Es ist das Heil uns kommen her (It is our salvation
come here to us), BWV 9,[a] is a church cantata by
Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed the chorale cantata
in Leipzig for the sixth Sunday after Trinity between
1732 and 1735, based on the hymn "Es ist das Heil uns
kommen her" by Paul Speratus. Bach composed the cantata
to fill a gap in his cycle of chorale cantatas written
for performances in Leipzig from 1724.
The cantata is framed as the earlier chorale cantatas
by a chorale fantasia...(+)
Es ist das Heil uns kommen her (It is our salvation
come here to us), BWV 9,[a] is a church cantata by
Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed the chorale cantata
in Leipzig for the sixth Sunday after Trinity between
1732 and 1735, based on the hymn "Es ist das Heil uns
kommen her" by Paul Speratus. Bach composed the cantata
to fill a gap in his cycle of chorale cantatas written
for performances in Leipzig from 1724.
The cantata is framed as the earlier chorale cantatas
by a chorale fantasia and a chorale four-part setting
of the first and the twelfth stanza in the original
words by the reformer Speratus, published in the First
Lutheran Hymnal. The theme is salvation from sin by
God's grace alone. An anonymous librettist paraphrased
the content of ten inner stanzas to alternating
recitatives and arias. Bach scored the cantata for a
chamber ensemble of four vocal parts, flauto traverso,
oboe d'amore, strings and continuo. He gave all three
recitatives to the bass, like a sermon interrupted in
reflection by a tenor aria with solo violin and a duet
of soprano and alto with the wind instruments.
Bach composed the cantata for the Sixth Sunday after
Trinity between 1732 and 1735. It filled a gap in his
second annual cycle of chorale cantatas written for
performance in Leipzig. In 1724, when he composed the
cycle, he had an engagement in Köthen that Sunday, and
therefore left the text for later completion. The
cantata is based on a hymn "Es ist das Heil uns kommen
her" by Paul Speratus, which was published in 1524 in
the Achtliederbuch, the first Lutheran hymnal. The
theme of the chorale is the Lutheran creed of salvation
from sin by God's grace alone (justification by faith),
summarized in the first stanza: "Deeds can never help,
... faith beholds Jesus Christ, ... He has become the
Intercessor"..
The cantata in seven movements is scored for a chamber
music ensemble of four vocal soloists (soprano (S),
alto (A), tenor (T) and bass (B)), a four-part choir
SATB, flauto traverso (Ft), oboe d'amore (Oa), two
violins (Vl), one of them solo (Vs), viola (Va), and
basso continuo (Bc). The autograph title page reads:
"Dominica 6. post Trinitatis / Es ist das Heil uns
kommen her / a / 4 Voci / 1 Traversa / 1 Hautb: d'Amour
/ 2 Violini / Viola / e / Continuo / di /
Joh:Sebast:Bach".
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Es_ist_das_Heil_uns_komm
en_her,_BWV_9).
The tenor aria depicts the "sinking" of "Wir waren
schon zu tief gesunken" (We were already too deeply
sunk) in downward motifs and an irregular rhythm of
syncopes, observed by Dürr as an image of "a giddy
descent into the abyss of sin".
I created this arrangement of the last Aria: "Herr, du
siehst statt guter Werke" (Lord, you behold, instead of
good works) for Woodwind Quintet (Flute, Oboe, Bb
Clarinet, French Horn & Bassoon).
SHEET MUSIC