Cantata BWV 83 – Erfreute Zeit im neuen Bunde
Today is Candlemas -precisely 40 days after Christmas day (doesn’t time fly?!), and therefore the day on which Mary was bound to present herself for ritual purification after giving birth, according to the rules for these sorts of things laid down in Leviticus (Chapter 12 v. 2-8, if you fancy checking it!). As a result, the formal name for this feastday is usually given as ‘The feast of the purification of the virgin’, though it’s sometimes referred to as the feast of the presentation of Jesus in the Temple, because Jesus was with Mary when she went to the Temple.
The old and holy Jew Simeon was also at the Temple at this time, and recognised Jesus’ true nature. He therefore took him in his arms (so the Gospel relates) and gives voice to the words which became known as the Nunc dimitis (“Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; To be a light to lighten the Gentiles and to be the glory of thy people Israel.”). It is this part of the Gospel which Bach’s librettist used to construct today’s cantata text: there is a direct quote from it in movement 2 -which I’ve marked in bold italics below (“Herr, nun lässest du deinen Diener in Friede fahren, wie du gesaget hast.”), and the final chorale makes specific mention of Jesus being a ‘blessed light for the heathen’. More generally, Simeon was happy to have seen Jesus, at last, just before dying -and the general sense of the cantata is one of great, joyous fun and celebration.
You can tell that from the get-go because of the use of horns in the orchestration for movement 1: there’s nothing quite as raucously happy in Baroque music as the sound of hunting horns, I think! Movement 2 is much more meditative. Movement three is back to dance rhythms. The final two movements are extremely short ’suffixes’ to the main work (movements 1 to 3), and don’t really have much of a personality of their own. Indeed, it is often claimed that in preparing this work, Bach pinched the three movements from a violin concerto (now lost), and stuck on two extra bits (including the obligatory chorale) to flesh the thing out into standard cantata form. Given he only had a couple of days after his last cantata to get things ready, “borrowing” another work in this way would have made sense, I think.
Anyway: I like it. The last two movements are certainly a bit pedestrian, but movements 1 and 3 sound great, and the second movement is a wonderful mix of quasi-plainchant of the “raw” Nunc dimitis text over an elaborate weave of notes from the orchestra: lovely stuff. Definitely a 3.5/5 for me.
| 1. Aria (Alto) | ||
| Erfreute Zeit im neuen Bunde, Da unser Glaube Jesum hält. Wie freudig wird zur letzten Stunde Die Ruhestatt, das Grab bestellt! |
We have a new covenant, in which we can find great joy, If we hold fast to our faith in Jesus. How happily will our last resting place Be prepared, at the last hour! |
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| 2. Intonation & Recitative (Bass) | ||
| Herr, nun lässest du deinen Diener in Friede fahren, wie du gesaget hast. Was uns als Menschen schrecklich scheint, Ist uns ein Eingang zu dem Leben. Es ist der Tod Ein Ende dieser Zeit und Not, Ein Pfand, so uns der Herr gegeben Zum Zeichen, dass er’s herzlich meint Und uns will nach vollbrachtem Ringen Zum Frieden bringen. Und weil der Heiland nun Der Augen Trost, des Herzens Labsal ist, Was Wunder, daß ein Herz des Todes Furcht vergißt! Es kann den erfreuten Ausspruch tun: Denn meine Augen haben deinen Heiland gesehen, |
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word. What most terrifies us as people Is actually a gateway to life. It is death, An end to this time of suffering, A pledge given to us by the Lord As a sign that he means us well, and that Once the great fight is over, He will lead us to peace. Is it any wonder that, with our Hearts refreshed by our comforting look on the Saviour, A heart can forget the fear of death! It can indeed utter these joyful words: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, |
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| 3. Aria (Tenor) | ||
| Eile, Herz, voll Freudigkeit Vor den Gnadenstuhl zu treten! Du sollst deinen Trost empfangen Und Barmherzigkeit erlangen, Ja, bei kummervoller Zeit, Stark am Geiste, kräftig beten. |
Hurry, heart, with joyfulness, To step before the throne of grace! You shall receive your consolation and obtain mercy. In dark and troubled times, You who are strong in spirit: pray earnestly. |
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| 4. Recitative (Alto) | ||
| Ja, merkt dein Glaube noch viel Finsternis, Dein Heiland kann der Zweifel Schatten trennen; Ja, wenn des Grabes Nacht Die letzte Stunde schrecklich macht, So wirst du doch gewiß Sein helles Licht im Tode selbst erkennen. |
Yes, though your faith still sees much darkness, Your Saviour can dispell the shadows of doubt; When the night of the grave Makes the last hour terrifying, You will surely see His radiant light in death itself. |
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| 5. Chorale | ||
| Es ist das Heil und selig Licht Für die Heiden, Zu erleuchten, die dich kennen nicht, Und zu weiden. Er ist deins Volks Israel Der Preis, Ehre, Freud und Wonne. |
He is the salvation and blessed light for the heathen, To enlighten those who do not know you, And to give them sustenance. He is the glory, honour, joy And delight of your people, Israel |
Incidentally, Candlemas marks the point where the Church stops counting things as happening ‘after Christmas’ or ‘after Epiphany’ and starts counting them as being ‘before Easter’. So if you haven’t taken your Christmas decorations down yet, now’s your last chance! Traditionally, too, Candlemas day was the day you predicted what the forthcoming weather was going to be like: if the day itself was bright and clear, Winter would continue long and cold. If the day were wet and cloudy, Spring wouldn’t be far away. In America, this tradition got morphed into Groundhog Day -which is why Groundhog Day is February 2nd, too. (You have the Pennsylvania Dutch immigrants in the 18th and 19th Centuries -who were actually German, of course- to thank for that). And why the name Candlemas, back in Europe? Because today was the day the Church would bless the entire stock of candles it intended to use throughout the coming year. All in all, happy candlemas!