BWV 10
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In 1724
Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...
composed the church cantata ''Meine Seel erhebt den Herren'', 10, as part of his second cantata cycle. Taken from
Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...
's German translation of the
Magnificat The Magnificat (Latin for " y soulmagnifies he Lord) is a canticle, also known as the Song of Mary, the Canticle of Mary and, in the Byzantine tradition, the Ode of the Theotokos (). It is traditionally incorporated into the liturgical servic ...
canticle A canticle (from the Latin ''canticulum'', a diminutive of ''canticum'', "song") is a hymn, psalm or other Christian song of praise with lyrics usually taken from biblical or holy texts. Canticles are used in Christian liturgy. Catholic Church ...
(" Meine Seele erhebt den Herren"), the title translates as "My soul magnifies the Lord". Also known as Bach's ''German Magnificat'', the work follows his chorale cantata format. Bach composed ''Meine Seel erhebt den Herren'' for the Feast of the Visitation (2 July), which commemorates
Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
's visit to
Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
as narrated in the
Gospel of Luke The Gospel of Luke), or simply Luke (which is also its most common form of abbreviation). tells of the origins, birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Together with the Acts of the Apostles, it makes up a two-vol ...
, 1st chapter, verses 39 to 56. In that narrative the words of the Magnificat, Luke 1:46–55, are spoken by Mary. Traditionally, Luther's translation of the biblical text is sung to a German variant of the tonus peregrinus or ninth
psalm tone In chant, a reciting tone (also called a recitation tone) can refer to either a repeated musical pitch or to the entire melodic formula for which that pitch is a structural note. In Gregorian chant, the first is also called tenor, dominant or tuba ...
, concluding with a
doxology A doxology (Ancient Greek: ''doxologia'', from , '' doxa'' 'glory' and -, -''logia'' 'saying') is a short hymn of praises to God in various forms of Christian worship, often added to the end of canticles, psalms, and hymns. The tradition derive ...
, translated from the
Gloria Patri The Gloria Patri, also known as the Glory Be to the Father or, colloquially, the Glory Be, is a doxology, a short hymn of praise to God in various Christian liturgies. It is also referred to as the Minor Doxology ''(Doxologia Minor)'' or Lesser ...
, on the same tune. Bach based his BWV 10 cantata on Luther's German Magnificat and its traditional setting, working text and melody into the composition as he had done with
Lutheran hymn Martin Luther was a great enthusiast for music, and this is why it forms a large part of Lutheran services; in particular, Luther admired the composers Josquin des Prez and Ludwig Senfl and wanted singing in the church to move away from the ''a ...
s in other
chorale cantata A chorale cantata is a church cantata based on a chorale—in this context a Lutheran chorale. It is principally from the German Baroque era. The organizing principle is the words and music of a Lutheran hymn. Usually a chorale cantata includes m ...
s. By early July 1724 Bach was more than a month into his second year as
Thomaskantor (Cantor at St. Thomas) is the common name for the musical director of the , now an internationally known boys' choir founded in Leipzig in 1212. The official historic title of the Thomaskantor in Latin, ', describes the two functions of cantor a ...
in
Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
. BWV 10 is the fifth of 40 chorale cantatas he started that year. The outer movements of the cantata are set for
mixed choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...
and an orchestra consisting of
trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
, two
oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...
s, strings and continuo. Luther's translation of Luke 1:46–48 is the text of the first movement. The canticle's doxology is the text of the last movement. The five middle movements are a succession of
aria In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...
s and
recitative Recitative (, also known by its Italian name "''recitativo''" ()) is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repeat ...
s, with, between the fourth and sixth movement, a duet for alto and
tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...
. Soprano and bass each have one aria, and the two recitatives are sung by the tenor. The text of the arias and recitatives is paraphrased and expanded from Luke 1:49–53 and 55. The text of the duet is Luther's translation of Luke 1:54. The melody associated with Luther's German Magnificat appears in movements 1, 5 and 7. The music of two of the cantata's movements was published in the 18th century: an organ transcription of the duet was published around 1748 as one of the ''
Schübler Chorales ' ( 'six chorales of diverse kinds, to be played on an organ with two manuals and pedal'), commonly known as the ''Schübler Chorales'' (german: Schübler-Choräle), BWV 645–650, is a set of chorale preludes composed by Johann Sebastian ...
'', and the closing chorale was included in C. P. E. Bach's 1780s collection of his father's four-part chorales. The entire cantata was published in the first volume of the 19th-century first complete edition of Bach's works. In 20th- and 21st-century concert and recording practice the cantata is often combined with other German-language cantatas, but also several times with settings of the Latin Magnificat, by Bach and other composers.


Background

Late May 1723 Bach took office as
Thomaskantor (Cantor at St. Thomas) is the common name for the musical director of the , now an internationally known boys' choir founded in Leipzig in 1212. The official historic title of the Thomaskantor in Latin, ', describes the two functions of cantor a ...
( Kantor at St. Thomas) and director musices (music director) in Leipzig. He remained in that office until his death in 1750. From the first Sunday after
Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...
in 1723, that year falling on 30 May, to Trinity Sunday of the next year he presented a series of church cantatas known as his first cantata cycle. The cantatas of that cycle were often based on music he had composed before his Leipzig period. From the first Sunday after Trinity in 1724, that year falling on 11 June, he started his second cantata cycle with forty
chorale cantata A chorale cantata is a church cantata based on a chorale—in this context a Lutheran chorale. It is principally from the German Baroque era. The organizing principle is the words and music of a Lutheran hymn. Usually a chorale cantata includes m ...
s composed to new librettos. Each of these librettos was based on the text of a known chorale, usually a
Lutheran hymn Martin Luther was a great enthusiast for music, and this is why it forms a large part of Lutheran services; in particular, Luther admired the composers Josquin des Prez and Ludwig Senfl and wanted singing in the church to move away from the ''a ...
, the tune of which was adopted by Bach in his setting. The first weeks of the post Trinitatem (after Trinity) season included the Feast of John the Baptist (24 June) and the Feast of the Visitation (2 July). In Bach's time
Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
Leipzig observed three
Marian feasts Marian feast days in the liturgical year are celebrated in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The number of Marian feasts celebrated, their names (and at times dates) can vary among Christian denominations. History and development Early history ...
requiring . In the context of the liturgical year Visitation was the third of such occasions, after Purification, falling in the period of the Sundays after Epiphany, and Annunciation, falling around
Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
. Several traditions regarding these Marian feasts, such as the selection of readings for the church services, were continued from the period before Leipzig had adopted
Lutheranism Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
. Cantatas with a text in the native language had, since the early 18th century, become the dominant genre of figural music in Reformed German regions. Practices rooted in older traditions included the occasional performance of a Latin Magnificat on occasions such as Marian Feasts or Christmas. ''Meine Seel erhebt den Herren'', BWV 10, for Visitation, is the fifth chorale cantata Bach presented in 1724. Its text is based on Luther's German translation of the Magnificat. The singing tune associated with that version of the Magnificat, a German variant of the tonus peregrinus, appears in Bach's composition.


