BWV 147a Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (original)
The 1716 Advent cantata Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (text by Salomon Franck, BWV 147a) is completely overshadowed by Bachs 1723 'remake' for the Feast of the Annunciation (with Jesu joy - BWV 147). However, a reconstruction is simple and musically worthwhile. Only the aria for bass Ich will von Jesu Wundern singen from BWV 147 (nr. 9) has to be re-texted completely. The rest are minor changes. Simply use the scheme below (bold is where the original differs) place the original text below the notes and you will soon notice that it perfectly fits the music. Even better...The signal-like theme of BWV 147/9 suddenly sounds natural, 'logical', since the text refers to John the Baptist "the voice that crieth in the wilderness...".
Below the text and the image a more thorough assessment of the provenance, since there is some confusion.
advent 2016 / Dick Wursten
[cantata
performed at 4/12/2016 in the Church of St. Norbertus (Antwerp) by
the Antwerp Baroque Orchestra, dir. Emmanuel van Kerckhoven.]
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(BWV
147a)
Text: Salomo
Franck (Weimar) |
BWV 147
The numbers refer to the opening choir and the arias
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Dutch translation |
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1. CHOR |
1 |
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Herz und Mund
und Tat und Leben
Muß
von Christo Zeugnis geben
Ohne Furcht und
Heuchelei,
Daß
er Gott und Heiland sei. |
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Hart en mond en daad en leven moet van Christus getuigen zonder vrees of huichelarij, dat Hij God en Heiland is. |
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2. ARIE (alt) |
3 |
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Schäme
dich, o Seele, nicht,
Deinen Heiland
zu bekennen, Soll er seine Braut * sich nennen
Vor des Vaters
Angesicht!
Doch wer ihn auf
dieser Erden
Zu verleugnen
sich nicht scheut,
Soll von ihm
verleugnet werden,
Wenn er kommt
zur Herrlichkeit. |
....
dich die seine |
Schaam u, ziel, toch niet om uw Heiland te belijden, als u wilt dat hij u zijn bruid noemt voor het aangezicht des Vaders! Maar wie hier op aarde hem verloochenen zal, zal ook hij verloochenen als Hij komt in heerlijkheid. |
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3. ARIE (tenor) |
7 |
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Hilf, Jesu,
hilf, daß
ich auch dich bekenne
In Wohl und Weh,
in Freud und Leid,
Daß
ich dich meinen Heiland nenne
Im Glauben und
Gelassenheit,
Daß
stets mein Herz von deiner Liebe brenne.
Hilf, Jesu,
hilf! |
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Help mij, Jezus, help dat ik ook u
belijden mag in wel en wee, in vreugde en lijden, dat ik u mijn Heiland noemen mag met een rustig vast geloof, dat mijn hart steeds branden mag door
uw liefde. Help mij, Jezus, help. |
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4. ARIE
(sopraan) |
5 |
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Bereite dir,
Jesu, noch heute
die Bahn,
Des Herzens, der
Seele,
Und
blicke
mit Augen
der Gnaden mich an!
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... itzo
die Bahn Mein Heiland,
erwähle
Die gläubende
Seele
Und
siehe mit Augen.. |
Bereid de weg , o Jezus, noch vandaag, Neem intrek in de holte* Van mijn hart, mijn ziel en zie mij aan met genadevolle ogen.
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5. Aria (bas) |
9 aria (bas) |
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Lass mich der Rufer Stimme hören, Die mit Johanne treulich lehren, Ich soll in dieser Gnadenzeit Von Finsternis und Dunkelheit Zum wahren Lichte mich bekehren. |
Ich will von
Jesu Wundern singen
Und ihm der
Lippen Opfer bringen,
Er wird nach
seiner Liebe Bund
Das schwache
Fleisch, den irdschen Mund
Durch heilges
Feuer kräftig
zwingen. |
Laat mij de 'stem der Roependen'
horen, Die trouw aan Johannes leren, Dat ik in deze genadetijd Mij van duisternis en donkerheid Naar het ware licht moet keren. |
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6. CHORAL |
-- |
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Dein Wort lass mich bekennen Für
dieser argen Welt, Auch mich dein'n Diener nennen, Nicht fürchten
Gwalt noch Geld, Das mich bald mög
ableiten Von deiner Wahrheit klar; Wollst mich auch nicht abscheiden Von der Christlichen Schar. |
Sixth Stanza from the choral: 'Ich dank dir lieber Herre'. Simply use a 4vv chorale from 371 Choralgesänge (3 versions available) |
Laat mij uw woord belijden, Voor deze boze wereld, Laat mij ook uw dienaar wezen Niet bang voor macht en geld, Dat mij zo makkelijk kan afleiden Van uw zonneklare waarheid; Maak mij ook nooit los Van de christelijke gemeenschap. |
* In BWV 147 all references to the 'bride-groom' mysticism are suppressed. The imagery was appropriate in the context of Advent, where the arrival of the 'groom' is announced, coming to his 'bride' (Christ/Soul). One of the - for most modern readers invisible, incomprehensible- references to the Bride/Groom mysticis is the the phrase 'Beziehe die 'Höhle des Herzens ': [back]
** The word 'Höhle' in nr. 4 refers to the text of Song of Songs, ch. 2, 14: My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. In the allegorical mystical reading of the Song of Songs this invitation is linked to the wound in Jesus side, from which fled 'water and blood', salvific...(see f.i. Bernardus of Clairvaux's sermon on this text, in which this imagery is used. It became 'stock material' for devotional literature since then, far into the 18th century.[back]
Remarkable: in the autograph score of this Aria (BWV 147/5) the original wording of the second line is still recognisable (the first two words 'beziehe die' are crossed out and are replaced by the phrase: mein heiland, erwähle die gläubende.... Did Bach suppress this reference to the Song of Songs himself last minute (slipped through in the general revision?). Or was he copying the original score and did he realize too late that this text should be replaced as well ? We'll never know, but we are as close as we can get to Bach at work...
Provenance
Was the Weimar cantate ever completed by Bach or did he break up after part 1 (thesis of many scholars, e.g. Christoph Wolff) ?
In the official source edition of the NBA (Neue Bach Ausgabe), one can read: Musik verschollen (Music lost). There are doubts whether Bach ever completed or performed the cantata. The libretto is 'sure', sinced it is published in 1717 by Salomon Franck himself. The score of BWV 147 (the 1723 cantata) is available in Bach's own handwriting (the above is copied from that source). A fascinating detail: the paper can be dated, so we now know that the pages with the first movement of this manuscript (the opening chorus) date back to Weimar 1716. The movements 2-5 (until p. 6v) date from 1723 and the rest from 1728-32. Christoph Wolff (Bach. Learned Musician, p. 164), following Alfred Durr, The Cantatas of J.S. Bach - English translation -, p. 15) infers from this state of affairs, that 'Bach broke up the composition after mvt. 1'. This however is an example of jumping to conclusions based on reasoning e nihilo. In 1723 Bach had to break up at this point, because at that point new text was inserted and newly composed music had te be written down after the openingchorus. Ergo: the material evidence does not prove anything about the (non-)completion of the composition, let alone about the question whether is was performed or not. We have to leave that open, and present our opinions with the necessary caveats. The fact that the text of the bass-aria of 1723 exactly follows the metrical pattern of the text of 1716 rather suggests that Bach re-used the music in 1723. As suggested above: the signal-like theme also provides a clue that the music originally was conceived for the 1716 text.