Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten (Who only lets
dear God rule), BWV 93, is a cantata of Johann
Sebastian Bach. He wrote the chorale cantata in Leipzig
for the fifth Sunday after Trinity and first performed
it on 9 July 1724. It is based on the hymn by Georg
Neumark (1657).
Bach composed the chorale cantata in 1724 as part of
his second annual cycle for the Fifth Sunday after
Trinity, Only continuo parts of the first four
movements survived of the first performance. The
manuscripts ...(+)
Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten (Who only lets
dear God rule), BWV 93, is a cantata of Johann
Sebastian Bach. He wrote the chorale cantata in Leipzig
for the fifth Sunday after Trinity and first performed
it on 9 July 1724. It is based on the hymn by Georg
Neumark (1657).
Bach composed the chorale cantata in 1724 as part of
his second annual cycle for the Fifth Sunday after
Trinity, Only continuo parts of the first four
movements survived of the first performance. The
manuscripts of the complete music date from another
performance around 1732/1733, therefore it is unknown
if the cantata had the same structure from the
beginning.
The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from the
First Epistle of Peter, "Sanctify the Lord God in your
hearts" (1 Peter 3:8–15), and from the Gospel of
Luke, Peter's great catch of fish (Luke 5:1–11. The
cantata text is based on the chorale in seven verses of
Georg Neumark, written in 1641 and published in 1657 in
Fortgepflantzter Musikalisch-Poetischer Lustwald. The
chorale is connected in general to the prescribed
readings. Specific reference to the Gospel appears in
the recitative addition of movement 5. The words of the
chorale remain unchanged in movements 1, 4 and 7 in a
symmetric arrangement. The changes in the other
movements are the work of an unknown poet. In movements
2 and 5 he kept the original words but expanded them by
recitatives, in movements 3 and 6 he transformed the
ideas of the chorale to arias.
n the central duet violins and violas play the melody
of the chorale. Bach later arranged this movement for
organ as one of the Schübler Chorales, BWV 647.
The opening chorus is a concerto of three elements: the
orchestra, dominated by the two oboes, playing an
introduction and ritornellos, the cantus firmus in the
soprano, and the other voices which start each of the
three sections and keep singing on the long final notes
of the cantus firmus, soprano and alto opening the
first section, tenor and bass the second, all four
voices the last section.
Movements 2 and 5 are composed in the same fashion,
alternating the slightly ornamented lines of the
chorale with recitative.
In the first aria Bach uses a motive which turns the
beginning of the chorale melody to major, to express
trust in God. The cantata concludes with a four-part
setting of the chorale.
Although originally scored for four soloists: soprano,
alto, tenor and bass—a four-part choir, two oboes,
two violins, viola, viola da gamba and basso continuo,
I created this arrangement for String Quartet (2
Violins, Viola & Cello).