Nur jedem das Seine (To each only his due), BWV 163, is
a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed
it in Weimar for the twenty-third Sunday after Trinity
and first performed it 24 November 1715.
Bach composed the cantata in 1715 in Weimar for the
twenty-third Sunday after Trinity. The prescribed
readings for the day were from the Epistle to the
Philippians (Philippians 3:17--21), and from the Gospel
of Matthew (Matthew 22:15--22). The librettist for
movements 1--5 was Salom...(+)
Nur jedem das Seine (To each only his due), BWV 163, is
a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed
it in Weimar for the twenty-third Sunday after Trinity
and first performed it 24 November 1715.
Bach composed the cantata in 1715 in Weimar for the
twenty-third Sunday after Trinity. The prescribed
readings for the day were from the Epistle to the
Philippians (Philippians 3:17--21), and from the Gospel
of Matthew (Matthew 22:15--22). The librettist for
movements 1--5 was Salomon Franck, who included the
final stanza of Johann Heermann's hymn "Wo soll ich
fliehen hin" (1630) as the last movement of this
cantata.
The opening aria features an unusual ritornello in
which the strings assume a motif introduced by the
continuo, which is then repeated several times through
all parts. The movement is a da capo aria emphasizing
dualism and debt. Craig Smith remarks that it is
"almost academic in its metrical insistence".
The second movement is a secco bass recitative,
"operatic in its intensity and subtle adjustments of
character". The recitative is remarkable for its
"aggressive, even belligerent" conclusion.
The bass aria has an unusual accompaniment of two
obbligato cellos with continuo. The cellos present an
imitative motif to introduce the bass. This dark
texture is "very like the descent into the earth in
Wagner's Das Rheingold". The aria is in three thematic
sections: "enjoining", "melodramatically rhetoric", and
"imprecatory".
The fourth movement is a soprano and alto duet
recitative. It is rhythmically metrical and presents
five sections based on mood and text. The recitative is
"high and light but very complicated in its myriad of
detail".
The duet aria is a "love duet" characterized by
"antiphonal avowals of commitment" to God rather than a
carnal desire. Musicologist Julian Mincham compares its
presentation to Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea.
The movement begins with sparse scoring and becomes
more richly textured as it progresses, adding the
chorale text.
The final movement is a four-part setting of the
chorale tune. However, only the bass line is
extant.
Although this work was originally scored for four vocal
soloists (soprano, alto, tenor, and bass), four-part
choir, two violins, viola, two cellos, and basso
continuo, I created this arrangement for String Trio
(Violin, Viola & Cello).
