Cantata No. 62: Nun Komm, der Heiden Heiland: II, BWV62


Scored for oboes and strings horn doubling the chorale melody this is a highly sophisticated ritornello movement. The lines of text are not divided into three sections as we discovered in C 61, but the almost obsessional preoccupation with the first phrase of the chorale remains. Much is made of this melodic line by the lower voices, often imitatively, and particularly noticeable as they usher in the first and last chorale phrases.

Johann Sebastian Bach composed the church cantata Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland BWV 62 In great contrast the second aria stresses fight, "Struggle, conquer, powerful hero!", in a continuo line. In a later version it is doubled by the upper. BWV 62 - "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland," II. Cantata for the First Sunday in Advent. 1. Chor Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, Der Jungfrauen Kind erkannt.

Presumably the compulsive repetition of the first chorale phrase is to stress two things in musical terms ; that Christ is indeed the Saviour of mankind and His coming provides us with the opportunity to marvel at Him. There may also have been other symbolic reasons for Bach to repeat and develop this one phrase so consistently in both cantatas but the simplicity and significance of these two statements may provide an explanation.

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The three lower voices do not, for the most part, make use of the ritornello material except, in the third phrase. Here, and for the only time, they take up the scale passages, a clear piece of word painting designed to represent the spread of mortals all over the world.

This is a concise and highly focused movement that does not waste a note. However, spend a moment listening to the opening bars again. How would you describe the mood? We can certainly detect the proclamation of the joyous news of the Virgin birth, a fact about which all Christians should rejoice.

But is there not also a slightly downbeat or even tentative feeling suggested by the broken rhythms? An implication of sadness, self-effacement or possibly humility, brought about by the combination of the minor key, the light orchestration and the descending string motive?

Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 62 (Bach, Johann Sebastian)

It is difficult if not impossible to describe in words, but there is definitely a moderating factor ensuring that the celebration of the event falls short of unalloyed euphoria. Perhaps it is the humility of Christ, which all good Christians should emulate, that Bach wishes to remind us of, gently but decisively. Another explanation may come from an idea embedded within the text of subsequent movements. Perhaps it is the apposition of these apparently contradictory qualities that Bach is expressing in a way that only music can properly encapture.

The chorus is immediately followed by a tenor aria of infectious gayety. If there was a suggestion of humility before, it has now been replaced by entirely positive affirmation. This aria carries the essentially joyous and unambiguous message of the Virgin Birth. Several of the cantatas which come near the beginning of this church year have one peculiar point in common; they all contain an aria of exceptional length.

Cantata BWV 62 - Recordings - Part 1: Complete Recordings

In C 91 it is the soprano and alto duet. In C it is the bass aria and in C that for soprano. In this cantata it is this aria for tenor which is likely to last for seven and eight minutes, over one third of the length of the entire work. Retrieved 2 December Retrieved 26 November Church cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach.

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Bach Cantata Translations

Frank Wakelkamp, Thomas Pitt; Double-bass: Trudy van der Wulp; Organ: Nicolaschurch, Elburg, the Netherlands. Alternate Aria for Bass Streite, siege, starker Held! Deborah York ; Alto: Franziska Gottwald ; Tenor: Paul Agnew ; Bass: Adriaan Verstijnen; Production Coordination: Cantata BWV 62 [ Joanne Lunn ; Counter-tenor: William Towers ; Tenor: Jan Kobow ; Bass: Michael Niesemann, Catherine Latham; Bassoon: Isabella de Sabata; Balance Engineer: Ursula Fiedler ; Alto: Hilke Andersen ; Tenor: Michael Nowak ; Bass: Gunther Schlage; Violin I: Martin Fritz, Christoph Harer; Double-bass: Johannette Zomer , Alto: Bernarda Fink , Tenor: Johann Sebastian Bach - Yukari Nonoshita ; Counter-tenor: Robin Blaze ; Tenor: Makoto Sakurada ; Bass: Natsumi Wakamatsu [Leader]; Horn: Yoshiko Morita, Amiko Watabe Continuo: Masaaki Suzuki ; Organ: Hans Kipfer; Sound Engineer: Thore Brinkmann; Digital Editing: Bastian Schick; Surround Mix: Anne Harley ; Alto: Deborah Rentz-Moore ; Tenor: Pablo Bustos ; Bass: Cantatas for the Complete Liturgical Year Vol.

Geist und Seele wird verwirret BWV Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir. There we are reminded of the treasure of Heaven revealed to us all by means of the unstained and pure Virgin Birth. Mailing List Contact Us. Nun danket alle Gott BWV For other uses, see Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland disambiguation. Aldo Baldin ; Bass:

Petra Noskaiova ; Tenor: Christoph Genz ; Bass: Hanno Pfisterer; Manufactured in Germany. Elisa Franzetti ; Soprano: Denise Araneda ; Mezzo-soprano: Elena Biscuola ; Tenor: This special choral music was performed at Yale at Sunday morning worship.

Johann Sebastian Bach. Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 62

The University Church is an ecumenical campus Christian community serving the Yale and New Haven communities since Complete Concert, including lecture [ De Nederlandse Bachvereniging - Bach, Sweelinck e. Nicholas Mulroy ; Bass: Radio 4 Watch on YouTube: Peter Harvey Ripieno Sopranos: