Ärgre Dich, O Seele, Nicht, BWV 186
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(Do not be confounded, o soul), 186 is a church cantata by
Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...
. He composed it originally in
Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...
in 1716 for Advent, , and expanded it in
Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
in 1723 for the seventh Sunday after
Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...
, where he first performed it on 11 July 1723.


History and words


Weimar

The prescribed readings for the Third Sunday of Advent were from the
First Epistle to the Corinthians The First Epistle to the Corinthians () is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-author, Sosthenes, and is addressed to the Christian church i ...
, the ministry of faithful apostles (), and from the
Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells the story of who the author believes is Israel's messiah (Christ (title), Christ), Jesus, resurrection of Jesus, his res ...
,
John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...
in prison (). The cantata is based on a cantata text written by Salomo Franck for the third Sunday of Advent, published in in 1717. His lyrics contained movements 1, 3, 5, 8, 10 of the later work and a different closing
chorale A chorale is the name of several related musical forms originating in the music genre of the Lutheran chorale: * Hymn tune of a Lutheran hymn (e.g. the melody of " Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"), or a tune in a similar format (e.g. one o ...
of Ludwig Helmbold. Bach composed the music, BWV 186a, in 1716 in
Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...
, where he first performed it on 13 December 1716. # Chorus: (movement 1 of BWV 186) # Aria 1: (3) # Aria 2: (5) # Aria 3: (8) # Aria 4: (10) # Chorale: A reconstruction of the cantata by Diethard Hellmann was published in 1963.


Leipzig

As Leipzig observed '' tempus clausum'' (time of silence) from Advent II to Advent IV, Bach could not perform the cantata there in Advent and expanded it to a cantata in two parts for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity, as he had expanded , just before for 2 July 1723. He added
recitative Recitative (, also known by its Italian name recitativo () is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repeat lines ...
s, changed the words of the
aria In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...
s slightly, replaced the closing chorale by verse 11 of the chorale "" (1523) of Paul Speratus, and added verse 12 of that chorale to close part 1 of the cantata. The prescribed readings for the Sunday are 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 (Christianity), salvation is offered ...
, "the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life" (), and from the
Gospel of Mark The Gospel of Mark is the second of the four canonical Gospels and one of the three synoptic Gospels, synoptic Gospels. It tells of the ministry of Jesus from baptism of Jesus, his baptism by John the Baptist to his death, the Burial of Jesus, ...
, the feeding of the 4000 (). The recitatives mention that by stressing terms as (hunger) and (taste and see).


Scoring and structure

The cantata is scored for four soloists and a four-part choir , two
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 type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...
s, taille (tenor oboe), two
violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...
s,
viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...
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 th ...
including
bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...
. Its eleven movements are in two parts, movements 1 to 6 to be performed before the sermon, the others after the sermon. # Chorus: # Recitative (bass): # Aria (bass): # Recitative (tenor): # Aria (tenor): # Chorale: ::After the sermon: #
  • Recitative (tenor):
  • # Aria (soprano): # Recitative (alto): # Aria (soprano, alto): # Chorale:


    Music

    The opening chorus is in
    rondo The rondo or rondeau is a musical form that contains a principal theme (music), theme (sometimes called the "refrain") which alternates with one or more contrasting themes (generally called "episodes", but also referred to as "digressions" or "c ...
    form, A B A B A. Section A treats the first line of the poem, section B lines 2 to 4. Section A is a complex combination of instrumental and vocal composition. The instruments open with a sinfonia of 8 measures, followed by a short vocal (statement) which is repeated by the orchestra, and only then a fugal development begins, the vocal parts sometimes embedded in material from the sinfonia. The first repeat of section A is shortened in the sinfonia, the second repeat starts with the fugal part right away. In great contrast section B is set
    a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...
    (only accompanied by the continuo) and partly
    homophonic Homophony and Homophonic are from the Greek language, Greek ὁμόφωνος (''homóphōnos''), literally 'same sounding,' from ὁμός (''homós''), "same" and φωνή (''phōnē''), "sound". It may refer to: *Homophones − words with the s ...
    . The scoring of the four arias shows increasing complexity and also a rise from the lowest voice to the higher one, soprano and alto coming in only in the second part. The first aria is accompanied only by the continuo, the two next ones in a trio setting, and the final aria is a duet with orchestra. It resembles a
    gigue The gigue ( , ) or giga () is a lively baroque dance originating from the English jig. It was imported into France in the mid-17th centuryBellingham, Jane"gigue."''The Oxford Companion to Music''. Ed. Alison Latham. Oxford Music Online. 6 July ...
    , and the voices, singing "" (My soul, let no sorrow separate you from Jesus), illustrate the meaning by mostly parallel movement. The four recitatives all end as an arioso. The chorale movements 6 and 11, ending the two parts of the cantata, are the same music, a chorale fantasia. The chorale is embedded in a concerto of the orchestra, the is given to the soprano, whereas the lower voices sing counterpoint in faster movement, sometimes in imitation.


    Recordings

    * ''Die Bach Kantate Vol. 43'', Helmuth Rilling, Gächinger Kantorei, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Arleen Augér, Helen Watts, Kurt Equiluz, Philippe Huttenlocher, Hänssler 1977 * ''J. S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk – Sacred Cantatas Vol. 10'', Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Tölzer Knabenchor, Concentus Musicus Wien, Helmut Wittek (soloist of the Tölzer Knabenchor), Paul Esswood, Kurt Equiluz, Robert Holl, Teldec 1989 * ''J. S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 6'', Ton Koopman, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, Ruth Ziesak, Elisabeth von Magnus, Paul Agnew, Klaus Mertens, Antoine Marchand 1997 * ''J. S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 10 – Cantatas from Leipzig 1723 III'', Masaaki Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan, Miah Persson, Robin Blaze, Makoto Sakurada, Peter Kooy, BIS 1999 * ''Bach Edition Vol. 12 – Cantatas Vol. 6'', Pieter Jan Leusink, Holland Boys Choir, Netherlands Bach Collegium, Ruth Holton, Sytse Buwalda, Knut Schoch, Bas Ramselaar, Brilliant Classics 1999 * ''J. S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 4'',
    John Eliot Gardiner Sir John Eliot Gardiner (born 20 April 1943) is an English conductor, particularly known for his performances of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, especially the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage of 2000, performing Church cantata (Bach), Bach's church ...
    , Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, Katharine Fuge, Richard Wyn Roberts, Kobie van Rensburg, Stephan Loges, Soli Deo Gloria 2000


    References


    Sources

    *
    Ärgre dich, o Seele, nicht BWV 186; BC A 108 / Sacred cantata (3rd Sunday of Advent)
    Bach Digital
    Ärgre dich, o Seele, nicht BWV 186; BC A 108 / Sacred cantata (7th Sunday after Trinity)
    Bach Digital
    Cantata BWV 186 Ärgre dich, o Seele, nicht
    history, scoring, sources for text and music, translations to various languages, discography, discussion, Bach Cantatas Website

    history, scoring, sources for text and music, translations to various languages, discography, discussion, Bach Cantatas Website

    English translation,
    University of Vermont The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...

    BWV 186 Ärgre dich, o Seele, nicht
    text, scoring,
    University of Alberta The University of Alberta (also known as U of A or UAlberta, ) is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, t ...
    {{DEFAULTSORT:Argre Dich O Seele Nicht Bwv 186 Church cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach 1716 compositions 1723 compositions Advent music