Amore traditore, BWV 203

Background#

After an extended period at the court of Weimar, Bach was Kapellmeister at the court of Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen between 1717 and 1723, directing a qualified musical ensemble. As the court was Reformed, he had no obligations to compose church music, but focused on instrumental works. Although he had no choir at his disposition, he had several excellent singers who sometimes stayed for a short period. He later wrote about this period:

History and text#

Bach composed this cantata in Köthen in 1718 or 1719 for an unknown occasion. Its librettist and first performance are also unknown. Unusually for Bach, the text is Italian; only one other cantata (BWV 209) has Italian text. The text is very similar to the text of a cantata by Nicola Fago. The composition of Amore traditore may have been prompted by the visit of Johann Gottfried Riemschneider, a famous bass, at the court in Köthen in 1718-19. Bach wrote the work to entertain, and to showcase two musicians, the singer and a virtuoso harpsichordist.

Scoring and structure#

The cantata is based on the Italian solo cantata tradition. It is structured in three movements, alternating arias and a connecting recitative, and scored for a solo bass and keyboard (and possibly cello or viola da gamba). # Aria: # Recitative: # Aria:

Music#

The first aria includes a flowing bass line and strong ritornello theme. The movement is in da capo form and features long melismas and a very high vocal range. The secco recitative is short but not harmonically cohesive. The final movement is also a da capo aria, with three lines of counterpoint and a complex keyboard part.

Recordings#

• Jacques Villisech, Gustav Leonhardt. J. S. Bach: Cantatas BWV 203 & BWV 209. Telefunken, 1964.
• Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, Ton Koopman Bach: Complete Cantatas, Vol. 2. Erato, 1995
• Klaus Mertens, Ton Koopman. Ton Koopman Plays Bach. Naxos, 2000.
• Dominik Wörner, il Gardellino. Solo Cantatas for Bass. Passacaille 2013.
• Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki, Dominik Wörner. Bach Secular cantatas Vol. 7. BIS SACD.

External links#

• Amore traditore, BWV 203: performance by the Netherlands Bach Society (video and background information)
• BWV 203 – “Amore traditore”: English translation, Emmanuel Music
• BWV 203 Amore traditore: English translation, University of Vermont
• BWV 203 Amore traditore: text, scoring, University of Alberta
• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) / Cantata BWV 203 “Amore traditore” Breitkopf & Härtel