Readings, text and tune

The prescribed readings for the feast day were from the Book of Isaiah, the
prophecy In religion, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a '' prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divine will or law, or pr ...
of the
Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...
(), and from the
Gospel of Luke The Gospel of Luke), or simply Luke (which is also its most common form of abbreviation). tells of the origins, birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Together with the Acts of the Apostles, it makes up a two-vol ...
the narration of
Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
's visit to
Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
, which includes her song of praise, the
Magnificat The Magnificat (Latin for " y soulmagnifies he Lord) is a canticle, also known as the Song of Mary, the Canticle of Mary and, in the Byzantine tradition, the Ode of the Theotokos (). It is traditionally incorporated into the liturgical servic ...
(). This gospel reading is a biblical episode that is often represented in art, especially in music where it has become a traditional part of Vesper services. In Bach's time, the German Magnificat was regularly sung in Leipzig in vespers in a four-part setting of the ninth
psalm tone In chant, a reciting tone (also called a recitation tone) can refer to either a repeated musical pitch or to the entire melodic formula for which that pitch is a structural note. In Gregorian chant, the first is also called tenor, dominant or tuba ...
( tonus peregrinus) by
Johann Hermann Schein Johann Hermann Schein (20 January 1586 – 19 November 1630) was a German composer of the early Baroque era. He was Thomaskantor in Leipzig from 1615 to 1630. He was one of the first to import the early Italian stylistic innovations into Germa ...
. Different from the other chorale cantatas of the cycle, the base for text and music is not a
chorale Chorale is the name of several related musical forms originating in the music genre of the Lutheran chorale: * Hymn tune of a Lutheran hymn (e.g. the melody of "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"), or a tune in a similar format (e.g. one of the th ...
, but the German Magnificat. It is a
canticle A canticle (from the Latin ''canticulum'', a diminutive of ''canticum'', "song") is a hymn, psalm or other Christian song of praise with lyrics usually taken from biblical or holy texts. Canticles are used in Christian liturgy. Catholic Church ...
, a biblical song in prose concluded by the traditional
doxology A doxology (Ancient Greek: ''doxologia'', from , '' doxa'' 'glory' and -, -''logia'' 'saying') is a short hymn of praises to God in various forms of Christian worship, often added to the end of canticles, psalms, and hymns. The tradition derive ...
. The text is based on Luther's translation of the biblical song to German in the
Luther Bible The Luther Bible (german: Lutherbibel) is a German language Bible translation from Latin sources by Martin Luther. The New Testament was first published in September 1522, and the complete Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments with Apocry ...
, and on the doxology. In the format of the chorale cantata cycle, an unknown
librettist A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major litu ...
retained some parts of Luther's wording, while he
paraphrase A paraphrase () is a restatement of the meaning of a text or passage using other words. The term itself is derived via Latin ', . The act of paraphrasing is also called ''paraphrasis''. History Although paraphrases likely abounded in oral tra ...
d other passages for
recitative Recitative (, also known by its Italian name "''recitativo''" ()) is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repeat ...
s and
aria In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...
s. He used the original verses 46–48 for the first movement, verse 54 for the fifth movement, and the doxology for the seventh movement. He paraphrased verse 49 for the second movement, verses 50–51 for the third, verses 52–53 for the fourth, and verse 55 for the sixth movement, the latter expanded by a reference to the birth of Jesus. Bach's music is based on the traditional ninth psalm tone which was familiar to the Leipzig congregation.


Magnificats and Visitation cantatas in Bach's Leipzig

One of Bach's predecessors as director musices of the Neukirche in Leipzig was Melchior Hoffmann. Around 1707 he composed a German Magnificat in A minor based on Luther's German translation of the Magnificat. The portfolio of performance parts of this composition was updated until well into Bach's time in Leipzig. The work, known as Kleines Magnificat (Little Magnificat), was for some time attributed to Bach, but later listed as spurious in the BWV catalogue ( BWV Anh. 21 / Anh. III 168‑>). BWV 189, a Visitation cantata on a libretto that paraphrases the text of the Magnificat canticle, also seems rather to have been composed by Hoffmann than by Bach, to whom this work used to be attributed.
Alfred Dürr Alfred Dürr (3 March 1918 – 7 April 2011) was a German musicologist. He was a principal editor of the Neue Bach-Ausgabe, the second edition of the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Professional career Dürr studied musicology and Clas ...
, Yoshitake Kobayashi (eds.), Kirsten Beißwenger. ''
Bach Werke Verzeichnis The (BWV; ; ) is a catalogue of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. It was first published in 1950, edited by Wolfgang Schmieder. The catalogue's second edition appeared in 1990. An abbreviated version of that second edition, known as BWV2a ...
: Kleine Ausgabe, nach der von Wolfgang Schmieder vorgelegten 2. Ausgabe''. Preface in English and German. Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1998. - , pp.&nbs
458


