2015–2016 Series
FEBRUARY 7, 2016 The Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis
Schedule of Concerts 23rd Season
BACH AT THE SEM – 2015-16 Dr. Maurice Boyer, Music Director OCTOBER 4, 2015, 3 p.m. (PENTECOST 19, TRINITY 18) J.S. Bach: Cantata, BWV 96, Herr Christ, der ein’ge Gottessohn; Duet for soprano & alto, “Herr, du siehst statt guter Werke,” from BWV 9, Es ist das Heil uns kommen her; Cantata BWV 67, Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ; Chorus from BWV 148, Bringet dem Herrn Ehre seines Namens DECEMBER 13, 2015, 3 p.m. (ADVENT 3) Hugo Distler: Organ prelude on Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern; BWV 1; Cantata BWV 61, Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland; Cantata BWV 133, Ich freue mich in dir; Cantata BWV 40, Dazu ist erschienen der Sohn Gottes; Chorus from BWV 1, Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern FEBRUARY 7, 2016, 3 p.m. (TRANSFIGURATION) J.S. Bach: Cantata BWV 127, Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’r Mensch und Gott; Concerto for violin in A minor, BWV 1041, movement 2; Aria for alto with chorale, “Ich folge dir nach,” from BWV 159, Sehet! Wir geh’n hinauf gen Jerusalem; Cantata BWV 161, Komm, du süße Todesstunde; Cantata BWV 23, Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn MAY 15, 2016, 3 p.m. (PENTECOST) J.S. Bach: Cantata BWV 11, Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen; Aria for bass, “Es ist vollbracht,” from BWV 159, Sehet! Wir geh’n hinauf gen Jerusalem; Organ prelude on Komm, heiliger Geist; Cantata BWV 34, O ewiges Feuer
We are grateful to the “Friends of Bach at the Sem” for their continuing generosity that makes the Bach at the Sem series possible. Special thanks to Wayne Coniglio for supporting Bach at the Sem by donating the archival-only recording of the program. Concordia Seminary is privileged to make J.S. Bach’s music available to the St. Louis community and invites your generous support for these uplifting concerts. If you have not received information from Bach at the Sem and would like to be placed on the mailing list, please call 314-505-7009. Cover image – from the autograph score of J.S. Bach’s Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn BWV 23, which the American Kantorei will perform Feb. 7, 2016.
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Bach at the Sem February 7, 2016, 3:00 p.m. Quinquagesima / Transfiguration Dr. Maurice Boyer, Music Director The American Kantorei Dr. Jeral Becker, Assistant Conductor In Nomine Jesu Cantata: Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’r Mensch und Gott, BWV 127 (Lord Jesus Christ, true Man and God) 1. Chorus 2. Tenor Recitative (Scott Kennebeck) 3. Soprano Aria (Lea Herdler) 4. Bass Recitative / Aria (Jeffrey Heyl) 5. Chorale
Johann Sebastian Bach
Instrumental: “Andante” from Concerto for Violin in A minor (Wanda Becker) Johann Sebastian Bach Hymn: “Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me” The assembly stands to sing the hymn provided on Page 11 or in Lutheran Service Book (LSB) 683. (The choir sings verse 3 in a setting by Maurice Boyer.) Alto Aria / Chorale: “Ich folge dir nach” Johann Sebastian Bach from Cantata: Sehet! Wir geh’n hinauf gen Jerusalem, BWV 159 (Stephanie Ruggles) (See! We are going up to Jerusalem) Cantata: Komm, du süße Todesstunde, BWV 161 Johann Sebastian Bach (Come, sweet hour of death) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Alto Aria / Chorale (Katharine Lawton Brown) Tenor Recitative (Jeral Becker) Tenor Aria (Jeral Becker) Alto Recitative (Katharine Lawton Brown) Chorus Chorale
Organ Voluntary: Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus James Marriott (James Marriott, organist) The offerings received at this time support the Bach at the Sem concert series. Cantata: Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn, BWV 23 (You true God and Son of David) 1. 2. 3. 4.
Soprano and Alto Duet (Emily Truckenbrod, Stephanie Ruggles) Tenor Recitative (Scott Kennebeck) Chorus (solos: Scott Kennebeck, Jeffrey Heyl) Chorale Soli Deo Gloria
Johann Sebastian Bach
Program Notes
“Christe, du Lamm Gottes, der du trägst die Sünd der Welt, Gib uns deinen Frieden.”
The opening chorus for this cantata is one of the most astonishing in all of Bach’s oeuvre. As is typical for a chorale cantata, the chorale melody is declaimed in long note values in the soprano over the course of the movement. Here, additionally, the tune’s first line is heard in shorter note values, either in the instruments or the lower three voice parts, in nearly every bar. The implication is that this “Lord Jesus, true Man and true God” permeates all things, is the source of all things. He has entered the “stuff” of humanity to redeem from within. This is just the first and most obvious level. Further into the texture and in long note values, Bach inserts “Christe, du Lamm Gottes,” the German Agnus Dei, dividing it up line by line among the upper strings, oboes and flutes.
