Bist du bei mir
Encyclopedia
Bist du bei mir (BWV
508) is an aria
in the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach
. It was therefore attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach
, but the melody is part of the Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel
opera Diomedes, oder die triumphierende Unschuld that was performed in Bayreuth on November 16, 1718. The opera score is lost. The aria had been part of the Berlin Singakademie
music library and was considered lost in the Second World War, until it was rediscovered in 2000 in the Kiev Conservatory
. The continuo part of BWV 508 is more agitated and continuous in its voice leading than the Stölzel aria; it is uncertain who provided it, as the entry in the Notebook is by Anna Magdalena Bach herself. In an essay in the Bach-Jahrbuch 2002, Andreas Glöckner speculates that either she obtained the song from the inventory of the Leipzig Opera that had gone bankrupt in 1720, or that it simply was a favourite known to nearly everybody in Leipzig
that was particularly suitable for Hausmusik.
The sheet music of the Stölzel aria is made available as a microfiche.
The piece has become a very popular choice for wedding ceremonies and other such occasions. It was featured in the 2005 French film Joyeux Noël, accompanied by piano
, violins
, and cello
.
zum Sterben und zu meiner Ruh.
A translation to English is difficult, because the original German is poetry speech and can't be translated literally. "Bist du bei mir" is short for the conditional "Wenn Du bei mir bist", the event of a future rendered in the present tense in the first two lines.
English translation:
If you are with me, then I will go gladly
unto [my] death and to my rest.
Alternative English translation:
When thou art near, I go with joy
To death and to my rest.
and the Mexican tenor Rolando Villazon
recorded it in an arrangement by Philippe Rombi for "Joyeux Noël" in 2005.
Hayley Westenra
recorded the song on her third international album Treasure
, released in 2007.
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...
508) is an aria
Aria
An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
in the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach
Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach
The title Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach refers to either of two manuscript notebooks that the German Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach presented to his second wife Anna Magdalena...
. It was therefore attributed to 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...
, but the melody is part of the Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel
Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel
Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel was a prolific German composer.-Biography:Stölzel grew up in Schwarzenberg, Saxony in the Erzgebirge. From 1707 he was a student of theology in Leipzig, and of Melchior Hofmann, the musical director of the Neukirche. He studied, worked and composed in Breslau and Halle...
opera Diomedes, oder die triumphierende Unschuld that was performed in Bayreuth on November 16, 1718. The opera score is lost. The aria had been part of the Berlin Singakademie
Berlin Singakademie
The Sing-Akademie zu Berlin is a musical society founded in Berlin in 1791 by Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch, harpsichordist to the court of Prussia, on the model of the 18th century London Academy of Ancient Music.-Early history:...
music library and was considered lost in the Second World War, until it was rediscovered in 2000 in the Kiev Conservatory
Kiev Conservatory
The Tchaikovsky National Academy of Music is a Ukrainian state institution of higher music education. Its courses include postgraduate education.-History:...
. The continuo part of BWV 508 is more agitated and continuous in its voice leading than the Stölzel aria; it is uncertain who provided it, as the entry in the Notebook is by Anna Magdalena Bach herself. In an essay in the Bach-Jahrbuch 2002, Andreas Glöckner speculates that either she obtained the song from the inventory of the Leipzig Opera that had gone bankrupt in 1720, or that it simply was a favourite known to nearly everybody 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...
that was particularly suitable for Hausmusik.
The sheet music of the Stölzel aria is made available as a microfiche.
The piece has become a very popular choice for wedding ceremonies and other such occasions. It was featured in the 2005 French film Joyeux Noël, accompanied by piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, violins
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....
, and cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
.
Text
Bist du bei mir, geh ich mit Freudenzum Sterben und zu meiner Ruh.
- Ach, wie vergnügt wär so mein Ende,
- es drückten deine schönen Hände
- mir die getreuen Augen zu!
A translation to English is difficult, because the original German is poetry speech and can't be translated literally. "Bist du bei mir" is short for the conditional "Wenn Du bei mir bist", the event of a future rendered in the present tense in the first two lines.
English translation:
If you are with me, then I will go gladly
unto [my] death and to my rest.
- Ah, what a pleasant end for me,
- if your dear hands be the last I see,
- closing shut my faithful eyes to rest!
Alternative English translation:
When thou art near, I go with joy
To death and to my rest.
- O how pleasant would my end be,
- If your fair hands
- Would close my faithful eyes.
See also
- List of songs and arias in Anna Magdalena Bach's notebook
Recordings
The French soprano Natalie DessayNatalie Dessay
Natalie Dessay is a French coloratura soprano. She dropped the silent "h" in her first name in honor of Natalie Wood when she was in grade school and subsequently simplified the spelling of her surname outside France...
and the Mexican tenor Rolando Villazon
Rolando Villazón
Emilio Rolando Villazón Mauleón is a Mexican tenor. He settled in France and in 2007 became a French citizen.-Early life and education:...
recorded it in an arrangement by Philippe Rombi for "Joyeux Noël" in 2005.
Hayley Westenra
Hayley Westenra
Hayley Dee Westenra is a New Zealand soprano, classical crossover artist, songwriter and UNICEF Ambassador. Her first internationally released album, Pure, reached No. 1 on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million copies worldwide...
recorded the song on her third international album Treasure
Treasure (Hayley Westenra album)
Treasure is the third internationally released album by Christchurch, New Zealand soprano Hayley Westenra, released in 2007...
, released in 2007.
External links
- Sheet music for "Bist du bei mir"
- The text of "Bist du bei mir" and an English translation
- The score of the "Bist du bei mir" melody at the Mutopia projectMutopia projectThe Mutopia Project is a volunteer-run effort to create a library of free content sheet music, in a way similar to Project Gutenberg's library of public domain books.The music is reproduced from old scores that are out of copyright...
- 1930 recording by Lotte LehmannLotte LehmannCharlotte "Lotte" Lehmann was a German soprano who was especially associated with German repertory. She gave memorable performances in the operas of Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Ludwig van Beethoven, Puccini, Mozart and Massenet. The Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier was considered her greatest...