Man singet mit Freuden vom Sieg (There are joyful songs
of victory), BWV 149, is a church cantata by Johann
Sebastian Bach.
Bach composed the cantata in Leipzig for the feast of
St. Michael and first performed on 29 September 1728 or
1729. The prescribed readings for the day were
Revelation 12, verses 7–12, and Matthew 18, verses
1–11. The work draws on text from Psalm 118, verses
15–16, and the third stanza of Martin Schalling's
chorale "Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr". The
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Man singet mit Freuden vom Sieg (There are joyful songs
of victory), BWV 149, is a church cantata by Johann
Sebastian Bach.
Bach composed the cantata in Leipzig for the feast of
St. Michael and first performed on 29 September 1728 or
1729. The prescribed readings for the day were
Revelation 12, verses 7–12, and Matthew 18, verses
1–11. The work draws on text from Psalm 118, verses
15–16, and the third stanza of Martin Schalling's
chorale "Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr". The
librettist was Picander, who published the text in his
collection Ernstschertzhaffte und satyrische
Gedichte.
The opening chorus was adapted from the secular cantata
Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd, BWV 208. Bach
exchanged the horns of the original piece for trumpets
and transposed the music from F major to D major,
creating "a perfect stage for either a rallying cry for
battle or an anticipation of the triumph of good over
evil". It is a combined da capo and ritornello form,
with a repeated instrumental section.
The bass aria is in B minor, with two accompanying low
instrumental melodies.
The secco alto recitative lacks harmonic stability.
The soprano aria is dancing with a string accompaniment
with parallel thirds and sixths. It is stylistically
similar to a minuet, and is formally an adapted ternary
structure.
The tenor recitative is secco and in common time. It
ends with an ascending phrase meant to represent an
appeal to heaven.
The duet aria includes a prominent bassoon part. It
employs canon technique and a repeated interrupted
cadence.
The work ends with a harmonically complex four-part
setting of the chorale. The same stanza of Schalling's
chorale is also placed at the end of Bach's St John
Passion, in the works first and fourths version.
Although the cantata is scored for four vocal soloists
(soprano, alto, tenor, and bass), a four-part choir,
three trumpets, timpani, three oboes, bassoon, two
violins, violone, and basso continuo, I created this
arrangement for Oboe & Strings (2 Violins, Viola &
Cello).
SHEET MUSIC