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Technical Notice
| Classical Composer: | Bach, Johann Sebastian |
|---|---|
| Lyricists: | Franck, Salomo; Luther, Martin |
| Work: | Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80 |
| Year Composed: | 1731 |
| Instrumentation: | Sop,Alt,Ten,Bass,SATB - 02212/0300/timp.perc/org/hpd/str: 8.7.6.5.4 |
| Publishers: |
C.F. Peters Frankfurt Edwin F. Kalmus Bärenreiter Verlag Breitkopf & Härtel Edition Eulenburg |
| Duration: | 00:30:00 |
| Period: | Baroque (1600-1750) |
| Work Category: | Choral - Sacred |
Work Information
Available Recording(s)
The Reformation Cantata, Ein feste Burg, BWV 80, was adapted from an earlier cantata, Alles, was von Gott geboren, of which the music has been lost. This was written for performance at Weimar on the Third Sunday of Lent in 1715, with a text by Salomo Franck, secretary, librarian and poet at the court. The new cantata has been variously dated. Some have suggested as early a date as 31st October 1724 and there is a surviving autograph fragment from a year earlier, relatively soon after Bach's assumption of his new duties in Leipzig. Others have dated the complete surviving revision of the cantata to 1730, the date of celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession.
The cantata, scored for oboes, including oboe d'amore, oboe da caccia and cor anglais, strings and basso continuo, with soprano, alto, tenor and bass singers, opens with a polyphonic treatment of the first verse of Martin Luther's well known hymn, Ein feste Burg, using the four voices, with oboes, strings and continuo. The aria that follows combines the soprano statement of the second verse, in aversion of the original chorale melody, with Franck's words sung by the bass. The aria is introduced by the upper strings in unison over the continuo, leading to an oboe aria, Komm in meinem Herzenshaus, with its economical basso continuo accompaniment. The instrumental ensemble of two oboe d'amore, cor anglais, appearance of a matching version of Luther's third stanza, sung by all the singers in unison. The following tenor recitative and duet for alto and tenor, with its oboe da caccia and solo violin accompaniment, Wie selig sind doch dir, use words by Franck. The final chorale is a magnificent statement of Bach's monumental harmonization of the original hymn.
Writer: Keith Anderson
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