(I am content with my fortune), 84, is a

church cantata A church cantata or sacred cantata is a cantata intended to be performed during Christian liturgy. The genre was particularly popular in 18th-century Lutheran Germany, with many composers writing an extensive output: Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel ...

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

. He composed the solo cantata for

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical 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 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

in 1727 for the Sunday

Septuagesima Septuagesima () is the ninth Sunday before Easter, the third before Ash Wednesday. The term is sometimes applied to the seventy days starting on Septuagesima Sunday and ending on the Saturday after Easter. Alternatively, the term is sometimes ap ...

, and led the first performance, probably on 9 February 1727. Bach composed the work in his fourth 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 ( ...

. The text is similar to a cantata text (I am content with my position), which

Picander Christian Friedrich Henrici (January 14, 1700 – May 10, 1764), writing under the pen name Picander, was a German poet and librettist for many works by Johann Sebastian Bach, notably the St Matthew Passion of 1727. Life and career Henrici was ...

published in 1728, but it is not certain that he wrote also the cantata text. Its thoughts about being content are in the spirit of the beginning Enlightenment, expressed in simple language. The closing

chorale A 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 o ...

is the 12th

stanza In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian ''stanza'', ; ) is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme and metrical schemes, but they are not required to have either. ...

of the

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

"" by Ämilie Juliane von Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. is one of the few works which Bach called "Cantata" himself. Bach structured the work in five

movements Movement may refer to: Generic uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Movement (sign language), a hand movement when signing * Motion, commonly referred to as movement * Movement (music), a division of a larger c ...

, alternating

arias In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompaniment, normally part of a larger ...

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 lines ...

s, and a closing chorale. The scoring requires only a small ensemble of a soprano soloist, three additional vocal parts for the chorale, and a Baroque instrumental ensemble of

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 type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

, strings 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 ...

. While the first aria is pensive and

elegiac The adjective ''elegiac'' has two possible meanings. First, it can refer to something of, relating to, or involving, an elegy or something that expresses similar mournfulness or sorrow. Second, it can refer more specifically to poetry composed in ...

, the second aria is of dancing folk-like character.

History and words

Bach wrote the solo cantata in Leipzig, in his fourth year as

(director of church music) in

, for the third Sunday before

Lent Lent (, 'Fortieth') is the solemn Christianity, Christian religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical year in preparation for Easter. It echoes the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Christ, t ...

, called

. The prescribed readings for the Sunday were taken from the

First Epistle to the Corinthians The First Epistle to the Corinthians () is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-author, Sosthenes, and is addressed to the Christian church i ...

, "race for victory" (), and from the

Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells the story of who the author believes is Israel's messiah (Christ (title), Christ), Jesus, resurrection of Jesus, his res ...

, the

parable of the Workers in the Vineyard __NOTOC__ The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (also called the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard or the Parable of the Generous Employer) is a parables of Jesus, parable of Jesus which appears in matthew 20, chapter 20 of the Gospel o ...

(). Bach had already composed two cantatas for the occasion in earlier years, , in 1724, and the

chorale cantata A chorale cantata is a church cantata based on a chorale—in this context a Lutheran chorale. It is principally from the Germany, German Baroque music, Baroque era. The organizing principle is the words and music of a Lutheran hymn. Usually a chor ...

, in 1725. is one of the few works which Bach called "Cantata" himself. As in the earlier years, the cantata text is related to the gospel in the general way that the Christian should be content with his share of good fortune, without envy of others who may seem more fortunate. The title and the text show similarities to

's (I am content with my position), published in 1728. It is unclear if both texts are by Picander, or if Picander based his on a former one, or if Picander's was already available at the time of the composition but was changed. As the Bach scholar Klaus Hofmann observes, the thoughts are in the spirit of the beginning Enlightenment, "praise of frugality, of modesty with that which God has allocated to us, of satisfaction, of lack of envy towards others". The language is no longer the "rhetorical pathos of baroque poetry", but "radicality and artistry of the imagery. The language is simple and terse; it is rational rather than figurative." Aemilie-jul-schwarzburg

The closing chorale is the 12th

of the funeral hymn "" by Ämilie Juliane von Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (1686). Bach had used its first stanza in his cantatas (1724) and in (1726). Bach led the first performance, probably on 9 February 1727.

