Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht, BWV 134a
Encyclopedia
Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht (Time, which day and year doth make), BWV 134a, is a secular cantata
or serenata by Johann Sebastian Bach
. It was written for the court of Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen as a congratulatory cantata for the New Year
of 1719, the day of its first performance.
, one of the notable novel
ists of his time, published in Auserlesene und theils noch nie gedruckte Gedichte unterschiedener Berühmten und geschickten Männer, part 2, Halle, 1719. Bach used the cantata as a basis for the Easter cantata Ein Herz, das seinen Jesum lebend weiß, BWV 134
in Leipzig in 1724. The music of the former work was lost because he had used the sheets for his Leipzig performance. Therefore, only a fragment of the cantata appeared in the Bach Gesellschaft edition
under the title Mit Gnade bekröne der Himmel die Zeiten. Philipp Spitta
, who wrote a three-volume biography of Bach in 1881, found the printed text, however, making reconstruction possible.
The text of the Serenata is, for most of the movements, a dialogue of two allegorical
figures, Time, representing the past, and Divine Providence for the future.
s, two violin
s, viola
and basso continuo. Time is sung by a tenor
, Divine Providence by an alto
, only the final of eight movements employs the choir.
s and aria
s to a final chorus.
The dialog recitatives are mostly secco recitatives, accompanied only by the continuo. The first aria of the Time is dominated by the first oboe. The second aria is a duet talking about the competition of the times, illustrated by figurations in the first violins. In the last aria, the voice of the Divine Providence is accompanied only by the continuo in ostinato
motives and can freely express the Harmonie der Seelen (harmony of the souls).
The cantata culminates in a choral movement opened by the tenor's Ergetzet auf Erden (Give pleasure terrestrial), followed by the alto's erfreuet von oben (give gladness celestial), then all voices sing together in homophony
Glückselige Zeiten, vergnüget dies Haus! (O fortunate ages, bring joy to this house). The pattern is repeated two more times, increasing in richness. The middle section of the movement is again started by alto and tenor, but this time together. On the following words, sie blühen, sie leben (they flourish, they live), a fugal
development of all voices begins, quite similar to the opening chorus of Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147, a fast succession of the voices and a long melisma
on the word leben, creating lively music. Alto and tenor start a fugue part twice more, singing increasingly embellished lines on durchlauchtigsten Seelen (most illustrious spirits). Close to the end of the middle section all voices shout together the word "ruft" (shout) twice, accented by a following rest. Then, the complete first part is repeated da capo
.
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....
or serenata 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...
. It was written for the court of Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen as a congratulatory cantata for the New Year
New Year
The New Year is the day that marks the time of the beginning of a new calendar year, and is the day on which the year count of the specific calendar used is incremented. For many cultures, the event is celebrated in some manner....
of 1719, the day of its first performance.
History and words
The cantata is based on words of Christian Friedrich HunoldChristian Friedrich Hunold
Christian Friedrich Hunold was a German author who wrote under the pseudonym Menantes.- Biography :...
, one of the notable novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ists of his time, published in Auserlesene und theils noch nie gedruckte Gedichte unterschiedener Berühmten und geschickten Männer, part 2, Halle, 1719. Bach used the cantata as a basis for the Easter cantata Ein Herz, das seinen Jesum lebend weiß, BWV 134
Ein Herz, das seinen Jesum lebend weiß, BWV 134
Ein Herz, das seinen Jesum lebend weiß , BWV 134, is a church cantata for Easter by Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach composed the cantata for the Third Day of Easter in Leipzig and first performed it on 11 April 1724...
in Leipzig in 1724. The music of the former work was lost because he had used the sheets for his Leipzig performance. Therefore, only a fragment of the cantata appeared in the Bach Gesellschaft edition
Bach Gesellschaft
The Bach-Gesellschaft was a society formed in 1850 for the express purpose of publishing the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach without editorial additions. Their collected works are known as the Bach-Gesellschaft-Ausgabe....
under the title Mit Gnade bekröne der Himmel die Zeiten. Philipp Spitta
Philipp Spitta
Julius August Philipp Spitta was a German music historian and musicologist best known for his 1873 biography of Johann Sebastian Bach.-Biography:...
, who wrote a three-volume biography of Bach in 1881, found the printed text, however, making reconstruction possible.
The text of the Serenata is, for most of the movements, a dialogue of two allegorical
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
figures, Time, representing the past, and Divine Providence for the future.
Scoring and structure
The cantata is scored for two soloists, a four-part choir, two oboeOboe
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, two 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...
and basso continuo. Time is sung by a 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...
, Divine Providence by an 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,...
, only the final of eight movements employs the choir.
- Recitativo (tenor, alto): Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht
- Aria (tenor, strings): Auf, Sterbliche, lasset ein Jauchzen ertönen
- Recitativo (tenor, alto, oboes): So bald, als dir die Sternen hold
- Aria (alto, tenor, strings): Es streiten, es siegen, die künftigen Zeiten
- Recitativo (alto, tenor): Bedenke nur, beglücktes Land
- Aria (alto): Der Zeiten Herr hat viel vergnügte Stunden
- Recitativo (tenor, alto): Hilf, Höchster, hilf, daß mich die Menschen preisen
- Chorus: Ergetzet auf Erden, erfreuet von oben
Music
Different from most of Bach's church cantatas, the cantata develops from a sequence of recitativeRecitative
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...
s and 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...
s to a final chorus.