/ref>
Johann Kuhnau Johann Kuhnau (; 6 April 16605 June 1722) was a German polymath, known primarily as a composer today. He was also active as a novelist, translator, lawyer, and music theorist, and was able to combine these activities with his duties in his offici ...
, Bach's predecessor as Thomaskantor, composed a Latin Magnificat in two versions: one version with only the Latin text of the Magnificat for Marian feasts such as Visitation, and another version expanded with four German and Latin '' laudes'' relating to Christmas.Dennis Shrock
Choral Repertoire
Oxford University Press, 2009, pp. 277–280.
When Bach presented his Latin Magnificat in 1723 (E-flat major version, BWV 243a) it had the same expandable format: without ''laudes'' for Visitation, and with four ''laudes'', on the same text as Kuhnau's, for Christmas. Another composition presented by Bach at that year's feast of the Visitation was ''Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben'', BWV 147, an expanded version of an Advent cantata composed before his Leipzig period ( BWV 147a). A repeat performance of BWV 243a may have accompanied the first performance of BWV 10 on 2 July 1724. The libretto of the cantata performed in Leipzig at the feast of the Visitation of 1725 survives.
Maria Aurora von Königsmarck Countess Maria Aurora von Königsmarck (sv: ''Aurora Königsmarck'') (28 August 166216 February 1728) was a Swedish and German noblewoman of Brandenburg extraction and mistress of Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. Life A ...
is the possible author of this Magnificat paraphrase. Around a decade before the libretto was reprinted in Leipzig it had already been set by
Reinhard Keiser Reinhard Keiser (9 January 1674 – 12 September 1739) was a German opera composer based in Hamburg. He wrote over a hundred operas. Johann Adolf Scheibe (writing in 1745) considered him an equal to Johann Kuhnau, George Frideric Handel and Georg ...
and
Johann Mattheson Johann Mattheson (28 September 1681 – 17 April 1764) was a German composer, singer, writer, lexicographer, diplomat and music theorist. Early life and career The son of a prosperous tax collector, Mattheson received a broad liberal education ...
. It is not known whether Bach set the libretto, neither which setting of the libretto was used for the 1725 Visitation feast in Leipzig. A year later Bach performed ''Der Herr wird ein Neues im Lande'', JLB 13, a Visitation cantata by his second cousin
Johann Ludwig Bach Johann Ludwig Bach ( – 1 May 1731) was a German composer and violinist. He was born in Thal near Eisenach. At the age of 22 he moved to Meiningen eventually being appointed cantor there, and later Kapellmeister. He wrote a large amount of musi ...
.
Picander Christian Friedrich Henrici (January 14, 1700 – May 10, 1764), writing under the pen name Picander, was a German poet and librettist for many of the cantatas which Johann Sebastian Bach composed in Leipzig. Henrici was born in Stolpen. He stud ...
's libretto for the Visitation cantata of 1728 may have been set as part of Bach's fourth cantata cycle: the libretto, surviving without music, starts with a ''
dictum In general usage, a dictum ( in Latin; plural dicta) is an authoritative or dogmatic statement. In some contexts, such as legal writing and church cantata librettos, ''dictum'' can have a specific meaning. Legal writing In United States legal ter ...
'' quoted from Luther's German translation of Luke 1:46–47.
Picander Christian Friedrich Henrici (January 14, 1700 – May 10, 1764), writing under the pen name Picander, was a German poet and librettist for many of the cantatas which Johann Sebastian Bach composed in Leipzig. Henrici was born in Stolpen. He stud ...
(=Christian Friedrich Henrici)
''Ernst-Schertzhaffte und Satyrische Gedichte'', Volume III.
Leipzig: Joh. Theod. Boetii Tochter (1732; 2nd printing 1737)
pp. 153–155
/ref> Around 1733 Bach transposed his Latin Magnificat to D major ( BWV 243). Besides transposing, he also applied a few modifications: for instance in the movement that has Luke 1:54 as text he replaced the trumpet as performer of the
cantus firmus In music, a ''cantus firmus'' ("fixed melody") is a pre-existing melody forming the basis of a polyphonic composition. The plural of this Latin term is , although the corrupt form ''canti firmi'' (resulting from the grammatically incorrect tre ...
by two oboes. Around a decade later Bach prepared two Latin Magnificats by other composers for performance ( BWV 1082, BWV Anh. 30).Kirsten Beißwenger (ed.
''Werke zweifelhafter Echtheit, Bearbeitungen fremder Kompositionen''
(Volume 9 of Series II: Masses, Passions, Oratorios from the
New Bach Edition The New Bach Edition (NBE) (german: Neue Bach-Ausgabe; NBA), is the second complete edition of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, published by Bärenreiter. The name is short for Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750): New Edition of the Complete W ...
). Bärenreiter, 2000.
Probably around the same time Bach performed BWV 10 again. Several characteristics of the Magnificats and Visitation cantatas of the first half of the 18th century are combined in Bach's German Magnificat: it uses text of Luther's translation of the Magnificat, like BWV Anh. 21 and Picander's 1728 libretto, and it uses text paraphrased from the Magnificat like BWV 189 and the 1725 Visitation cantata. Like the Meiningen libretto used for JLB 13 the cantata not only starts with a ''dictum'' but also has a second ''dictum'', directly quoted from Luther's translation of the
New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...
, near the middle of the cantata (movement 4, "Meine Seele erhebt den Herrn", in Johann Ludwig's cantata, and movement 5, "Er denket der Barmherzigkeit" in BWV 10).Maria Zadori, Kai Wessel, David Cordier, Wilfried Jochens, Hans-Georg Wimmer, Stephan Schreckenberger, Harry van der Kamp, the
Rheinische Kantorei The Rheinische Kantorei is a German vocal ensemble of baroque music accompanied by an instrumental ensemble called Das Kleine Konzert. History The Rheinische Kantorei and Das Kleine Konzert were founded in 1977 by the German conductor Hermann M ...
, the Kleine Konzert and
Hermann Max Hermann Max (born 1941 in Goslar) is a German choral conductor. In 1977, he founded the Jugendkantorei Dormagen, which in 1985 became the basis of the Rheinische Kantorei and Das Kleine Konzert. In 1992 he founded the Knechtsteden Early Music Fes ...
(conductor
''Missa Brevis "Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr"''.
Capriccio, 2004
This characteristic sets BWV 10 apart from Bach's other chorale cantatas, which as a rule contained quotes from Lutheran hymns, not from biblical prose. Some musical similarities between BWV 10 and Bach's Latin Magnificat have been described.
Philipp Spitta Julius August Philipp Spitta (27 December 1841 – 13 April 1894) was a German music historian and musicologist best known for his 1873 biography of Johann Sebastian Bach. Life He was born in , near Hoya, and his father, also called Phil ...
sees a similar musical treatment at the end of the respective movements based on the Luke 1:51 text, which are the central "Fecit potentiam" movement of the Latin Magnificat and the third "Des Höchsten Güt und Treu" movement of BWV 10.
Philipp Spitta Julius August Philipp Spitta (27 December 1841 – 13 April 1894) was a German music historian and musicologist best known for his 1873 biography of Johann Sebastian Bach. Life He was born in , near Hoya, and his father, also called Phil ...
. '' Johann Sebastian Bach: His Work and Influence on the Music of Germany, 1685–1750'', translated by Clara Bell and J. A. Fuller Maitland
Vol. 2.
Novello & Co Wise Music Group is a global music publisher, with headquarters in Berners Street, London. In February 2020, Wise Music Group changed its name from The Music Sales Group. In 2014 Wise Music Group (as The Music Sales Group) acquired French cla ...
, 1899
pp. 380–381
/ref> The movements with respectively the German and Latin text of Luke 1:54 present the tonus peregrinus melody associated with Luther's German Magnificat as a cantus firmus played by
wind instrument A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator (usually a tube) in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into (or over) a mouthpiece set at or near the end of the resonator. The pitc ...
s. The "Suscepit Israel" movement of the BWV 243a version of the Latin Magnificat has that cantus firmus performed by a trumpet. In the later BWV 243 version of the same movement the trumpet has been replaced by two oboes. In the corresponding movement of BWV 10 (" Er denket der Barmherzigkeit") the cantus firmus is performed by the trumpet and the two oboes.
Masaaki Suzuki is a Japanese organist, harpsichordist and conductor, and the founder and music director of the Bach Collegium Japan. With this ensemble he is recording the complete choral works of Johann Sebastian Bach for the Swedish label BIS Records, for wh ...
assumes that this should be interpreted as trumpet for the original 1724 version, replaced by two oboes in the 1740s revival version, the same modification that occurred to the related movement of the Latin Magnificat.


