Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 61

For Bach's 1724 chorale cantata of this name, see Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 62.

For Bach's Chorale Preludes of this name, see Great Eighteen Chorale Preludes.

Schlosskirche in Weimar

Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (Now come, Savior of the heathens), BWV 61, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it in Weimar for the for the first Sunday in Advent and first performed it on 2 December 1714.

History and words

Bach wrote the cantata in Weimar, in his first year as the court organist of Johann Ernst von Sachsen-Weimar, for the First Sunday of Advent, performed in the Schlosskirche (court chapel) on 2 December 1714.^[1]

The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from the Epistle to the Romans, Romans 13:11–14, night is advanced, day will come, and from the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew 21:1–9, the Entry into Jerusalem.^[2] The cantata text was provided by Erdmann Neumeister, who included Martin Luther's Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland in movement 1, as the closing chorale the end of the last verse of Philipp Nicolai's Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, and in movement 4 from Revelation 3:20, "Siehe, ich stehe vor der Tür und klopfe an. So jemand meine Stimme hören wird und die Tür auftun, zu dem werde ich eingehen und das Abendmahl mit ihm halten und er mit mir." ("Behold, I stand at the door and knock. Anyone that hears My voice and opens the door, to him I will enter and keep the evening meal with him and he with Me."). The poet combined the ideas of the entry of Jesus in Jerusalem and his announcement to return, as in Revelation, with the request to also enter the heart of the individual Christian.

Bach performed the cantata again in his first year in Leipzig on 28 November 1723.^[3]

Scoring and structure

Like other cantatas written in Weimar, the cantata is scored for a small ensemble, soprano, tenor, and bass soloists, a four-part choir, two violins, two violas, and basso continuo.^[3]

1. Coro: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland
2. Recitativo (tenor): Der Heiland ist gekommen
3. Aria (tenor): Komm, Jesu, komm zu deiner Kirche
4. Recitativo (bass): Siehe, ich stehe vor der Tür
5. Aria (soprano): Öffne dich, mein ganzes Herze
6. Chorale: Amen, Amen, komm du schöne Freudenkrone

Music

The first Sunday of Advent begins the Liturgical year. Bach marked it by creating the opening chorus as a chorale fantasia in the style of a French overture, which follows the sequence slow – fast (fugue) – slow.^[1][4] During the Ouverture the King of France would have entered a performance; Bach greets a different King. Two of the four lines of the chorale melody^[5] are combined in the first slow section, line three is treated in the fast section, line four in the final slow section. The melody of line 1 is first presented in the continuo, then sung by all four voice parts one after another to a solemn dotted rhythm of the orchestra. Line 2 is set four-part, embedded in the orchestra. Line 3 is a fast fugato, with the instruments playing colla parte, line 4 is set as line 2.

The recitative begins secco, but continues as an arioso, with imitation of tenor and continuo. The tenor aria is accompanied by all violins and violas in unison. Movement 4, the quote of Revelation, is given to the bass as the Vox Christi, the knocking is expressed in pizzicato chords of the strings. The response is the individual prayer of the soprano, only accompanied by the continuo, with an adagio middle section. In the closing chorale the violins play a fifth jubilant part to the four vocal parts.^[3]

Recordings

• J.S. Bach Collector's Series, Helmut Kahlhofer, Kantorei Barmen-Gemarke & Deutsche Bachsolisten, Ingeborg Reichelt, Theo Altmeyer, Eduard Wollitz, Bach Recordings, BACH 1117 (LP) 1966
• Bach Cantatas Vol. 1 - Advent and Christmas, Karl Richter, Münchener Bach-Chor, Münchener Bach-Orchester, Edith Mathis, Peter Schreier, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Archiv Produktion 1971
• Bach Made in Germany Vol. 4 - Cantatas VIII, Hans-Joachim Rotzsch, Thomanerchor, Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum, Arleen Augér, Peter Schreier, Siegfried Lorenz, Eterna 1981
• J.S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 2, Ton Koopman, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, Barbara Schlick, Christoph Prégardien, Klaus Mertens, Antoine Marchand 1995
• Bach Cantatas Vol. 13: Köln/Lüneburg, John Eliot Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, Joanne Lunn, Jan Kobow, Dietrich Henschel, Soli Deo Gloria 2000^[1]
• J.S. Bach: Cantatas, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Arnold Schoenberg Chor, Concentus Musicus Wien, Christine Schäfer, Bernarda Fink, Werner Güra, Christian Gerhaher, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 2006
• Bach: Cantates pour la Nativité, Intégrale des cantates sacrées Vol. 4, conductor from the positive organ Eric Milnes, Montréal Baroque, Monika Mauch, Matthew White, Charles Daniels, Harry van der Kamp, ATMA Classique 2007
• J.S. Bach: Cantatas for the Complete Liturgical Year Vol. 9, Sigiswald Kuijken, La Petite Bande, Gerlinde Sämann, Petra Noskaiová, Christoph Genz, Jan van der Crabben, Accent 2008

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} John Eliot Gardiner (2009). "Cantatas for the First Sunday in Advent St. Maria im Kapitol, Cologne". solideogloria.co.uk. http://www.solideogloria.co.uk/resources/sdg162_gb.pdf. Retrieved 19 November 2010. 
2. ^ Fischer, Georg; Oron, Aryeh (March 11, 2010). "Lutheran Church Year – Dates of "1. Advent" (1st Sunday in Advent)". bach-cantatas.com. http://www.bach-cantatas.com/LCY/1.Advent.htm. Retrieved November 26, 2010. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} Alfred Dürr. 1971. "Die Kantaten von Johann Sebastian Bach", Bärenreiter 1999, ISBN 3-7618-1476-3 (in German)
4. ^ Julian Mincham (2010). "Chapter 29 BWV 61 Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland". jsbachcantatas.com. http://www.jsbachcantatas.com/documents/chapter-29--bwv-61.htm. Retrieved 23 November 2010. 
5. ^ Braatz, Thomas; Oron, Aryeh (May 28, 2006). "Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland". bach-cantatas.com. http://www.bach-cantatas.com/CM/Nun-komm.htm. Retrieved November 26, 2010. 

External links

• Cantatas, BWV 61-70: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project.
• Cantata BWV 61 Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland on bach-cantatas
• German text and English translation, Emmanuel Music
• Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland University of Alberta
• Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 61 on the Bach website (in German)
• Entries for BWV 61 on WorldCat