Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir
Encyclopedia
Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir (We thank you, God, we thank you), BWV
29, is a sacred cantata
by Johann Sebastian Bach
. The cantata was written in 1731 for Ratswahl, the inauguration of a new town council in Leipzig
, on 27 August of that year. Bach used the music from the choral movement for the Gratias in the Gloria
of his Mass in B minor, and later also the Dona nobis pacem, to conclude that work.
for the same occasion.
, alto
, tenor
and basso
soloists, four-part choir
, solo organ
and an orchestra
consisting of three trumpet
s, timpani
, two oboe
s, violin
s, viola
s and basso continuo.
. Another is the early Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV 12. The music is an arrangement
of the prelude from Bach's Partita for violin
, BWV 1006. A solo organ
plays the original violin part, while the orchestra adds an accompaniment.
The chorus, on verse 2 of Psalm 75
, is written in grave stile antico
. The bass begins in great simplicity a theme in even steps, the tenor starts imitating almost immediately, the alto a little later, then the soprano. A countersubject
illustrates the telling of God's wonders, embellishing the words verkündigen (proclaim) and Wunder (wonders). A dense texture is achieved. In the beginning only oboes and strings play colla parte, then a trumpet doubles the soprano. Developing further, two trumpets take part in the polyphony
, and a climax is reached when the third trumpet and timpani enter. Bach adapted the music with only minor changes for the Gratias of his Missa for the court of Dresden in 1733, which expresses the same idea. Later he incorporated the Missa in his Mass in B minor and concluded his work by repeating the music as the Dona nobis pacem.
The tenor, a solo violin and the continuo are equal partners in the following da capo aria
.
The soprano aria, accompanied by oboe and strings, is in siciliano
rhythm. The continuo rests during the vocal parts.
After a recitative
which leads to a choral Amen, the alto soloist repeats the main section of the tenor aria, accompanied by the organ. This close connection within a work of both theme (3 and 6) and instrument (1 and 6) is unusual in Bach's cantatas.
In the closing chorale
the trumpets accentuate the ends of some lines of the fifth verse of Johann Gramann
's Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren.
BWV
The Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis is the numbering system identifying compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. The prefix BWV, followed by the work's number, is the shorthand identification for Bach's compositions...
29, is a sacred cantata
Bach cantata
Bach cantata became a term for a cantata of the German Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach who was a prolific writer of the genre. Although many of his works are lost, around 200 cantatas survived....
by Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
. The cantata was written in 1731 for Ratswahl, the inauguration of a new town council in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, on 27 August of that year. Bach used the music from the choral movement for the Gratias in the Gloria
Gloria in Excelsis Deo
"Gloria in excelsis Deo" is the title and beginning of a hymn known also as the Greater Doxology and the Angelic Hymn. The name is often abbreviated to Gloria in Excelsis or simply Gloria.It is an example of the psalmi idiotici "Gloria in excelsis Deo" (Latin for "Glory to God in the highest")...
of his Mass in B minor, and later also the Dona nobis pacem, to conclude that work.
History
Bach composed the cantata in 1731 for Ratswahl, the inauguration of the newly elected town council, which took place in a festive service on the Monday following St. Bartholomäus (24 August). He had written the cantatas Preise Jerusalem, den Herrn, BVW 119 and Gott, man lobet dich in der Stille, BWV 120Gott, man lobet dich in der Stille, BWV 120
Gott, man lobet dich in der Stille , BWV 120, is a sacred cantata written by the German Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach for the occasion of Ratswahl, the inauguration of a new town council of Leipzig in a church service...
for the same occasion.
Instrumentation and structure
The instrumentation reflects the festive occasion for which it was written: sopranoSoprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
, alto
Alto
Alto is a musical term, derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" in Italian, that has several possible interpretations.When designating instruments, "alto" frequently refers to a member of an instrumental family that has the second highest range, below that of the treble or soprano. Hence,...
, tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
and basso
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
soloists, four-part choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
, solo organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
and an orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
consisting of three trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s, timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
, two oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
s, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
s, viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
s and basso continuo.
- Sinfonia
- Coro: Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir
- Aria (tenor, violin): Halleluja, Stärk und Macht
- Recitativo (bass): Gottlob! es geht uns wohl!
- Aria (soprano, oboe, strings):Gedenk an uns mit deiner Liebe
- Recitativo (alto, choir): Vergiß es ferner nicht, mit deiner Hand
- Aria (alto): Halleluja, Stärk und Macht
- Chorale: Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren
Music
The cantata is one of the very few sacred cantatas of Bach opened by an orchestral sinfoniaSinfonia
Sinfonia is the Italian word for symphony. In English it most commonly refers to a 17th- or 18th-century orchestral piece used as an introduction, interlude, or postlude to an opera, oratorio, cantata, or suite...
