(Watch! Pray! Pray! Watch!) is the title of two

church cantatas 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, Graup ...

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 a first version, 70a, 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 ...

for the second Sunday in

Advent Advent is a season observed in most Christian denominations as a time of waiting and preparation for both the celebration of Jesus's birth at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Chri ...

of 1716 and expanded it in 1723 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 ...

to , a cantata in two parts for the 26th 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 ...

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 ''Schlosskirche'' (palace church), on a monthly schedule. Bach originally wrote this cantata in his last year there, for the Second Sunday of Advent. The prescribed readings for the Sunday were 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 ...

, call of the Gentiles (), and from the

Gospel of Luke The Gospel of Luke is the third of the New Testament's four canonical Gospels. It tells of the origins, Nativity of Jesus, birth, Ministry of Jesus, ministry, Crucifixion of Jesus, death, Resurrection of Jesus, resurrection, and Ascension of ...

, the

Second Coming of Christ The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is the Christian and Islamic belief that Jesus Christ will return to Earth after his ascension to Heaven (which is said to have occurred about two thousand years ago). The ...

, also called Second Advent (). The cantata text was provided by the court poet Salomon Franck, published in ''Evangelische Sonn- und Fest-Tages-Andachten'' in 1717. Bach wrote five

movements Movement may refer to: Generic uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Movement (sign language), a hand movement when signing * Motion, commonly referred to as movement * Movement (music), a division of a larger c ...

, a chorus and four

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, and concluded with the fifth verse of the

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 ...

"" by Christian Keymann. Bach first performed the cantata on 6 December 1716. In Leipzig, Advent was a quiet time (''

tempus clausum The closed time (Latin: Tempus clausum), in the ancient Catholic Church, Roman Catholic law : forbidden time (lat. Tempus feriatum) as well, denominates the penitential periods in the liturgical year, Lent and Advent. During this ''closed time'' t ...

''), thus no cantata music was performed in services from Advent II to Advent IV. In order to use the music again, Bach had to dedicate it to a different liturgical event and chose the 26th Sunday after Trinity with a similar theme. The prescribed readings for this Sunday were from The Second Epistle of Peter, "look for new heavens and a new earth" (), 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 ...

, the

, also called Second Advent (). An unknown poet kept the existing movements and 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 and a chorale to end part 1 of the new cantata, the final verse of "" by

Christoph Demantius Johann Christoph Demantius (15 December 1567 – 20 April 1643) was a German composer, music theorist, writer and poet. He was an exact contemporary of Monteverdi, and represented a transitional phase in German Lutheran music from the polypho ...

. Bach performed the extended cantata first on 21 November 1723, and a second time on 18 November 1731.

Scoring and structure

The instrumentation of the Weimar cantata is lost. The cantata in two parts of 7 and 4 movements was scored in Leipzig for

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 ...

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 four-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in ch ...

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

, and

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

soloists, a four-part choir,

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

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, ...

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 ...

, 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 ...

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 ...

. The movement numbers of cantata 70a are given in brackets. ::Part I # Chorus: (1.) # Recitative (bass): # Aria (alto): (2.) # Recitative (tenor): # Aria (soprano): (3.) # Recitative (tenor): # Chorale: ::Part II #

Aria (tenor): (4.)

# Recitative (bass): # Aria (bass): (5.) # Chorale: (6.)

Music

Bach shaped the opening chorus in a

da capo Da capo ( , , ; often abbreviated as D.C.) is an Italian musical term that means "from the beginning" (literally, "from the head"). The term is a directive to repeat the previous part of music, often used to save space, and thus is an easie ...

form and used a technique to embed the vocal parts in the concerto of the orchestra. A characteristic trumpet calls to wake up, initiating figurative movement in the other instruments and the voices. The choir contrasts short calls "" and long chords "". All instruments accompany the recitative, illustrating the fright of the sinners, the calmness of the chosen ones, the destruction of the world, and the fear of the ones called to be judged. Part I is closed by the final verse of "" in a four-part setting. The recitative in movement 9 opens with a ''Furioso'' depicting the "" (the unheard-of last stroke), while the trumpet quotes the hymn "" (Indeed, the time is here). This chorale had been used as kind of a Dies irae during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

. The recitative ends on a long

melisma Melisma (, , ; from , plural: ''melismata''), informally known as a vocal run and sometimes interchanged with the term roulade, is the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession. Music sung in ...

on the words "" (Therefore, I will end my course with joy). The following bass aria begins immediately, without the usual

ritornello A ritornello (Italian; "little return") is a recurring passage in Renaissance music and Baroque music for orchestra or chorus. Early history The earliest use of the term "ritornello" in music referred to the final lines of a fourteenth-century ...

, ''molt' adagio''. After this intimate reflection of the thought "" (Jesus leads me to quiet, to the place where pleasure is complete) the closing chorale is set richly for seven parts, independent parts for the upper three strings forming a "halo" for the voices.

