(Since heaven cared for Anhalt's fame and bliss),

BWV 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 ...

66.1, BWV66a,Work , Der Himmel dacht auf Anhalts Ruhm und Glück (serenata) BWV 66.1; BWV 66a; BC 4/ Secular cantata (Birthday) at

Bach Digital Bach Digital (German: ), developed by the Bach Archive in Leipzig, is an online database which gives access to information on compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach and members of Bach family, his family. Early manuscripts of such compositions are ...

website. is a congratulatory

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 ...

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 ...

. The work was first performed in Köthen on 10 December 1718.

History

Bach composed the secular cantata, or

serenata In music, a serenade (; also sometimes called a serenata, from the Italian) is a musical composition or performance delivered in honor of someone or something. Serenades are typically calm, light pieces of music. The term comes from the Italian w ...

, in 1718 in Köthen to celebrate the twenty-fourth birthday of his employer

Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen (29 November 1694 – 19 November 1728) was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Köthen. Today, he is best remembered for employing Johann Sebastian Bach as his Kapellmeister ...

on 10 December. The cantata text was by

Christian Friedrich Hunold Christian Friedrich Hunold (born 29 September 1680 in Wandersleben near Gotha (town), Gotha, died 16 August 1721 in Halle (Saale), Halle) was a German author who wrote under the pseudonym Menantes. Biography Hunold went to school in Arnstadt ...

, who was based at Halle. Bach and Hunold collaborated on other cantatas, including one for the same birthday, . Hunold's text was included in a collection, (Selected and partly never printed poems), which he published the following year, and has thus survived. 1719. Bach's music has been lost apart from a fragment, but there is scope for its reconstruction as he recycled some of it in at least one sacred work. Bach adapted several movements for his 1724 cantata for

Easter Monday Easter Monday refers to the day after Easter Sunday in either the Eastern or Western Christian traditions. It is a public holiday in some countries. It is the second day of Eastertide. In Western Christianity, it marks the second day of the Octa ...

, . While the structure of the sacred cantata is different (it is closed with a chorale, and it opens with music from the closing movement of the secular cantata), Bach preserved the original dialogue form in which two

allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...

figures appear. For (Fortune of Anhalt) and (Fame), he substituted the alto "Fear" in place of Fortune and the tenor "Hope" in place of Fame.

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, Gard ...

has suggested that instrumental music from the lost cantata survives in another cantata from the composer's Leipzig years. The music in question, a sinfonia for strings and woodwind, is the first movement of , which was first performed in 1725.

Structure

The work has eight movements: # Recitative: # Aria: # Duet recitative: # Duet aria: # Duet recitative: # Aria: # Duet recitative: # Chorus:

Publication

''Der Himmel dacht auf Anhalts Ruhm und Glück'' was published in the ''

Neue Bach-Ausgabe 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 Wo ...

'', edited by Alfred Dürr, with a critical report 1964. The cantata was published in a critical edition of

Alexander Grychtolik Alexander Ferdinand Grychtolik (born 6 September 1980 in Berlin) is a German harpsichordist, improviser, musicologist and academic. Grychtolik is married to the harpsichordist Aleksandra Magdalena Grychtolik, with whom he has appeared in concert. ...

's reconstruction by

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 ...

Recordings

* Mitteldeutsche Hofmusik,

. ''Ruhm und Glück (Fame and Happiness)''. Rondeau Production, 2012.

References

External links

*
Festkonzert
Köthener Bachfesttage 2018 {{DEFAULTSORT:Himmel dacht auf Anhalts Ruhm und Gluck BWV 66a 1718 compositions Secular cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach Lost musical works by Johann Sebastian Bach