Quinquagesima – Estomihi Today is the Feast of the Transfiguration, the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent. In Bach’s time however, Transfiguration was not celebrated, and this day of the liturgical calendar was called Quinquagesima, meaning “fiftieth” for 50 days before Easter, or Estomihi after the first words of the day’s introit, “Esto mihi in Deum protectorum” (Psalm 31: “In You, O Lord, I seek refuge”). It was observed as a Passion Sunday. Three of today’s cantatas (BWV 127, 159 and 23) were written for this Sunday.
Bach has not finished providing sinews to this movement. Noted Bach scholar Alfred Dürr has suggested that a third chorale is repeatedly uttered in the instrumental bass line. Indeed, the opening line of “O Sacred Head Now Wounded” is wordlessly stated six times over the course of the movement. It should be added that this tune was associated with as many as seven sacred texts in Bach’s time, but the most logical assumption is that the aforementioned text is the implied reference.
The Epistle of the day would have been the so-called “love chapter” from 1 Cor. 13:1-13 and the Gospel from Luke 18:31-43, the narrative in which Jesus foretells His death and resurrection (“See, we are going up to Jerusalem …”) and heals a blind beggar near Jericho. In the latter portion of the narrative, the blind man, though sternly rebuked, cries out twice: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” As will be seen, at the core of today’s concert is the melody of the German Agnus Dei, “Christe, du Lamm Gottes,” either clearly stated or wordlessly dissimulated in the texture.
Thus, in purely musical ways, Bach has painted a richly layered canvas of the Incarnation: this Lord Jesus Christ is true Man and true Man, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and grants peace, and the One who suffered and died to bring reconciliation. One might say that this is all very clever and shows extraordinary compositional skill, but what is always a source of marvel is that Bach’s craft is never an end in itself. It serves a greater expressive and theological purpose and is informed by tremendous human and spiritual understanding, born of lived life. Bach reveals this most poignantly in the amoroso and comforting affect of the movement, one that is underlined in the use of two recorders in the orchestral palette. It is radiant and serene. The individual’s plea for mercy is uttered within Christ’s loving embrace.
Cantata: Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’r Mensch und Gott, BWV 127 This chorale cantata was composed for Quinquagesima Sunday 1725 (Feb. 11). It belongs to the 50 some works that Bach composed from 1724-25. The first and last verses of Paul Eber’s funeral hymn (“Lord Jesus Christ, true Man and God”) are heard verbatim in the outer movements and the six other verses are paraphrased in the inner movements. As a musical sermon, it focuses on the first part of the Gospel reading: Jesus’ foretelling of His death and resurrection.
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The soprano da capo aria in C minor is one of Bach’s most stirring and poignant evocations of the individual confronted with his or her own mortality. The oboe line, unfolding imitatively with and in the same range as the soprano, would seem to represent Christ holding the individual — “my soul rests in the hands of Jesus” — or, as the preceding recitative states, His standing alongside, accompanying the individual “on this hard way.” The aria’s instrumental introduction may well represent Jesus’ own solitary and arduous walk through suffering to death. He has preceded the individual along this path. The choice of the soprano voice is not accidental, as it is invariably the vocal part that embodies innocence and vulnerability.
earth and heaven. The seamless recitative/aria for bass is a startling construction: a dramatic recitative leading to a no-less dramatic aria. The latter alternates between comforting lyricism quoting the chorale tune and thunderous evocations of destruction. The whole is couched in C major and the expressive core is triumphant and exultant.
The A section’s expressive chromaticism, seamless minor-major shifts and, by turns, keening and sweet suspensions all serve to capture the dual effects of the aria: rest and longing. The spare accompaniment is remarkably still with two recorders pulsating eighth notes and continuo playing pizzicato, both as if to mark the ticking of a clock. The chromatic oboe and soprano lines bespeak longing.
This cantata’s composition date remains unclear, but Quinquagesima Sunday 1729 (Feb. 27) has been offered as a possibility. The piece thus succeeds the first two versions of the St. John Passion and probably also the first performance of the St. Matthew Passion, which is likely to have occurred on Good Friday 1727. A performance in 1729 (April 15) is attested. Thus, the cantata and the Passion would have been heard by the St. Thomas Church congregants within a span of 50 days in 1729.
Returning to the work’s eponymous chorale, the cantata draws to a close in a prayer for forgiveness, patience and abiding trust in God’s Word. Aria with Chorale: from Sehet! Wir geh’n hinauf gen Jerusalem, BWV 159
Out of nowhere, violins and violas enter in the third bar of the B section at the word “glokken” (bells). Also playing pizzicato, but in faster note values, they very clearly depict the tolling of the death knells. At this juncture, the music also slides downward harmonically to the warm key of A-flat major. The expressive tenor is anything but anguished, as these bells signal release, quiet joy. After a mere four and a half bars, the harmony veers to a dissonant chord (a diminished seventh chord), and all but the oboe cease. Time stops. The oboe alone is left suspended over silence, sustaining a single pitch (E flat). Its consequent ascending flourish, cadenza-like, marks a return to the opening’s minor mode and chromatic melodic lines. The individual has been awakened from the dream of death and led by Christ (the oboe) back to the human sphere of longing.