Recordings

* ''J. S. Bach: Cantatas BWV 68 & BWV 70'', Kurt Thomas, Kantorei der

Dreikönigskirche, Frankfurt The Dreikönigskirche (English: Church of the Biblical Magi, Three Kings) is a Lutheran Protestant church and parish in Frankfurt, the city's largest Protestant parish. It is located on the south bank of the Main (river), Main in Sachsenhausen_(Fr ...

, Collegium Musicum,

Ingeborg Reichelt Ingeborg Reichelt (11 May 1928 – 28 June 2022) was a German soprano singer known for her interpretation of works by Johann Sebastian Bach. Biography Reichelt was born in Frankfurt an der Oder studied in Dresden and at the Musikakademie in Ham ...

, Sibylla Plate, Helmut Kretschmar,

Erich Wenk Erich Wenk (12 August 1923 – 30 March 2012) was a German bass-baritone singer in opera and especially in concert. He was a professor of voice at the . Career Wenk was born in . In 1957 he performed the by Johannes Brahms on a tour through Ge ...

, L'Oiseau-Lyre 1952? * ''Cantata BWV 70'', Karl Richter,

Münchener Bach-Chor Münchener Bach-Chor is a mixed choir for concert and oratorio in Munich. Performances, international tours and recordings with Karl Richter and the Münchener Bach-Orchester made the choir internationally known. History Heinrich-Schütz-Kre ...

, Chamber orchestra of the

Bayerisches Staatsorchester The Bavarian State Orchestra () is the orchestra of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Germany. It has given its own series of concerts, the , since 1811. Profile The origins of the ensemble date back to 1523 and the times of composer Ludwig S ...

, Lotte Schädle, Hertha Töpper, Helmut Kretschmar,

Kieth Engen Kieth Engen (5 April 1925 – 2 September 2004) was an American operatic bass who was a member of Munich's Bavarian State Opera for decades. Although his career was based in Munich, he appeared internationally as a guest singer at major opera h ...

, Andromeda 1957 * ''Les Grandes Cantates de J. S. Bach Vol. 23'', Fritz Werner,

Heinrich-Schütz-Chor Heilbronn Fritz Werner (15 December 1898 – 22 December 1977) was a German choral conductor, church music director, conductor, organist and composer. He founded the Heinrich-Schütz-Chor Heilbronn in 1947 and conducted it until 1973. Career Born in Berl ...

, Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn, Hedy Graf, Barbara Scherler,

Kurt Huber Kurt Huber (24 October 1893 – 13 July 1943) was a German university professor and resistance fighter with the anti-Nazi group White Rose. For his involvement he was imprisoned and guillotined. Early life Huber was born in Chur, Switzerland, ...

Jakob Stämpfli Jakob Stämpfli (23 February 1820 – 15 May 1879) was a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council (1854–1863). He was elected to the Federal Council of Switzerland on 6 December 1854, and handed over office on 31 December 1863. ...

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 ...

1970 * ''Die Bach Kantate Vol. 15'',

Helmuth Rilling Helmuth Rilling (born 29 May 1933) is a German choral conductor and an academic teacher. He is the founder of the Gächinger Kantorei (1954), the Bach-Collegium Stuttgart (1965), the Oregon Bach Festival (1970), the Internationale Bachakade ...

Gächinger Kantorei Gächinger Kantorei (Gächingen Chorale), which uses the old German spelling of its name, the Gaechinger Cantorey, is an internationally known German mixed choir, founded by Helmuth Rilling in 1954 in Gächingen (part of St. Johann close to Reutl ...

Bach-Collegium Stuttgart Bach-Collegium Stuttgart is an internationally known German instrumental ensemble, founded by Helmuth Rilling in 1965 to accompany the Gächinger Kantorei in choral music with orchestra. Its members are mostly orchestra musicians from Germany and ...

, Arleen Augér, Verena Gohl, Lutz-Michael Harder, Siegmund Nimsgern,

Hänssler Hänssler-Verlag is a German music publishing house founded in 1919 as Musikverlag Hänssler by (died 1972) to publish church music. In 1941 the Nazi government shut down the publishing house. It was allowed by the West German authorities to reo ...

1970/1982 * ''J. S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk – Sacred Cantatas Vol. 4'',

Nikolaus Harnoncourt Johann Nikolaus Harnoncourt (6 December 1929 – 5 March 2016) was an Austrian conductor, known for his historically informed performances. He specialized in music of the Baroque period, but later extended his repertoire to include Classical ...

Tölzer Knabenchor The Tölzer Knabenchor (Tölz Boys' Choir) is a world-famous Boys' choir, boys' choir named after the Upper Bavarian district town of Bad Tölz and based in Unterföhring near Bavarias capital Munich. Also associated with the choir is the Men's ch ...