Place of BWV 10 in Bach's chorale cantata cycle

Bach followed a specific structure for most of the cantatas of his
chorale cantata cycle Johann Sebastian Bach's chorale cantata cycle is the year-cycle of church cantatas he started composing in Leipzig from the first Sunday after Trinity in 1724. It followed the cantata cycle he had composed from his appointment as Thomaskantor after ...
, especially the 40 he presented consecutively from the first Sunday after Trinity of 1724 to
Palm Sunday Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. Palm Sunday marks the first day of Hol ...
of 1725. In this chorale cantata format he retained the original text and melody of the chorale on which the cantata was based in the outer stanzas, typically treating the first as a
chorale fantasia Chorale fantasia is a type of large composition based on a chorale melody, both works for organ, and vocal settings, for example the opening movements of Bach's chorale cantatas, with the chorale melody as a cantus firmus. History Chorale fantas ...
and the last as a four-part chorale setting, while the inner stanzas were reworded by a librettist as the basis for
recitative Recitative (, also known by its Italian name "''recitativo''" ()) is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repeat ...
s and
aria In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...
s, usually with music independent of the chorale tune. 19th-century Bach scholars were largely unaware of the composition history of the chorale cantatas, and how Bach conceived the cycle of these cantatas: * When
Alfred Dörffel Alfred Dörffel (24 January 1821 – 22 January 1905) was a German pianist, music publisher and librarian. Career Dörffel was born in Waldenburg, Saxony, the son of August Friedrich Dörffel and his wife Christiane Charlotte, née Kröhne. He ...
listed Bach's chorale cantatas as a cycle in 1878 he ranged ''Meine Seel erhebt den Herren'' between the cantata for the sixth Sunday after Trinity ( BWV 9) and the one for the seventh Sunday after Trinity ( BWV 107). Dörffel, Alfred (1878).
Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe Joh. Seb. Bach's Werke () is the Bach Gesellschaft's collected edition of Johann Sebastian Bach's compositions, published in 61 volumes in the second half of the 19th century. The series is also known as Bach-Gesellschaft edition (german: Bach-Gese ...
Volume 27: '' Thematisches Verzeichniss der Kirchencantaten No. 1–120''.
Breitkopf & Härtel Breitkopf & Härtel is the world's oldest music publishing house. The firm was founded in 1719 in Leipzig by Bernhard Christoph Breitkopf. The catalogue currently contains over 1,000 composers, 8,000 works and 15,000 music editions or books on ...