BWV 159 opens with the bass as Vox Christi speaking the words of Jesus from the Gospel of the day over a walking bass line: “See, we are going up to Jerusalem.” Follows then the present alto aria with chorale: the disciple’s pledge to follow Jesus even to the cross and, in a stirring image, become His grave once He has expired. As ever, Bach startles with his remarkable psychological and spiritual insight. A surface reading of the libretto might have suggested a slow tempo, a dark minor mode tonality and anguished chromaticism, possibly with a plangently sinuous obbligato line — in visual terms, think Matthias Grünewald’s “Isenheim Altarpiece.” Instead, Bach chooses a major key, strips the texture down to continuo alone with a soprano (doubled by an oboe) singing verse 6 of the Passion chorale “O Sacred Head now Wounded,” and casts the whole in the tender lilt of a triple meter. It almost has the feel of a lullaby. The poetic text is impassioned but also stark. The chorale, in
Instantly, the scene changes to Judgment Day. The last trumpet sounds over a bluster of descending chords in the strings depicting the shattering and falling of
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semantic counterpoint, is a comforting and calming inner voice. The vivid scene is softened by the chorale’s pietàlike image of enfolding the pale body of the deceased.
one’s final awakening by Christ. Paul’s letter to the Philippians (1:21, 23) most directly uses such vocabulary: “For me, living is Christ and dying is gain. … My desire is to depart and be with Christ.” Bach calls upon the recorders’ delicate sound to color the opening movement and indeed the whole work with vulnerability, innocence and sweetness. Death in Christ is freedom.
One is reminded of a similar image near the very end of the St. Matthew in which the bass sings lovingly: “Make yourself pure, my heart. I want to entomb Jesus myself.” The Christian takes the death of Christ into himself or herself so that His resurrected life might flow forth from within — a startling recasting of Paul’s notion of being formed into Christ.
Returning to the chorale melody, Alfred Dürr has suggested that it motivically governs much of the thematic material. Embellished versions are visible on the page and audible, though perhaps not immediately, in the alto and tenor arias as well as the chorus. If this observation obtains, then the longing at the heart of the chorale and the libretto also permeates the very musical fabric of the work, suffusing it with the desire for release and union with Christ in heaven.
Cantata: Komm, du süße Todesstunde, BWV 161 BWV 161 originated in Weimar and was first performed in all likelihood on the 16th Sunday after Trinity 1716 (Sept. 27), for which the Gospel would have been the story of Jesus’ raising of the widow’s son at Nain (Luke 7:11-17). Bach later reused the piece in Leipzig, apparently in a revised form. However, given the absence of original sources, it is impossible to trace the extent of such revisions or even to know whether they are by Bach himself.
The tenor recitative begins secco (with only cello and organ). Chromaticism serves to highlight the hateful wiles of “this world.” A short arioso in the pure key of C major expresses the joy of “pasturing” with Christ before the cello returns to the opening’s chromaticism to close the recitative with a sighing motive. The aria, full of suspensions by turns plaintive and sweet, affectingly depicts the protean nature of longing.
The same chorale melody as was just heard in BWV 159 is found at the end of BWV 161. Here it is given a different text (one of several with which the tune was associated). In effect, the closing chorale is verse 4 of “Herzlich tut mich verlangen.” Since the same melody is heard in the organ in the opening movement, one can infer that Bach intends to call to the listener’s mind the first verse of the same hymn. It indeed accords well with the aria’s text:
The alto accompagnato recitative is arrestingly beautiful and poignant in its portrayal of the individual’s calmly welcoming death as a resting in Jesus’ arms. Vivid text-painting in every phrase enfleshes the narrative. A simple descending line depicts dying. The embrace in Jesus’ arms is captured in the alto’s being both wrapped in a multi-voice canon with bass and recorders and also enfolded in the gentle sustaining of the upper strings. The accompaniment is pared down to mere chords to depict the “cool tomb” and becomes animated again with swift ascending lines for “awakens me.” One can almost see Jesus lifting up the individual by the hand. To highlight the sweetness of the “pastures of life,” Bach turns for those words alone to the gentleness of triplets. To evoke the breaking forth of the “joyous day of death,” he resorts to broken chords and repeated pitches. With strings pizzicato and the first recorder playing repeated notes, he conjures the striking of the last hour. The succeeding chorus, in a gently lilting 3/8 meter,
My heart is filled with longing For a blessed end, For I am here surrounded By tribulation and misery. I have a desire to depart From this wicked world; I yearn for heavenly joys: O Jesus, do come soon! For the cantata’s librettist (Salomo Franck), the story of Jesus’ raising of the widow’s son is an opportunity to reflect upon the longing for death as anticipation of 4
is devoid of anguish — quiet acquiescence to God’s will. Recorders, mainly in sweet-sounding thirds, play four strands of material: gentle 16th notes, swift and airy 32nd notes, 16th note broken chords, as well as the choral head motive. The first pattern is built on continuous anticipations representing the Christian’s joyful anticipation of release from the “burden of the body.”
