Bach's Cantata on Martin Luther's hymn Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott (BWV 80(b)) is notable for the level of internal unity it displays at several levels. This unity is achieved in part through the consistent presentation of a general idea (religious faith as expressed in martial terms), and through the emphasis of that idea by means of music-text relationships and the use of the chorale tune in two of the cantata's middle movements. The cantata displays a deeper and more complex unity, however, when connections between the various movements, and their overall relationship to the entire work are taken into account. In addition to providing musical representation and background for the meaning of their individual texts, each movement of the cantata appears to parallel a separate movement both textually and musically, and the cantata displays an overall symmetry. This symmetry points to the nature of the cantata not only as an exposition of a single idea or of individual texts, but as a (repeated) cycle which moves from the broad metaphor of battle to a more personal and introspective level, and in which the warlike themes that appear to dominate the work are, while prominent, only one part of a larger message.
The cantata is divided into eight movements: opening and closing chorales as well as another chorale about halfway through, two duets (one for tenor and alto, one for bass and soprano), a soprano aria, and recitatives for tenor and bass. The first movement is a canon based on the main hymn tune set to the text of the first voice of the hymn. The martial aspect of the piece , while not as obvious as in the commonly performed version with trumpet and drum parts added by Wilhelm Friedmann Bach, is still apparent more or less immediately. suggested both by the heroic quality of themusic and by the text, which describes God as a "good defense and weapon". In the first mnovement, each voice enters with an ornamented and elaborated version of the hymn tune, with canonic entrances occurring at the interval of the fifth and octave. Occasionally, one of the lines of the chorale melody is also heard more or less literally, usually in the soprano or in a background trumpet part. (Chorale 1A) The first half of the canon largely preserves the main melodic gestures and harmonic orientation of the chorale; however, in the second half, which describes Satan, there is a pronounced shift and minor harmonies dominate. Bach also marks the break between the first and second halves of the canon by switching to a syncopated rhythm that is further removed from its chorale source than long, regularly accented lines of the first half. (Chorale 1B) The first movement ends with a somewhat perfunctory conclusion in the home key; the irresolute nature of the conclusion being appropriate to the open-endedness of the text of the verse, which concludes without mentioning God again, and with warning that no one on earth is Satan's equal.
The second section consists of an duet aria for bass and soprano, with a string accompaniment again reminiscent of battle. (Duet 1A) The bass part consists of Salomo Franck's poetry (the first appearance of the separate libretto, the poem is based both on Luther's hymn and the casting out of a devil by Christ in Luke 14-28), and is dominated by rapid scalar passages, while the soprano sings the second verse of the hymn, with slight ornamentation. (Duet 1B) The hymn tune appears in the soprano at regular intervals measures, and the bass part generally follows its harmonic pattern, although, as in the opening chorale, the harmonic character of the middle lines of the hymn is altered, placing them solidly in minor. The poetic text and the hymn text provide a commentary on each other: the Franck text stating "all that born of God is to victory chosen", and the chorale text elaborating that the only human efforts are insufficient to gain victory, which can only be achieved through Christ.
The recitative for bass that follows is divided into two parts. The first half sets text that instructs the listener to consider Christ's sacrifices and repent, to minor continuo harmonies. The last line of the recitative text, "daß Christi Geist mit dir sich fest verbinde", is marked by a dramatic shift of texture., as the recitative becomes and arioso, and the sharply punctuated chords are replaced by a gentler, melodic continuo bass. (Recit 1) The recitative leads into a soprano aria, in B minor, in which the speaker in the text implores Jesus (Aria 1) "Komm in mein herzens Haus", and orders that Satan be thrown out.
The following movement, a chorale, reintroduces the chorale melody in both the vocal and orchestral parts. The hymn tune appears in triple meter in the bass at the beginning of the movement while the chorus sings the third verse of the hymn, more or less literally, in octave unisons. (Chorale 2A) The accompaniment, in addition to returns to the rapid, rising and falling "battle" music that appeared in the second movement, and continues to reincorporate the chorale tune, although it seems to disappear for a long stretch as the music shifts into minor key areas. The hymn tune, in a manner very reminiscent of the second movement, appears one line at a time at regular intervals above the running accompaniment, the text of this verse stating the certainty of God's final victory and the unimportance of "der Fürst dieser Welt" to the contrary. The chorale tune returns in the bass simultaneously with the choruses statements of the final line of the verse, that "ein Wörtlein" will be enough to defeat the "prince of this world", and the movement returns resolutely to D major.