"Vorwort" (Preface)
p. VII
* Spitta described Bach's chorale cantatas rather as a group than as a cycle, and thought that most of them, including BWV 10, were not composed before the mid-1730s.
Philipp Spitta Julius August Philipp Spitta (27 December 1841 – 13 April 1894) was a German music historian and musicologist best known for his 1873 biography of Johann Sebastian Bach. Life He was born in , near Hoya, and his father, also called Phil ...
. '' Johann Sebastian Bach: His Work and Influence on the Music of Germany, 1685–1750'', translated by Clara Bell and J. A. Fuller Maitland
Vol. 3.
Novello & Co Wise Music Group is a global music publisher, with headquarters in Berners Street, London. In February 2020, Wise Music Group changed its name from The Music Sales Group. In 2014 Wise Music Group (as The Music Sales Group) acquired French cla ...
, 1899
pp. 89–99
an
endnote 3 pp. 285–287
/ref> Details about the history, organisation and coherence of the cycle were only elucidated in the second half of the 20th century, by scholars such as
Alfred Dürr Alfred Dürr (3 March 1918 – 7 April 2011) was a German musicologist. He was a principal editor of the Neue Bach-Ausgabe, the second edition of the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Professional career Dürr studied musicology and Clas ...
. According to this research the chronology of the first six chorale cantatas Bach presented in 1724 is updated as follows (K numbers of the first edition of the chronological Zwang catalogue are given between brackets):Günther Zedler
''Die Kantaten von Johann Sebastian Bach: Eine Einführung in die Werkgattung''.
Books on Demand, 2011.
p. 32
/ref>Philippe (and Gérard) Zwang. ''Guide pratique des cantates de Bach''. Paris, 1982. # 11 June, Trinity I: ''O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort'', BWV 20 ( K 74) # 18 June, Trinity II: ( K 75) # 24 June, St. John's Day: ( K 76) # 25 June, Trinity III: ( K 77) # 2 July, Visitation (in 1724 coinciding with Trinity IV): ''Meine Seel erhebt den Herren'', BWV 10 ( K 78) # 9 July, Trinity V: ''Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten'', BWV 93 ( K 79) The strong coherence between the first four cantatas of this series, as belonging to the same set, has been described for instance by
Christoph Wolff Christoph Wolff (born 24 May 1940) is a German musicologist. He is best known for his works on the music, life, and period of Johann Sebastian Bach. Christoph Wolff is an emeritus professor of Harvard University, and was part of the faculty sinc ...
. The first of these cantatas begins with a chorale fantasia in the form of a
French overture The French overture is a musical form widely used in the Baroque period. Its basic formal division is into two parts, which are usually enclosed by double bars and repeat signs. They are complementary in style (slow in dotted rhythms and fast in ...
, with the soprano singing the cantus firmus of the chorale. The opening movement of the cantata for the next Sunday is in motet style, with the cantus firmus sung by the alto. For the next occasion, St. John's Day, Bach wrote a cantata with an opening movement in the style of an Italian
violin concerto A violin concerto is a concerto for solo violin (occasionally, two or more violins) and instrumental ensemble (customarily orchestra). Such works have been written since the Baroque period, when the solo concerto form was first developed, up thro ...
, in which the cantus firmus was given to the tenor. The next day followed a cantata opening with a movement in vocal and instrumental counterpoint with the cantus firmus sung by the bass. Conductor
John Eliot Gardiner Sir John Eliot Gardiner (born 20 April 1943) is an English conductor, particularly known for his performances of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Life and career Born in Fontmell Magna, Dorset, son of Rolf Gardiner and Marabel Hodgkin, Ga ...
writes about these first four cantatas of the chorale cantata cycle: "Together they make a fascinating and contrasted portfolio of choral fantasia openings." Libretto publications in Bach's Leipzig more than once grouped the first four cantatas after Trinity, or started a new publication with the cantata for the fifth occasion after Trinity.Tatiana Shabalin
"Recent Discoveries in St Petersburg and their Meaning for the Understanding of Bach's Cantatas"
pp. 77–99 i
''Understanding Bach'' 4
2009, pp. 88–89
In 1724 that fifth occasion was Visitation, for which Bach composed . It is not a typical second cycle chorale cantata in the sense that it was based on a prose text (lacking the
metre The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its prefi ...
of a hymn text) and a
Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainsong, plainchant, a form of monophony, monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek (language), Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed ma ...
melody (lacking a musical metre). Further, the unmodified canticle text and chant melody not only appeared in the outer movements but also in one of the middle movements (the duet, No. 5). The text of the final movement was a generic doxology which could be appended to any religious chant, while other chorale cantatas commonly ended with a text that only appeared in the hymn from which it was quoted.
BWV 125 Johann Sebastian Bach composed the cantata (; "With peace and joy I depart"), , for use in a Lutheran service. He composed this chorale cantata in Leipzig in 1725 for the feast for the Purification of Mary, which is celebrated on 2 February an ...
, Bach's chorale cantata for Purification based on the '' Canticle of Simeon'' (Luke 2:29–32), does not have these exceptions to the second cycle format: it is based on Luther's versified paraphrase of the canticle and its metrical hymn melody. Nonetheless, Dürr writes about BWV 10 (here rendered in Richard D. P. Jones' translation): "if ever a work deserved the description 'chorale cantata' it is this, for it is based on a genuine (Gregorian) chorale melody". In 1724 the feast of the Visitation fell on the fourth Sunday after Trinity, thus the next cantata Bach composed was a chorale cantata for the fifth Sunday after Trinity. Bach did apparently not compose a cantata for the sixt Sunday after Trinity in 1724 while absent from Leipzig. Bach's second year in Leipzig passed without composing a chorale cantata specifically for the fourth Sunday after Trinity. He composed one for this occasion in 1732, ''Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ'', BWV 177, one of the later additions to the chorale cantata cycle. Also for Trinity VI Bach composed a chorale cantata at a later date (BWV 9).


