Episode 710 of our weekday programme about the oeuvre of Johann Sebastian Bach. We will broadcast the Ratswechselkantate BWV 120 and the marriage cantata BWV 120a of 1729. How they are related to one another can be read on the new website about Bach of Eduard van Hengel.
A tip of the editors of Bach Ad Infinitum: There is a new website with all vocal works of Bach, by Eduard van Hengel.
Click here to go to this site.
Govert Jan Bach was present in the Geertekerk in Utrecht on Sunday 7 July 2019, where he was given the opportunity to open this highly informative website in a festive manner.
Today in Bach Ad Infinitum a sample of parodying earlier works from Bach on the basis of BWV 120 and BWV 120A. We take our time to broadcast both cantatas.
Eduard van Hengel writes the following about it:
‘….The marriage cantata BWV 120a of 1729 is parody wise related to the
Ratswechselkantate BWV 120 which has been passed on to us in an autograph score from 1742, but experts contradict one another about the question which of both cantatas served as an example for the other. Parts of the cantata from 1729 are unmistakably not original, however, it cannot be determined if they are adaptations of an earlier execution of BWV 120 or from a missing example. No matter in which direction: there are connections between parts 1, 3 and 6 of BWV 120a with parts 2, 4 and 1 of BWV 120. Of the marriage cantata (‘Brautmesse’) we only have the vocal scores and the last part of the instrumental score, but helped by the parody relations, the cantata was quite easily reconstructed (by Koopman and Suzuki a.o.). The derivations of different earlier compositions of which the spotless remains of handwriting of BWV 120a witness, give this occasional work the character of a pasticcio, a ‘copy/paste-composition’…’
Read more about these two cantatas or other works on the website of Eduard van Hengel.
Playlist:
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
1. Ratswechselkantate BWV 120
– 1. Aria (Alto). Gott, Man Lobet Dich
– 2. Choir. Jauchzet, Ihr Erfreuten Stimmen
– 3. Recitative (Bass). Auf! Du Geliebte Lindenstadt
– 4. Aria (Soprano). Heil Und Segen
– 5. Recitative (Tenor). Nun, Herr, So Weihe
– 6. Choral. Nun Hilf Uns, Herr
Hana Blazíková, soprano. Robin Blaze, altus. Peter Kooij, bass. Bach Collegium Japan conducted by Masaaki Suzuki
(CD Cantatas Vol.48)
2. Cantata “Herr Gott, Beherrscher Aller Dinge”, BWV 120A
– Herr Gott , Beherrscher Aller Dinge
– Wie Wunderbar, O Gott, Sind Deine Werke
– Leit, O Gott, Durch, Deine Liebe
– Presto
– Herr Zebaoth, Herr, Unsrer Väter Gott
– Herr, Fange An Und Sprich Den Segen
– Der Herr, Herr Unser Gott
– Lobe Den Herren, Der Deinen Stand Sichtbar Gesegnet
Barbara Schlick, soprano. Kai Wessel, altus. Guy de Mey, tenor. Klaus Mertens, bass. The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir conducted by Ton Koopman
(CD Cantatas, Vol. 20)
3. Piano Concerto in F minor, BWV 1056
– 1. Allegro
– 2. Largo
– 3. Presto
La Risonanza conducted by Fabio Bonizzoni, harpsichord
(CD Bach Harpsichord Concertos, Vol. 1)
On photo: Eduard van Hengel (NRC)
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