. Another is the early Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV 12. The music is an arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
of the prelude from Bach's Partita for violin
Partita for Violin No. 3 (Bach)
The Partita No. 3 in E major BWV 1006 by Johann Sebastian Bach for solo violin consists of the following movements:# Preludio# Loure# Gavotte en Rondeau# Menuets # Bourrée# GigaIt takes approximately 20 minutes to perform....
, BWV 1006. A solo organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
plays the original violin part, while the orchestra adds an accompaniment.
The chorus, on verse 2 of Psalm 75
Psalm 75
Psalm 75 is the 75th psalm in the biblical Book of Psalms....
, is written in grave stile antico
Stile antico
Stile antico, literally "ancient style", is a term describing music from the sixteenth through the twentieth centuries. It refers to a manner of composition which is historically conscious, as opposed to stile moderno...
. The bass begins in great simplicity a theme in even steps, the tenor starts imitating almost immediately, the alto a little later, then the soprano. A countersubject
Countersubject
In music, a countersubject is a melodic or thematic idea which is played against a primary subject of a fugue, ricercar, invention, sinfonia, or other contrapuntal piece of music...
illustrates the telling of God's wonders, embellishing the words verkündigen (proclaim) and Wunder (wonders). A dense texture is achieved. In the beginning only oboes and strings play colla parte, then a trumpet doubles the soprano. Developing further, two trumpets take part in the polyphony
Polyphony
In music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ....
, and a climax is reached when the third trumpet and timpani enter. Bach adapted the music with only minor changes for the Gratias of his Missa for the court of Dresden in 1733, which expresses the same idea. Later he incorporated the Missa in his Mass in B minor and concluded his work by repeating the music as the Dona nobis pacem.
The tenor, a solo violin and the continuo are equal partners in the following da capo aria
Da capo aria
The da capo aria is a musical form, which was prevalent in the Baroque era. It is sung by a soloist with the accompaniment of instruments, often a small orchestra. The da capo aria is very common in the musical genres of opera and oratorio...
.
The soprano aria, accompanied by oboe and strings, is in siciliano
Siciliana
The siciliana or siciliano is a musical style or genre often included as a movement within larger pieces of music starting in the Baroque period. It is in a slow 6/8 or 12/8 time with lilting rhythms making it somewhat resemble a slow jig, and is usually in a minor key. It was used for arias in...
rhythm. The continuo rests during the vocal parts.
After a recitative
Recitative
Recitative , also known by its Italian name "recitativo" , is a style of delivery in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms of ordinary speech...
which leads to a choral Amen, the alto soloist repeats the main section of the tenor aria, accompanied by the organ. This close connection within a work of both theme (3 and 6) and instrument (1 and 6) is unusual in Bach's cantatas.
In the closing chorale
Chorale
A chorale was originally a hymn sung by a Christian congregation. In certain modern usage, this term may also include classical settings of such hymns and works of a similar character....
the trumpets accentuate the ends of some lines of the fifth verse of Johann Gramann
Johann Gramann
Johann Gramann or Graumann was a Protestant-Lutheran pastor, theologian, teacher, humanist, reformer and leader of the church. He worked as rector of the Thomasschule in Leipzig...
's Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren.
Recordings
- J.S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk - Sacred Cantatas Vol. 2, Nikolaus HarnoncourtNikolaus HarnoncourtNikolaus Harnoncourt is an Austrian conductor, particularly known for his historically informed performances of music from the Classical era and earlier. Starting out as a classical cellist, he founded his own period instrument ensemble in the 1950s, and became a pioneer of the Early Music movement...
, Wiener Sängerknaben & Chorus Viennensis, Concentus Musicus WienConcentus Musicus WienConcentus Musicus Wien is a baroque music ensemble founded by Nikolaus and Alice Harnoncourt in 1953. It generated the now well-established movement in performance and recordings to play early music on period instruments....
, boy soprano of the Wiener Sängerknaben, Paul EsswoodPaul EsswoodPaul Esswood is an English countertenor. He is best known for his singing in Bach cantatas and the operas of Handel and Monteverdi. Along with his countrymen Alfred Deller and James Bowman, he led the revival of countertenor singing in modern times.Esswood was born in West Bridgford, England. He...
, Kurt EquiluzKurt EquiluzKurt Equiluz is an Austrian classical tenor in opera and concert, known for recording works of Johann Sebastian Bach with Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Helmuth Rilling, a member of the Vienna State Opera as a tenor buffo from 1957 until 1983.- Professional career :Kurt Equiluz was an alto soloist of...
