Schauet doch und sehet, ob irgend ein Schmerz sei, BWV 46

History and words#

Bach composed the cantata in his first year as in Leipzig for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity, the eleventh cantata of his first cantata cycle. The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from the First Epistle to the Corinthians, different gifts, but one spirit (), and from the gospel of Luke, Jesus announcing the destruction of Jerusalem and cleansing of the Temple (). As with other cantatas Bach composed in his first years in Leipzig, we do not know the identity of the librettist. It is the third in a group of ten cantatas following the same structure of biblical text (in this case from the Old Testament) – recitative – aria – recitative – aria – chorale. The ten cantatas were dedicated to the 8th to 14th and 21st to 22nd Sunday after Trinity and the second Sunday after Easter. The words for the first movement are taken from the Book of Lamentations (), a lament about the historic destruction of Jerusalem. The text, suitable in connection with the announcement by Jesus, is among the prescribed readings for Good Friday and has been set to music often. The text for the inner movements 2 to 5 were written by the unknown poet, who dedicated a pair of recitative and aria to the memory of the historic event, another pair to the warning that the contemporary Christian is threatened in a similar way. The final chorale is the ninth stanza of "" by Johann Matthäus Meyfart. Bach led the Thomanerchor and instrumentalists in the first performance on 1 August 1723.

Structure and scoring#

The cantata is structured in six movements and scored for three vocal soloists (alto (A), tenor (T) and bass (B)), a four-part choir (SATB), and a Baroque instrumental ensemble of a corno da tirarsi (, Tr), mostly doubling the choir soprano, two recorders (Fl), two oboes da caccia (Oc), two violins (Vl), viola (Va) and basso continuo (Bc). In the following table of the movements, the scoring and keys and time signatures are taken from Alfred Dürr, using the symbol for common time (4/4). The instruments are shown separately for winds and strings. The regular continuo is not shown, playing in most movements but not in movement 5.

1#

The first movement, "" (Behold and see if there be any sorrow), is an expansive lamento in two sections. The text, part of the prescribed responsories for Good Friday, has been set by many composers, including Tomás Luis de Victoria, Carlo Gesualdo and Handel who set it as a tenor arioso in Messiah. The two sections of the movement are essentially a prelude and fugue. The prelude begins with 16 measures of instrumental music, with the strings “engaged in a persistent sobbing commentary”, to quote John Eliot Gardiner, who conducted the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage in 2000 and performed this cantata in Brunswick Cathedral. Following this introduction is a first round of vocal entries, and then a more intense second round in which each entry is doubled by a wind instrument. The musicologist Julian Mincham notes the various ways by which Bach conveys the idea of lamentation: “There is frequent stressing of the word “Schmerz” (sorrow). Suspensions and dissonant seventh chords in the harmony add to the tension, as do the uses of the highly expressive Neapolitan chord and false relations”. The fugue, marked “Un poco allegro”, sets the second line of the responsory text, which translates as, “For the Lord has made me full of anguish on the day of His wrathful anger.” The fugue builds from a single vocal line accompanied by continuo to eventually involve all the voices and instruments in six-part counterpoint. Gardiner writes: “It is uncompromising in its contrapuntal wildness and grim, dissonant harmony.” In 1733 an official period of mourning for August the Strong provided opportunities for the performance of music expressive of grief. When Bach wrote his Missa (Kyrie and Gloria) in B minor, he reworked the first part of the movement and incorporated it into the in the . The lamenting music depicts the Lamb of God carrying the sins of the world. In adapting the earlier music to its new function in the Mass, Bach transposed it from D minor to B minor, used transverse flutes instead of the recorders, dropped the instrumental opening and added a repetitive bass-line.

2#

A tenor recitative, "" (Lament then, O destroyed city of God), is accompanied by the recorders and the strings. The recorders play “five-note mourning figures” which may depict the tears of Jesus mourning the fall of Jerusalem. Mincham notes that Bach “experiments with instrumentation in a way that lends colour and expressive depth”, adding that “it is equally likely that these iridescent twinkles are symbolic; flickering feelings of uncertainty within a demolished world”.