sounding thirds and sixths. The twining of ornate and beautiful long-breathed lines in a rich harmonic vocabulary creates a stirringly expressive vision of the plea for mercy. In the libretto, the plea for mercy and consolation is addressed to the “true Man and Son of David.” Through strictly musical means, Bach affirms that He is the Christ, the second Person of the Trinity. The threefold symbolism is unmistakable: a trio of instruments interacting canonically or in thirds and much of the time in triplets. Through such compositional thoughtfulness and care, Bach seems to say that prayer for mercy is also an offering of the best of ourselves: “a fragrant offering” (Eph. 5:2).
This sentiment is heightened, and likewise release embodied, in the second pattern’s fleet twirling. The third pattern is remindful of the alto recitative’s “breaking of the joyous day of days.” The head motive bespeaks rest. The concentration of Bach’s vocabulary is astonishing, but the craft always recedes behind the expressive dimension.
The succeeding recitative paraphrases the Gospel of the day about the blind man by the roadside asking Jesus to have mercy on him. Expanding upon the narrative, it makes allusion to two other biblical passages: Jesus’ stating that “those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Luke 5:31) and Jacob’s wrestling with “a man” (God) and not letting go until he receives a blessing (Gen. 32:27). That Bach chooses to set the text as an accompagnato recitative rather than a secco recitative is significant. The string accompaniment lends an enveloping quality, as if to signify Christ’s embracing presence. A salient detail worth noting is that the first violins and oboes join to play “Christe, du Lamm Gottes” above the solo voice. Since the tune is uttered in long note values over a typically active recitative line, it may go unnoticed. Bach sets the libretto’s final two lines — “I master myself and do not let You go without Your blessing” — with tremendous care. Indeed, the beauty of the aforementioned layering, coupled with the overall dulcet expressiveness of the recitative, reveals that the tenacity of the man demanding is embraced in God’s having granted the believer the longed-for blessing.
As mentioned above, the fourth verse of “Herzlich tut mich verlangen” draws the cantata to a close. Over a simple four-part harmonization of the chorale, the recorders play an obbligato line. Independently unspooling high above the chorale texture, it seems to depict in the here and now, proleptically, the “beautifully transfigured” body, now freed, living in “heavenly joy and delight.” Cantata: Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn, BWV 23 It was on Feb. 7, 1723 — exactly 293 years ago today — that Bach performed this cantata as part of his “audition” for the position of Cantor at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. It was the second of two cantatas composed for the occasion, BWV 22 “Jesus took unto Himself the Twelve” being the other. The outcome of this performance would change the course of the composer’s life but also unquestionably that of music history. It would be during the next 27 years in Leipzig that Bach would write some of the greatest works of the Western canon, among which figure the St. John Passion, the St. Matthew Passion and the B minor Mass, not to mention the rich corpus of cantatas.
In the original version of the cantata, the tenor recitative, with its complete wordless statement of the Agnus Dei, would fittingly have been at the center of the work. The tenor and bass soloists of the succeeding chorus would thus, in a way, have answered the soprano and alto of the first movement. The present movement follows essentially the pattern of an elaborate rondeau (AABAB’ACAC’AA), in which the chorus sings only
Rather than opening with a choral movement, BWV 23 begins intimately with a duet for soprano and alto joined by a pair of oboes and continuo. Bach weaves a rich five-part contrapuntal texture in which two groups — an instrumental trio and a vocal duo — each unfold imitatively (most often in canon) and in sweet5
the A sections: “All eyes wait, Lord, almighty God, upon You.” These words from Ps. 145:15 function as a refrain, and their sevenfold recurrence embodies the universality of the statement. At a deeper level, the beginning of each A section contains a wordless statement of the first line of “Christe, du Lamm Gottes.” It is heard seven times: four in the bass and once in each of the other parts (B/B, B, S, A, T/B). Bach hereby reveals in purely sonic form that the subject and object of “waiting upon the Lord” is Christ, the Lamb of God. He is the “answer” to the waiting. He is present even in the midst of that waiting. As mentioned, the original work would have ended here. In a later revival, sometime in the 1740s, Bach added the present extraordinary setting of “Christe, du Lamm Gottes,” which had been composed two years after the first performance of BWV 23 for the second version of the St. John Passion in 1725. There, replacing the final chorale, it followed “Ruht wohl.” Bipartite in structure, the movement begins slowly and plaintively (adagio and G minor) with motives evocative of longing in the strings and sighing in the recorders. With a modulation to the relative major (B-flat) and a shift to a faster pace (andante), Bach translates such longing and pleading into joy and comfort. The closing “Amen” flows forth from mercy and peace having been granted to rest in the lustral key of C major. In these cantatas, Bach has taken us into the heart of the Passion of Christ, where the love of God meets the solitary individual. Vulnerability and generosity have been brought together, offering music of deep longing and ultimately tremendous consolation and abiding joy in the fathomless mercy of God as made manifest in Christ. Maurice Boyer
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Text and Translation Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’r Mensch und Gott, BWV 127 Lord Jesus Christ, true Man and God – J.S. Bach
Ach ruft mich bald, ihr Sterbeglocken, Ah, call me soon, you funereal bells; Ich bin zum Sterben unerschrocken, I am not terrified to die, Weil mich mein Jesus wieder weckt. since my Jesus will awaken me again.
