Uns ist ein Kind geboren, BWV 142: Difference between revisions

Uns ist ein Kind geboren, BWV 142 (For us a child is born) is a Christmas cantata attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach, dating from his time in Leipzig as Thomaskantor. While Bach was originally credited as the composer of this piece, it is now thought that his predecessor Johann Kuhnau may have composed the piece. However, because of the uncertainty, it is still sometimes attributed to Bach.

Bach

During Bach's time in Weimar, he distanced himself from instrumental music and began focussing on vocal music. From 1713 on, he focused his energy on the cantata. In the 17th century and 18th century, the cantata was a genre of the Lutheran Church where poetic texts drawn from the Bible were set to music. Because Bach was promoted to Concertmaster in 1714, he was required to write one cantata each month. Using Erdmann Neumeister's text, which provided a new free form verse, similar to that of a madrigal, Bach set five of Erdmann Neumeister's texts to music, including this Christmas cantata. Bach was Johann Kuhnau's successor as cantor at the Thomasschule in Leipzig. They had known each other since 1716, when Bach proved the new organ at Halle and met Kuhnau. Bach took influence from Kuhnau's works, like the Neue Clavierübung, which influenced Bach's own Goldberg Variations. Because of this influence in Bach's works, controversy arises over who composed Uns ist ein Kind geboren.'

Text

Erdmann Neumeister was a writer, theologian, pastor and theorist whose text was used by Bach in some of his cantatas, including BWV 18, BWV 24, BWV 28, BWV 59, and BWV 61. He wrote his first cantata text in 1695, consisting of biblical verses, strophic arias, and single choral strophes. 5 years later, he published Geistliche Cantaten staff einer Kirchen-Music ('Sacred Cantatas in Place of Liturgical Music') that contained recitatives and operatic arias. Cycles from 1711 and 1714 contained more biblical texts and chorales in his writings, mixing traditional German church music and the contemporary Italian opera. In 1939, Sydney Biden provided the English translation for the cantata, For us a child is born.

Scoring and structure

The cantata is scored for three vocal soloists (alto, tenor and bass), a four-part choir, two recorders, two oboes, two violins, viola and continuo.

The piece has eight movements:

1. Sinfonia Overture: The overture, in A minor, begins with a motivic idea that immediately carries the phrase into sequential patterns over the entire opening. Starting in measure 18, the piece modulates to the dominant key of E with more sequential patterns until measure 30 when A minor returns. The composer uses this tonic to dominant idea to project the key of this movement and establish it's use throughout the remainder of the cantata. The tempo marking is Allegro.
2. Chorus: Uns ist ein Kind geboren (For Unto Us a Child is Born): The second movement is a 4-voice arrangement in A minor. The parts work together to provide a fugue introduction that is carried throughout the entire movement. This technique is used in other baroque works as well, such as Bach's BWV 243. The tempo marking is, again, Allegro.
3. Aria (bass): Dein Geburtstag ist erschienen (So Appears Thy Natal Day): The third movement begins in E minor. The tempo marking is Moderato, slightly slower than the previous 2 movements. The bass sings accompanied by the violins.
4. Chorus: Ich will den Namen Gottes loben (I Will Praise The Name Of God): The fourth movement begins in the relative major key, C major. This movement has an homophonic texture, with the alto and tenor sharing the same rhythmic ideas, while the soprano and bass sing a different one. This idea is carried throughout the movement. The tempo is Allegro.
5. Aria (tenor): Jesu, dir sei Dank (Lord, My Thanks to Thee): The fifth movement begins in A minor, but throughout the piece modulates to C major and E major. This aria is a da capo aria, with an ABA form that repeats back to the beginning and ends on the fine in measure 20. The tempo is Andante.
6. Recitative (alto): Immanuel (Emmanuel!): 'The sixth movement is a secco recitative in F major.
7. Aria (alto): Jesu, dir sei Preis (Praise Be To Thee, Jesus!): The seventh movement is in the relative minor, D minor. Just like the tenor aria, it is a da capo aria, and it also shares the same Andante tempo as the previous aria.
8. Chorus: Alleluia (Alleluia): The final movement is in the key of A minor. The entire movement shares the same rhythmic idea as the sinfonia. The choir sings a simple harmonization while the orchestra plays another melodic line consisting of semiquavers. It is marked Allegro.

The recitative and aria were two aspects that defined the Baroque Period. They are used in this piece to highlight key text that carries the piece along, with the more speech-like idea of the recitatives contrasting with the lyrical monologue of the arias.

Recordings

• Alsfelder Vokalensemble / I Febiarmionici, Wolfgang Helbich. The Apocryphal Bach Cantatas II. CPO, 2001.
• Choir and Orchestra "Pro Arte" Munich, Kurt Redel. J.S. Bach: Magnificat in D Major & Cantata BWV 142. Philips, 1964.
• Mannheim Bach Choir / Heidelberger Kammerorchester, Heinz Markus Göttsche. J.S. Bach: Cantatas BWV 62 & BWV 142. Da Camera, 1966.

References

• Dürr, Alfred (1977), Studien über die frühen Kantaten Johann Sebastian Bachs (in German) (2nd ed.), Breitkopf & Härtel, ISBN 3765101303, principal published source for discussion of authenticity problems

External links

• BWV 142: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Uns ist ein Kind geboren on the Bach website Template:De icon