Barmherziges Herze der ewigen Liebe, BWV 185

History and words#

On 2 March 1714 Bach was appointed concertmaster of the Weimar court capelle of the co-reigning dukes Wilhelm Ernst and Ernst August of Saxe-Weimar. As concertmaster, he assumed the principal responsibility for composing new works, specifically cantatas for the (palace church), on a monthly schedule. He wrote this cantata for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity. The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from the Epistle to the Romans, “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God” (), and from the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Luke: the injunctions to “be merciful”, “judge not” (). The cantata text was written by the court poet Salomon Franck for the occasion and published in 1715 in . Franck stayed close to the theme of the gospel, recalling the injunctions and the parables of the mote and the beam and the blind leading the blind. The last aria summarizes the admonitions as "" (This is the Christians’ art). The cantata is closed by the first stanza of Johannes Agricola’s hymn "" (1531). Albert Schweitzer criticized the libretto as “bland, lesson-like”. Bach first performed the cantata on 14 July 1715. He dated it himself “1715”. When Bach performed the cantata again in Leipzig on 20 June 1723, he transposed it from F-sharp minor to G minor and made changes to the instrumentation. In that service, his fourth in Leipzig, he performed it together with a new cantata , after he had started his tenure as cantor with cantatas in two parts, , and . He treated the same chorale in the chorale cantata , for the same occasion in 1724. Bach revived the cantata once more in 1746 or 1747.

Structure and scoring#

Bach structured the cantata in six movements, beginning with a duet, followed by a series of alternating recitatives and arias and concluded by a chorale. Similar to several other cantatas on words by Franck, it is scored for a small ensemble: four vocal soloists (soprano (S), alto (A), tenor (T) and bass (B)), oboe (Ob), two violins (Vl), viola (Va), and basso continuo (Bc) including bassoon (Fg). A choir is only needed for the chorale, if at all. The score, partly an autograph, is titled “Concerto. / Dominica post Trinit: / Brmhertziges Hertze der ewigen Liebe. ect. / â 5 Strom. 4 Voci / Tromba / 1 Hautb 2 Violini. 1 Viola. / Violoncello / è Fagotto. S. A. T. è Baßo con Cont. / di JSbach. / 1715”, while “tromba” (trumpet) is struck in the cover of the set of parts. In Leipzig the oboe was replaced by a clarino (trumpet) for the instrumental cantus firmus of the chorale in the first movement. The duration is given as 16 minutes. In the following table of the movements, the scoring and keys are given for the version performed in Weimar in 1714. The keys and time signatures are taken from the Bach scholar Alfred Dürr, using the symbol for common time (4/4). The instruments are shown separately for winds and strings, while the continuo, playing throughout, is not shown.

1#

The opening movement is a duet of soprano and tenor, "" (Compassionate heart of eternal love). It is in two ways connected to the chorale which closes the work. The melody is played line by line as a by the oboe, embellished and in a dancing 6/4 time instead of 4/4. The first interval in the voices and the continuo is the same as in the chorale. The countersubject is the inversion of the theme, in German "" (reflection in a mirror). It reflects the theme as human mercy should reflect divine mercy. John Eliot Gardiner, who conducted the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage with the Monteverdi Choir in 2000, comments in his diary of the project: “Cast as a siciliano for soprano and tenor with cello continuo, there is a warm glow to this opening duet, with trills on each of the main beats to signify the flickering flame of love, and a plea to ‘come melt my heart’. Agricola’s chorale tune … is meanwhile intoned by a clarino hovering above the two amorous vocal lines.

2#

The alto recitative, "” (You hearts, which have changed yourselves into rocks and stones), is first accompanied by the strings, but ends as an arioso with continuo.

3#

The alto aria, "" (Be inspired at the present time) shows the richest instrumentation, with figurative oboe solos.

4#

The bass recitative "" (Self-love flatters itself!) is accompanied only by the continuo.

5#

The text of the bass aria with continuo, "" (This is the Christian’s art), summarizes all injunctions in one long sentence, but Bach splits it in parts, all introduced by the keywords “”. The bass as the (voice of Christ) delivers the “sermon”. In Leipzig, the continuo of cello and bass in octaves was doubled by the strings, another octave higher. Gardiner admires Bach’s treatment as a “gentle, parodistic way he portrays the rhetorical displays of a pompous preacher”.

