O angenehme Melodei, BWV 210a

BWV 210.1
BWV 210a

Relatedbasis for BWV 210OccasionVisit of Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, to LeipzigTextby Christian Friedrich HunoldPerformed12 January 1729 (1729-01-12): LeipzigMovements8Vocalsolo sopranoInstrumental

flauto traverso
oboe d'amore
2 violins
viola
continuo

O angenehme Melodei (O pleasing melody), BWV 210.1 (formerly BWV 210a),^[1] is a secular cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach for a solo soprano. Bach wrote it in Leipzig as a "Huldigungskantate" (homage cantata) for Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels. First performed on 12 January 1729, the cantata became part of his repertory of congratulatory and homage cantatas, dedicated at least twice to different people and occasions. Bach used it as the base for his wedding cantata O holder Tag, erwünschte Zeit. Most of the music of O angenehme Melodei was lost, but can be reconstructed from the later work, which survived completely.

History and words

Bach first performed O angenehme Melodei cantata in 1729 and adapted it for two other occasions. The first version, performed on 12 January 1729, paid homage to Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels on the occasion of his visit to Leipzig.^[2]^[3] The dates of the later performances are not known, but the dedications were to Joachim Friedrich Count Flemming, the governor of Leipzig (words for that occasion given below), and, thirdly, to the Gönner von Wissenschaft und Kunst (Patron of Science and Art), this version is also called Sponsorenkantate, the sponsors' cantata).^[4]^[5]

Only the soprano part and a separate printed textbook of the earliest version survived into the twentieth century. The soprano part was lost in World War II. Bach used the five arias, the first recitative and the beginning of the last recitative later in his wedding cantata O holder Tag, erwünschte Zeit, therefore the music can be reconstructed.^[6] Alexander Ferdinand Grychtolik edited a reconstruction, published by Edition Güntersberg.^[7] He chose the third text version as the most general one.^[8]

Scoring, structure and music

The cantata in ten movements is probably scored as the surviving O holder Tag, erwünschte Zeit,^[4] for soprano, flauto traverso, oboe d'amore, two violins, viola, and basso continuo with violone and harpsichord.^[4]^[6]

Recitative: O angenehme Melodei
Aria: Spielet, ihr beseelten Lieder
Recitative: Ihr Sorgen, flieht
Aria: Ruhet hie, matte Töne
Recitative: Wiewohl, beliebte Musica
Aria: Schweigt, ihr Flöten, schweigt, ihr Töne
Recitative: Doch fasse dich, dein Glanz
Aria: Großer Flemming, alles Wissen
Recitative: Erleuchtet Haupt, so bleibe fernerweit
Aria: Sei vergnügt, großer Flemming

Richard D. P. Jones notes in his book The Creative Development of Johann Sebastian Bach that the text deals with the power of music, inspiring Bach to music of "quite exceptional quality".^[2]

References

^ Work 00266 at Bach Digital website.
^ ^a ^b Jones, Richard D. P. (2013). The Creative Development of Johann Sebastian Bach, Volume II: 1717–1750: Music to Delight the Spirit. Oxford University Press. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-19-150384-9.
^ Leaver, Robin A., ed. (2016). The Routledge Research Companion to Johann Sebastian Bach. Taylor & Francis. p. 546. ISBN 978-1-31-545280-7.
^ ^a ^b ^c Work 00266, O angenehme Melodei (fragment) BWV 210.1; BWV 210a; BC [G 29] / Secular cantata (Tribute), at Bach Digital website.
^ Paczkowski, Szymon (2006). "Bach and the Story of an "Aria tempo di Polonaise" for Joachim Friedrich Flemming". Institute of Musicology, Warsaw University, 2006 Biennial Meeting of the American Bach Society. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
^ ^a ^b Dürr, Alfred (1981). Die Kantaten von Johann Sebastian Bach (in German). Vol. 1 (4 ed.). Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag. pp. 692–693. ISBN 3-423-04080-7.
^ Paczkowski, Szymon (2008). "O angenehme Melodei / Johann Sebastian Bach, edited by Alexander Ferdinand Grychtolik" (in German). Edition Güntersberg. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
^ Paczkowski, Szymon (2008). "Johann Sebastian Bach: O angenehme Melodei / Erstausgabe einer Rekonstruktion" (PDF) (in German). Toccata (trade paper). Retrieved 21 January 2011.

External links

O angenehme Melodei, BWV 210a: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
Literature by and about O angenehme Melodei, BWV 210a in the German National Library catalogue
Cantata BWV 210a O angenehme Melodei: history, scoring, sources for text and music, translations to various languages, discography, discussion, Bach Cantatas Website
BWV 210a – "O angenehme Melodei!": English translation, discussion, Emmanuel Music
BWV 210a O angenehme Melodei!: English translation, University of Vermont
BWV 210a O angenehme Melodei!: text, scoring, University of Alberta

Cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach by BWV number

1^[d]
2
3
4^[d]
5
6
7
8
9
10
11 (oratorio)
12
13
14
15^**
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
30a
31
32
33
34
34a
35
36
36a
36b
36c
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
(53)^*
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
66a
67
68
69
69a
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
80a
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118 (motet)
119
120
120a
120b
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
(131a)^*
132
133
134
134a
135
136
137
138
139
140
~~141~~^**
(142)^*
143
144
145
146
147
147a
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
~~160~~^**
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
173a
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
(189)^*
190
190a
191
192
193
193a
194
195
196
197
197a
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
205a
206
207
207a
208
208a
209
210
210a
211
212
213
214
215
216
216a
(217)^*
~~218~~^**
~~219~~^**
(220)^*
(221)^*
~~222~~^**
223
224
244a
248 I
248 II
248 III
248 IV
248 V
248 VI
249a
249b
1040
1045
1083
1127
1138.1–1139.1
1140–1141
Anh. 5
Anh. 9
Anh. 11
Anh. 18 — ^[d]discography; ^*(doubtful); ^**~~spurious~~

Lists: Compositions
Cantatas ; Church cantatas: Chorale cantatas
Early
Weimar
1st cycle
2nd cycle
3rd cycle
Picander cycle
Late ; Secular cantatas

v t e Secular cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach
BWV 30a: Angenehmes Wiederau BWV 36a: Steigt freudig in die Luft BWV 36b: Die Freude reget sich BWV 36c: Schwingt freudig euch empor BWV 66a: Der Himmel dacht auf Anhalts Ruhm und Glück BWV 134a: Die Zeit, die Tag und Jahre macht BWV 173a: Durchlauchtster Leopold BWV 193a: Ihr Häuser des Himmels, ihr scheinenden Lichter BWV 198: Mourning Ode BWV 201: The Contest between Phoebus and Pan BWV 202: Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten BWV 203: Amore traditore BWV 204: On Contentedness BWV 205: Aeolus Placated BWV 205a: Blast Lärmen, ihr Feinde BWV 206: Schleicht, spielende Wellen BWV 207: Vereinigte Zwietracht der wechselnden Saiten BWV 207a: Auf, schmetternde Töne der muntern Trompeten BWV 208: Hunting Cantata BWV 208a: Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd BWV 209: Non sa che sia dolore BWV 210: O holder Tag, erwünschte Zeit BWV 210a: O angenehme Melodei BWV 211: Coffee Cantata BWV 212: Peasant Cantata BWV 213: Hercules at the Crossroads BWV 214: Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten! BWV 215: Preise dein Glücke, gesegnetes Sachsen BWV 216: Vergnügte Pleißenstadt BWV 216a: Apollo and Mercurius BWV 249a: Shepherd Cantata BWV 249b: The Celebration of Genius BWV Anh. 9: Entfernet euch, ihr heitern Sterne BWV Anh. 11: Es lebe der König, der Vater im Lande BWV Anh. 18: Froher Tag, verlangte Stunden
Bach cantata List of Bach cantatas

Secular cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach