Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht mit deinem Knecht (Lord,
do not pass judgment on Your servant), BWV 105, is a
church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it
in Leipzig for the ninth Sunday after Trinity and first
performed it on 25 July 1723.
Bach composed the cantata in his first year in Leipzig
for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity. The prescribed
readings for the Sunday were from the Epistle to the
Romans, a warning of false gods and consolation in
temptation (1 Corinthians 10:6...(+)
Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht mit deinem Knecht (Lord,
do not pass judgment on Your servant), BWV 105, is a
church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it
in Leipzig for the ninth Sunday after Trinity and first
performed it on 25 July 1723.
Bach composed the cantata in his first year in Leipzig
for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity. The prescribed
readings for the Sunday were from the Epistle to the
Romans, a warning of false gods and consolation in
temptation (1 Corinthians 10:6–13), and from the
Gospel of Luke, the parable of the Unjust Steward (Luke
16:1–9). The opening lines of the cantata, by an
unknown librettist, come from Psalm 143. The theme of
the cantata is derived from the Gospel: since mankind
cannot survive before God's judgement, he should
forswear earthly pleasures, the mammon of
unrighteousness, for the friendship of Jesus alone; for
by His death mankind's guilt was absolved, opening up
the everlasting habitations.
The cantata opens with a sombre harmonically complex
orchestral prelude (adagio), with tortured chromatic
modulations, suspended sevenths and a sighing, mournful
motif in the violins and oboes. Similar chromaticism
has been used elsewhere by Bach to illustrate the
crucifixion, for example for the Crucifixus section of
the Credo in the Mass in B minor and for the last
stanza, "trug uns'rer Sünden schwere Bürd' wohl an
dem Kreuze lange", in the choral prelude O Mensch,
bewein dein Sünde groß, BWV 622. The chorus enters
independently in polyphonic motet style over this rich
orchestral texture. This is followed by a measured
permutation fugue (allegro), initially for only the
concertante singers and continuo, but eventually taken
up by the whole ripieno choir, doubled by the
orchestra. The short but expressive alto recitative is
followed by one of Bach's most original and striking
arias, depicting in musical terms the anxiety and
restless desperation of the sinner. Over a background
of repeated tremolo notes in the upper strings, the
obbligato oboe and then the soprano interweave two
highly ornate but tortuous melodic lines, their
melismas and disturbing dissonances representing the
troubled soul. The mood becomes hopeful in the
following accompanied bass recitative, leading to the
ecstatic and animated concerto-like aria for tenor,
corno and strings, with rapid passagework for the first
violins. The tremolo string motif returns in the final
chorale. With each successive stanza, the tremolo
gradually becomes less rapid, echoing the calming of
man after conciliation with his Maker and bringing to
an end what the musicologist Alfred Dürr described as
one of "the most sublime descriptions of the soul in
baroque and Christian art".
Although originally scored for four vocal soloists
(soprano, alto, tenor and bass), a four-part choir,
corno, two oboes, two violins, viola, and basso
continuo, I created this arrangement for Flute, Oboe &
Strings (2 Violins, Viola & Cello).
PARTITION