Music


Structure and scoring

Bach structured the cantata in seven movements. The first and last are set for four-part choir, and are based on the chant melody. They frame recitatives, arias and a duet of the soloists: ( soprano (S), alto (A),
tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...
(T) and bass (B). The orchestra of typical
baroque instruments Musical instruments used in Baroque music were partly used already before, partly are still in use today, but with no technology. The movement to perform music in a historically informed way, trying to recreate the sound of the period, led to the ...
is listed on the folder containing the original parts as follows: ''"Festo Visitationis , Mariae , Meine Seel erhebt den Herren. , â , 4. Voc: , Tromba. , 2.
Hautbois The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...
. , 2. Violini. ,
Viola ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...
, e , Continuo , di Sigl. , J. S. Bach."'' The "tromba" or trumpet is only used to highlight the cantus firmus and may have been a tromba da tirarsi, a slide trumpet.
Alfred Dürr Alfred Dürr (3 March 1918 – 7 April 2011) was a German musicologist. He was a principal editor of the Neue Bach-Ausgabe, the second edition of the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Professional career Dürr studied musicology and Clas ...
gives the duration of the piece as 23 minutes. In the following table of the movements, the column "text" links to the ''
World English Bible The World English Bible (WEB) is an English translation of the Bible freely shared online. The translation work began in 1994 and was deemed complete in 2020. Created by volunteers with oversight by Michael Paul Johnson, the WEB is an updated ...
'', adding "Luther" for the movements kept in his translation, and "anon." for paraphrased and expanded versions of the unknown librettist.


Movements


1

The opening
chorale fantasia Chorale fantasia is a type of large composition based on a chorale melody, both works for organ, and vocal settings, for example the opening movements of Bach's chorale cantatas, with the chorale melody as a cantus firmus. History Chorale fantas ...
is marked
vivace In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...
(lively). Bach begins the movement with an instrumental introduction that is unrelated to the psalm tone. It is a trio of the violins and the continuo, with the oboes doubling the violin, and the viola filling the harmony. The main motif stands for joy and is set in "rhythmical propulsion". The chorus enters after 12 measures with "" (My soul magnifies the Lord). The cantus firmus is in the soprano, doubled by a trumpet, whereas the lower voices add free
polyphony Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, ...
on motifs from the introduction. Bach treats the second verse similarly, but with the third verse, "" (for he has looked at the humble state of his handmaid), the cantus firmus appears in the alto. Certain words, such as "freuet" (rejoice) and "selig preisen" (call me blessed) are adorned with
melismas Melisma ( grc-gre, μέλισμα, , ; from grc, , melos, song, melody, label=none, plural: ''melismata'') is the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession. Music sung in this style is refe ...
. The movement is concluded by a vocal setting without cantus firmus embedded in the music of the introduction, framing the movement.


2

The soprano aria "" (Lord, you who are strong and mighty) is a concerto of the voice and the oboes, accompanied by the strings. It is the first soprano aria in the chorale cantata cycle.


3

The recitative "" (The goodness and love of the Highest) ends on an
arioso In classical music, arioso (also aria parlante ) is a category of solo vocal piece, usually occurring in an opera or oratorio, falling somewhere between recitative and aria in style. Literally, arioso means ''airy''. The term arose in the 16th ...
. Spitta compares the end of this movement with the end of the 7th movement of Bach's Latin Magnificat: textually both movements treat the same part of the Magnificat (the end of Luke 1:51), and, although the other movement is set for five-part chorus and tutti orchestra, he considers the closure of this recitative of the ''German Magnificat'' cantata "equally picturesque".


4

The following aria "" (The mighty God casts from their thrones) is set for bass and continuo. A descending bass line in the continuo over two octaves illustrates the fall, which the voice also suggests in descending phrases. The second aspect of the text, the exaltation of the humble, is shown by rising figures, and the final emptiness ("bloß und leer", bare and empty) by pauses.


5

In the fifth movement, "" (He remembers his mercy), the text returns to the original German Magnificat, and the music to the psalm tone. It is played by oboes and trumpet as the cantus firmus, while alto and tenor sing in imitation.
Klaus Hofmann Klaus Hofmann (born 20 March 1939) is a German musicologist who is an expert on the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Born in Würzburg, Hofmann studied after graduation (1958) from 1958 to 1959 at the University of Erlangen. He then continued his ...
interprets the bass line of "emphatic downward semitone intervals" as "sighs of divine mercy".


6

The recitative for tenor, "" (What God, in times past, to our forefathers), referring to God's promise, begins secco.


7

In the final movement, the two verses of the doxology are set on the psalm tone for four parts, with all instruments playing
colla parte A variety of musical terms are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special mus ...
. Wind instruments and violin I join the soprano part. The setting is mostly in
homophony In music, homophony (;, Greek: ὁμόφωνος, ''homóphōnos'', from ὁμός, ''homós'', "same" and φωνή, ''phōnē'', "sound, tone") is a texture in which a primary part is supported by one or more additional strands that flesh ...
, but turns to
polyphony Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, ...
for the final "von Ewigkeit zu Ewigkeit" (for ever and ever).


