Chorus from Cantata no. 37 (Wer da glaubet und getauft wird) (Full Score)

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He is pleased with them, and they feel comfortable with him, and so am I with both of them. Conclusion My first choice for this cantata as a whole and the aria for bass in particular is Ehmann 1. After some research I managed to compile a short biography of him and I put it in the Bach Cantatas Website for anybody who is interested to know more about this excellent Bach conductor. I find that all his too few recordings of Bach cantatas are authoritative, satisfying and pleasing.

As they say, what Ehmann had already forgot, other, more modern, conductors have not even started to learn. And as always, I would like to hear other opinions, regarding the above mentioned performances, or other recordings. Thomas Braatz wrote May 30, Whereas it was not so difficult to find and detect the various motifs and descriptions of Mvt.

Crist Oxford Composer Companions [Boyd.

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In a simplified overview of Mvt. This is the section that introduces and also develops!!! Crist's division is as follows: This is the important marker for the beginning of the last section that has soprano and alto with the instruments hushed a 'piano' is marked for the strings in the score continue a duet until joined a few bars later with the other voices after which the tenor and bass have a similar duet followed by a full chorus conclusion.

Was Bach in this music 'speaking' primarily from the standpoint of Lutheran theological doctrine, as Crist would have it: As a noted Bach scholar, he knows that he would have to supply more evidence of proof for any supposition he has. Perhaps he would rather leave that to a future doctoral disseration done by student pursuing this type of thing. But it is very interesting for me that he goes through the effort of supplying an elaborate illustration with musical examples that could offer a key to understanding this mvt.

With the help of examples from the score and elsewhere which I hope to supply, you should be able to gain a better understanding of what I am talking about. But until then, let me try to explain in many words what you are hearing as you listen to this mvt.

Let's call this the 'belief'-motif with the long held note emphasizing the need to 'hold' on to this belief. While the long note is being held, the 2 nd oboe answers with a musical figure that will be the basis for many of the fugal entries consisting of half notes. But, at the same time, the 1 st violin begins the wonderful, contrasting, faster-moving quarter and eighth notes theme which is 'worlds apart' from the key elements in the oboes.

In the samples from the score, I will show you the melody of this hymn as it might appear in a hymn book of that day. On first inspection you might justifiably say that it might only vaguely appear to be related. However, when you examine BWV BWV , a fughetta, is already so melodically contorted that you would perhaps have difficulty recognizing it a choral prelude for organ, it becomes much more apparent how Bach treats a theme of this sort in an organ prelude, in which, by the way, the canonically stated pairs appear a total of 10 times with a crucial crux turning point occurring in the middle where one statement stands alone without pairing.

This then is the '10 Commandment'-motif taken from the incipet of a Luther chorale that everybody in church at the first performance of the cantata would know probably backwards and forwards. In the same 2 nd measure, the continuo makes its initial statement with material that is anything but introductory. I am reminded here of the description that Forkel gave of a Bach family reunion where much time was spent musically with the impromptu creation of quodlibets. This is a musical form in which from songs widely known and sung by all who were present, were entered into quodlibet at just the right time and pitch to make music with all the other songs unrelated in text!

Although incipets the first line in a song were usually used, this was not always the case. The source could be a refrain or a striking or catchy turn of words and music in the middle of the piece. Such is the case here, except that now we are using only sacred music as a source and not folk songs etc.

Would that be Bach's primary purpose here, to achieve a unity between various mvts. Would he be announcing to the listener in advance, what they would be hearing later on? I found yet another hymn contained in a German hymnal dating from , but not in later editions: This hymn of only five verses is rather unusual in that four of the five verses have for this final line of verse the one in question here the exact same words each time: Let's call this the 'Praise-God"-motif.

So far in measure 2, the only part not accounted for is the viola part, the very part, according to one of Bach's sons, he would occasionally play himself in the performance of his cantatas. Besides a secondary theme consisting of a three-note pattern consisting of 2 eighth notes followed by a quarter note in a downward motion on the notes of the scale, there is a strong motif announced in the continuo for the first time in measure 6.

This motif consists of an upward moving stepping at the interval of a fourth figure, all in half notes —very majestic in character -- followed by a step down by one note on the scale, to be followed by another leap upwards by another fourth to an even higher pitch. This happens at least three times in section 1, twice in the middle section, and once in the conclusion. Just hearing the mvt now as I write this, it seems to occur even more frequently than this, but then it is of such a character that you will not miss it. With the help of an additional passing note that Bach sometimes includes in a choral prelude , the comparison becomes even more apparent.