3#

The first aria, "" (Your storm arose from far off), is assigned to the bass voice, and dramatically depicts the outbreak of a thunderstorm. It is the only part of the cantata where the trumpet appears in a solo function, as a symbol of divine majesty. The strings and continuo depict the “roaring thunder and lightning striking the earth”. Mincham writes about the double image: “The bass aria is, indeed, a graphic musical portrait of a thunderstorm as well as an allegorical portrayal of God′s anger and fury”. Gardiner regards the aria as “more frightening than any operatic ‘rage’ aria of the time by, say, Vivaldi or Handel”.

4#

“’” (Yet do not imagine, o sinners). Mincham observes that “Bach,… using the minimum of resource s … still manages to create the maximum effect” – For example, in the last measures – in contrast to the calm beginning – “the harmony becomes more obscure, the bass-line less conjunct, and the alto line more passionate”.

5#

The aria "" (Yet Jesus will, even in punishment), is scored for “the alto voice, surrounded and encompassed by instruments of contrasting but complementary timbres” – namely the oboes, playing in unison, and the two recorders; there is no continuo. (Interestingly, another aria without continuo – for soprano, about the “conscience of the sinner” – had appeared in the same position within the previous Sunday’s cantata, Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht mit deinem Knecht, BWV 105. Here Jesus is portrayed as the Good Shepherd, caring for his flock: "" (He gathers them as his sheep, Lovingly, as his little chicks).