Music

Scoring and structure

Bach structured the cantata in five

. A sequence of alternating

and

s is concluded by a chorale. Bach scored the work for soprano soloist, a four-part choir only in the chorale, and a Baroque instrumental ensemble of

(Ob), two

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

s (Vl),

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

(Va), and

. The heading of the autograph score reads: "J.J. Dominica Septuagesimae Cantata", which means: "Jesus help. Cantata for the Sunday Septuagesima". Bach added a more precise extra page: "Dominica Septuages. / Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Glücke / à / Soprano Solo è / 3 Ripieni / 1 Hautbois / 2 Violini / Viola / e Continuo / di / Joh:Seb:Bach". The scoring is modest, appropriate for the weeks leading to Lent. The duration is given as about 16 minutes. In the following table of the movements, the scoring follows the Neue Bach-Ausgabe. The keys and

time signature A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates th ...

s are taken from the book on all cantatas by the Bach scholar

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 ...

, using the symbol for

common time A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates the ...

(4/4). The continuo, playing throughout, is not shown.

Movements

Although the vocal and instrumental parts are limited, Bach achieves variety by movements of different instrumentation and character.

1

John Eliot Gardiner at rehearsal in Wroclaw cropped portrait

The opening aria, "" (I am content with my fortune which our dear God has allotted me.), is slow and pensive, accompanied by all instruments, reminiscent of the slow movement of an oboe concerto.

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, especially the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage of 2000, performing Church cantata (Bach), Bach's church ...

, who conducted in 2000 the

Bach Cantata Pilgrimage The Monteverdi Choir was founded in 1964 by John Eliot Gardiner, Sir John Eliot Gardiner for a performance of the ''Vespro della Beata Vergine'' in King's College Chapel, Cambridge. A specialist List of early music ensembles, Baroque ensemble, t ...

, noted in the project diary that Bach, who possibly was not content with his situation in Leipzig, composed music portraying "ambivalence and complexity". His music is "dynamic and fluctuating", capturing "wistful, resigned, elegiac" moods. The musicologist Julian Mincham notes that the aria compares to ''Ich bin in mir vergnügt'', BWV 204 (I am content in myself) which he describes as "also a highly personal work for solo soprano with a similar theme, exploring comparable human emotions".

2

The first recitative, "" (God indeed owes me nothing), is secco.

3

The second aria, "" (I eat my little bit of bread with joy and heartily leave to my neighbor his own.), is dancing and accompanied by two

obbligato In Western classical music, ''obbligato'' (, also spelled ''obligato'') usually describes a musical line that is in some way indispensable in performance. Its opposite is the marking '' ad libitum''. It can also be used, more specifically, to ind ...

parts, oboe and violin. They express in vivid figuration in the violin and a slightly simplified version in the oboe the text "" (a happy spirit, a thankful heart, that gives praise). Hofmann observes that the aria depicts a "pastoral idyll with a rustic musical scene – a tribute to the Enlightenment utopia of simple, happy country life." The violin's figuration suggests the drone of bagpipes or

hurdy-gurdy The hurdy-gurdy is a string instrument that produces sound by a hand-turned crank, rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin (or nyckelharpa) bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar ...

. The voice leaps in upward sixths, in "folk-like character" and conveying "contented tranquillity". Mincham notes that the first four notes of the oboe ritornello are the first four notes of the closing chorale turned to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

4

The second recitative, "" (In the sweat of my brow I will meanwhile enjoy my bread), is accompanied by the strings.

5

The chorale, "" (Meanwhile, I live contented in You and die without any trouble), is a four-part setting of the tune "" by Georg Neumark. Gardiner interprets the marking ''a soprano solo e a 3 ripieni'' (for soprano and three

ripieno The ripieno (, Italian for "stuffing" or "padding") is the bulk of instrumental parts of a musical ensemble who do not play as soloists, especially in Baroque music. These are the players who would play in sections marked ''tutti'', as opposed to s ...

parts) as meaning that no instruments play

colla parte A variety of musical terms is 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 musical meanings ...

with the voices.

Recordings

The listing is taken from the selection provided on the Bach Cantatas Website. In the following table, ensembles playing on period instruments in

historically informed performance Historically informed performance (also referred to as period performance, authentic performance, or HIP) is an approach to the performance of Western classical music, classical music which aims to be faithful to the approach, manner and style of ...

are marked by a green background.

References

Sources

*
Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Glücke BWV 84; BC A 43 / Sacred cantata (Septuagesima)

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 his family. Early manuscripts of such compositions are a major foc ...

BWV 84 Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Glücke
English translation,

University of Vermont The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...

* Luke Dahn
BWV 84.5
bach-chorales.com

External links

Ich bin vergnügt mit meinem Glücke, BWV 84
performance by the

Netherlands Bach Society The Netherlands Bach Society () 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 Friday and has performed the work ...

(video and background information) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ich Bin Vergnugt Mit Meinem Glucke Bwv 84 Church cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach 1727 compositions