Manuscripts and editions

Both Bach's
autograph An autograph is a person's own handwriting or signature. The word ''autograph'' comes from Ancient Greek (, ''autós'', "self" and , ''gráphō'', "write"), and can mean more specifically: Gove, Philip B. (ed.), 1981. ''Webster's Third New Inter ...
score and the parts used for the cantata's first performance survive. The score, previously owned by
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (22 November 17101 July 1784), the second child and eldest son of Johann Sebastian Bach and Maria Barbara Bach, was a German composer and performer. Despite his acknowledged genius as an organist, improviser and compose ...
, Philipp Spitta and Paul Wittgenstein, among others, came in the possession of the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...
in 1948.Gerhard Herz
''Bach-Quellen in Amerika'' / ''Bach sources in America''.
Neue Bachgesellschaft The Neue Bachgesellschaft, or New Bach Society, is an organisation based in Leipzig, Germany, devoted to the music of the composer Johann Sebastian Bach. It was founded in 1900 as the successor to the Bach Gesellschaft, which between 1850 and 1900 ...
, 1984 (reissued in 2010 by the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
as ), p. 24
The original parts remained in Leipzig, where they were entrusted to the
Bach Archive The Bach-Archiv Leipzig or Bach-Archiv is an institution for the documentation and research of the life and work of Johann Sebastian Bach. The Bach-Archiv also researches the Bach family, especially their music. Based in Leipzig, the city whe ...
in the 20th century. BWV 648 is a
chorale prelude In music, a chorale prelude or chorale setting is a short liturgical composition for organ using a chorale tune as its basis. It was a predominant style of the German Baroque era and reached its culmination in the works of J.S. Bach, who wrote 46 ...
for organ transcribed from the cantata's fifth movement. It was first published around 1748 as fourth of the ''
Schübler Chorales ' ( 'six chorales of diverse kinds, to be played on an organ with two manuals and pedal'), commonly known as the ''Schübler Chorales'' (german: Schübler-Choräle), BWV 645–650, is a set of chorale preludes composed by Johann Sebastian ...
''. The music of the cantata's closing movement is included in the Dietel collection, a 1730s manuscript containing 149 of Bach's four-part chorales. C. P. E. Bach published the same music of BWV 10 as No. 357 in Part IV of his 1780s collected edition of four-part chorales by his father. The entire cantata was published in 1851 in the first volume of the
Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe Joh. Seb. Bach's Werke () is the Bach Gesellschaft's collected edition of Johann Sebastian Bach's compositions, published in 61 volumes in the second half of the 19th century. The series is also known as Bach-Gesellschaft edition (german: Bach-Gese ...
(BGA), edited by
Moritz Hauptmann Moritz Hauptmann (13 October 1792, Dresden – 3 January 1868, Leipzig), was a German music theorist, teacher and composer. His principal theoretical work is the 1853 ''Die Natur der Harmonie und der Metrik'' explores numerous topics, particular ...
. The
New Bach Edition The New Bach Edition (NBE) (german: Neue Bach-Ausgabe; NBA), is the second complete edition of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, published by Bärenreiter. The name is short for Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750): New Edition of the Complete W ...
(Neue Bach-Ausgabe, NBA) published the score in 1995, edited by
Uwe Wolf Uwe Wolf (born 10 August 1967 in Neustadt an der Weinstraße) is a German football coach and former professional player. Honours Necaxa * Primera División de México: 1995–96 References External links * 1967 births Living p ...
, with the critical commentary published the same year. The cantata was also published with a singable English version of the text: * ''My soul doth magnify the Lord'' – English version by E. H. Thorne and G. W. Daisley * ''Magnify the Lord, my soul'' –
critical edition Textual criticism is a branch of textual scholarship, philology, and of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification of textual variants, or different versions, of either manuscripts or of printed books. Such texts may range in da ...
by Christoph Großpietsch, published by Carus. * ''Now my soul exalts the Lord'' – based on the NBA edition for the score.


Concert performances and recordings

Karl Richter programmed BWV 10 along Bruckner's 150th Psalm at his first concert in
Ottobeuren Ottobeuren (Swabian: ''Ottobeire'', Medieval Latin: ''Ottobura'') is a market town and municipality in Bavaria, Germany, located 11 km southeast of Memmingen near the A7. It is famous for Ottobeuren Abbey, situated next to the Basilica. The t ...
in 1957. In the 1960s, Paul Steinitz's and
Fritz Werner Fritz Werner (15 December 1898 – 22 December 1977) was a German choral conductor, church music director, conductor, organist and composer. He founded the Heinrich-Schütz-Chor Heilbronn in 1947 and conducted it until 1973. Career Born in Berli ...
's recordings of the cantata were released on LPs which also featured another German cantata by Bach.Steinitz LP: e.g. ; CD: e.g. Werner LP: e.g. BnFbr>38609051
CD: e.g.
On Richter's 1978 LP release BWV 10 was also combined with other German Bach cantatas.Richter LP: e.g. ; CD: e.g.
Karl Münchinger Karl Münchinger (29 May 1915 – 13 March 1990) was a German conductor of European classical music. He helped to revive the now-ubiquitous Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel, through recording it with his Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra in 1960. (Jean ...
's 1968 recording and
Hans-Joachim Rotzsch Hans-Joachim Rotzsch (25 April 1929 – 25 September 2013) was a German choral conductor, conducting the Thomanerchor from 1972 until 1991 as the fifteenth Thomaskantor since Johann Sebastian Bach. He was also a tenor and an academic teacher. B ...
's 1978 recording of BWV 10 were issued on LPs which included their respective performances of Bach's Latin Magnificat.Münchinger LP: e.g. ; CD: e.g. Rotzsch LP: e.g. ; CD: e.g. Also
Michael Gielen Michael Andreas Gielen (20 July 19278 March 2019) was an Austrian conductor and composer known for promoting contemporary music in opera and concert. Principally active in Europe, his performances are characterized by precision and vivacity, aid ...
's concert at the 1991 combined Bach's German and Latin Magnificat.Cantata: Johann Sebastian Bach Magnificat + Kantate BWV 10 Michael Gielen
at Christoph Prégardien website
Teldec's,
Hänssler Hänssler-Verlag is a German music publishing house founded in 1919 as Musikverlag Hänssler by Friedrich Hänssler Senior (died 1972) to publish church music. The company is now based in Holzgerlingen. Since 1972 Hänssler Verlag has also publis ...
's, Koopman's,
Brilliant Classics Brilliant Classics is a classical music label based in the Dutch town of Leeuwarden. It is renowned for releasing super-budget-priced editions on CD of the complete works of J.S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and many other composers. The label also ...
' and Suzuki's complete Bach cantata recordings include a recording of BWV 10.Leonhardt LP: e.g. ; CD: e.g. Rilling LP: e.g. ; CD: e.g. Éva Pintér
Kantaten Vol. 11: Erato 8573-80215-2
at '' Klassik Heute'' (1 August 2001)
2005, 1999, German, Sound, Recorded music edition: Complete cantatas. Vol. 11 / Bach
at
Trove Trove is an Australian online library database owned by the National Library of Australia in which it holds partnerships with source providers National and State Libraries Australia, an aggregator and service which includes full text documen ...
website;
; pp. 23–24 (liner notes by Dingeman van Wijnen), 64 (sung texts) and 185 (tracklist) of
Brilliant Classics Brilliant Classics is a classical music label based in the Dutch town of Leeuwarden. It is renowned for releasing super-budget-priced editions on CD of the complete works of J.S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and many other composers. The label also ...