Concentus Musicus Wien Concentus Musicus Wien (CMW) is an Austrian baroque music ensemble based in Vienna. The CMW is recognized as a pioneer of the period-instrument performance movement. History Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Alice Harnoncourt co-founded the CMW in 19 ...

, soloist of the Tölzer Knabenchor,

Paul Esswood Paul Lawrence Vincent Esswood (born 6 June 1942) is an English countertenor and conductor. He is best known for his performance of Bach cantatas and the operas of Handel and Monteverdi. Along with his countrymen Alfred Deller and James Bowman, ...

Kurt Equiluz Kurt Equiluz (13 June 1929 – 20 June 2022) was an Austrian classical tenor. He was a member of the Vienna State Opera as a tenor buffo from 1957 until 1983, remembered for roles such as Pedrillo in Mozart's ''Die Entführung aus dem Serail''. ...

, Ruud van der Meer,

Teldec Teldec (Telefunken-Decca Schallplatten GmbH) is a German record label in Hamburg, Germany. Today the label is a property of Warner Music Group. History Teldec was a producer of (first) shellac and (later) vinyl records. The Teldec manufacturing ...

1977 * ''J. S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 9'',

Ton Koopman Antonius Gerhardus Michael "Ton" Koopman (; born 2 October 1944) is a Dutch conductor, organist, harpsichordist, and musicologist, primarily known for being the founder and director of the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir. He is a professor ...

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 Bar ...

Sibylla Rubens Sibylla Rubens is a German classical concert soprano. Career Sibylla Rubens studied voice (concert and opera) at the Staatliche Musikhochschule in Trossingen and at the Hochschule für Musik in Frankfurt and in master classes with Edith Mathi ...

Bernhard Landauer Bernhard Landauer (born 20 July 1970) is an Austrian countertenor in opera and concert, who is active internationally in both historically informed performance and contemporary music. He is a member of the Manjaro Core Team. Life and career Ber ...

Christoph Prégardien Christoph Prégardien (born 18 January 1956) is a German lyric tenor whose career is closely associated with the roles in Mozart operas, as well as performances of Lieder, oratorio roles, and Baroque music. He is well known for his performances a ...

Klaus Mertens Klaus Mertens (born 25 March 1949, in Kleve) is a German bass and bass-baritone singer who is known especially for his interpretation of the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach for bass voice. Career Klaus Mertens took singing lessons wh ...

, Antoine Marchand 1998 * ''J. S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 15 – Cantatas from Leipzig 1723'',

Masaaki Suzuki is a Japanese organist, harpsichordist, 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 whi ...

Bach Collegium Japan Bach Collegium Japan (BCJ) is composed of an orchestra and a chorus specializing in Baroque music, playing on period instruments. It was founded in 1990 by Masaaki Suzuki with the purpose of introducing Japanese audiences to European Baroque musi ...

, Yukari Nonoshita,

Robin Blaze Robin Blaze (born 11 January 1971) is a British countertenor. Early life He was born in Manchester, England. The son of Peter Blaze, a professional golfer, and Christine, Blaze and his brother Mark grew up in Shadwell, near Leeds, and was ed ...

, Gerd Türk, Peter Kooy, BIS 2000 * ''Bach Cantatas Vol. 13: Köln/Lüneburg'',

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 The Monteverdi Choir was founded in 1964 by Sir John Eliot Gardiner for a performance of the ''Vespro della Beata Vergine'' in King's College Chapel, Cambridge. A specialist Baroque ensemble, the Choir has become famous for its stylistic conv ...

English Baroque Soloists The English Baroque Soloists is a chamber orchestra playing on authentic performance, period instruments, formed in 1978 by English Conducting, conductor John Eliot Gardiner, Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Its repertoire comprises music from the early B ...

, Brigitte Geller,

Michael Chance Michael Chance CBE (born in Penn, Buckinghamshire, 7 March 1955) is an English countertenor and the founder and Artistic Director of The Grange Festival. Early life Chance was born in Penn, Buckinghamshire, into a musical family. After grow ...

, Jan Kobow, Dietrich Henschel, Soli Deo Gloria 2000

References

Sources

*
Wachet! Betet! Betet! Wachet! BWV 70a; BC (A 4) / Sacred cantata (2nd Sunday of Advent)

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 ...

Wachet! Betet! Betet! Wachet! BWV 70; BC A 165 / Sacred cantata (26th Sunday after Trinity)

Cantata BWV 70a Wachet! betet! betet! wachet!
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 70a Wachet! betet! betet! wachet!
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 ...

BWV 70 Wachet! betet! betet! wachet!
text, scoring,

* Luke Dahn
BWV 70.7
bach-chorales.com {{DISPLAYTITLE:''Wachet! betet! betet! wachet!'' BWV 70 Church cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach 1716 compositions 1723 compositions Advent music