Was Gott Tut, Das Ist Wohlgetan, BWV 99

Johann Sebastian Bach composed the church cantata (What God does is well done), 99, in Leipzig for the 15th Sunday after Trinity and first performed it on 17 September 1724. The chorale cantata is based on the hymn "" by Samuel Rodigast (1674).

belongs to Bach's chorale cantata cycle, the second cycle during his tenure as Thomaskantor that began in 1723. The text retains the first and last stanza of the hymn unchanged, while the text of the inner stanzas was paraphrased by an unknown librettist into a sequence of four movements of alternating recitatives and arias, retaining some lines from the original chorale. The first movement is a chorale fantasia, and the work is closed by a four-part chorale setting.

The cantata is scored for four vocal soloists, a four-part choir, and a Baroque instrumental ensemble of flauto traverso, oboe d'amore, strings and basso continuo, with a horn doubling the soprano in the outer movements.

History and words

Bach composed the cantata in his second year in Leipzig as part of his second annual cycle of chorale cantatas. for the 15th Sunday after Trinity. The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from the Epistle to the Galatians, Paul's admonition to "walk in the Spirit" (), and from the Gospel of Matthew, from the Sermon on the Mount, the demand not to worry about material needs, but to seek God's kingdom first (). The cantata text is based on the chorale "" by Samuel Rodigast, which is generally related to the Gospel. The hymn was published in 1674, and was thus 50 years old when the chorale cantata was derived from it. Bach used the chorale in several other cantatas, especially later in another chorale cantata, "". All six stanzas begin with the same line. An unknown author retained the text of the first and last stanza, but paraphrased the inner four stanzas to as many movements, even retaining some of the rhymes in the second movement. In the fourth movement, he referred to the Gospel, paraphrasing the last verse to "Even if every day has its particular trouble". He introduced references to the cross twice in the fifth movement, stressing the suffering of Jesus and his followers. The librettist did not use the element of beginning each stanza with the same line.

Bach led the Thomanerchor in the first performance on 17 September 1724. Parts indicate a subsequent performance but it could not be dated.

Music

Structure and scoring

Bach structured the cantata in six movements and scored it for four vocal soloists (soprano (S), alto (A), tenor (T) and bass (B)), a four-part choir, and a Baroque instrumental ensemble of a horn (Co) to reinforce the chorale tune in the outer movements, flauto traverso (Ft), oboe d'amore (Oa), two violins (Vl), viola (Va), violone (Vo) and basso continuo.

In the following table of the movements, the scoring, keys and time signatures are taken from Alfred Dürr's ''Die Kantaten von J. S. Bach'', using the symbol for common time (4/4). The instruments are shown separately for winds and strings, while the continuo, playing throughout, is not shown.

Movements

1

The opening chorus, "" (What God does is well done, his will remains righteous), is a distinct concerto movement. The strings open with a theme derived from the chorale melody. After 16 measures, a concertino of flute, oboe d'amore and violin begins, with the oboe playing the theme introduced by the strings and the flute playing a virtuoso counterpoint.Three measures later, the voices enter, with the cantus firmus in the soprano, doubled by the horn.

In the interlude following the bar form's stollen, all of the instruments participate in the concerto. This complete sequence is repeated for the second stollen. For the abgesang, the strings and woods play together, and the flute appears as a solo, alternating with the oboe. The postlude is not a repeat of the introduction, but a more complex combination. According to Julian Mincham, "this movement would still work perfectly well if the vocal parts were entirely removed."

2

The first secco recitative is sung by the bass, "" (His word of truth stands fast and will not betray me). It ends on a long coloratura on the last word "", or "turn", as in "can turn aside my misfortune".

3

The first aria, for tenor, "" (Do not shudder, despairing soul, when the cup of suffering tastes so bitter), is accompanied by the flute. It is another piece from the period written for a capable flute player, following ''Was frag ich nach der Welt'', BWV 94 and ''Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott'', BWV 101, composed only a few weeks earlier. The text mentions "" (shudder); shaking and torment of the soul are pictured in virtuoso figuration, although in the text, the soul is asked not to shudder.

4

The second recitative, for alto, "" (Now, the covenant sealed from eternity shall remain the foundation of my faith), is similar to the first, ending on the last word "", or "appeareth", as in "when God's true loyal will appeareth".

5

The last aria is a duet for soprano and alto, "" (When the bitterness of the cross struggles with the weakness of the flesh). The strings are still silent, while the flute and oboe accompany the voices. The instruments begin with a ritornello, a trio with the continuo. After a first vocal section, a second section presents new material, but refers to the first section by a repeat of instrumental motifs and a complete repeat of the ritornello as a conclusion.

6

The closing chorale, "" (What God does, is well done, I will cling to this), is set for four parts.

\header
\layout
global =

soprano = \relative c'

alto = \relative c'

tenor = \relative c'

bass = \relative c

\score

Manuscripts and publication

The cantata's autograph score is partly extant. The first set of parts was inherited by Anna Magdalena Bach and belonged to the Thomasschule in 1750. It is held by the Bach Archive.

The cantata was first published in 1875, in the first complete edition of Bach's work, the ''Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe''. The volume in question was edited by Thomaskantor, Wilhelm Rust. In the ''Neue Bach-Ausgabe'' it was published in 1987/88, and edited by Matthias Wendt.

Recordings

A list of recordings is provided on the Bach Cantatas Website. Choirs singing with one voice per part (OVPP) and ensembles playing period instruments in historically informed performances are shown with a green background.

References

Cited sources

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External links

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BWV 99 Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
English translation, University of Vermont

Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan, BWV 99
performance by the Netherlands Bach Society (video and background information)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan'', BWV 99

Church cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach
1724 compositions
Chorale cantatas