Denn du wirst meine Seele nicht in der Hölle lassen, BWV 15

Denn du wirst meine Seele nicht in der Hölle lassen (For you shall not leave my soul in hell), BWV 15, is a church cantata spuriously attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach but most likely composed by Johann Ludwig Bach^[1].

It was likely composed in Meiningen in 1704 for the first day of Eastertide, known as Easter Sunday. There is some evidence that the piece may have been performed again under the aegis of Johann Sebastian Bach on 21 April 1726 in Leipzig. The prescribed readings for the day are 1 Corinthians 5: 6-8 and Mark 16: 1-8.

It has been proposed that the text may have been authored by Christoph Helm (as suggested by W. Blankenburg) or by Herzog Ernst Ludwig von Sachsen-Meinigen (as suggested by K. Kuester).

The piece is scored for two corni da caccia, two oboes, timpani, one oboe da caccia, violins, violas and viola da gamba, and basso continuo, four vocal soloists (soprano, altus, tenor, and bassus) and four-part choir.

It is in two parts, totalling ten movements:

Part one

1. Arioso: "Denn du wirst meine Seele nicht in der Hölle lassen" for bass.
2. Recitativo: "Mein Jesus ware tot" for soprano.
3. Aria (Duetto): "Weichet, weichet, Furcht und Schrecken" for soprano & altus.
4. Aria: "Entsetzet euch nicht" for tenor.
5. Aria: "Auf, freue dich, Seele, du bist nun getröst'" for soprano.

Part two

1. Terzetto: "Wo bleibet dein Rasen du höllischer Hund" for soprano, tenor & bass.
2. Aria (Duetto): "Ihr klaget mit Seufzen, ich jauchze mit Schall" for soprano & altus.
3. Sonata for instrumental tutti.
4. Recitativo for tenor & bass - Quartet: "Drum danket dem Höchsten, dem Störer des Krieges".
5. Choral: "Weil du vom Tod erstanden bist" for choral and instrumental tutti.

References

1. ^ The Authorship of Bach's Cantata No. 15, by Angela Maria Owen © 1960 Oxford University Press

External links

• Vocal score of the piece
• Various comments on the piece
• Programme notes by Craig Smith