The final three movements are a recitative for tenor, a duet aria, and the final chorale, which presents the fourth and final verse of the hymn. The recitative is brief, and again divided into two parts. The first section consists of sustained, mainly D Major harmonies in the continuo, while the text exhorts the listener to stand with Christ, and "step joyfully to the war". The recitative then moves to a more fluid arioso style with a melodic continuo accompaniment, repeating the final line of the text "dein Heiland bleibt dein Heil". A 32nd note melisma appears throughout both sections, in the vocal as well as continuo line. (Recit 2)The final aria, for tenor and alto duet, is accompanied by violin and oboe de caccia, and features prominently a Mixolydian figure in parallel thirds and sixths in both the vocal parts and accompaniment parts, as well as canonic writing. (Duet2A) The text stresses the happiness of those who believe in god. The aria is primarily in G, although it moves through other key regions (most strikingly through B minor and then D major with the shift from scalar to leaping melodic material on the line "Es bleibet unbesiegt und kann die Feind shlagen", (Duet2B) marking a return to the war imagery that permeates the entire work. The final chorale is simply a presentation of the hymn s fourth verse with little orchestral adornment. Despite the presence of the hymn tune throughout, the final chorale is the first time it is presented in literally in rhythmic and harmonic terms.
At the most basic level, the BWV 80 cantata seems to be primarily concerned with illustrating fairly simple theological ideas: God and Jesus as allies in war against evil and human imperfection, and the necessity of faith in order to be victorious. The use of war metaphors in virtually all of the movements (as well as the musical suggestion of battle in several) reinforces this perception. However, considering the relationship of the movements to each other reveals subtleties within this basic message. The eight movements, in addition to illustrating essentially common themes, also relate to each other in ways that stress the various ideas present in the cantata.
Essentially, each movement of the cantata appears to be paralleled by another. The first chorale and the final chorale, which present the first and last verse of the hymn, serve to frame the cantata. The soprano-bass duet of the second movement and the unison chorale of the fifth present the hymn tune against a backdrop of battle music. The two recitatives follow roughly the same musical pattern, being binary in nature and both shifting to an arioso style to emphasize the final line of the piece; in addition, their texts parallel each other. The fourth movement soprano aria, and the duet of penultimate movement, while being substantially different in terms of textual meaning, display striking musical, poetic, and syntactic similarity. Specific examples of these musical parallels and hypotheses as to their textual and musical significance follow.
The relationship between the first and last movements is clear, they are the most recognizable settings of the hymn, the first movement setting the stage for the conflict of the cantata by introducing the "feste Burg" of God, and the "alte böse Feind" that is opposed to it, and the final movement resolving the conflict.
The parallels between the second movement and its counterpart are also clear, if somewhat more complicated. The appearance at regular intervals of the hymn tune is the most obvious connection. Similarly, both movements oppose the clarity of hymn with the tumultuous music meant to represent conflict. The texts of the hymn also parallel each other; the first speaks of the inability of human means to attain victory without the help of God, the second of the inability of humans to prevent God's victory. The music follows a similar harmonic pattern, beginning and ending in D major, but shifting into minor keys for the middle lines of text in each case. The primary difference between the two is the replacement of the bass solo with a more intricate orchestral accompaniment. This change emphasizes the unimportance of the human will hinted at by both verses ; instead of a human presence, there is now only the transcendental message of the hymn, and the battle itself. In the chorale, the orchestral accompaniment, in addition to merely depicting battle, seems to take over the expository role occupied by the bass solo in the second movement, the interaction of the hymn tune in triplets with the chaotic battle movement exemplifying the conflict that is described in the soprano-bass duet. The temporary disappearance of the chorale melody in the bass, and its reappearance with the text "ein Wörtlein kann ihn fällen" (Chorale 2C) can be interpreted as the inevitable reassertion of God's word.
The two recitatives are related both by meaning, and by music. In each case, a chordal continuo accompanies a text that instructs the audience to place their faith in god, in order to be victorious in the battle against evil. In both recitatives, the final line of the text is a sort of promise of the eventual rewards of faith, and as the tone moves from the harsh and commanding words of the first half to the more gentle promise of the final line, the music shifts to a melodic, arioso style, and the final line is repeated several times. As in the case of the second and fifth movements, the differences between the first recitative and the second are also significant: the first is in a minor key, and emphasizes suffering, sin, and temptation. The second recitative is concerned with eventual victory, and moves clearly into major with the beginning of the arioso section. Thus, as in the previously discussed example, the second of the two movements can be seen as resolving a conflict established in its preceding counterpart.