The dialog recitatives are mostly secco recitatives, accompanied only by the continuo. The first aria of the Time is dominated by the first oboe. The second aria is a duet talking about the competition of the times, illustrated by figurations in the first violins. In the last aria, the voice of the Divine Providence is accompanied only by the continuo in ostinato
Ostinato
In music, an ostinato is a motif or phrase, which is persistently repeated in the same musical voice. An ostinato is always a succession of equal sounds, wherein each note always has the same weight or stress. The repeating idea may be a rhythmic pattern, part of a tune, or a complete melody in...
motives and can freely express the Harmonie der Seelen (harmony of the souls).
The cantata culminates in a choral movement opened by the tenor's Ergetzet auf Erden (Give pleasure terrestrial), followed by the alto's erfreuet von oben (give gladness celestial), then all voices sing together in homophony
Homophony
In music, homophony is a texture in which two or more parts move together in harmony, the relationship between them creating chords. This is distinct from polyphony, in which parts move with rhythmic independence, and monophony, in which all parts move in parallel rhythm and pitch. A homophonic...
Glückselige Zeiten, vergnüget dies Haus! (O fortunate ages, bring joy to this house). The pattern is repeated two more times, increasing in richness. The middle section of the movement is again started by alto and tenor, but this time together. On the following words, sie blühen, sie leben (they flourish, they live), a fugal
Fugue
In music, a fugue is a compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject that is introduced at the beginning in imitation and recurs frequently in the course of the composition....
development of all voices begins, quite similar to the opening chorus of Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147, a fast succession of the voices and a long melisma
Melisma
Melisma, in music, is the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession. Music sung in this style is referred to as melismatic, as opposed to syllabic, where each syllable of text is matched to a single note.-History:Music of ancient cultures used...
on the word leben, creating lively music. Alto and tenor start a fugue part twice more, singing increasingly embellished lines on durchlauchtigsten Seelen (most illustrious spirits). Close to the end of the middle section all voices shout together the word "ruft" (shout) twice, accented by a following rest. Then, the complete first part is repeated da capo
Da capo
Da Capo is a musical term in Italian, meaning from the beginning . It is often abbreviated D.C. It is a composer or publisher's directive to repeat the previous part of music, often used to save space. In small pieces this might be the same thing as a repeat, but in larger works D.C...
.
Recordings
- J.S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 10, conductor 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...
, Michael ChanceMichael ChanceMichael Chance CBE is an English countertenor.Chance was born in Penn, Buckinghamshire, into a musical family. After growing up as a chorister he attended Eton College, Berkshire, and later King's College, Cambridge...
, Paul AgnewPaul AgnewPaul Agnew is a Scottish operatic tenor.Agnew read music as a Choral Scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford. He became associated with the Consort of Musicke, the Tallis Scholars, the Sixteen and the Gothic Voices, before embarking on a solo career in the early 1990s.Closely associated with William...
, EratoErato RecordsErato Records is a record label founded in 1953 to promote French classical music. In 1992 it became part of Warner Bros. Records. In 1999 Erato launched a subsidiary Detour Records....
/Antoine Marchand 1998 - Edition Bachakademie Vol. 139 - Congratulatory and Hommage Cantatas, conductor Helmuth RillingHelmuth RillingHelmuth Rilling is an internationally known German choral conductor, founder of the Gächinger Kantorei , the Bach-Collegium Stuttgart , the Oregon Bach Festival , the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart and other Bach Academies worldwide, and the "Festival Ensemble Stuttgart"...
, Gächinger KantoreiGächinger KantoreiGächinger Kantorei is an internationally known German mixed choir, founded by Helmuth Rilling in 1954 in Gächingen and still conducted by him. A "Kantorei" is a choir of high standard dedicated mostly, but not exclusively, to sacred music. The ensemble operates in Stuttgart now and is therefore...
, Bach-Collegium StuttgartBach-Collegium StuttgartBach-Collegium Stuttgart is an internationally known German instrumental ensemble, founded by Helmuth Rilling in 1965 to accompany the Gächinger Kantorei in choral music with orchestra...
, 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...
, Marcus UllmannMarcus Ullmann- Professional career :Marcus Ullmann received his first musical training as a choir boy in the Dresdner Kreuzchor. He studied at the Dresden Music Academy and graduated with honours in Lieder, Choral Work and Opera...
, HänsslerHänssler ClassicHänssler Classic is a German classical record label based in Holzgerlingen.Friedrich Hänssler Senior founded Musikverlag Hänssler in 1919 to publish church music. Since 1972 Hänssler Classic has also published contemporary and jazz music...
2000
External links
- Cantata BWV 134a Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht on bach-cantatas
- Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht on the Bach website
- Entries for BWV 134a on WorldCatWorldCatWorldCat is a union catalog which itemizes the collections of 72,000 libraries in 170 countries and territories which participate in the Online Computer Library Center global cooperative...