Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe (Jesus gathered the twelve to Himself), BWV 22, is "a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach composed for Quinquagesima, the last Sunday before Lent. Bach composed it as an audition piece for the position ofThomaskantor in Leipzig and first performed it there on 7 February 1723."
Scoring and structure
The time signatures for the second and fourth movements caught my attention, since these are highly uncommon in the music to which I play and listen.
Scoring and structure
The cantata has five movements and is scored for three vocal soloists (an alto (A), tenor (T) and bass (B)), a four-part choir (SATB), and for a Baroque orchestra of an oboe (Ob), two violins (Vl), viola (Va) and basso continuo. The duration is given as c. 20 minutes.
In the following table of movements, the scoring, divided in voices, winds and strings, follows the Neue Bach-Ausgabe. The continuo group is not listed, because it plays throughout. The keys and time signatures are taken from Alfred Dürr. The symbolis used to denote common time (4/4).
| No. | Type | Text (source) | Vocal | Winds | Strings | Key | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arioso | Jesus nahm zu sich die Zwölfe (Bible) | T B SATB | Ob | 2Vl Va | G minor |  |
| 2 | Aria | Mein Jesu, ziehe mich nach dir (anon.) | A | Ob | C minor | 9/8 | |
| 3 | Recitativo | Mein Jesu, ziehe mich, so werd ich laufen (anon.) | B | E-flat major − B major | | ||
| 4 | Aria | Mein alles in allem, mein ewiges Gut (anon.) | T | 2Vl Va | B major | 3/8 | |
| 5 | Chorale | Ertöt uns durch dein Güte (Cruziger) | SATB | Ob | 2Vl Va | B major | |
Lotsa Jazz tunes in triple meter out there. I'm listening to Black Saint and the Sinner Lady 1st movement right now, for instance. I'm not very familiar with these performers or the ensemble, but you picked a pretty good version. Solid performance for the most part. I like the size of the chorus/orchestra. It lends to a more intimate setting even though the balance can be a bit off with a couple of the soloists. If you're interested in more of JSB's cantatas, Gardiner has some great interpretations out there. I think he's conducted most, if not all of the catalogue.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, thank you for taking the time to read this post and we hope you will come back often in the future! Second, I will not deny the existence of triple time in Jazz or related genres. Jazz does have some 3/4 timed songs (Footprints comes to mind), yet it is still not the normal. For example, Ellington when reworking The Nutcracker Suite placed it into the more common 4/4 swing. To quote another Wikipedia article: "It is reasonably common in ballads and classical music but much less so in traditions such as rock & roll and jazz. The most common time in rock, blues, country, funk, and pop is quadruple. Although jazz writing has become more adventurous since Dave Brubeck's seminal Time Out, the majority of jazz and jazz standards are still in straight quadruple time." I have several songs in odd meter, with such signatures as, 5/4, 7/4, 7/8, 10/4, and 11/8, yet these come most from my prog rock influences. Third, I agree with your take on the performance to which I linked. It was the first of a few I came across, and I thought it the best. Fourth, I will look into Gardiner now, and I thank you for interest and knowledge on this matter. As well, I would welcome any other music suggestions you have on Bach or otherwise!
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