The two remaining movements, the soprano aria of the fourth movement, and the seventh movement duet, are connected in ways less obvious but no less significant. In terms of overall harmonic character, they are very different, the former being in B minor, the latter primarily in G major. Unlike in other related movements, the identity of the speaker in the text is dissimilar: the soprano aria is a personal plea, whereas the duet is expressed from a detached, instructive position. The connections between these two movements are those of poetic and musical form and syntax. Both arias begin with a virtually identical pattern: the main melody is established in the introduction by accompaniment, the vocal part enters with the first line of text, the accompaniment repeats the melody, and is echoed again by the vocal line, which then proceeds immediately into an extended phrase that concludes with a drawn out melisma, completing the idea. (Aria1), (Duet 2)This close formal relationship is emphasized further by the obvious poetic resemblance of the text: the first line of each aria has an identical rhythm and length ("Komm in mein Herzens Haus" and "Wie selig sind die doch", and the concluding words that are set to the extensive melisma in each case are very similar in sound and rhyme ("tranen" and "verlangen"). While the two aria conclude in an entirely divergent manner, the text relationship between the two, and the similarity of the musical treatment in the initial music is so striking that the two arias seem fundamentally related. Again, the meaning of the texts fits the model established in the three other corresponding pairs of movements, the former posing a problem (in this case, the plea for acceptance of Jesus and the casting out of evil) and the second resolving it (by attesting to the happiness and peace in the face of death of those that believe).
This organization of the cantata into pairs of corresponding movements is especially appealing because it also reveals a symmetrical and cyclic aspect to the cantata as a whole. According to this formulation, the cantata can be divided roughly into two halves, framed on each side by the introductory and concluding movements, with an identical ordering of the corresponding movements within each half:
|
First Half |
Second Half |
|
Intro. (Chorale) |
Battle music w/ statement of chorale melody (Chorale) |
|
Battle music w/ statement of chorale melody(Duet) |
Recitative (Tenor) |
|
Recitative (Bass) |
Aria (Duet) |
|
Aria (Soprano) |
Conclusion (Chorale) |
Thus the two halves of the cantata comprise parallel cycles, with the fundamental difference that the uncertainty and conflict present in the first half are replaced in each case by faith and victory in the corresponding movement in the second half; the first half wanders to B minor, while the second half Returns to the initial key of D (with a brief interlude in G). The chorale of the fifth movement can thus be seen as a sort of mini-introduction for the second half, referring back both to the initial Chorale, and the martial duet that immediately follows it.
This reintroduction or restating effect accomplished by the fifth movement chorale is hinted at by several gestures. The most obvious, of course, are the immediate return of the chorale melody in the bass, and the return top the home key that accompanies it. However, there is at least one other musical idea tying the fifth movement to the introduction. The leap to F natural that occurs in the soprano the conclusion of the line "der alte böse Feind" (Chorale1C) (measure 140), which sticks out drastically amidst the canonic writing of the introductory choral, becomes a prominent motif in the fifth movement, appearing with essentially the same rhythmic and intervallic disposition just before every entrance or the chorale. (Chorale2A)The repeated emphasis of this distinct gesture, almost unique in the cantata, provides a strong reminiscence of the original terms of conflict set forth in the introduction, a conflict then resolved in the second half. An addition to the score made by Wilhelm Friedmann Bach also points to the possibility that the fifth movement was seen as a reinitiation of the cantata: The ascending D major chords in trumpets added by Wilhelm Friedmann reappear at the beginning of the fifth movement chorale, in a slightly different orientation. On the whole, the sharp contrast between the preceding movement and the fifth movement chorale, both in terms of general thematic content, key, and musical material, and the reminiscence of ideas from the first movement, point strongly to the idea of the fifth movement chorale as marking a new beginning, as well as establishing the symmetrical and cyclic character of the cantata.
Bach's BWV 80 cantata is unified in part by the prominece of military metaphor, and the repeated use of the hymn tune as an illustration of the metaphor within individual movements.. However, when the overall form and the relationships between movements of the cantata are taken into account, a more complex reading of the piece emerges. Bach's treatment of the hymn Ein feste Burg preserves some of the of the original's crusading and militaristic quality, but moderates it with messages of personal questioning and faith, as introduced by Franck in his poetic response to the hymn. This additional level of meaning is reflected by the symmetrical and nature of the cantata, as corresponding movements comment on each other, and questions and conflicts introduced in the first half of the piece are resolved in the second.
Return to Top
chorale1a.vcd duet1a.vcd recit1a.vcd chorale2a.vcd
chorale1b.vcd duet1b.vcd recit1b.vcd chorale2b.vcd
recit2.vcd duet2a.vcd chorale3.vcd