Johann Sebastian Bach (21 March 1685 ? 28 July 1750) was a German composer and organist 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.[1] Although he introduced no new forms, he enriched the prevailing German style with a robust contrapuntal technique, an unrivalled control of harmonic and motivic organisation in composition for diverse instrumentation, and the adaptation of rhythms and textures from abroad, particularly Italy and France.
Revered for their intellectual depth, technical command and artistic beauty, Bach's works include the Brandenburg concertos, the Goldberg Variations, the Partitas, the Well-Tempered Clavier, the Mass in B Minor, the St. Matthew Passion, the St. John Passion, the Magnificat, The Musical Offering, The Art of Fugue, the English Suites, the French Suites, the Sonatas and Partitas for violin solo, the Cello Suites, more than 200 surviving cantatas, and a similar number of organ works, including the celebrated Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.
While Bach's abilities as an organist were recognized and highly respected throughout Europe during his lifetime, he was not particularly well-known as a composer. His adherence to Baroque forms and contrapuntal style was considered "old-fashioned" by his contemporaries, especially late in his career when the musical fashion tended towards Rococo and later Classical styles. A revival of interest and performances of his music began early in the 19th century, and he is now widely considered to be one of the greatest composers in the Western tradition. (Collapse)...(Read more)
Herr Jesu Christ, du höchstes Gut (Lord Jesus Christ, O highest good), BWV 113, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed the chorale...
Herr Jesu Christ, du höchstes Gut (Lord Jesus Christ, O highest good), BWV 113, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed the chorale cantata in Leipzig for the eleventh Sunday after Trinity and first performed it on 20 August 1724. It is based on the hymn by Bartholomäus Ringwaldt (1588).
Bach composed the cantata in Leipzig for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity as part of his second cantata cycle and first performed it on 20 August 1724. The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from the First Epistle to the Corinthians, on the gospel of Christ and his (Paul's) duty as an apostle (1 Corinthians 15:1–10), and from the Gospel of Luke, the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9–14).
The text of the cantata is based on the eight stanzas of Bartholomäus Ringwaldt's hymn (1588), a song of penitence related to the tax collector's prayer "Herr, sei mir armem Sünder gnädig" (God be merciful to me a sinner). The melody is also attributed to Ringwaldt. An unknown poet kept the words unchanged in movements 1, 2, 4 and 8, but inserted recitative in movement 4. He transcribed the ideas of the remaining stanzas to arias and a recitative, keeping the beginning of stanzas 3 and 7. He treated stanzas 5 and 6 most freely, including ideas from the epistle such as the promise of mercy, which is only asked, not promised, in the chorale. He refers to several verses from different gospels to underscore that thought, Luke 15:2 in both 5 and 6, Matthew 9:2 (parallel Luke 7:48) in 5, and Matthew 11:28 in 6, paraphrased as "Er ruft: Kommt her zu mir, die ihr mühselig und beladen" (He calls: come here to Me, you who are weary and burdened). The last verse also appears in Handel's Messiah, turned in the third person: "Come unto Him, all ye that labour", in the soprano section of He shall feed His flock like a shepherd.
The opening chorus is a chorale fantasia with the cantus firmus in the soprano, the lower voices set in homophony contrasting to an embellished melody in the soprano. The lines of the chorale are separated by an independent ritornello of the orchestra. Its theme is derived from the chorale melody. A solo violin in virtuoso figuration plays throughout, while the oboes and the other strings are silent during the vocal passages. The second movement treats the chorale in the same way as some of the movements which Bach transcribed to the Schübler Chorales, as a trio of the alto, the violins in unison, and the continuo. Here the chorale melody appears unadorned.
The first aria is accompanied by the two oboes d'amore. The theme is related to the chorale melody, but turned to the major mode and in a swinging 12/8-time. The voice picks up the same theme and elaborates the word "gewandelt" (changed) in an extended coloratura. Musicologist Boyd notes a similarity to the aria Et in Spiritum sanctum from Bach's later Mass in B minor, both are for the bass, in a compound time, in A major and with two oboes. The second aria, movement 5, is accompanied by an obbligato flute, as in the cantatas of the two preceding weeks, Was frag ich nach der Welt, BWV 94, and Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott, BWV 101. The recitative, movement 6, is accompanied by the strings, after four movements without them. They enter in the second measure on the words "wie lieblich klingt das Wort in meinem Ohren!" (how sweetly this word rings in my ears!), called a "magical moment" by Craig Smith. The recitative culminates in the prayer of the tax collector. The last aria is set for two voices and continuo, concentrated on the words without ritornellos like a chorale concerto of the 17th century. The chorale melody in embellished form appears in several lines, even on words other than the original text. The final stanza is set for four parts.
Source: Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herr_Jesu_Christ,_du_h%C3%B6chstes_Gut,_BWV...)
Although originally composed for alto, violin and basso continuo, I created this arrangement for Concert (Pedal) Harp.
GUITAR
KEYBOARD
STUDIO
PA
LIGHT
DEEJAY
MIC
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