1. Chorus (S A T B) Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’r Mensch und Gott, Lord Jesus Christ, true Man and God, Der du littst Marter, Angst und Spott, You who suffered torture, anguish and derision, Für mich am Kreuz auch endlich starbst who finally died for me on the cross Und mir deins Vaters Huld erwarbst, and gained for me grace from Your Father, Ich bitt durchs bittre Leiden dein: I beg You, through Your bitter suffering: Du wollst mir Sünder gnädig sein. You would be gracious to me, a sinner.
4. Recitative / Aria (Bass) Wenn einstens die Posaunen schallen, When one day the trumpets sound Und wenn der Bau der Welt and when the whole fabric of the earth, Nebst denen Himmelsfesten as well as the firmament of heaven, Zerschmettert wird zerfallen, shatters and falls, So denke mein, mein Gott, im besten; then think kindly of me, my God. Wenn sich dein Knecht einst vors Gerichte stellt, When Your servant stands before Your judgment, Da die Gedanken sich verklagen, when my thoughts accuse me, So wollest du allein, then may You alone be willing O Jesu, mein Fürsprecher sein to be my spokesman Und meiner Seele tröstlich sagen: and say consolingly to my soul: Fürwahr, fürwahr, euch sage ich: “Truly, truly, I say to you: Wenn Himmel und Erde im Feuer vergehen, Even if heaven and earth perish in fire, So soll doch ein Gläubiger ewig bestehen. he who believes shall endure forever. Er wird nicht kommen ins Gericht He will not come to judgment, Und den Tod ewig schmecken nicht. and he will not taste death forever. Nur halte dich, mein Kind, an mich: Only cling to Me, My child; Ich breche mit starker und helfender Hand I break, with strong and helping hand, Des Todes gewaltig geschlossenes Band. the strongly knotted bonds of death.”
2. (Recitative) Tenor Wenn alles sich zur letzten Zeit entsetzet, When everyone is terrified of the last time, Und wenn ein kalter Todesschweiß and when a cold, deathly sweat Die schon erstarrten Glieder netzet, bathes the limbs that are already stiff, Wenn meine Zunge nichts, als nur durch Seufzer spricht when my tongue says nothing but can only sigh Und dieses Herze bricht: and this heart breaks: Genug, dass da der Glaube weiß, it is enough, that then faith knows Dass Jesus bei mir steht, that Jesus stands by me, Der mit Geduld zu seinem Leiden geht who goes with patience to His suffering Und diesen schweren Weg auch mich geleitet and also accompanies me on this hard way Und mir die Ruhe zubereitet. and prepares peace for me. 3. Aria (Soprano) Die Seele ruht in Jesu Händen, My soul rests in the hands of Jesus, Wenn Erde diesen Leib bedeckt. though earth covers this body.
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5. Chorale (S A T B) Ach, Herr, vergib all unsre Schuld, Lord, pardon all our guilt; Hilf, daß wir warten mit Geduld, help us to wait with patience Bis unser Stündlein kömmt herbei, until it is time for the hour of our death. Auch unser Glaub stets wacker sei, May our faith also always be brave Dein’m Wort zu trauen festiglich, to trust firmly in Your Word Bis wir einschlafen seliglich. until we sleep in blessedness.
Komm, du süße Todesstunde, BWV 161 Come, sweet hour of death – J.S. Bach 1. Aria / Chorale (Alto) Komm, du süße Todesstunde, Come, sweet hour of death, Da mein Geist Honig speist when my spirit feeds on honey Aus des Löwen Munde; from the lion’s mouth. Mache meinen Abschied süße, Make my departure sweet; Säume nicht, letztes Licht do not delay, last light, Dass ich meinen Heiland küsse. so that I may kiss my Savior.
Sehet! Wir geh’n hinauf gen Jerusalem, BWV 159 See! We are going up to Jerusalem – J.S. Bach 2. Aria (Alto) / Chorale (Soprano) Ich folge dir nach I follow after You Ich will hier bei dir stehen, I shall stay here with you; Durch Speichel und Schmach; through spitting and insult; Verachte mich doch nicht! do not despise Me! Am Kreuz will ich dich noch umfangen, I shall still embrace You on the cross, Von dir will ich nicht gehen, I shall not leave you, Bis dir dein Herze bricht. even as your heart breaks. Dich lass ich nicht aus meiner Brust, I shall not let You go from my breast, Wenn dein Haupt wird erblassen When your head grows pale Im letzten Todesstoß, at the last death blow, Und wenn du endlich scheiden mußt, and when You must finally depart, Alsdenn will ich dich fassen, then I shall embrace you. Sollst du dein Grab in mir erlangen. You will find Your grave in me In meinen Arm und Schoß in My arms and bosom.
2. Recitative (Tenor) Welt, deine Lust ist Last, World, your pleasure is a burden. Dein Zucker ist mir als ein Gift verhasst, Your sweetness is as hateful to me as poison. Dein Freudenlicht ist mein Komete, Your light of joy is my star of ill omen; Und wo man deine Rosen bricht, and where your roses are gathered, Sind Dornen ohne Zahl there are thorns beyond counting Zu meiner Seele Qual. to cause my soul anguish. Der blasse Tod ist meine Morgenröte, Pale death is for me the glow of dawn, Mit solcher geht mir auf die Sonne with which arises for me the sun Der Herrlichkeit und Himmelswonne. of glory and heavenly delight. Drum seufz ich recht von Herzensgrunde Therefore, I truly sigh from the bottom of my heart Nur nach der letzten Todesstunde. only for the final hour of death. Ich habe Lust, bei Christo bald zu weiden, I desire to pasture soon by Christ. Ich habe Lust, von dieser Welt zu scheiden. I desire to depart from this world.
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3. Aria (Tenor) Mein Verlangen ist, den Heiland zu umfangen My longing is to embrace the Savior Und bei Christo bald zu sein. and soon to be with Christ. Ob ich sterblich’ Asch und Erde Although I, as mortal ashes and earth, Durch den Tod zermalmet werde, shall by death be crushed, Wird der Seele reiner Schein the pure light of my soul will Dennoch gleich den Engeln prangen. then be resplendent like the angels.
5. Chorus (S A T B) Wenn es meines Gottes Wille, If it is the will of my God, Wünsch ich, dass des Leibes Last I wish that the burden of my body Heute noch die Erde fülle, may this day fill the earth [be buried] Und der Geist, des Leibes Gast, and that my spirit, the body’s guest, Mit Unsterblichkeit sich kleide may be clothed in immortality In der süßen Himmelsfreude. in the sweet joy in heaven. Jesu, komm und nimm mich fort! Jesus, come take me from here! Dieses sei mein letztes Wort. May this be my last word.
4. Recitative (Alto) Der Schluss ist schon gemacht, The decision is already made. Welt, gute Nacht! World, goodnight! Und kann ich nur den Trost erwerben, And I can only gain consolation In Jesu Armen bald zu sterben: by dying soon in Jesus’ arms. Er ist mein sanfter Schlaf. He is my gentle sleep. Das kühle Grab wird mich mit Rosen decken, The cool tomb will cover me with roses Bis Jesus mich wird auferwecken, until Jesus awakens me, Bis er sein Schaf until He leads His sheep Führt auf die süße Lebensweide, to the sweet pastures of life, Dass mich der Tod von ihm nicht scheide. since death does not separate me from Him! So brich herein, du froher Todestag, Therefore, break forth, joyous day of death; So schlage doch, du letzter Stundenschlag! therefore, strike, stroke of the last hour!
6. Chorale (S A T B) Der Leib zwar in der Erden The body indeed in the earth Von Würmen wird verzehrt, will be eaten by worms, Doch auferweckt soll werden, but it will be awakened, Durch Christum schön verklärt, transfigured beautifully through Christ. Wird leuchten als die Sonne It will shine like the sun Und leben ohne Not and live without need In himml’scher Freud und Wonne. in the joy and delight of heaven. Was schadt mir denn der Tod? What harm then can death do me?
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Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn, BWV 23 You true God and son of David – J.S. Bach
3. Chorus (S A T B) Aller Augen warten, Herr, All eyes wait, Lord, Du allmächtger Gott, auf dich, almighty God, upon You, Und die meinen sonderlich. and my eyes especially. Gib denselben Kraft und Licht, Give them strength and light; Laß sie nicht do not leave them Immerdar in Finsternissen! forever in darkness! Künftig soll dein Wink allein In the future, only a sign from You Der geliebte Mittelpunkt shall be the beloved focus Aller ihrer Werke sein, of all their work, Bis du sie einst durch den Tod until once and for all in death Wiederum gedenkst zu schließen. You decide to close them again.
1. Duet Aria (Soprano-Alto) Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn, You true God and Son of David, Der du von Ewigkeit in der Entfernung schon who already from eternity and from afar Mein Herzeleid und meine Leibespein my heartache and bodily pain Umständlich angesehn, erbarm dich mein! have seen intimately, have mercy on me! Und Laß durch deine Wunderhand, And let Your miraculous hand, Die so viel Böses abgewandt, that has turned aside so much evil, Mir gleichfalls Hilf und Trost geschehen. act also for me as help and consolation. 2. Recitative (Tenor) Ach! gehe nicht vorüber; Ah! do not pass by! Du, aller Menschen Heil, You, the salvation of all mankind, Bist ja erschienen, have indeed appeared Die Kranken und nicht die Gesunden zu bedienen. to serve the sick and not the healthy. Drum nehm ich ebenfalls an deiner Allmacht teil; Therefore, I too take my share in Your omnipotence; Ich sehe dich auf diesen Wegen, I see You on this road Worauf man mich hat wollen legen, where they wanted to let me lie, Auch in der Blindheit an. blind as I was. Ich fasse mich und lasse dich I master myself and do not let You go Nicht ohne deinen Segen. without Your blessing.
4. Chorale (S A T B) Christe, du Lamm Gottes, Christ, You Lamb of God, Der du trägst die Sünd der Welt, You, who take away the sins of the world. Erbarm dich unser! have mercy on us! Christe, du Lamm Gottes, Christ, You Lamb of God, Der du trägst die Sünd der Welt, You, who take away the sins of the world, Erbarm dich unser! have mercy on us! Christe, du Lamm Gottes, Christ, You Lamb of God, Der du trägst die Sünd der Welt, You, who take away the sins of the world, Gib uns dein’ Frieden. Amen. grant us Your peace. Amen.
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Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me LSB 638 683 Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me
choir
Public domain Š Oxford University Press. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License .NET, no. 100010935.
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Dr. Maurice Boyer, Music Director Dr. Maurice Boyer is associate professor of music at Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, Ill. (CUC), where he conducts the chamber orchestra and Laudate, a women’s choir, and teaches all levels of ear training. Although born in the United States, he began his musical training (piano, voice and solfège) in Aix-en-Provence, France, where he lived until the age of 18. Boyer earned a Bachelor of Music in sacred music, with piano as his principal instrument, and a Master of Music in choral conducting at Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, N.J., while he also studied theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in orchestral conducting from the University of Maryland, College Park. His principal conducting teachers have been Joseph Flummerfelt, Kenneth Kiesler and James Ross. Boyer also is artistic director of Aestas Consort of Chicago and assistant conductor of the Symphony of Oak Park River Forest. He has served as guest conductor of the Chicago Choral Artists and guest chorus master for Chicago’s Music of the Baroque. Additionally, he has been chorus master of the New Jersey State Opera and director of music at several churches.
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The American Kantorei Chorus Soprano Emily Truckenbrod, Principal Kathryn Crumrine Katherine Gastler Megan Glass Brittany Graham Krista Hartmann Lea Herdler Marita Hollander Camille Marolf Lynn D. Morrissey
Tenor Scott Kennebeck, Principal Jeral Becker, Associate Principal Greg Gastler Bill Larson Ryan Markel Steve Paquette Bass Jeffrey Heyl, Principal David Berger, Associate Principal Thomas Jarrett Bolain Harold Gossard Gary Lessmann Greg Upchurch Kyle Will
Alto Katharine Lawton Brown, Principal Stephanie Ruggles, Assistant Principal Danielle Gines Mona Hauser Anna Otterman Mary Ulm Kimberly Werner Amy Will Lisa Young
Orchestra Oboes Ann Homann, Principal Eileen Burke
Violin I Wanda Becker, Concertmaster Cynthia Bowermaster Christine Sasse Hannah Frey
Recorders Willard Cobb Bruce Carvell Jim Harris
Violin II Kaoru Wada, Principal Marilyn Park Ellington Margret Heyl
Trumpet John Korak
Viola Tova Braitberg, Principal Stephen Luehrman
Continuo Organ Melissa Kalbfleisch Chapel Organ James Marriott
Cello Andrew Ruben Double Bass Adam Anello
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Title page from volume 1 (Old Testament) of the Calov Bible commentary from the library of J.S. Bach. Bach’s monogram signature is at the bottom right corner of the page. (Courtesy of Concordia Seminary Library)
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WELCOME TO BACH AT THE SEM! Between Christmas and Easter is today, Transfiguration. As he (Jesus) was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. ... And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One, listen to him!” And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. (Luke 9:29-31, 35-36) This afternoon J.S. Bach brings together the contradictions of divine glory and human suffering. The glorious Deity that came into our human flesh at Christmas now turns His face to Lent and Good Friday. “Sehet! Wir geh’n hinauf gen Jerusalem” / See! We are going up to Jerusalem. Christ goes as true God, able to endure the punishment of sin, but also goes as true Man, our substitute. Transfiguration focuses on Jesus: “Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn” / You true God and Son of David, and “Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’ Mensch und Gott” / Lord Jesus Christ, true Man and God. Your faithful attendance at these concerts says “thank you” to Music Director Maurice Boyer and the American Kantorei for their countless hours, indeed their lives, devoted to the highest music. Your generous financial support is another expression of gratitude. Please speak about this series to your friends and invite them to join us. Thank you! May Bach’s words lead us to reflect, again or for the first time, that our own transfiguration to glory will come only through the cross.
