(I am standing with one foot in the grave), BWV 156, is a

church cantata A church cantata or sacred cantata is a cantata intended to be performed during Christian liturgy. The genre was particularly popular in 18th-century Lutheran Germany, with many composers writing an extensive output: Stölzel, Telemann, Graupne ...

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

. He composed it in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

for the third Sunday after Epiphany and first performed it on 23 January 1729. The cantata is well known for its opening sinfonia for orchestra and oboe solo.

History and text

BWV 156 was Bach's fourth and last cantata for the Third Sunday after Epiphany. The prescribed readings for the Sunday were taken from the

Epistle to the Romans The Epistle to the Romans is the sixth book in the New Testament, and the longest of the thirteen Pauline epistles. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by Paul the Apostle to explain that salvation is offered through the gospel of Jes ...

, rules for life (), and from the

Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew), or simply Matthew. It is most commonly abbreviated as "Matt." is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people and form ...

, the healing of a leper (). The librettist was Picander. He incorporated two chorale tunes: "Machs mit mir, Gott, nach deiner Güt" by Johann Hermann Schein (1628) and "Herr, wie du willt, so schicks mit mir" by Kaspar Bienemann (1582). The

sinfonia Sinfonia (; plural ''sinfonie'') is the Italian word for symphony, from the Latin ''symphonia'', in turn derived from Ancient Greek συμφωνία ''symphōnia'' (agreement or concord of sound), from the prefix σύν (together) and ϕωνή (sou ...

was likely derived from an earlier oboe concerto and was later adapted as part of Bach's Harpsichord Concerto in F minor.

Scoring and structure

The work is scored for three vocal soloists (

alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian ( Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruse ...

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

, and

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

), four-part choir,

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...

, two

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

viola ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...

, and

basso continuo Basso continuo parts, almost universal in the Baroque era (1600–1750), provided the harmonic structure of the music by supplying a bassline and a chord progression. The phrase is often shortened to continuo, and the instrumentalists playing the ...

. It has six

movements Movement may refer to: Common uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Motion, commonly referred to as movement Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * "Movement" (short story), a short story by Nancy Fu ...

: #Sinfonia #Chorale (soprano) and aria (tenor): ' #Recitative (bass): ' #Aria (alto): ' #Recitative (bass): ' #Chorale: '

Music

The opening sinfonia is scored for oboe, strings, and continuo. It is in

F major F major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative minor is D minor and its parallel minor is F minor. The F major scale is: : F major is ...

and

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note val ...

. Compared to the later version for

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...

, the melody is straightforward and unembellished, and is harmonically conceived to prepare the second movement. The second movement is a combined tenor aria and soprano chorale with obbligato strings. Unusually, it begins with a

syncopated In music, syncopation is a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat. More simply, syncopation is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm": a "plac ...

continuo line under

unison In music, unison is two or more musical parts that sound either the same pitch or pitches separated by intervals of one or more octaves, usually at the same time. ''Rhythmic unison'' is another term for homorhythm. Definition Unison or per ...

strings. The movement also features sequences and harmonic contrasts. Both bass recitatives are

secco Secco is a surname of Italian origin, which means ''dry''. It may refer to: *Alessio Secco (b. 1970), Italian professional football manager * Deborah Secco (b. 1979), Brazilian actress *Louis Secco (b. 1927), Canadian Olympic ice hockey player *Se ...

and in minor mode. The first, the third movement of the cantata, is characterized by a disjunct melodic line and a concluding

arioso In classical music, arioso (also aria parlante ) is a category of solo vocal piece, usually occurring in an opera or oratorio, falling somewhere between recitative and aria in style. Literally, arioso means ''airy''. The term arose in the 16th ...

line. The second, the fifth movement, is comparatively "lighter in mood and spirit". It anticipates the melody of the final chorale setting. The alto aria is accompanied by oboe and violin in parallel thirds and sixths. The movement includes several instances of word painting. Formally, the movement is an altered da capo aria. It has a "generally sunny affect ... only momentarily disturbed by more charged harmonies". The final movement is a four-part setting of the chorale in

C major C major (or the key of C) is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and ...

. The phrase lengths are varied to provide a "hint of timelessness".

Recordings

*American Bach Soloists, Jeffrey Thomas. ''J. S. Bach: Cantatas Volume II''. Koch International Classics, 1992. *

Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir is a Dutch early-music group based in Amsterdam. The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir was created in two stages by the conductor, organist and harpsichordist Ton Koopman. He founded the Amsterdam Baroq ...

Ton Koopman Antonius Gerhardus Michael Koopman (; born 2 October 1944), known professionally as Ton Koopman, is a Dutch conductor, organist, harpsichordist, and musicologist, primarily known for being the founder and director of the Amsterdam Baroque Orche ...

. ''J. S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 20''. Antoine Marchand, 2003. * Bach Collegium Japan,

Masaaki Suzuki is a Japanese organist, harpsichordist and conductor, and the founder and music director of the Bach Collegium Japan. With this ensemble he is recording the complete choral works of Johann Sebastian Bach for the Swedish label BIS Records, for wh ...

. ''J. S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 49''. BIS, 2010. *

Figuralchor der Gedächtniskirche Stuttgart Figuralchor der Gedächtniskirche Stuttgart is a mixed church- and concert choir based in Stuttgart, Germany. It was established in 1957 by Helmuth Rilling. Rilling conducted the choir in several recordings of his project to record the complete c ...

/ Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Helmuth Rilling. ''Die Bach Kantate''. Hänssler, 1973. * Holland Boys Choir /

Netherlands Bach Collegium The Netherlands Bach Collegium is a Baroque orchestra based in the Netherlands. It is conducted by Pieter Jan Leusink. They are noted for their Complete Cantatas Brilliant Series, a recording of the complete sacred cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach ...

, Pieter Jan Leusink. ''Bach Edition Vol. 11''. Brilliant Classics, 1999. * Monteverdi Choir / English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner. ''J. S. Bach: Cantatas for the 3rd Sunday of Epiphany''. Archiv Produktion, 2000.

Notes

References

External links

*
Ich steh mit einem Fuß im Grabe BWV 156; BC A 38 / Sacred cantata (3rd Sunday of Epiphany)

Bach Digital Bach Digital (German: ), developed by the Bach Archive in Leipzig, is an online database which gives access to information on compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach and members of his family. Early manuscripts of such compositions are a major foc ...

BWV 156 Ich steh mit einem Fuß im Grabe
English translation,

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a public land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is among the oldest universities in the Unite ...

Ich steh mit einem Fuß im Grabe, BWV 156
performance by the

Netherlands Bach Society The Netherlands Bach Society ( nl, Nederlandse Bachvereniging) is the oldest ensemble for Baroque music in the Netherlands, and possibly in the world. The ensemble was founded in 1921 in Naarden to perform Bach's ''St Matthew Passion'' on Good Frid ...

(video and background information) * Luke Dahn
BWV 156.6
bach-chorales.com {{DISPLAYTITLE:''Ich steh mit einem Fuß im Grabe'', BWV 156 Church cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach 1729 compositions