Here then is THE event that epitomizes what baptism was all about. For the librettist who was possibly also a pastor , the sacrament as a preordained, prescribed routine occurrence in church as one of the holy sacraments is uppermost in the mind, while Bach sees, in addition to this, with the help of his musical imagination based on pictures of the mind, the scene of a remarkable baptism, unlike the many others that John the Baptist had been performing all along, a singular event in mankind.

This is the picture that Bach conjures up by using the reference to the melody of the baptismal hymn that everyone listening at that time would know. Summary of motifs in Mvt. In my last posting I should have summarized the characteristics of each motif once again, so that a listener can hear them without the aid of a score. I had listed them as follows: The Belief-motif Two half notes at the same pitch followed by a dotted whole note held for 3 measures 1st oboe at beginning The other oboe states the fugal theme that is also used by the vocal parts later on.

The Commandments-motif A repeated quarter note pattern 4 times at the same pitch, then two eighth notes moving up the scale and a final quarter note. The latter pattern is reversed, going downward to finish out the ritornello. The Praise-God-motif Appearing at the beginning of the continuo part, this motif consists of half and whole only two notes on a downward movement on the scale The Baptism-of-Christ-motif This motif consists of two jumps upward at the interval of a fourth with a step downward either semitone or whole tone after the first jump before taking the final jump to an even higher pitch I have only four recordings for comparison of this first mvt.: Harnoncourt [3] , Rilling [4] , Koopman [6] , and Leusink [7].

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The pitch for Harnoncourt, Koopman, and Leusink is a half step lower than Rilling's, with Harnoncourt's slightly higher than either Koopman and Leusink who are exactly the same. So as to prepare you for the type of performance that I will be looking for, allow me to present the context of the words used in Mvt.

He rebuked them for their unbelief -- their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. And then he told them, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. I do not care for the sound of these instruments as it is too thin, with no 'roundness' to the sound they produce.

The strings are squeaky and scratchy as usual. You will simply have to become accustomed to this sound since it does not vary much throughout the entire series of cantatas.

Harnoncourt's 'Dying-Note' syndrome seems to work in his favor some of the time here, particularly with the 'Commandments'-motif which requires the notes to be detached slightly from each other, thus creating a contrast towell, that's the problem! Harnoncourt does not sustain even the half and whole notes in a series. Everything has to be 'cut up,' otherwise he is not satisfied. Thus there is little contrast to perceive here.

The Baptism-of-Christ motif is dissected to such a degree that each jump upward at the interval of a fourth becomes a separate entity with a breath in between, as if to say, "Whew! I made the first jump, let me catch my breath before I attempt the next jump which takes me even higher. The same is true of the stepwise downward descending notes of the 'Praise-God'-motif.

All of this lack of extended phrasing lasting more than a measure or two causes the fragmentation which any normal listener will hear as such. The flowing continuity of the musical line is lost. This is a very typical characteristic of Harnoncourt's style in the Bach cantatas. When the chorus enters, the 'thumpiness' of the bass becomes somewhat disturbing, all of this caused by not hothe notes out for their full value. The basses and tenors tend to overwhelmed when the 'prima donnas' in the sopranos and altos take over.

The volume of the latter group is much greater than the former. One place to watch for a good quality in singing and choral sound production is at the beginning of the final section when the sopranos and altos have a duet for 5 measures. Listen for the uncontrolled volume in the voices as they try to 'hit' the high note. There are better ways of handling this situation than what is heard here - have the voices reduce volume when they attack the high note. Harnoncourt 'thumps' the Commandment-motif with appropriate energy, but fractures too many beautiful phrases to make this mvt.

Above all, the oboes lack the restless sound of those in the Harnoncourt recording. The string orchestra and continuo play legato.

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Did you hear that Nicholas? The statement of the 'Commandments'-motif by the strings is not very strong, but passable; but when the motif goes into the basso continuo particularly when it jumps up an octave , it loses the necessary 'punch' that Harnoncourt was able to provide. After a bit, it becomes clear that this is a much 'sweeter' version of this piece, that sounds as if an angelic choir from afar were attempting to bring us some pleasant news.

But we know from above Mark 16 that Christ was in more of an angry, scolding, threatening frame of mind. This is why I have a problem with this 'pleasant' interpretation which lacks real stamina, stamina that Harnoncourt had in some places where needed and in many others where it should have been expressed differently: With Leusink everything is generally on the light side with lax entrances and a general lack of conviction on the part of the singers.

