm. At this point, the bassoon gets a rare chance to play independently of the continuo group, with a very athletic, extended passage of running and leaping sixteenth notes. This is complemented by the oboe and violin who share a bit of playful imitation. The chorus has an upward-leaping neumatic expression of the word Erlsung, which is interrupted by eighth rests, making for interesting articulation. At m. 27, the air suddenly clears, and we hear the sopranos begin the final, double fugue. Two subjects, one in eighth notes, and the other in longer tones, wrap themselves around a countersubject of sixteenth notes for six pages of polyphonic glory. The instruments are not strictly doubling the voices; after a respectful silence to let the chorus get off and running, they join in the counterpoint at m. 36 with thematic material derived from the three main themes. The texture ebbs and flows, until we approach the end, where the busy countersubject and its derivations are in control of five of the ten staves of the score. We reach a PAC in g minor at m. 68 that is tweaked into G major a bar later after a tiny tutti codetta. At long last, we have come full circle, returning to the same adagio, homophonic texture that began the movement, but with a surprising twist; Bach ends the cantata on a Phrygian half-cadence, leaving the relative major hanging in the air,

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unresolved. Perhaps this leaves the listener with the thought that salvation is not necessarily assured, but rather that the jury is still out. There are some performance-related issued with this cantata, the most important being that it is quite low, especially for basses and altos. The basses must sing from low C to E-flat above the staff, and the tenor and soprano lines are often set below their most brilliant ranges. This can lead to a perceived lack of clarity in the vocal writing, especially if performed at period pitch (A=418). Although the work is scored for two violas and one violin, a second violin can easily be substituted for the first viola, there being only one note that is below its range, and that can be sent up the octave to accommodate. This must be done with awareness of the timbre changes wrought by such a change. BWV 131 is quite progressive, especially when one considers the circumstances of Bachs tenure at Mlhausen, and his age. The juxtaposition of chorale and psalm text shows signs of the genius Bach had yet to unleash, and his mastery of advanced counterpoint and instrumental writing is impressive. We can forgive the low tessiturae for the vocal lines as the product of immaturity, for the result is glorious nonetheless. Following Bachs death, the cantata saw a rapid decline in popularity. There were still some competent composers writing them, but with the coming of the Enlightenment, the stylized, High Baroque nature of the genre lost its hold on the imagination. By the time of Mozart (1756-1791), the cantata had become an anachronism. It was not until the time of Mendelssohn (1809-1847) that the cantata underwent something of a Romanticera rebirth, although it never reached the towering importance it had attained under Bach.

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Text and Translation6

1. Chorus (Psalm 129: 1,2) Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, herr, zu dir Herr, hre meine Stimme las deine Ohren merken auf die Stimme meines Flehens! 2. Aria (bass) and Chorale (soprano) (Psalm 129: 3,4; Chorale by Bartolomus Ringwaldt) Aria So du willst, Herr, Snde zurechnen Herr, wer wird bestehen? Chorale Erbarm dich mein in solcher Last, Nimm sie aus meinem Herzen Dieweil du sie gebset hast Am Holz mit Todesschmerzen. Aria Denn bei dir ist die Vergebung, dass man dich frchte. Chorale Auf dass ich nicht mit grossem Weh In meinen Snden untergeh Noch ewiglich verzage. 3. Chorus (Psalm 129:5) Ich harre des Herrn, meine Seele harret, und ich Hoffe auf sein Wort. 4. Aria (tenor) and Chorale (alto) (Psalm 129:6a, Chorale by B. Ringwaldt) Aria Meine Seele wartet auf den Herrn von einer Morgenwache bis zu der andern. My soul waits for the Lord From one morning-watch To the next. I wait for the Lord, My soul waits, And I trust in his word. So that I neither with great sadness May perish from my sins Nor forever despair. For with you is forgiveness, That one may fear you. Have mercy on me in such distress, Take the burden from my heart For you have atoned (for) it On the cross with deaths pains. If you, Lord, were to note iniquities Lord, who will withstand (your scrutiny?) Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord Lord, hear my voice Let your ears attend To the voice of my supplication!

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Chorale Und weil ich denn in meinem Sinn, Wie ich zuvor geklaget, Auch ein betrbter Snder bin, Den sein Gewissen naget, Und wollte gern im Blute dein Von Snden abgewaschen sein Wie David und Manasse. 5. Chorus (Psalm 129: 7,8) Israel, hoffe auch den Herrn; denn bei dem Herrn ist die Gnade und viel Erlsung bei ihm. Und er wird Israel erlsen aus allen seinen Snden Israel, trust in the Lord For with the Lord there is Grace And much redemption with Him. And he will redeem Israel From all its sins. And since in my mind, As I have long lamented, And I too am a troubled sinner, Who is gnawed by his conscience, And I want very much in your blood To be cleansed of sins Like David and Manasseh*.

Manasseh pertains to a story in 2 Chronicles 33 of King Manasseh who ignored the Lord and experienced his wrath by being conquered and led away in chains by the Assyrians. Thereafter, he humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers and was restored to his throne. 7

6 7

Jeffers, Ron. Translations and Annotations of Choral Repertoire, (Corvallis, OR: Earthsongs, 2000) p. 21 Ibid, p. 22

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