Johann Sebastian Bach's sacred Cantata No. 147 "Herz
und Mund und Tat und Leben" ("Heart and Mouth, Deeds
and Life"), was written for the feast of the Visitation
of the Virgin Mary and first performed in its final
definitive form in Leipzig to mark the feast day, July
2, 1723. Much of the work originated during the
composer's tenure as Konzertmeister in Weimar, where
upon his appointment in 1714 he also assumed
responsibility for the provision of a new cantata each
month for services held in the...(+)
Johann Sebastian Bach's sacred Cantata No. 147 "Herz
und Mund und Tat und Leben" ("Heart and Mouth, Deeds
and Life"), was written for the feast of the Visitation
of the Virgin Mary and first performed in its final
definitive form in Leipzig to mark the feast day, July
2, 1723. Much of the work originated during the
composer's tenure as Konzertmeister in Weimar, where
upon his appointment in 1714 he also assumed
responsibility for the provision of a new cantata each
month for services held in the Duke's chapel. In its
earliest form (BWV 147a), this cantata was intended to
be given on the fourth Sunday of Advent, 1716. This
version contained four main arias and an opening
chorus, but no recitative sections, three of which were
added later, along with the great chorale, which brings
each of the main sections to its close. The autograph
of the Leipzig version survives intact, but all except
the opening movement of the first version has perished.
Interestingly, the composer's original design for the
Advent feasts at Weimar would have been considered
entirely unsuitable by the church authorities in
Leipzig, who had forbidden the performance of all
concert music during this period of the liturgical
year. Bach managed to overcome this restriction by
incorporating references to the "Magnificat" (Luke 1:
39-56) into the score, thus tailoring the cantata
specifically to the Feast of the Visitation.
The final version begins with an elaborate chorus in C
major, in which the celebratory tone is established by
the fanfare-like opening section for orchestra. Part I
concludes with the famous chorale known in English as
"Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." Jesu, Joy of Man's
Desiring is the most common English title of the 10th
movement of the cantata.
Although it is the 32nd surviving cantata that Bach
composed, it was assigned the number BWV 147 in the
complete catalogue of his works. Bach wrote a total of
200 cantatas during his time in Leipzig, largely to
meet the Leipzig Churches' demand for about 58
different cantatas each year.
Contrary to the common assumption, the violinist and
composer Johann Schop, not Bach, composed the
movement's underlying chorale melody, Werde munter,
mein Gemüthe; Bach's contribution was to harmonize and
orchestrate it. The frequent use of arrangements of the
piece in modern weddings is in no way related to its
scope or Bach's intent for it. Rather, it was one
segment of an extended, approximately 20-minute
treatment of a traditional Church hymn, as is typical
of cantatas of the Baroque period.
Although originally composed as a choral cantata, I
created this arrangement for Woodwind trio (Flute, Oboe
and Bassoon).
PARTITION