O holder Tag, erwünschte Zeit, BWV 210
Encyclopedia
O holder Tag, erwünschte Zeit (O lovely day, o hoped-for time), BWV 210, is a secular cantata
by Johann Sebastian Bach
. He wrote the solo cantata for soprano in Leipzig
for a wedding, first performed between 1738 and 1746. Bach used material from a "Huldigungskantate" (homage cantata), O angenehme Melodei, BWV 210a
.
mentions the wedding of Anna Regina Bose and Friedrich Heinrich Graf (3 April 1742) and of Christina Sibylla Bose and Johann Zacharias Richter (6 February 1744), Herrmann von Hase suggests the wedding of Johanna Catharina Amalie Schatz and Friedrich Gottlob Zoller (11 August 1746). According to Michael Maul, the cantata celebrated the wedding of the Prussian Court Counsellor Georg E. Stahl (1741). The cantata text of an unknown poet suggests an influential man who esteemed music. The parts for soprano and continuo are written in exquisite calligraphy, probably as a gift for the couple. The words center on the relationship of music and marital love, ending in praise of the bridegroom as a supporter of music.
The cantata may have been performed at least twice.
The cantata is scored for soprano
, transverse flute, oboe d'amore
, two violin
s, viola
, and harpsichord continuo.
, for all the arias, the first recitative and part of the last recitative. Alexander Ferdinand Grychtolik
edited a reconstruction of the lost homage cantata based on the wedding cantata, published by Edition Güntersberg. Bach's music is demanding especially for the soprano and the flutist. The movements show different instrumentation, to ensure variety in spite of only one singing voice. The aria
s show a "decrescendo" (Alfred Dürr), a diminishing of the number of instruments, towards the central Schweigt, ihr Flöten, schweigt, ihr Töne (Silence, you flutes, silence, you tones), in which the voice corresponds with the flute as in a duet. The following arias are scored "crescendo" until the final festive movement. While all other recitative
s are secco, the last one is accompanied by figuration in the flute and the oboe d'amore, long chords in the strings.
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....
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...
. He wrote the solo cantata for soprano 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...
for a wedding, first performed between 1738 and 1746. Bach used material from a "Huldigungskantate" (homage cantata), O angenehme Melodei, BWV 210a
O angenehme Melodei, BWV 210a
O angenehme Melodei , BWV 210a, is a secular cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He wrote the solo cantata for soprano in Leipzig as a "Huldigungskantate" for Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, first performed on 12 January 1729, and dedicated it at least twice to different people and occasions...
.
History and words
Bach wrote the cantata for a wedding; scholars suggest different possible events. Werner NeumannWerner Neumann
Werner 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...
mentions the wedding of Anna Regina Bose and Friedrich Heinrich Graf (3 April 1742) and of Christina Sibylla Bose and Johann Zacharias Richter (6 February 1744), Herrmann von Hase suggests the wedding of Johanna Catharina Amalie Schatz and Friedrich Gottlob Zoller (11 August 1746). According to Michael Maul, the cantata celebrated the wedding of the Prussian Court Counsellor Georg E. Stahl (1741). The cantata text of an unknown poet suggests an influential man who esteemed music. The parts for soprano and continuo are written in exquisite calligraphy, probably as a gift for the couple. The words center on the relationship of music and marital love, ending in praise of the bridegroom as a supporter of music.
The cantata may have been performed at least twice.
Scoring and structure
Bach titled the work Cantata a Voce sola"".The cantata is scored for soprano
Soprano
A 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...
, transverse flute, oboe d'amore
Oboe d'amore
The oboe d'amore , less commonly oboe d'amour, is a double reed woodwind musical instrument in the oboe family. Slightly larger than the oboe, it has a less assertive and more tranquil and serene tone, and is considered the mezzo-soprano of the oboe family, between the oboe itself and the cor...
, 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 harpsichord continuo.
- Recitativo: O holder Tag, erwünschte Zeit
- Aria (oboe d'amore, strings): Spielet, ihr beseelten Lieder
- Recitativo: Doch, haltet ein, ihr muntern Saiten
- Aria (oboe d'amore, violin): Ruhet hie, matte Töne
- Recitativo: So glaubt man denn, dass die Musik verführe
- Aria (flute): Schweigt, ihr Flöten, schweigt, ihr Töne
- Recitativo: Was Luft? was Grab?
- Aria (oboe d'amore, 2 violins): Großer Gönner, dein Vergnügen
- Recitativo (flute, oboe d'amore, strings): Hochteurer Mann, so fahre ferner fort
- Aria: Seid beglückt
Music
Bach used material from a "Huldigungskantate" (homage cantata), O angenehme Melodei, BWV 210aO angenehme Melodei, BWV 210a
O angenehme Melodei , BWV 210a, is a secular cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He wrote the solo cantata for soprano in Leipzig as a "Huldigungskantate" for Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, first performed on 12 January 1729, and dedicated it at least twice to different people and occasions...