Dale A. Meyer President Concordia Seminary, St. Louis
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Join Us! A Special Reception with Dr. Maurice Boyer Music Director for the Bach at the Sem Concert Series After today’s concert Korburg Hall All are welcome!
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Leonard Slatkin
RADIO ARTS FOUNDATION presents
2016 GALA
celebrating the music of j.s. bach since 1955. STAY UP-TO-DATE WITH BACH AT THE SEM BETWEEN CONCERTS
SHARON ISBIN Classical Guitarist and Grammy Award winner
@BachAtTheSem
Pianist and Gold Medal winner in the Van Cliburn International Competition
LEONARD SLATKIN Conductor Laureate of the St. Louis Symphony
FREDERICK ZLOTKIN
CHO-LIANG LIN
Cellist and winner of the Geneva International Competition
Violinist and 2-time Grammy Award nominee
MARCH 8, 2016 at THE SHELDON CONCERT HALL 5:30 COCKTAILS | 6:30 DINNER | 8:00 CONCERT
bach.csl.edu /BachAtTheSem
OLGA KERN
& Friends
A CELEBRATION OF THE SOUND OF ART
MAJOR SPONSORS
IS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH OUR SPONSORS PATRONS
SUPPORTERS
The Honorable and Mrs. Sam Fox
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Proceeds for the evening will benefit RAF-STL. A variety of ticket and sponsorship packages are available. For more information please contact Pam Thomas or Linda Shedlofsky at: 314.881.3523 or visit www.rafstl.org
CATHEDRAL CONCERTS 2015 - 2016 SEASON Experience Great Music in a Great Space!
Nathan Laube organist
Sunday, Janaury 31, 2016 2:30 PM
Philip Barnes
Welcomed by Rodgers Organs of St. Louis & The Parkway Hotel
Artistic Director
Polish Baltic Philharmonic All Tchaikovsky Program Ernst Van Tiel, Conductor
Monday, February 29, 2016 8:00 PM Welcomed by Steinway Piano Gallery Steinway is the Official Piano of Cathedral Concerts
Bach Society of Saint Louis
2015~2016
Fauré Requiem
Sunday, March 13, 2016 7:30 PM Welcomed by LDI, Integrated Pharmacy Solutions
Join one of the country’s best a cappella choirs for our 60th season! Sing A New Song!
Languish With Love
In Every Corner Sing!
All Manner of Gods
Cathedra
Michael McCarthy, Conductor
November 8 • 3 pm April 10 • 3 pm St. Louis Abbey 560 Music Center 500 S Mason Road • Creve Coeur • 63141 560 Trinity Avenue • U City • 63130
Friday, May 13, 2016 8:00 PM
Christmas – Auf Deutsch!
In Memoriam
Choir of St. John’s College Cambridge
Andrew Nethsingha, Conductor
Friday, April 8, 2016 8:00 PM Welcomed by USI
Welcomed by Kopytek, Inc.
Group Rates Available - 314-533-7662
www.CathedralConCerts.org
Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis 4431 Lindell Boulevard 63108
September 27 • 3 pm February 14 • 3 pm Third Baptist Church Second Presbyterian Church 620 North Grand Blvd • St. Louis • 63103 4501 Westminster Place • St. Louis • 63108
December 20 • 3 pm Trinity Lutheran Church 812 Soulard Street • St. Louis • 63104
May 29 • 3 pm St. Francis de Sales Oratory 2653 Ohio Avenue • St. Louis • 63118
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9/3/15 12:48 PM
You Can Bless and Enrich Lives! Bach’s amazing music continues to bless and enrich lives because people like you have not only appreciated the music personally, but have made provisions to make it possible for new generations to experience the highest quality performances of not only his music but also that of other master composers of the Christian musical heritage. This wonderful music still touches the lives of people of all ages and all beliefs. “Friends of Bach at the Sem” make it possible for children, students, families and members of the community to be enriched by the professional, live performances that Bach at the Sem has delivered for 23 uplifting seasons. With a full schedule of Sunday concerts featuring the American Kantorei, now is the perfect time for you to experience the joy of being one of the patrons who make Bach at the Sem possible. By becoming a “Friend of Bach at the Sem” you will have the satisfaction of enriching others just as you have been blessed and enriched. Pledges, checks and credit card donations are welcomed. Please use the envelope provided. Or, to ask questions or donate by phone, please call 800-822-5287.
Bach at the Sem Sponsorship
“Friends of Bach at the Sem”
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For more information about sponsoring Bach at the Sem, please call 314-505-7009 or email bach@csl.edu.
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