Sunday Bach - Advent 2

Bach only wrote one cantata for the second Sunday in Advent, and we just listened to its expanded version (BWV 70) two weeks ago. Bach originally wrote it in Weimar for Advent, but concerted music wasn't allowed during Advent in Leipzig, his next job, so he expanded it for the last Sunday of the Trinity period, and in the passage of years the original Weimar manuscript (referred to as BWV 70a) was lost; modern performances are just the expanded version minus the movements known to be added in Leipzig in 1723.

So rather than repeat something you just heard, I went looking amongst the cantatas Bach wrote for unspecified occasions. And found a gem! BWV 51, Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen! (Praise God in all lands, Leipzig 1730), a solo cantata for soprano, is absolutely lovely, and certainly festive enough to be performed in Advent. Here's musicologist Simon Crouch on this beautiful cantata:

Pow!! Imagine dragging yourself to church early in the morning, eyes heavy with sleep, mind full of cotton-wool and being hit with this! And pity the poor boy (?) who had to sing it! (Do refer, though, to the discussion of BWV 51 in Robert Marshall's essay Bach the Progressive in his excellent book The Music of Johann Sebastian Bach. He suggests that Bach may have written the soprano part for Faustina Bordoni, the "leading prima donna of her age" at the Dresden court opera (and married, incidentally, to J.A. Hasse, the exceedingly succesful Dresden composer), or possibly even for Giovanni Bindi, a castrato at Dresden). These days this work is always performed by a female soprano and it had better be a good one too!

The spectacular and florid opening movement leads, after an intervening recitative, into the gentler second aria which rather alarmingly brings to mind a more recent tune: Favourite things from The Sound of Music! The soprano then sings the wonderful chorale melody Sei Lob und Preis mit ehren with an elaborate instrumental accompaniment. This leads without a break into a final virtuoso Alleluia.

This beautiful solo cantata must be rated among the greats of the cantatas and has certainly been a favourite with audiences and record companies. There are many fine recordings available. It's a brilliant, joyous exaltation in praise of God.

Copyright © 1995 & 1997, Simon Crouch.

Today's performance is from a recording by the English Baroque Soloists under the direction of Sir John Eliot Gardiner and featuring soprano Emma Kirkby. Enjoy!

Photo © 2008 by A. Roy Hilbinger