(He knows not what sorrow is), BWV 209, is a
secular cantata composed by
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, ˆjoËhan 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 ...
and possibly first performed 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 1747.
With ''
Amore Traditore'', it is one of the composer's only two settings of a text in Italian.
History and text
Internal evidence suggests that the text by an unknown
librettist
A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major ...
was not written before 1729.
[ The text also contains clues as to the occasion for which it was written. It refers to ]Ansbach
Ansbach ( , ; ) is a city in the Germany, German state of Bavaria. It is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk, administrative region of Mittelfranken, Middle Franconia. Ansbach is southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the river Fränk ...
, Bavaria, and, somewhat confusingly given Bavaria's location, a sea voyage. Mincham draws attention to an interest in Ansbach in Italian music, and suggests that Bach would have known that the city was the home of Giuseppe Torelli at the end of the 17th century.[ both men having connections with Ansbach.
Bach's autograph score does not survive.
The cantata was first published in 1881 in the Bach-Gesellschaft-Ausgabe, the first complete edition of the composer's works.
]
Scoring and structure
The piece is scored for solo soprano
A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...
voice, flauto traverso, 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 ...
.
Music
Bach may have derived the opening sinfonia in B minor
B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative major is D major and its parallel major is B major.
The B natural minor scale is:
Changes need ...
from a previous concerto. It includes a prominent "baroque 'weeping' figure". The first 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 ...
uses tonality to underline the meaning of the "quasi-philosophical" text. The following da capo aria is in E minor and features a flute obbligato
In Western classical music, ''obbligato'' (, also spelled ''obligato'') usually describes a musical line that is in some way indispensable in performance. Its opposite is the marking '' ad libitum''. It can also be used, more specifically, to ind ...
. The second recitative is short and secco, contrasting sharply with the final "ebulliently major" da capo aria.
Recordings
* Agnes Giebel (soprano), Das Leonhardt-Consort Gustav Leonhardt
Gustav Maria Leonhardt (30 May 1928 – 16 January 2012) was a Dutch keyboardist, conductor, musicologist, teacher and editor. He was a leading figure in the historically informed performance movement to perform music on period instruments.
Leo ...
. ''J. S. Bach: Cantatas BWV 203 & BWV 209''. Telefunken, 1964.
* Elly Ameling (soprano), William Bennett (flute), Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, Neville Marriner. ''Bach Cantatas''. EMI, 1973.
* Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Ton Koopman. ''J.S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 4''. Erato
In Greek mythology, Erato (; ) is one of the Greek Muses, the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. The name would mean "desired" or "lovely", if derived from the same root as Eros, as Apollonius of Rhodes playfully sugge ...
, 1996.
*The Bach Ensemble, Joshua Rifkin. ''J.S. Bach: Weichet nur betrübte Shatten "Hochzeitskantate"''. Decca, 1989.
*Cologne Soloists Ensemble, Helmut Müller-Brühl. ''Maria Stader singt Kantaten von Johann Sebastian Bach''. Pelca, 1965.
*Orchestra of the Bach Guild, Anton Heiller. ''J.S. Bach: Cantata Nr. 51; Cantata Nr. 209''. Amadeo, 1952.
*Ensemble Sonnerie, Monica Huggett. ''J.S. Bach - Cantatas''. EMI/Virgin Classics, 1999.
* Bach Collegium Japan & Masaaki Suzuki. ''Bach: The Secular Cantatas; Non sa che sia dolore BWV 209''. BIS, 2019.
Notes
References
External links
*
* https://www.emmanuelmusic.org/bach-translations/bwv-209 BWV 209 – "Non sa che sia dolore"]: English translation, Emmanuel Music
Non sa che sia dolore
history, scoring, Bach 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 209 Non sa che sia dolore
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 ...
{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Non sa che sia dolore'', BWV 209
Secular cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach
1729 compositions