6#

The closing chorale, "" (I call to You, Lord Jesus Christ), summarizes the topic of the cantata to love and serve the neighbour. It is illuminated by a “soaring” violin as a fifth part, similar to the treatment in the cantata for Pentecost the previous year, . \version “2.24.4” \header tagline = ##f % title = “Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ” opus = “BWV 185/6” %\paper #(set-paper-size “a4”) \layout indent = 0 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \context \Score \remove “Bar_number_engraver” \context \Voice \remove “Dynamic_engraver” global = \key fis \minor \time 4/4 \partial 4 tn = \tempo 4 = 75 tf = \tempo 4 = 40 violin = \relative c \global \set Staff.midiInstrument = “violin” \repeat volta 2 gis4~^“Violin I” \pp gis8 fis4 eis8 fis gis a b cis cis, fis gis eis4\fermata cis’ b a8 gis fis fis, gis ais b cis d e fis4\fermata e~ e8 d cis b a2 a8 b gis4 a\fermata e’ a8 gis fis a~ a gis4 fis8~ fis eis fis4\fermata b2~ b8 fis b a gis4\fermata gis8 fis e d cis a’~ a gis16 fis gis8 e16 fis g4 fis8 gis a b cis4~ cis8 b a gis~ gis fis4 eis8 fis2.\fermata \bar " ." soprano = \relative c \global \set midiInstrument = “recorder” \repeat volta 2 \tn cis8 (b) a4 b a8 ( gis ) fis (gis) a (b) b8.\trill (a32 b) \tf cis4\fermata \tn cis8 (d) e ( d ) cis (b) a4 b8 (cis) d2 \tf cis4\fermata \tn e fis e8 (d) cis ( b ) a (b) cis (d16 e) b4\trill \tf a\fermata \tn cis cis cis b a gis \tf fis\fermata \tn a gis fis2 \tf e4\fermata \tn e a a b b cis d cis4. b8 a ( gis ) fis (gis) a4 (gis) fis2.\fermata \bar " ." alto = \relative c \global \set midiInstrument = “recorder” \repeat volta 2 gis4 a gis fis cis'8 b a gis fis4 gis a gis8 fis e4 fis4. e8 d e fis gis a4 a8 gis fis4 gis a8 fis e d cis b16 a e'4 e e fis fis8 e d4 cis cis cis r8 fis4 e8~ e8 dis16 cis dis4 e e e a8 gis fis4 e e d e8 fis gis4 cis,4. b8 a b cis4 cis2. \bar " ." tenor = \relative c’ \global \set midiInstrument = “english horn” \repeat volta 2 cis4^\p cis cis cis8 b a gis fis4 fis cis’ a b cis d8 cis d e fis e d\trill cis16 b cis4 cis8 b a4 e’ e8 d cis b a4 b cis cis8 b a4 a gis a b a fis gis8 a b2 b4 b cis cis b e8 d cis4 b a gis a8 b cis d cis4.\trill (b8) ais2. \bar " ." bass = \relative c \global \set midiInstrument = “contrabass” eis4\ff fis cis fis, fis’ e d cis fis gis a d, cis b2 fis4 cis’ d e a,8 b cis d e4 e, a a'8 gis fis e dis4 eis fis cis fis, dis’ e b2 e,4 e'8 d! cis b a4 d e ais, b cis8 dis eis4 fis8 gis a b cis4 (cis,) fis,2. \bar " ." verse = \new Lyrics \lyricmode > den rech – ten Weg, o Herr, ich mein, den wol – lest du mir ge – ben, dir zu le – ben, mein’n Nächs – ten nütz zu sein, dein Wort zu hal – ten e – ben. \score > \new Lyrics \lyricsto “soprano” \verse \new Staff > » » \layout \score \unfoldRepeats > \midi \context \Score midiChannelMapping = #‘instrument \context \Staff \remove “Staff_performer” \context \Voice \consists “Staff_performer”

Reception#

The musicologist Isoyama summarizes: “… we are bound to admire the emotional wealth with which Bach’s music infuses the poetry. In that it gives living reality to a potentially dry text, this work may be numbered among Bach’s masterpieces”.

Recordings#

The listing is taken from the selection provided on the Bach Cantatas Website. Ensembles playing period instruments in historically informed performance are marked by green background.

Sources#

• Barmherziges Herze der ewigen Liebe, BWV 185; BC A 101 / Sacred cantata (4th Sunday after Trinity), Bach Digital
• Luke Dahn: BWV 185.6, bach-chorales.com

External links#

• “Barmherziges Herze der ewigen Liebe, BWV 185”: performance by the Netherlands Bach Society (video and background information)