Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit
Encyclopedia
Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit (God's Time is the very best Time), BWV
106, also known as Actus Tragicus, is a sacred cantata
composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
in Mühlhausen
, intended for a funeral.
verses of the Old and New Testament, as well as individual verses of old church songs by Martin Luther
and Adam Reusner, which all together refer to finiteness and dying. There are two distinct parts to the cantata: the view of the Old Testament on death shown in the first part is confronted by the second part, representing the view of the New Testament; the separation of the old by the new determines the symmetrical structure of the cantata.
The sections comprising the cantata are traditionally grouped into four
movements.
Movement 1:
Movement 2:
Movement 3:
Movement 4:
,
in which two obbligato
alto recorders mournfully echo each other over a sonorous background of viola da gambas and continuo
. The cantata ranks among his most important works. Inspired directly by its biblical text, it exhibits a great depth and intensity. Alfred Dürr
called the cantata "a work of genius such as even great masters seldom achieve. ... The Actus Tragicus belongs to the great musical literature of the world".
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...
106, also known as Actus Tragicus, 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....
composed 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...
in Mühlhausen
Mühlhausen
Mühlhausen is a city in the federal state of Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the Unstrut-Hainich district, and lies along the river Unstrut. Mühlhausen had c. 37,000 inhabitants in 2006.-History:...
, intended for a funeral.
History
The work is one of the earliest Bach cantatas. It was probably composed in 1708 in Mühlhausen, possibly as a cantata for the funeral of Mayor Strecker.Theme
The text consists of different BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
verses of the Old and New Testament, as well as individual verses of old church songs by Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
and Adam Reusner, which all together refer to finiteness and dying. There are two distinct parts to the cantata: the view of the Old Testament on death shown in the first part is confronted by the second part, representing the view of the New Testament; the separation of the old by the new determines the symmetrical structure of the cantata.
Voices, instrumentation, and structure
The cantata is written for a small ensemble:- voices: sopranoSopranoA 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...
, altoAltoAlto 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,...
, tenorTenorThe 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...
, bassBass (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...
; - instruments: two alto recorders, two viola da gambas, and basso continuoFigured bassFigured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervals, chords, and non-chord tones, in relation to a bass note...
.
The sections comprising the cantata are traditionally grouped into four
movements.
Movement 1:
- Sonatina (instrumental), molto adagio
Movement 2:
- Chorus, andante/allegro/adagio assai: Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit (God's time is the best time of all)
- Arioso (tenor), lento: Ach, Herr, lehre uns bedenken (Lord, teach us to consider)
- Aria (bass), vivace: Bestelle dein Haus (Put your house in order)
- Chorus & Arioso (soprano), andante: Es ist der alte Bund (It is the old covenant) & Ja, komm, Herr Jesu, komm! (Yes, come, Lord Jesus, come!)
Movement 3:
- Aria (alto), andante: In deine Hände befehl ich meinen Geist (Into Your hands I commit my spirit)
- Arioso (bass) & Chorale (duet alto & bass), andante: Heute wirst du mit mir im Paradies sein (Today you will be with Me in Paradise) & Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin (With peace and joy I depart)
Movement 4:
- Chorus, andante/allegro: Glorie, Lob, Ehr und Herrlichkeit (Glory, praise, honour and majesty)
Characteristics
Bach was probably only 22 years old when he composed the opening sonatinaSonatina
A sonatina is literally a small sonata. As a musical term, sonatina has no single strict definition; it is rather a title applied by the composer to a piece that is in basic sonata form, but is shorter, lighter in character, or more elementary technically than a typical sonata...
,
in which two obbligato
Obbligato
In classical music obbligato usually describes a musical line that is in some way indispensable in performance. Its opposite is the marking ad libitum. It can also be used, more specifically, to indicate that a passage of music was to be played exactly as written, or only by the specified...
alto recorders mournfully echo each other over a sonorous background of viola da gambas and continuo
Figured bass
Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervals, chords, and non-chord tones, in relation to a bass note...
. The cantata ranks among his most important works. Inspired directly by its biblical text, it exhibits a great depth and intensity. Alfred Dürr
Alfred Dürr
Alfred Dürr was a German musicologist. He was a principal editor of the Neue Bach-Ausgabe, the second edition of the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach.- Professional career :...
called the cantata "a work of genius such as even great masters seldom achieve. ... The Actus Tragicus belongs to the great musical literature of the world".
Recordings
- Cantata BWV 106, Günther RaminGünther RaminGünther Werner Hans Ramín was an influential German organist, conductor, composer and pedagogue in the first half of the 20th century....
, ThomanerchorThomanerchorThe Thomanerchor is a boys' choir in Leipzig, Germany. The choir was founded in 1212. At present, the choir consists of 92 boys from 9 to 18 years of age...
, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, soloists of the Thomanerchor, Hans-Joachim RotzschHans-Joachim RotzschHans-Joachim Rotzsch is a German choral conductor, conducting the Thomanerchor from 1972 until 1991 as the fifteenth Thomaskantor since Johann Sebastian Bach. He is also a tenor and an academic.- Biography :...