, for all the arias, the first recitative and part of the last recitative. Alexander Ferdinand Grychtolik
Alexander Ferdinand Grychtolik
Alexander Ferdinand Grychtolik is a German harpsichordist, improviser, musicologist and academic.-Professional career:...
edited a reconstruction of the lost homage cantata based on the wedding cantata, published by Edition Güntersberg. Bach's music is demanding especially for the soprano and the flutist. The movements show different instrumentation, to ensure variety in spite of only one singing voice. The 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 show a "decrescendo" (Alfred Dürr), a diminishing of the number of instruments, towards the central Schweigt, ihr Flöten, schweigt, ihr Töne (Silence, you flutes, silence, you tones), in which the voice corresponds with the flute as in a duet. The following arias are scored "crescendo" until the final festive movement. While all other recitative
Recitative
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 are secco, the last one is accompanied by figuration in the flute and the oboe d'amore, long chords in the strings.
Recordings
- J.S. Bach: Cantata No. 210, Hermann ScherchenHermann ScherchenHermann Scherchen was a German conductor.-Life:Scherchen was originally a violist and played among the violas of the Bluthner Orchestra of Berlin while still in his teens...
, Orchestra of the Vienna State OperaVienna State OperaThe Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian...
, Magda LászlóMagda LászlóMagda László was a Hungarian operatic soprano particularly associated with 20th century operas.She studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, and made her debut at the Budapest Opera in 1943, as Elisabeth in Tannhäuser, later singing Amelia in Simon Boccanegra.In 1946, she settled in...
, Westminster 1950 - J.S. Bach: Cantata BWV 210, Aria for Soprano, Helmut Winschermann, Deutsche Bachsolisten, Ursula BuckelUrsula BuckelUrsula Buckel was a German soprano singer, known for singing works of Johann Sebastian Bach.- Professional career :...
, Cantate 1963 - Bach made in Germany Vol. VII - Secular Cantatas III, Peter SchreierPeter SchreierPeter Schreier is a German tenor and conductor.-Early life:Schreier was born in Meissen, Saxony, and spent his first years in the small village of Gauernitz, near Meissen, where his father was a teacher, cantor and organist...
, Kammerorchester Berlin, Lucia PoppLucia PoppLucia Popp was a notable Slovak operatic soprano. She began her career as a soubrette soprano, and later moved into the light-lyric and lyric coloratura soprano repertoire and then the lighter Richard Strauss and Wagner operas. Her career included performances at Vienna State Opera, the...
, Eterna 1981 - Bach: Wedding Cantatas, Christopher HogwoodChristopher HogwoodChristopher Jarvis Haley Hogwood CBE, MA , HonMusD , born 10 September 1941, Nottingham, is an English conductor, harpsichordist, writer and musicologist, well known as the founder of the Academy of Ancient Music.-Biography:...
, The Academy of Ancient Music, Emma KirkbyEmma KirkbyDame Carolyn Emma Kirkby, DBE is an English soprano singer and one of the world's most renowned early music specialists. She attended Sherborne School For Girls in Dorset and was a classics student at Somerville College, Oxford, and an English teacher before developing a career as a soloist...
, DeccaDecca RecordsDecca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
1996 - J.S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 5, 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, Lisa LarssonLisa Larsson- Biography :Larsson studied in Basel and since 1993 appeared in the Internationales Opernstudio of the Zurich Opera House under conductors such as Franz Welser-Möst, Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Christoph von Dohnányi....
, Antoine Marchand 1996 - Die Bach Kantate Vol. 66, 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"...
, Sibylla RubensSibylla Rubens- Biography :Sibylla Rubens studied voice at the Staatliche Musikhochschule in Trossingen and at the Hochschule für Musik in Frankfurt and in master classes with Edith Mathis....
, 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...
1998 - J.S. Bach: Wedding Cantatas, Reinhard GoebelReinhard GoebelReinhard Goebel is a German conductor and violinist specialising in early music on authentic instruments. Goebel received his first violin lessons at the age of twelve...
, Musica Antiqua KölnMusica Antiqua KölnMusica Antiqua Köln was an early music group that was founded in 1973 by Reinhard Goebel and fellow students from the Conservatory of Music in Cologne. Musica Antiqua Köln devoted itself largely to the performance of the music of the 17th and 18th centuries...
, Christine SchäferChristine SchäferChristine Schäfer is a German soprano. She studied from 1984 until 1991 at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin, where her teachers were Ingrid Figur, Aribert Reimann and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. She also took masterclasses with Arleen Augér and Sena Jurinac.After finishing her studies in 1992,...
, Deutsche GrammophonDeutsche GrammophonDeutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label which was the foundation of the future corporation to be known as PolyGram. It is now part of Universal Music Group since its acquisition and absorption of PolyGram in 1999, and it is also UMG's oldest active label...
1999 - J.S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 1, 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...
, Carolyn Sampson, 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....
2003
External links
- Cantata BWV 210 O holder Tag, erwünschte Zeit, BWV 210 on bach-cantatas.com
- German text and English translation, Emmanuel MusicEmmanuel MusicEmmanuel Music is a Boston-based collective group of singers and instrumentalists founded in 1970 by Craig Smith. It was created specifically to perform the complete cycle of over 200 sacred cantatas of J.S. Bach in the liturgical setting for which they were intended, an endeavor twice completed...
- O holder Tag, erwünschte Zeit on the Bach website (in German)
- BWV 210 O holder Tag, erwünschte Zeit on uvm.edu
- O holder Tag, erwünschte Zeit (Oh glorious day, longed-for time) Simon Crouch, 1999, classical.net
- Cantata No. 210, "O holder Tag, erwünschte Zeit," BWV 210 allmusic.com
- Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) / Secular Cantatas Johan van Veen, 2005, musicweb-international.com
- Entries for BWV 210 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...