Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen (They will all come
forth out of Sheba), BWV 65, is a church cantata by
Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it in 1724 in
Leipzig for Epiphany and first performed it on 6
January 1724.
Bach wrote the cantata to conclude his first set of
cantatas for the Christmas season in Leipzig on the
Feast of Epiphany. He had performed five cantatas,
Christen, ätzet diesen Tag, BWV 63 (composed possibly
in 1713) and the new works Darzu ist erschienen der
Sohn Gottes, ...(+)
Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen (They will all come
forth out of Sheba), BWV 65, is a church cantata by
Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it in 1724 in
Leipzig for Epiphany and first performed it on 6
January 1724.
Bach wrote the cantata to conclude his first set of
cantatas for the Christmas season in Leipzig on the
Feast of Epiphany. He had performed five cantatas,
Christen, ätzet diesen Tag, BWV 63 (composed possibly
in 1713) and the new works Darzu ist erschienen der
Sohn Gottes, BWV 40, Sehet, welch eine Liebe hat uns
der Vater erzeiget, BWV 64, Singet dem Herrn ein neues
Lied, BWV 190, and Mein liebster Jesus ist verloren,
BWV 154. The prescribed readings for the feast day were
taken from the Book of Isaiah, the heathen will convert
(Isaiah 60:1–6), and from the Gospel of Matthew, the
Wise Men From the East bringing gifts of gold, myrrh
and frankincense to the newborn Jesus (Matthew
2:1–12). The unknown poet of the cantata text may be
the same as for BWV 40 and BWV 64 for the Second and
Third Day of Christmas. He begins with the final verse
of the reading, Isaiah's prophecy "all they from Sheba
shall come: they shall bring gold and incense". The
poet juxtaposes the prediction by a chorale, stanza 4
of the old anonymous "Ein Kind geborn zu Bethlehem"
(Puer natus in Bethlehem", "A babe is born in
Bethlehem", 1543), which describes the arrival of the
"Kön'ge aus Saba" (Kings from Sheba), related to the
Gospel. The first recitative proclaims that the Gospel
is the fulfillment of the prophecy and concludes that
it is the Christian's duty to bring his heart as a gift
to Jesus. This idea is the theme of the following aria.
The second recitative equals the gifts Faith to the
gold, Prayer to the incense, and Patience to the myrrh,
which is again expanded in the aria. The cantata ends
with stanza 10 of Paul Gerhardt's hymn "Ich hab in
Gottes Herz und Sinn".
Bach first performed the cantata for Epiphany on 6
January 1724. In his Christmas Oratorio of 1734, Bach
dedicated Part VI, Herr, wenn die stolzen Feinde
schnauben, to the topic and the occasion and first
performed it on 6 January 1735.
The opening chorus depicts, that "alle" (all), not just
the three Magi, gather and move to adore. Horn signals
call first and prevail throughout the movement,
canonical and imitation developments illustrate the
growing of a crowd. The central section is an extended
choral fugue, framed by two sections with the voices
embedded in a repeat of the instrumental introduction.
John Eliot Gardiner remarked in connection with his
Bach Cantata Pilgrimage that the instrumentation
resembles Near Eastern music, the recorders
representing "the high pitches often associated with
oriental music and the oboes da caccia (in tenor
register) to evoke the shawm-like double-reed
instruments (salamiya and zurna) of the Near East".
In contrast, the archaic melody of the following
chorale, telling of the three Kings from Sheba, is set
for four parts. Both recitatives are secco, and the
arias have no da capo. The first recitative applies the
situation to the individual Christian, who has nothing
to offer as a gift but his heart, explained in an
arioso ending. The first aria is accompanied by the
oboes da caccia, whose low register together with the
bass voice conveys the humility expressed in the words.
The tenor recitative ends on the notion "des größten
Reichtums Überfluß mir dermaleinst im Himmel werden"
(the abundance of the greatest wealth must some day be
mine in Heaven). To show this abundance, the following
dance-like aria is accompanied by all the wind
instruments, playing concertante and together. The
closing chorale is sung on the melody of "Was mein Gott
will, das g’scheh allzeit", which Bach used
frequently later, as the base for his chorale cantata
BWV 111 and movement 25 of his St Matthew Passion.
The cantata is structured in seven movements and is
festively scored for tenor and bass soloists, a
four-part choir, two horns, two recorders, two oboes da
caccia, two violins, viola, and basso continuo. Bach
employed a pair of horns before in his Christmas
cantata Darzu ist erschienen der Sohn Gottes, BWV 40,
and later in his cantata for Christmas 1724, Gelobet
seist du, Jesu Christ, BWV 91, and in Part IV of his
Christmas Oratorio.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sie_werden_aus_Saba_alle
_kommen,_BWV_65).
I created this arrangement for Winds (Bb Trumpet,
Flugelhorn, 2 Flutes, Alto Flute, English Horn, Oboe,
Bb Clarinet, French Horn & Bassoon) and Strings (2
Violins, Viola & Cello).
PARTITION