Music TheoryPrint

Johann Sebastian Bach

Angenehmes Wiederau, BWV 30a

(Pleasant Wiederau, rejoice in thy meadows), BWV 30.1 (formerly BWV 30a), is a 1737 secular cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach, on a libretto by Christian Friedrich Henrici (Picander). Bach reused some

History and text#

was composed in Leipzig in 1737 by which time most of Bach’s cantatas had already been completed. It was an homage to , who had acquired an estate at in Pegau near Leipzig. The work was performed on 28 September at Hennicke’s .

Scoring and structure#

The piece is scored for basso continuo, along with four vocal soloists (soprano as Zeit (Time), alto as Glück (Good Fortune), tenor as Elster (River Elster), bass as Schicksal (Fate)) and four-part choir. The cantata has thirteen movements: #Chorus: #Recitative (bass, soprano, alto, tenor): #Aria (bass): #Recitative (alto): #Aria (alto): #Recitative (bass): #Aria (bass): #Recitative (soprano): #Aria (soprano): #Recitative (tenor): #Aria (tenor): #Recitative (soprano, bass, alto): #Chorus:

Music#

The eleventh movement, a tenor aria, is a reworking of a soprano aria from BWV 210. The other major movements were later reused in BWV 30.2, while the recitatives were newly composed.

Recordings#

  • Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir; Ton Koopman. J.S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 22. Antoine Marchand
  • Gächinger Kantorei, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart; Helmuth Rilling. Edition Bachakademie Vol. 139 – Congratulatory and Hommage Cantatas. Hänssler
  • Leipziger Universitätschor, Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum; Max Pommer. Kantate “Angenehmes Wiederau” BWV 30a. Eterna/Berlin Classic
  • Les Chantres du Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles/Café Zimmermann; Gustav Leonhardt. J.S. Bach: Weltliche Kantaten BWV 30a & 207 (Integrale delle Cantate profane Vol. 5). Alpha 118
  • Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki. J. S. Bach: Secular Cantatas, Vol. 10. BIS, 2018.

Sources#

  • Alfred Dürr: Johann Sebastian Bach: Die Kantaten. Bärenreiter, Kassel 1999,
  • Alfred Dürr: The Cantatas of J.S. Bach, Oxford University Press, 2006.
  • Werner Neumann: Handbuch der Kantaten J.S.Bachs, 1947, 5th Ed. 1984,
  • Hans-Joachim Schulze: Die Bach-Kantaten: Einführungen zu sämtlichen Kantaten Johann Sebastian Bachs. Leipzig: Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt; Stuttgart: Carus-Verlag 2006 (Edition Bach-Archiv Leipzig) (Evang. Verl.-Anst.), (Carus-Verlag)
  • Christoph Wolff/Ton Koopman: Die Welt der Bach-Kantaten Verlag J.B. Metzler, Stuttgart, Weimar 2006
  • Z. Philip Ambrose. BWV 30a: Angenehmes Wiederau, freue dich in deinen Auen! – English translation of the libretto at University of Vermont website.
  • Schloss Wiederau: Gerettet vor den Braunkohle-Baggern at – history of Wiederau manor
Composer
Johann Sebastian Bach