, Max van EgmondMax van EgmondMax van Egmond is a Dutch bass and baritone singer. He has focused on oratorio and Lied and is known for singing works of Johann Sebastian Bach.- Professional career :...
, TeldecTeldecThe Teldec is a German record label in Hamburg, Germany. Today the label is a property of Warner Music Group.-History:...
1974 - J.S. Bach: Wir danken dir, Gott, Philippe HerreweghePhilippe HerreweghePhilippe Herreweghe is a Flemish conductor.In his school years at the University of Ghent, Herreweghe combined studies in medical science and psychiatry with a musical education at the Ghent Conservatory, where Marcel Gazelle, Yehudi Menuhin's accompanist, was his piano teacher...
, Collegium Vocale Gent, Deborah YorkDeborah YorkDeborah York is a British classical soprano in concert and opera, living in Berlin.- Biography :Deborah York studied voice at the University of Manchester, graduating with a First Class Honours Degree, and in London with Laura Sarti and Janice Chapman.She has appeared regularly at the Bayerische...
, Ingeborg DanzIngeborg DanzIngeborg Danz is a German mezzo-soprano and alto concert singer.- Biography :Ingeborg Danz studied school music at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold and voice with Heiner Eckels...
, Mark PadmoreMark PadmoreMark Padmore is a British tenor appearing in concerts, recitals, and opera.Born in London 8 March 1961, and raised in Canterbury, Kent in England. Padmore studied clarinet and piano prior to his gaining a choral scholarship to King's College, Cambridge...
, Peter KooyPeter KooyPeter Kooy is a Dutch bass singer specialized in baroque music.- Biography :Peter Kooy started his musical career at 6 years as a choir boy. However he started his musical studies as a violin student...
, Harmonia Mundi France 1999 - J.S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 20, Ton KoopmanTon KoopmanTon Koopman is a conductor, organist and harpsichordist.Koopman had a "classical education" and then studied the organ , harpsichord and musicology in Amsterdam...
, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & ChoirAmsterdam Baroque Orchestra & ChoirThe Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir is a Dutch early-music group based in Amsterdam.The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir was created in two stages by the conductor, organist and harpsichordist Ton Koopman. He founded the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra in 1979 and the Amsterdam Baroque Choir in...
, Sandrine PiauSandrine PiauSandrine Piau is an opera soprano. Trained as a harpist, she studied voice at the Collège Lamartine and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique du Paris....
, Bogna BartoszBogna BartoszBogna Bartosz is a Polish classical mezzo-soprano and alto.- Biography :Bogna Bartosz studied voice at the Academy of Music in Gdansk and graduated with distinction...
, James GilchristJames Gilchrist (tenor)James Gilchrist is a British tenor specialising in recital and oratoria singing. He began his working life as a doctor, turning to a full-time music career in 1996...
, Klaus MertensKlaus MertensKlaus Mertens is a German bass and bass-baritone singer who is known especially for his interpretation of the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach.-Professional career:Klaus Mertens took singing lessons while attending school...
, Antoine Marchand 2003 - J.S. Bach: Cantatas, Nikolaus HarnoncourtNikolaus HarnoncourtNikolaus Harnoncourt is an Austrian conductor, particularly known for his historically informed performances of music from the Classical era and earlier. Starting out as a classical cellist, he founded his own period instrument ensemble in the 1950s, and became a pioneer of the Early Music movement...
, Arnold Schoenberg Chor, Concentus Musicus WienConcentus Musicus WienConcentus Musicus Wien is a baroque music ensemble founded by Nikolaus and Alice Harnoncourt in 1953. It generated the now well-established movement in performance and recordings to play early music on period instruments....
, Christine SchäferChristine SchäferChristine Schäfer is a German soprano. She studied from 1984 until 1991 at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin, where her teachers were Ingrid Figur, Aribert Reimann and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. She also took masterclasses with Arleen Augér and Sena Jurinac.After finishing her studies in 1992,...
, Bernarda FinkBernarda FinkBernarda Fink Inzko is an Argentinian mezzo-soprano. Born in Buenos Aires to Slovene parents, Bernarda Fink studied at the "Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colón" in Buenos Aires. She won First Prize at the Nuevas Voces Líricas competition in 1985 and moved to Europe...
, Werner GüraWerner GüraWerner Güra is a German classical tenor in opera, concert and Lied, also an academic teacher in Zurich.- Professional career :...
, Christian GerhaherChristian GerhaherChristian Gerhaher is a German baritone and bass singer in opera, concert and notably Lied.- Biography :Christian Gerhaher studied with Paul Kuen and Raimund Grumbach at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, and Lied with Friedemann Berger, already together with his accompanist for decades...
, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 2007