Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder (Ah Lord, poor sinner that
I am), BWV 135, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian
Bach. He composed it in Leipzig for the third Sunday
after Trinity and first performed it on 25 June 1724.
It is the fourth chorale cantata from his second annual
cycle, of chorale cantatas, based on the hymn by
Cyriakus Schneegass.
Bach composed the cantata in Leipzig for the Third
Sunday after Trinity as the fourth cantata of his
second annual cycle of chorale cantatas and f...(+)
Ach Herr, mich armen Sünder (Ah Lord, poor sinner that
I am), BWV 135, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian
Bach. He composed it in Leipzig for the third Sunday
after Trinity and first performed it on 25 June 1724.
It is the fourth chorale cantata from his second annual
cycle, of chorale cantatas, based on the hymn by
Cyriakus Schneegass.
Bach composed the cantata in Leipzig for the Third
Sunday after Trinity as the fourth cantata of his
second annual cycle of chorale cantatas and first
performed it on 25 June 1724, after Christ unser Herr
zum Jordan kam, BWV 7, on St. John's Day.
This, the opening chorus, is a chorale fantasia as in
the previous chorale cantatas. Bach had started the
first one of his second cycle with the cantus firmus of
the chorale tune in the soprano, in this fourth work
the bass has the honour. According to Christoph Wolff,
the first four cantatas of the cycle form a group,
distinctively different in their chorale fantasias.
After a French Overture (O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort, BWV
20), a motet (Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein, BWV 2)
and an Italian concerto (Christ unser Herr zum Jordan
kam, BWV 7), the movement is an "extraordinary filigree
of vocal and instrumental counterpoint" of the chorale
melody. John Eliot Gardiner observes: "Together they
make a fascinating and contrasted portfolio of choral
fantasia openings." All parts, even the instruments,
take part in the polyphon setting of the tune. Bach
used the melody, originally a love song, later for the
first chorale of his Christmas Oratorio, "Wie soll ich
dich empfangen", and several times in his St Matthew
Passion, most prominently "O Haupt voll Blut und
Wunden". All eight lines of the text are first treated
instrumentally, then vocally. The instrumental
anticipation is a trio without continuo of oboe I and
II against the strings, which play in unison the cantus
firmus. In stark contrast to this high texture, the
four-part vocal setting is dominated by the cantus
firmus in the bass, reinforced by the trombone and the
continuo. The strings play colla parte with the other
voices. On the words "daß ich mag ewig leben" (that I
may live forever) the cantus firmus is broadened to
three times as slow. It is concluded by an original
line from the chorale, "Ah, Lord, why so long?".
The cantata in six movements is scored for three vocal
soloists (alto, tenor and bass), a four-part choir,
cornett, trombone, two oboes, two violins, viola, and
basso continuo.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ach_Herr,_mich_armen_S%C
3%BCnder,_BWV_135).
I created this arrangement for Winds (Flute, Oboe,
English Horn, Bb Clarinet & French Horn) & Strings (2
Violins, Viola & Cello).
SHEET MUSIC