(Soar joyfully aloft),
BWV 36.1 (formerly BWV 36c), is a secular
cantata
A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir.
The meaning of ...
by
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 w ...
.
[Work at Bach Digital website] He composed it 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 wel ...
, most likely in 1725. There is evidence that the cantata was performed in April or May that year, and that it was re-staged six years later for the 40th birthday of
Johann Matthias Gesner.
Bach reused parts of the cantata in two other secular cantatas, and in a church cantata for the first Sunday in Advent,
''Schwingt freudig euch empor'', BWV 36.
History and text
Bach wrote several works for celebrations of the
Leipzig University, ''Festmusiken zu Leipziger Universitätsfeiern''.
This cantata was originally probably composed as a homage to one of the composer's academic colleagues, but it is not known which.
and
Johann Heinrich Ernesti
Johann Heinrich Ernesti (12 March 1652 – 16 October 1729) was a Saxon philosopher, Lutheran theologian, Latin classicist and poet. He was rector of the Thomasschule, and Professor of Poetry at Leipzig University. He gained fame through his writ ...
(the septuagenarian rector of the
Thomasschule
St. Thomas School, Leipzig (german: Thomasschule zu Leipzig; la, Schola Thomana Lipsiensis) is a co-educational and public boarding school in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1212 and is one of the oldest schools ...
) have been suggested as possible recipients. The unmodified cantata was likely re-staged for
Johann Matthias Gesner's 40th birthday (9 April 1731).
Gesner had become rector at the Thomasschule in Leipzig in 1730 and had been acquainted with the composer since the 1710s when both worked in Weimar.
Bach reworked this cantata in both secular and sacred versions:
* Secular cantatas:
** (composed before 30 November 1726)
** ()
* Sacred cantata , in two versions:
** BWV 36.4 ()
** BWV 36.5 (2 December 1731)
[Work at Bach Digital website]
The libretto is likely by
Christian Friedrich Henrici
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 ...
(Picander), who published the version of the text in 1727, as a cantata for the birthday of the duchess of
Anhalt-Köthen
Anhalt-Köthen was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire ruled by the House of Ascania. It was created in 1396 when the Principality of Anhalt-Zerbst was partitioned between Anhalt-Dessau and Anhalt-Köthen. The first creation lasted until 1562 ...
, which fell on 30 November. The duchess's birthday cantata was set by Bach (in 1726 or earlier), but the music is lost.
Scoring and structure
The cantata is scored for three soloists—
soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...
,
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, 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 lo ...
and
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
—a
four-part choir, two
oboes d'amore
The oboe d'amore (; Italian for "oboe of love"), less commonly , is a double reed woodwind musical instrument in the oboe family. Slightly larger than the oboe, it has a less assertive and a more tranquil and serene tone, and is considered the me ...
, two
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
s,
viola
The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...
,
viola d'amore
The viola d'amore (; Italian for "viol of love") is a 7- or 6- stringed musical instrument with sympathetic strings used chiefly in the baroque period. It is played under the chin in the same manner as the violin.
Structure and sound
The viol ...
and
basso continuo
Basso continuo parts, almost universal in the Baroque era (1600–1750), provided the harmonic structure of the music by supplying a bassline and a chord progression. The phrase is often shortened to continuo, and the instrumentalists playing th ...
.
#
Coro
Coro or CORO may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Coro'' (Berio), a composition by Luciano Berio
* Coro (music), Italian for choir
* Coro TV, Venezuelan community television channel
* Omweso (Coro), mancala game played in the Lango region of Uganda
* ...
:
#
Recitative (tenor):
#
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 accompanime ...
(tenor):
#Recitative (bass):
#Aria (bass):
#Recitative (soprano):
#Aria (soprano):
#Recitative (tenor):
#Chorus & Recitatives (soprano, tenor, bass):
Music
The opening chorus is a "jolly"
gavotte form, highlighting the oboe d'amore (which is also important in introducing the third movement).
The recitatives are all
secco Secco is a surname of Italian origin, which means ''dry''. It may refer to:
*Alessio Secco (b. 1970), Italian professional football manager
*Deborah Secco (b. 1979), Brazilian actress
* Louis Secco (b. 1927), Canadian Olympic ice hockey player
*Se ...
and fairly short, with the tenor recitative being only six measures long.
Recordings
* ''Bach made in Germany Vol. VII – Secular Cantatas I'',
Peter Schreier
Peter Schreier (29 July 1935 – 25 December 2019) was a German tenor in opera, concert and lied, and a conductor. He was regarded as one of the leading lyric tenors of the 20th century.
Schreier was a member of the Dresdner Kreuzchor conduct ...