, Johannes Oettel, Eterna 1953 - Les Grandes Cantates de J.S. Bach Vol. 19, Fritz WernerFritz WernerFritz Werner was a German choral conductor, church music director, conductor, organist and composer...
, Heinrich-Schütz-Chor Heilbronn, Pforzheim Chamber OrchestraPforzheim Chamber OrchestraPforzheim Chamber Orchestra, full German name: Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim, full English name South West German Chamber Orchestra Pforzheim, is an internationally known German chamber orchestra based in Pforzheim.- History :...
, Edith SeligEdith SeligEdith Selig is a French classical soprano in concert, opera and Lied, known for singing music of Johann Sebastian Bach and French composers. She has been teaching at the École Normale de Musique de Paris.- Professional career :...
, Claudia HellmannClaudia HellmannClaudia Hellmann is a German contralto singer in opera and concert.- Biography :Claudia Hellmann studied voice in Berlin with Erika Garski....
, Georg Jelden, Jakob StämpfliJakob Stämpfli (bass)Jakob Stämpfli is a Swiss bass concert singer and an influential academic teacher and director of the conservatory in Bern, also a teacher in Saarbrücken.-Biography:...
, Erato/MHS 1964 - J.S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 1, 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...
, Barbara SchlickBarbara SchlickBarbara Schlick is a German soprano who is particularly admired for interpretations of the concert literature of the baroque era.-Career:...
, Kai WesselKai WesselKai Wessel is a German countertenor and a teacher at the Hochschule für Musik Köln.- Professional career :Kai Wessel started singing in school choirs and as a boy soprano at the Christus-Kirche of Hamburg-Wandsbek and received lessons on piano, organ and oboe...
, Guy de MeyGuy de MeyGuy de Mey is a Belgian tenor from Sint-Niklaas. He studied with Stella Dalberg, Erna Spoorenberg, Sir Peter Pears and Eric Tappy....
, 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 CC72231 1994 - Bach, J. S.: Cantatas Vol 2, Masaaki SuzukiMasaaki Suzukiis a Japanese organist, harpsichordist and conductor, and the founder and musical director of the Bach Collegium Japan.He was born in Kobe to parents who were both Christians and amateur musicians...
, Bach Collegium JapanBach Collegium JapanBach Collegium Japan is composed of an orchestra and a chorus specialising in Baroque music, playing with period instruments. It was founded in 1990 by Masaaki Suzuki with the purpose of introducing Japanese audiences to European Baroque music. Suzuki still remains its music director...
, Aki Yanagisawa, Yoshikazu MeraYoshikazu Meraborn May 21, 1971, in Miyazaki, Japan, is a Japanese countertenor. His range is three and a half octaves.Originally wanting to become a pop singer, Mela now primarily sings classical music from the West but also classical Japanese music...
, Gerd TürkGerd Türk- Biography :Gerd Türk received his first musical training as a choir boy at the cathedral of Limburg. He studied in Frankfurt and then at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis with Richard Levitt and René Jacobs, continuing in master classes with Ernst Haefliger and Kurt Equiluz.In the field of...
, 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...
, BISBIS RecordsBIS Records is a record label founded in 1973 by Robert von Bahr. It is located in Åkersberga, Sweden.BIS focuses on classical music, both contemporary and early, especially works that are not already well represented by existing recordings....
-CD-781 1995
Literature
- Alfred DürrAlfred DürrAlfred Dürr was a German musicologist. He was a principal editor of the Neue Bach-Ausgabe, the second edition of the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach.- Professional career :...
: Johann Sebastian Bach: Die Kantaten. Bärenreiter, Kassel 1999, ISBN 3-7618-1476-3 - Werner NeumannWerner NeumannWerner Neumann was a German musicologist. He founded the Bach-Archiv Leipzig on 20 November 1950 and was a principal editor of the Neue Bach-Ausgabe, the second edition of the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach.- Professional career :Neumann studied at the Conservatory of Leipzig from 1928 to...
: Handbuch der Kantaten J.S.Bachs, 1947, 5.Auf. 1984, ISBN 3-7651-0054-4 - Hans-Joachim Schulze: Die Bach-Kantaten: Einführungen zu sämtlichen Kantaten Johann Sebastian Bachs. Leipzig: Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt; Stuttgart: Carus-Verlag 2006 (Edition Bach-Archiv LeipzigBach-Archiv LeipzigThe Bach-Archiv Leipzig or Bach-Archiv is the institution for the documentation and research of life and work of Johann Sebastian Bach in Leipzig, where Bach lived from 1723 until his death. Topic of research is also the Bach family, especially their music...
) ISBN 3-374-02390-8 (Evang. Verl.-Anst.), ISBN 3-89948-073-2 (Carus-Verl.) - Christoph WolffChristoph WolffChristoph Wolff is a German-born musicologist, presently on the faculty of Harvard University. Born and educated in Germany, Wolff studied organ and historical keyboard instruments, musicology and art history at the Universities of Berlin, Erlangen, and the Music Academy of Freiburg, receiving a...
/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...
: Die Welt der Bach-Kantaten Verlag J.B. Metzler, Stuttgart, Weimar 2006 ISBN 978-3-476-02127-4
External links
- BWV 106 on bach-cantatas