O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort (O eternity, you word of
thunder), BWV 20,[a] is a church cantata by Johann
Sebastian Bach. He composed it in Leipzig for the first
Sunday after Trinity Sunday and first performed it on
11 June 1724. It is the first chorale cantata from his
second annual cycle, of chorale cantatas, based on the
hymn (1642) by Johann Rist on a melody by Johann
Schop.
Bach composed the cantata for the First Sunday after
Trinity. The Sunday marks the beginning of the second
half o...(+)
O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort (O eternity, you word of
thunder), BWV 20,[a] is a church cantata by Johann
Sebastian Bach. He composed it in Leipzig for the first
Sunday after Trinity Sunday and first performed it on
11 June 1724. It is the first chorale cantata from his
second annual cycle, of chorale cantatas, based on the
hymn (1642) by Johann Rist on a melody by Johann
Schop.
Bach composed the cantata for the First Sunday after
Trinity. The Sunday marks the beginning of the second
half of the liturgical year, "in which core issues of
faith and doctrine are explored". The year before, Bach
had taken office as Thomaskantor in Leipzig. He was
responsible for the education of the Thomanerchor,
performances in the regular services in the
Thomaskirche, the Nikolaikirche and others. He had
started the project of composing one cantata for each
Sunday and holiday of the liturgical year, termed by
Christoph Wolff "an artistic undertaking on the largest
scale". In 1724 he started a project on the first
Sunday after Trinity to exclusively compose chorale
cantatas, based on the main Lutheran hymn for the
respective occasion, beginning with this cantata.
Leipzig had a tradition of concentrating on the hymns.
In 1690, the minister of the Thomaskirche, Johann
Benedikt Carpzov, had announced that he would preach
also on songs and that Johann Schelle, then the
director of music, would play the song before the
sermon. Bach composed some forty chorale cantatas in
his second cycle.
The opening chorus, beginning not only the cantata but
also the second annual cantata cycle, is in the style
of a solemn French Overture in the typical three
sections slow – fast (vivace) – slow. The French
Overture was designed to mark the entry of the king.
The melody is sung by the soprano as a cantus firmus in
long notes, doubled by the slide trumpet. The chorale
is in bar form. The first Stollen of three lines is
handled in the slow section, the second Stollen of
lines 4 to 6 in the fast section, the Abgesang of lines
7 an 8 in the concluding slow section. The lower voices
are mostly in homophony. The development of themes
happens in the orchestra. The rising theme of the slow
section in dotted rhythm is derived from the beginning
of the chorale tune, whereas the theme of the fast
section is not related to the tune. The fast section is
not a strict fugue. Bach seems mostly interested in
illustrating the text, Ewigkeit (eternity) is rendered
in long notes in the lower voices and the instruments,
Donnerwort (thunderous word) appears as a sudden change
to short notes with a melisma in the bass, on the words
große Traurigkeit (great sadness) a downward chromatic
line, a counterpoint in the fast section, also appears
in the voices, erschrocken (terrified) is rendered in
jarred rhythms interrupted by rests, first in the
orchestra, then also in the voices, klebt (cleave) is a
long note in the voices. John Eliot Gardiner describes:
"The fragmentation and disjointed nature of the
discourse is uncompromising and leaves no room for
hope", and summarizes regarding the cantata:
"Confronted by the baffling and disquieting subject of
eternity, and specifically the eternity of hell, Bach
is fired up as never before".
The recitatives are mostly secco, with an arioso only
in movement 9 on the words Pracht, Hoffart, Reichtum,
Ehr, und Geld (splendor, pride, riches, honor, and
wealth) from the chorale. The arias contrast,
interpreting the text in its affekt and in single
phrases.
In movement 8, the call to wake up is intensified by
trumpet signals and fast scales, evoking the Last
Judgement. The first motif in movement 10 is sung by
the two singers of the duet on the words O Menschenkind
("o child of man") and are repeated instrumentally as a
hint of that warning. Both parts of the cantata are
concluded by the same four-part chorale setting, asking
finally Nimm du mich, wenn es dir gefällt, Herr Jesu,
in dein Freudenzelt! (Take me, Jesus, if you will, into
the felicity of your tent)..
The cantata is festively scored for three vocal
soloists (alto, tenor and bass), a four-part choir,
tromba da tirarsi to double the cantus firmus, three
oboes, two violins, viola, and continuo. The work
contains eleven movements in two parts, to be performed
before and after the sermon.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Ewigkeit,_du_Donnerwor
t,_BWV_20).
I created this arrangement of the third Aria: "O
Mensch, errette deine Seele" (O man, save your soul)
for Oboe & Strings (2 Violins, Viola & Cello).