Bach Cantatas with violoncello piccolo - part 8
BWV 175, for the third time in nine days!
On the 22nd of May 1725, just one day after the BWV 68, J. S. Bach gave an obbligato solo part to the violoncello piccolo for the third time in nine days. Most probably, the player was the same as the two previous occasions, and the key used in the original part is the same: the tenor key.
Even this aria is a remake of a previous piece (as was for the aria in the BWV 68), an aria for a birthday cantata from 1722, the BWV 172/a. That time it was an aria for bass, with bassoon and cello obbligato in unison. This time he transposes it one minor third above, makes it a tenor aria, and gives the bassoon+cello part to a violoncello piccolo.
How can we avoid reminding J. F. B. Caspar Majer and Leopold Mozart describing the fagott geige?
This time J. S. Bach didn’t put much effort into renewing the music: Pentecost was a busy period, and he had to play a new cantata almost every day! Here he only transposes the aria from the BEV 172 as it is, making it the lowest range aria for the violoncello piccolo: the highest note is A4, third finger on first string, and the lowest is F# on the C string. On the whole aria, the C string is played only three times, for 3 F#, which are also doubled by the continuo.
The structure of this cantata is in two parts: the first three movements are about those who believe, and the last three about those who don’t. This aria is the fourth movement and is the link between them, with the words:
It seems to me, I see you coming,
you enter by the right door.
You are received in faith
and must be the true shepherd.
I recognise your lovely voice,
which is full of love and gentleness,
so that I am enraged in my soul
if anyone doubts that you are the saviour.
In this video the recording by Masaaki Suzuki and Bach Collegium Japan, Dmitry Badiarov at the Violoncello da Spalla.
Updates from our workshop
We are traveling for more or less ten days... Nothing particularly exciting, only many things to do and no time at home. Before leaving I gave a start to our next instruments, making a few joints, but that was all. A start however, is better than an intention!
Featured video of the week
New music for Violoncello da Spalla from Hong Kong, composed by Yi Hsuan Ethan Lin