As usual the falsettist in the alto and soprano voice take over and tend to cover the tenors and basses. I have great difficulty with this type of vocal sound production because it sounds unnatural, strained, forced into the back of the throat from which it tends to 'nasalize' the sound and becomes unwieldy for the singer.

Listen to the beginning of the final section soprano, alto duet and what happens here? It's very predictable -- the jump of the seventh from the low part of the range where the volume is diminished to the higher part of the vocal range where it becomes uncontrollable.

Listen to this part carefully! It sounds amateurish, not worthy enough for singing Bach, let alone being recorded as well. It destroys the continuity and draws attention to itself for no reason that can be seen indicated in the score. Leusink has a good beginning, but after that the usual problems that he has become apparent.

Cantata No. 37 Wer da glaubet und getauft wird, BWV 37

Sometimes I wonder, what would happen if someone the caliber of Robert Shaw were to direct these singers. Could he have 'turned them around' and improved what he had there, or would he have had to choose different singers in order to reach his much higher level of choral conducting? Much of what we hear is subtle understatement of Bach's intentions. He has clean choral lines with crescendi and diminuendi, and the intonation is superb. Listen for the jump of a seventh in the final section. Here it is done properly without a strong emphasis on the high note.

Another angelic choir sings to us from a great distance. It has some problems with interference from the various layers of the atmosphere. When the 'Commandments' -motif appears, everything becomes even more subdued than before, as if the 10 Commandments were something to hurry over and get out of the way quickly. Basically the strong foundation upon which this mvt.

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We once again have both Koopman and Leusink skipping lightly through the mvt, making it a sort of invitation to the dance. It is very pleasant music from this standpoint. However, we might as well have the chorus singing Oo's and Ah's, and put this on a CD for listeners only interested in Bach for the music and not the texts. The Swingle Singers could then add this to their repertoire as well.

The unity between the message and the music is completely lacking, as much as I do like the sheer sound of this recording and the quality of choral singing that Koopman produces. This is the best version for those who enjoy a satisfying choral sound together with a nimble and precise instrumental accompaniment. As background music, I could hear this version many times without tiring of it. Notice the slightly slower tempo which allows for a more deliberate statement of the music based on the text.

Although the oboes are not as pleasant sounding as those of Leusink and Koopman which I prefer in this regard, the violins have a singing quality as they sweep through their extended phrases. The vocal lines are presented with enthusiasm and precision. The only blemish on this otherwise excellent recording is in the sopranos, among which there are one or two that should not have been singing for this recording.

There is a vibrato that refuses to blend in with the others and creates a 'shaky' sound on some notes. The correct note is in there somewhere, but I do not hear it correctly, nor do these voices fully control what they are singing. Again, check the final section, when the sopranos and altos have to jump from a low note to a high note! This will reveal what is quality and what is not. At times these voices or this voice consist more of vibrato than of actual sound volume being produced. This is where a Bach choir begins to sound like an opera chorus.

Otherwise the whole conception of the mvt. There is no light tapping of notes, there are no fractured phrases. This version speaks directly to the heart. The German words are clear and deliberate and the vocal and instrumental attacks are performed with cleanly with precision. All the pieces motifs, etc.

I am disturbed only by the soprano problem, which, by the way, continues on into the other cantatas on this disk. Perhaps you can overlook or overhear this, then this is the version to enjoy from all aspects already discussed — the cantata's message, and its construction based on various motifs. It is a masterpiece of beauty on many levels by a genius whose depths we are unable to fathom completely.

That is the very reason why this music is so rewarding. PS I forgot to include my little investigation into the 'Commandment'-motif as it appears in this mvt. Here are the occurrences of the motif as they appear in each part in each of the three sections: Thomas Braatz wrote May 31, Comments on recordings of other mvts.

I only have Harnoncourt, Rilling, Koopman, and Leusink. Reconstructions began in the 19 th century with Robert Franz , a composer of that period, providing the missing part. One of the reasons given as proof that this part is missing, is to simply look at or listen tothis aria as recorded by Leusink who does not use any reconstructed violin part. It definitely sounds empty, particularly when you compare it with the next mvt.

This continuo part Mvt. By signing up you consent with the terms in our Privacy Policy. I am a music teacher. Choir sheet music Harpsichord sheet music Ensemble: Set of Parts Publisher: Kalmus Be the first! Customers Who Bought Cantata No. Rate this product's difficulty level: Review Guidelines Explain exactly why you liked or disliked the product. Do you like the artist? Is the transcription accurate? Is it a good teaching tool? Consider writing about your experience and musical tastes.

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