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Christum wir sollen loben schon, BWV 121

Christum wir sollen loben schon (Christ we shall praise splendidly[1][a]), BWV 121, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed this Christmas cantata in Leipzig in 1724 for the second day of Christmas and first performed it on 26 December 1724. It is based on a hymn by Martin Luther, "Christum wir sollen loben schon", a 1524 translation of the Latin "A solis ortus cardine" hymn from the 5th century.

Christum wir sollen loben schon
BWV 121
by J. S. Bach
Martin Luther, author of the hymn
OccasionSecond Day of Christmas
Chorale"Christum wir sollen loben schon" by Martin Luther
Performed26 December 1724 (1724-12-26): Leipzig
Movements6
VocalSATB soloists and choir
Instrumental
  • cornett
  • 3 trombones
  • oboe d'amore
  • 2 violins
  • viola
  • continuo

The cantata is part of Bach's chorale cantata cycle, the second cycle during his tenure as Thomaskantor that began in 1723. In the format of this cycle, the text retains the first and last stanza of the chorale unchanged, while the inner six stanzas were paraphrased by an unknown librettist for alternating arias and recitatives. The librettist created a sermon about the miracle of the birth of Jesus and the believer's reaction to it. The work's outer movements are choral and use the hymn tune, while the inner four movements are composed for soloists, unconnected to the hymn tune. The cantata is scored for four vocal soloists, a four-part choir, and a Baroque instrumental ensemble of cornett and trombones to reinforce the voices, oboe d'amore, strings, and basso continuo.

History, hymn and words

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Bach composed the cantata in his second year in Leipzig for the Second Day of Christmas as part of his second cantata cycle.[2][3] The prescribed readings for the feast day were from the Epistle to Titus (Titus 3:4–7), and the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2:15–20),[3][4] of the shepherds at the manger.[1]: 106 

The source for the text is Martin Luther's hymn "Christum wir sollen loben schon",[3] a German translation of the Latin "A solis ortus cardine", c. 430. Luther's version, with a tune based on the Latin hymn, appeared first in the Erfurt Enchiridion in 1524.[1]: 112 [5][2] The hymn's first stanza and eighth stanza are retained unchanged for an opening chorus and a closing chorale. The inner stanzas were freely adapted as madrigalian recitatives and arias by an unknown poet,[1]: 112 [6] one stanza for each of the two arias, movements 2 and 4, and two stanzas for each of the two recitatives, movements 3 and 5.[1]: 112  The librettist created a sermon in versed poetry, devoting the first three free movements to the miracle of the birth of Jesus and the other three to the believer's reaction to it.[2]

 
Luther's version of A solis ortus cardine, 1524

The hymn tune that Bach used goes back to the "A solis ortus cardine" hymn from the 5th century. Bach's version was first published in Strasbourg in 1537.[2]

Bach led the first performance in the service on 26 December 1724.[3]

Music

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Structure and scoring

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Bach structured Christum wir sollen loben schon in six movements. Both the text and the tune of the hymn are retained in the outer movements, a chorale fantasia and a four-part closing chorale. Bach scored the work for four vocal soloists (soprano (S), alto (A), tenor (T) and bass (B)), a four-part choir, and a Baroque instrumental ensemble of cornett (Ct), three trombones (Tb), oboe d'amore (Oa), two violin parts (Vl), one viola part (Va), and basso continuo.[1]: 110–111 [3][7] The duration of the cantata is given as 21 minutes.[1]: 110 

In the following table of the movements, the scoring, keys and time signatures are taken from Alfred Dürr's standard work Die Kantaten von Johann Sebastian Bach.[1]: 110–111  The continuo, which plays throughout, is not shown.

Movements
Movement Title Text Type Vocal Brass Winds Strings Key Time
1 Christum wir sollen loben schon Luther Chorale fantasia SATB Ct 3Tb Oa 2Vl Va E minor  
2 O du von Gott erhöhte Kreatur anon. Aria T Oa B minor 3
8
3 Der Gnade unermesslich's Wesen Moller, anon. Recitative A  
4 Johannis freudenvolles Springen anon. Aria B 2Vl Va C major  
5 Doch wie erblickt es dich in deiner Krippe Moller, anon. Recitative S  
6 Leit uns mit deiner rechten Hand Luther Chorale SATB Ct 3Tb Oa 2Vl Va E minor  

Movements

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The opening choral motet, "Christum wir sollen loben schon" (Christ we shall praise splendidly),[1] is built on a quasi-church mode cantus firmus in the soprano. The archaic effect of the tune is underscored by a full four-part brass accompaniment.[5] The instruments, other than the continuo, largely double the vocal lines, while the continuo assumes an obbligato contrapuntal role.[2][8] Bach used fugal techniques and an extended final cadence.[9] The movement begins in E minor and, unusually, closes a tone higher in F-sharp minor.[10]