,
Berliner Solisten
Berliner is most often used to designate a citizen of Berlin, Germany
Berliner may also refer to:
People
* Berliner (surname)
Places
* Berliner Lake, a lake in Minnesota, United States
* Berliner Philharmonie, concert hall in Berlin, Germany
* ...
,
Kammerorchester Berlin
The Kammerorchester Berlin has been in existence since 1945 and its first director was the conductor Helmut Koch (conductor), Helmut Koch. Already in the 1950s, the orchestra succeeded in making a name for itself. Among other awards it received the ...
,
Edith Mathis
Edith Mathis (born 11 February 1938) is a Swiss soprano and a leading exponent of the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart worldwide. She is known for parts in Mozart operas, but also took part in premieres of operas such as Henze's ''Der junge Lord' ...
,
Peter Schreier
Peter Schreier (29 July 1935 – 25 December 2019) was a German tenor in opera, concert and lied, and a conductor. He was regarded as one of the leading lyric tenors of the 20th century.
Schreier was a member of the Dresdner Kreuzchor conduct ...
,
Siegfried Lorenz, Eterna
* ''Edition Bachakademie Vol. 139 – Congratulatory and Hommage Cantatas'',
Helmuth Rilling,
Gächinger Kantorei,
Bach-Collegium Stuttgart,
Eva Oltiványi,
Marcus Ullmann
Marcus Ullmann (born 1967) is a German classical tenor.
Professional career
Born in Dresden, Marcus Ullmann received his first musical training as a choir boy in the Dresdner Kreuzchor. He studied at the Dresden Music Academy and graduated with ...
,
Andreas Schmidt,
Hänssler
* ''J.S. Bach: Kantate Nr. 36c'',
Kurt Thomas,
Thomanerchor,
Gewandhausorchester
The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (Gewandhausorchester; also previously known in German as the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig) is a German symphony orchestra based in Leipzig, Germany. The orchestra is named after the concert hall in which it is bas ...
,
Adele Stolte,
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.
Bi ...
,
Theo Adam, Eterna
* ''J.S. Bach: Weltliche Kantaten · Secular Cantatas · Cantates Profanes'',
Reinhard Goebel
Reinhard Goebel (; born 31 July 1952 in Siegen, West Germany) is a German Conducting, conductor and baroque violin, violinist specialising in early music on Historically informed performance, authentic instruments and professor for historical perf ...
,
Ex Tempore,
Musica Antiqua Köln Musica Antiqua Köln was an early music group that was founded in 1973 by Reinhard Goebel and fellow students from the Conservatory of Music in Cologne. Musica Antiqua Köln devoted itself largely to the performance of the music of the 17th and 18th ...
,
Dorothea Röschmann
Dorothea Röschmann (born 17 June 1967) is a German soprano. She is famous for her performances in operas by Mozart as well as Lieder.
Early life
Röschmann was born in Flensburg, and sang with the Flensburg Bach Choir by the age of seven. She st ...
,
Axel Köhler
Axel Köhler (born 1959 in Schwarzenberg, Saxony, East Germany) is a German countertenor and opera director. In 1994, he won the Handel Prize. Since 2009, he has been Artistic Director of the Halle Opera House.
Early life
Axel Köhler studied vio ...
,
Christoph Genz
Christoph Genz (born 1 March 1971 in Erfurt) is a German tenor in opera and concert.
Career
Christoph Genz was a member of the Thomanerchor. He studied music at King's College, Cambridge, where he was a member of the King's College Choir. He s ...
,
Hans-Georg Wimmer.
Archiv Produktion
* ''J.S. Bach: Secular Cantatas Vol. 3'',
Masaaki Suzuki,
Bach Collegium Japan,
Joanne Lunn
Joanne Lunn is an English classical soprano in opera and concert.
Career
Joanne Lunn studied at Royal College of Music, where she graduated and received the Tagore Gold Medal.
Lunn performed in Monteverdi's ''L'incoronazione di Poppea'', Gluck ...
,
Hiroya Aoki,
Makoto Sakurada
is a Japanese tenor in opera and concert.
Biography
Makoto graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts. He went to study in Italy in 1997, and continues to work there. He has recorded Bach cantatas in the complete set directed by Masaaki Su ...
,
Roderick Williams
Roderick Gregory Coleman Williams OBE (born 1965) is a British baritone and composer.
Biography
Williams was born in North London to a Welsh father and a Jamaican mother. He attended Christ Church Cathedral School in Oxford and Haberdashers' ...
,
BIS 2013
References
External links
*
Cantata BWV 36c Schwingt freudig euch emporhistory, scoring, sources for text and music, translations to various languages, discography, discussion, Bach Cantatas Website
history, scoring, Bach website
English translation,
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...
BWV 36c Schwingt freudig euch emportext, scoring,
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schwingt freudig euch empor BWV 36c
Secular cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach
1725 compositions