6#

The closing movement, "" (O great God of faithfulness), is a four-part setting of the ninth stanza of the chorale "" by Johann Matthäus Meyfart, to which Bach has added “isolated little episodes” for the recorders, which are reminiscent of the motifs of mourning heard in movement 2. The interpolation of instrumental episodes is a feature this movement shares with the closing movement of ‘Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht mit deinem Knecht’ ‘, BWV 105, the cantata Bach had composed a week earlier. \header tagline = ##f \paper paper-height = 45\cm system-system-spacing = #’((basic-distance . 10 ) (minimum-distance . 6) (padding . 1) (stretchability . 0)) system-separator-markup = \slashSeparator \layout indent = 1\cm \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \context \Score \remove “Bar_number_engraver” global = \key g \minor \time 4/4 \partial 4 RecorderI = \relative c \global \clef “treble^8” d8 c bes4 f'8 es d4 d g,8 es'16 ( d) c (bes) as (g) f (es’) d (c) b (as!) g (f) e (d’) c (b) c4 c c bes a8 g d’ c16 (bes) a (g) fis (e) d (c’) bes (a) g (fis) es’ (d) c (bes) a (g) f8 (es) d d’ c bes a4 g f8 c'16 (bes) a (g) f (es’) d (c) bes (a) bes 4 bes bes f8 g a4 bes8 d16 (c) bes (as) g (f) es (d’) c (bes) a (g) f (es) d (c’) bes (a) bes4 bes8 a g4 g a bes8 d4 cis8 d es16 (d) c! (bes) a (g) fis (e) d (cis) d4~ d8 es! f! es d4 e f g g16 (c) bes (as) g (f) e (des’) c (bes) as (g) fis (es’) d! (c) bes (a!) g (fis) g4 g f! e8 es d4 es d d8 as'16 (g) f (es) d (c’) b (a) g (fis) g4 c d g,4. f!8 e f16 g a8 g fis es'16 (d) c (bes) a (g) \tempo 4 = 66 fis (bes) a (g) \tempo 4 = 54 fis (e) d (cis) \tempo 4 = 72 d1 \bar " ." RecorderII = \relative c \global \clef “treble^8” a4 g c f, f c’ es16 (d) c (bes) as (g) f (es’) d (c) b (as!) g (f) es (d) es8 f g4 fis8 a d,4 c8 bes16 (a) a'4 c16 (bes) a (g) fis (e) d (c’) bes (a) g (fis) e’ (d) c (bes) a4 d4 g, c,8 d es d c4 c'16 (bes) a (g) f (es’) d (c) bes8 as g4 f c f8 es d4 d'16 (c) bes (as) g (f) es (d’) c (bes) a (g) f (es) d (c) d8 c bes4 bes c8 g d'2 g4 fis es'16 (d) c (bes) a (g) f (e) f4 bes,4 c g’ c, d d e8. c'16 bes (as) g (f) e (des’) c (bes) a! (g) fis (es’) d (c) bes (a) g8 bes~ bes c d4 g,8 c, g’ bes, c bes a fis’ g4 as16 (g) f (es) d (c’) b (a) g (f) es (d) c8 g’ f es16 d es8 f g d a’ d, e4 d es'16 (d) c (bes) a (g) fis (bes) a (g) fis (e) fis1 \bar " ." Soprano = \relative c \global \set midiInstrument = “violin” a4 bes c d a8 (b) c2 \fermata r2 r4 g g a bes c a2\fermata r2 r4 f f g a bes c2\fermata r4 d bes8 (c) d4 c c bes2\fermata r2 r4 d d d c c bes bes a2\fermata r4 a bes a g g f f e2\fermata r2 r4 g g a8 (bes) c4 bes a2 g2\fermata r4 g g a8 (b) c4 bes! a2 a1~ a1\fermata \bar " ." Alto = \relative c’ \global \set midiInstrument = “viola” fis4 g f! f f g2 r2 r4 es e fis g a fis2 r2 r4 d d e f es es2 r4 d g8 (a) bes4 bes a f2 r2 r4 f4 g g g d d e fis2 r4 fis g f! f e d d c2 r2 r4 d d8 (c) f4 g8 ( a ) d, (g) g4 (fis) d2 r4 d es f g g g8 (f e4) fis1~ fis1 \bar " ." Tenor = \relative c’ \global \set midiInstrument = “cello” d4 d c bes f’ es2 r2 r4 c c c d es d2 r2 r4 a bes bes c bes f'2 r4 f es f f c d2 r2 r4 bes bes bes bes a a g a2 r4 d d c d g, a g g2 r2 r4 g g d’ c8 ( a ) bes (g) es'4 (a,) bes2 r4 b c f es d cis8 ( d4 cis8) d1~ d1 \bar " ." Bass = \relative c \global \set midiInstrument = “cello” d4 g a bes d c2 r2 r4 c bes a g c, d2 r2 r4 d8 (c) d ( bes’ ) a (g) f4 g a2 r4 bes c, d8 (es) f4 f bes2 r2 r4 bes8 (a) g4 f e fis g g d2 r4 d g, a b c c b c2 r2 r4 bes es d e8 (fis) g4 c, (d) g,2 r4 f’ es d c g a2 d1~ d1\bar " ." Verse = \lyricmode \set stanza = “9.” O gro – ßer Gott von Treu, weil vor dir nie – mand gilt als dein Sohn Je – sus Christ, der dei – nen Zorn ge – stillt, so sieh doch an die Wun – den sein, sein Mar – ter, Angst und schwe – re Pein; um sei – net – wil – len scho – ne, uns nicht nach Sün – den loh – ne! __ RecorderPart = \new PianoStaff \with instrumentName = \markup \column “Flauti” “dolci” midiInstrument = “recorder” > ChoirPart = \new ChoirStaff > \new Lyrics \with \override VerticalAxisGroup #‘staff-affinity = #CENTER \lyricsto “soprano” \Verse \new Staff \with instrumentName = \markup \column “Tenor” “Bass” \consists “Merge_rests_engraver” > » \score > \layout \score \midi \tempo 4=72 \context \Score midiChannelMapping = #‘instrument \context \Staff \remove “Staff_performer” \context \Voice \consists “Staff_performer” >

Recordings#

The listing is taken from the selection on the Bach Cantatas website. Ensembles playing period instruments in historically informed performance are shown with green background.

Further reading#

• Schauet doch und sehet, ob irgend ein Schmerz sei BWV 46; BC A 117 / Sacred cantata (10th Sunday after Trinity) Bach Digital
• BWV 46 Schauet doch und sehet, ob irgend ein Schmerz sei English translation, University of Vermont
• Luke Dahn: BWV 46.6 bach-chorales.com

External links#

• “Schauet doch und sehet, ob irgend ein Schmerz sei, BWV 46”, Netherlands Bach Society, Hans-Christoph Rademann (conductor), Franz Vitzthum (alto), Guy Cutting (tenor), Tobias Berndt (bass); video and background information