The tenor aria, "O du von Gott erhöhte Kreatur, begreife nicht, nein, nein, bewundre nur" (O you exalted creature of God, do not understand, no, no, just marvel),[11] is composed as a modern da capo aria, in which the symmetrical scheme is broken up by irregular periodising and harmonization.[9] It includes a very prominent oboe d'amore part.[8] The movement is largely in B minor.[6] Craig Smith remarks that the aria is "marvelously off-kilter".[12]

The third movement, "Der Gnade unermeßlich's Wesen" (The unfathomable being of Grace),[11] is an alto recitative. It ends with a "startling enharmonic progression – a symbolic transformation" to C major,[5][2] instead of the expected F-sharp minor, to illustrate the closing words about the wonder of the birth of Jesus.[1]: 113 

The bass aria, "Johannis freudenvolles Springen erkannte dich, mein Jesu, schon" (John's joyful leaps already acknowledge you, my Jesus),[11] is almost dance-like, portraying jumps, reflecting the movement's references to John the Baptist leaping in his mother's womb during the Visitation of Mary.[5] In the middle section, the text speaks of holding the baby, ready to leave the world, in an allusion to Simeon that goes beyond Luther's text.[1]: 113  The binary-form string ritornello repeats four times during the aria, framing three separate vocal sections of the da capo aria.[9]

The penultimate movement, "Doch wie erblickt es dich in deiner Krippe?" (Yet how can it behold you in your manger?),[11] is a soprano recitative, short and arioso-like.[6] It is remarkable for its extended range.[9]

The closing chorale movement presents the doxology, "Lob, Ehr und Danke sei dir gesagt, Christ, geborn von der reinen Magd" (Praise, honor, and thanks be said to you, Christ, born from the pure maid),[11] in a four-part setting.[13] The early-church melody is illuminated in a modern major-minor tonality.[1]: 113 [5] Unusually, the piece ends on a B minor imperfect cadence.[9]

Manuscripts and publication

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Bach's autograph score is preserved. It was probably inherited by his son Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, and went, via other owners, to the royal library in Berlin, together with four parts. While the parts remained there, the score was moved during World War II. It is held in the Biblioteka Jagiellońska in Kraków, Poland. A set of 14 original parts was probably inherited by Anna Magdalena Bach who passed them to the Thomasschule. They are now held by the Bach Archive in Leipzig.[2]

The cantata was first published in a critical edition in 1878 in the first complete edition of Bach's work, the Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe. The volume in question was edited by Alfred Dörffel.[2] In the Neue Bach-Ausgabe it was published in 2000, edited by Uwe Wolf.[2]

Recordings

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A list of recordings is provided on the Bach Cantatas website.[4]

Recordings
Title Ensembles, conductor Soloists Label Year
J. S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk • Complete Cantatas • Les Cantates, Folge / Vol. 1
Arkiv Produktion 1972 (1972)
J. S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk • Complete Cantatas • Les Cantates, Folge / Vol. 30
Teldec 1980 (1980)
Die Bach Kantate Vol. 62
Hänssler 1980 (1980)
J. S. Bach: Christmas Cantatas
Arkiv Produktion 1998 (1998)
Bach Edition Vol. 14 – Cantatas Vol. 7
Brilliant Classics 2000 (2000)
J. S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 12
Erato 2000 (2000)
J. S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 31 Cantatas from Leipzig 1724 – BWV BWV 91, 101, 121, 133
BIS 2004 (2004)

Notes

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  1. ^ "schon" is an archaic variant of "schön" (beautiful)

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Dürr, Alfred; Jones, Richard D. P. (2006). "Christum wir sollen loben schon, BWV 121". The Cantatas of J. S. Bach: With Their Librettos in German-English Parallel Text. Oxford University Press. pp. 106, 110–113. ISBN 978-0-19-969628-4.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rempp, Frieder (April 2017). Christum wir sollen loben schon / Christ Jesus praise we ev’ryone /BWV 121 (PDF). Carus-Verlag. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Christum wir sollen loben schon BWV 121; BC A 13". Bach Digital. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  4. ^ a b Oron, Aryeh. "Cantata BWV 121 Christum wir sollen loben schon". Bach Cantatas Website. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e Gardiner, John Eliot (2005). Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) / Cantatas Nos 40, 91, 110 & 121 (Media notes). Soli Deo Gloria. Retrieved 31 December 2018 – via Hyperion Records.
  6. ^ a b c Finscher, Ludwig. "Liner notes to Bach Cantatas, Vol. 30" (PDF). Retrieved 1 June 2013 – via Bach Cantatas Website.
  7. ^ "BWV 121". University of Alberta. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  8. ^ a b Hofmann, Klaus. "Liner notes to Bach Cantatas, Vol. 31" (PDF). Retrieved 1 June 2013 – via Bach Cantatas Website.
  9. ^ a b c d e Mincham, Julian. "Chapter 29 BWV 121". jsbachcantatas. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  10. ^ "Cantata No. 121". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  11. ^ a b c d e Dellal, Pamela. "BWV 121 - Christum wir sollen loben schon". Emmanuel Music. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  12. ^ Smith, Craig. "BWV 121". Emmanuel Music. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  13. ^ Dahn, Luke. "BWV 121.6". bach-chorales.com. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
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