''J.S. Bach Complete Edition: Liner Notes, Sung Texts, Full Tracklist''.
/ref> Roland Büchner's 2000 recording, with the
Regensburger Domspatzen The Regensburger Domspatzen (literally: Regensburg Cathedral Sparrows) is the cathedral choir at the Regensburg Cathedral in Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany. The boys' choir dates back to 975, and consists of boys and young men only. They perform i ...
, combined Bach's ''German Magnificat'' with the 1723 Christmas version of his Latin Magnificat (BWV 243a).Norbert Rüdell
J.S. Bach: Glissando 779 019-2
at '' Klassik Heute'' (1 April 2001)
Magnificat (DBX6040)
at
Gardiner's Bach Cantata Pilgrimage featured BWV 10 in a concert recorded in 2000.
Ton Koopman Antonius Gerhardus Michael Koopman (; born 2 October 1944), known professionally as Ton Koopman, is a Dutch conductor, organist, harpsichordist, and musicologist, primarily known for being the founder and director of the Amsterdam Baroque Orches ...
's concert at the 2003 Leipzig Bach Festival combined BWV 10 with the Christmas versions of Bach's and Kuhnau's Magnificat, thus allowing to compare similar works of two consecutive Thomaskantors.Yo Tomita
Bachfest Leipzig 2003
at
Cantatas Magnificat (DBD0026)
at
Sigiswald Kuijken Sigiswald Kuijken (; born 16 February 1944) is a Belgian violinist, violist, and conductor known for playing on period and original instruments. Biography Kuijken was born in Dilbeek, near Brussels. He was a member of the Alarius Ensemble ...
recorded BWV 10 for his ''Cantatas for the Complete Liturgical Year'' series in 2007.Cantatas (DBX8925)
at
The same year, a concert at the
Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...
combined Bach's ''Meine Seel erhebt den Herren'' cantata with a 2005 Magnificat by Sven-David Sandström.
Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...
, Program 2007–2008, no. 420:
Sven-David Sandström
at
Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship campus of Indiana University and, with over 40,000 students, its largest ca ...
website
Gustav Leonhardt, Pieter-Jan Leusink and Ton Koopman used
period instrument In the historically informed performance movement, musicians perform classical music using restored or replicated versions of the instruments for which it was originally written. Often performances by such musicians are said to be "on authentic ...
s for their complete Bach cantata recordings.Bradley Lehman and Andrew White (2009)
"Bach Cantatas"
in Recording Reviews section, pp. 508–511 of '' Early Music'', Vol. XXXVII, No. 3.
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
Also
Musica Florea Musica Florea is a Czech Baroque music ensemble in Prague, founded in 1992 by conductor and cellist Marek Štryncl. Profile The group of young professionals with a common interest in the study and authentic performance of Baroque music engag ...
, the orchestra on Büchner's recording, performs on historic instruments.


Notes


References


Sources

''By author or editor'' * (first edition of BWV 648, '' Schübler Chorale'' No. 4: transcription of BWV 10's 5th movement as
chorale prelude In music, a chorale prelude or chorale setting is a short liturgical composition for organ using a chorale tune as its basis. It was a predominant style of the German Baroque era and reached its culmination in the works of J.S. Bach, who wrote 46 ...
for organ) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Grundlage einer Ehren-Pforte (Mattheson, Johann) at Scores * * * ''By title as issued'' * (: description of US-Wc ML30.8b.B2 M4, Bach's autograph score of BWV 10) * (: description of D-LEb Thomana 10, Bach's performance parts of BWV 10) * (facsimile and description of the performance parts of the ''Kleine Magnificat'') * (: description of D-B Mus. ms. autogr. Hoffmann, M. 3 N, performance parts of the ''Kleine Magnificat'') * (facsimile of D-B Mus. ms. autogr. Hoffmann, M. 3 N, performance parts of the ''Kleine Magnificat'') * With English liner notes by
Klaus Hofmann Klaus Hofmann (born 20 March 1939) is a German musicologist who is an expert on the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Born in Würzburg, Hofmann studied after graduation (1958) from 1958 to 1959 at the University of Erlangen. He then continued his ...
(pp. 6–11) and
Masaaki Suzuki is a Japanese organist, harpsichordist and conductor, and the founder and music director of the Bach Collegium Japan. With this ensemble he is recording the complete choral works of Johann Sebastian Bach for the Swedish label BIS Records, for wh ...
(p. 11) * (facsimile and description of Bach's performance parts of BWV 10) * (description of Dietel's collection of four-part chorales by Johann Sebastian Bach) * (BDW 303, with links t
libretto
and manuscript descriptions) * (BDW 12, with links t
libretto
and manuscript descriptions) * (BDW 736, with links to descriptions of the first print and later manuscript copies) * (facsimile and description of US-Wc ML30.8b.B2 M4, Bach's autograph score of BWV 10) * (description of US-Wc ML30.8b.B2 M4, Bach's autograph score of BWV 10)


External links


Meine Seel erhebt den Herren, BWV 10
performance by the
Netherlands Bach Society The Netherlands Bach Society ( nl, Nederlandse Bachvereniging) is the oldest ensemble for Baroque music in the Netherlands, and possibly in the world. The ensemble was founded in 1921 in Naarden to perform Bach's ''St Matthew Passion'' on Good Frid ...
(video and background information) * * * *