Cantata No

Cantata No. 140, “Wachet auf, Ruft Uns die Stimme” (1731)

—Johann Sebastian Bach

There were ten girls, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

Five of them were foolish, and five prudent; when the foolish

ones took their lamps, they took no oil with them....As the bridegroom was late in coming they all dozed off to sleep. But at midnight a cry was heard:

“Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” With that the girls all got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the prudent, “Our lamps are going out; give us some of your oil.” “No,” they said; “there will never be

enough for all of us. You had better go to the shop and buy some for yourselves.” While they were away the bridegroom arrived; those who were ready went in with him to the wedding.... Keep awake, then; for you do not know on what day your Lord is to come.

(Matthew 25: 1—13)

Movement I, Choral Verse I

Featured Voice: Soprano

Form: Chorale Fantasy/Ritornello, triple meter, E” Major

Mood: Excitement and anticipation

Introduction: Ritornello

The orchestral introduction begins with a ritornello theme of great beauty and dramatic import:

This orchestral ritornello theme consists of three distinct phrases, each phrase

characterized by its own motives:

Phrase A: Alternating strings and oboes play the dotted rhythms of a French Overture.

Phrase B : Syncopated rising/falling motives in violins and oboes create a mood of yearning and anticipation.

Phrase C: Upward-sweeping string scales continue and heighten the sense c upwards yearning created by Phrase B, bringing the ritornello theme to its conclusion.

NOTE:

Phrase A: dotted rhythms span twelve beats; this would seem to indicate the tolling of midnight bells. (See line 3 of verse 1.)

Steady, march-like rhythms and “walking bass” of the ritornello theme might have been inspired by the last line of verse 1 , “you must go out and meet him”; others have suggested that this ritornello is nothing less than a wedding processional!

The rising quality of all three phrases creates anticipation. No quiet, calm nighttime music this. Scored for three oboes (two oboes and a taille/oboe da caccia—an ancestral English horn); invokes a dark, nighttime timbre in the face of the upward anticipation and rhythmic activity.

Lines 1—3: The ‘call to awaken” of the watchmen is sounded by the sopranos;

they will sing this first verse of the chorale without alteration or elaboration. Bach leaves it to the altos, tenors, and basses to add dramatic detail and psychological insights, to create moods and draw pictorial images for the listener.

Line 1 Faster embellished lines in the altos, tenors, and basses create sense of energy and fervor underneath the slower-moving chorale melody in the sopranos:

Line Chor Chorus

1 Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme Awake, call the voices

Line 2 Note tone painting in the chorus as each voice rushes upward to a high note on the word “hoch” (“high”). Brief orchestral interlude precedes line 3

Line Chor Chorus

2 Der Wächter sehr hoch auf der Of the watchmen high on the

Zinne, battlements,

Line 3 A jubilant awakening followed by a brief orchestral interlude

Line Chor Chorus

3 Wach auf, du Stadt Jerusalem! Awake, city of Jerusalem!

Note: March-like dotted-rhythm accompaniment has been present almost continuously under Lines 1-3 and will continue to be present throughout the rest of the movement.

A’

Ritornello Theme is heard in its entirety (Phrases A, B, and C)

Lines 4 - 6 (Use essentially the same music as lines 1-3)

Line Chor Chorus

4 Mitternacht heisst diese Stunde; The hour is midnight

5 Sie rufen uns mit hellem Munde: they call to us loud and clear

6 Wo seid ihr kiugen Jungfrauen? Where are you, wise virgins?

Part 1, Ritornello Theme (Phrases B and C only)

Chorus

The hour is midnight, they call to us loud and clear: Where are you, wise virgins?

Lines 7—8 An excited chorus shouts the groom’s (God’s) approach even before the soprano/chorale can formally “announce “ it.

Line Chor Chorus

7 Wohi auf, der Brautgam kommt; Arise, the bridegroom is coming;

8 Steht auf, die Lampen nehmt! Arise, take lamps!

Line 9 A peak of excitement is reached as the chorus (altos, tenors, and basses) intones a jubilant triple fugato on “Alleluia”; compare this to the four rather flat

notes in the chorale (soprano)for the same word!

Line Chor Chorus

9 Alleluia! Alleluia!

Part 2, Ritornello Theme in C Minor (Phrase A only)

Line 10 The soprano regains leadership of the music

Line Chor Chorus

10 Macht euch bereit zu der Hochzeit, Prepare for the wedding,

Line 11 All voices initiate line 11 together as they go out to greet the groom

Line Chor Chorus

11 Ihr mUsset ihm entgegengehn! You must go out and meet him!

Ritornello Theme in its entirety (Phrases A, B, and C)

Movement IV Chorale, Verse II

Featured voice: Tenors

Form: Chorale (“gapped”)/ritornello, duple meter, E” major

Mood: Peaceful and lyric calm

Ritornello Theme:

Unison violins and violas play a theme of great beauty and grandeur;

(Note: this is the only movement of the cantata in which the violino piccolo— with its high, piercing tonal quality—is not present.)

In an extraordinary example of non-imitative counterpoint, the tenors enter against this ritornello theme, singing the hymn tune.

The tenors narrate, in reverential tones, the awakening of the virgin (the soul) and her joyous union with Jesus.

Oratorio: an extended work for chorus, soloists, and orchestra; typically a dramatic story drawn from scripture; performed without action or costumes; not part of any church service; written for both Catholic and Protestant audiences.

Cantata: shorter than an oratorio but similar to an oratorio as a work for chorus, soloists, and orchestra (occasionally the chorus has only a small part); performed without action or costumes; both secular and sacred cantatas were written during the Baroque era; Lutheran church cantatas were part of the Sunday worship service; typically based on that week’s Bible reading; written for Protestant (Lutheran) audiences.

Mass: an extremely varied genre by the Baroque era; based on the traditional five sections of the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei, though the sections were frequently subdivided to create long, massive works; usually written to celebrate special holidays and festivals and performed as part of the holiday service; written for both Protestant and Catholic audiences.

Magnificat: based on a specific text from the Bible, Luke 1 :46-55—The canticle of the Virgin”; Bach’s Magnificat is a sort of Latin cantata based on this Biblical text.

Passion: a type of oratorio; based on one of the Gospel accounts (by Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) of the events culminating in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ; written for Holy Week services (the week before Easter) for both Protestant (Lutheran) and Catholic audiences.

While Baroque sacred music takes many forms, two broad generalizations can be made about it:

2. Baroque sacred music borrows heavily from Baroque operatic techniques and procedures.

The various names and functions of the many sacred Baroque vocal genres— oratorio, cantata, Mass, Magnificat, Passion, motet—can be confusing to students. The following descriptions should help put these genres in perspective.

1. A cantata is shorter than an oratorio. Like an oratorio, a cantata is a work for chorus, soloists, and orchestra (occasionally the chorus has only a small part).

2. The Mass was still based on the traditional five sections of the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei, though these sections were frequently subdivided to create long, massive works.

3. Masses were usually written to celebrate special holidays and festivals and were performed as part of the holiday service.

2. The text of a passion is one of the Gospel accounts (by Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) of the events culminating in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

3. Baroque passions were written for Holy Week services (the week before Easter).

There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, And they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them: Fear not; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy. Which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David A Savior, which is Christ the Lord.