Alles nur nach Gottes Willen (Everything according to
God's will alone), BWV 72, is a church cantata by
Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it in Leipzig in
1726 for the third Sunday after Epiphany and first
performed it on 27 January 1726. Bach used the opening
chorus for the Gloria of his Missa in G minor, BWV
235.
Bach composed the cantata in his third annual cycle for
the Third Sunday after Epiphany. The prescribed
readings for the Sunday were taken from the Epistle to
the Romans, ru...(+)
Alles nur nach Gottes Willen (Everything according to
God's will alone), BWV 72, is a church cantata by
Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it in Leipzig in
1726 for the third Sunday after Epiphany and first
performed it on 27 January 1726. Bach used the opening
chorus for the Gloria of his Missa in G minor, BWV
235.
Bach composed the cantata in his third annual cycle for
the Third Sunday after Epiphany. The prescribed
readings for the Sunday were taken from the Epistle to
the Romans, rules for life (Romans 12:17–21), and
from the Gospel of Matthew, the healing of a leper
(Matthew 8:1–13). The cantata text was written by
Salomon Franck, who was Bach's librettist when they
both worked for the ducal court in Weimar. Franck
published it in Evangelisches Andachts-Opffer in 1715,
whereas Bach composed the music much later. Ihr, die
ihr euch von Christo nennet, BWV 164, is a comparable
example of Bach turning to a text by Franck.
The closing chorale "Was mein Gott will, das g'scheh
allzeit" was written by Albert, Duke of Prussia in
1547. The chorale theme (Zahn 7568) by Claudin de
Sermisy first appeared in print in the collection of
secular songs Trente et quatre chansons in 1528. Bach
had used the chorale before as the base for his chorale
cantata Was mein Gott will, das g'scheh allzeit, BWV
111, composed for the same occasion in 1725.
Bach first performed the cantata on 27 January 1726. He
later used the opening chorus for the Gloria of his
Missa in G minor, BWV 235.
Although Franck had marked the first movement as an
aria, Bach composed it as a chorus, opened by a
ritornello dominated by runs of two measures in the
violins, finally also in the continuo. The voices pick
up the runs on the word "alles" (all), soprano first,
and imitate each other one measure after the other,
resulting in a complex image of "all". A rather quiet
middle section on the words "Gottes Wille soll mich
stillen" (God's will shall calm me) in canonic
imitation is accompanied by the orchestra, the
following words "bei Gewölk und Sonnenschein" (among
clouds or sunshine) are illustrated by runs as in the
beginning, but starting in a low range by the bass. The
first and last section end with the choir embedded in
the ritornello.
In his arrangement for the Gloria of the Missa, Bach
drops the first ritornello, adapts the words "Gloria in
excelsis Deo" to the first section, "Et in terra pax"
to the middle section, and "Laudamus te" to the last
section.
The first recitative begins as a secco, but develops to
an arioso on the words "Herr, so du willt" (Lord, as
you will), which are repeated nine times with a
different continuo line, culminating in "so sterb ich
nicht" (I will not die) the following line is again
secco.
The following aria begins immediately with the voice,
to ensure a connection between recitative and aria,
then follows an unusual ritornello, a fugue with the
two violins and the continuo.
In the second aria, more like a song and dance, the
instruments play a ritornello and repeat it after a
short sung passage: "Mein Jesus will es tun, er will
dein Kreuz versüßen" (My Jesus will do it, He will
sweeten Your cross). In the following main section the
voice is embedded in the ritornello. The words of the
middle section "Obgleich dein Herze liegt in viel
Bekümmernissen" (Although your heart lies in many
troubles) are sung in the minor mode. After the
following ritornello the soloist repeats once more as a
final statement, "mein Jesus will es tun!" (my Jesus
will do it!).
The closing chorale is a four-part setting.
Although originally scored for soprano, alto and bass
soloists, a four-part choir, two oboes, two violins,
viola and basso continuo, I created this arrangement
for Oboe & Strings (2 Violins, Viola & Cello).
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