Sie werden euch in den Bann tun
BWV 44 performed by the Netherlands Bach Society
conducted by Jos van Veldhoven
Walloon Church, Amsterdam
Behind the music
Story
Story
Extra videos
Extra videos
Texts
Texts
Credits
Credits
Awfully topical
Bach explicitly asks for a bassoon in all the movements
“He who kills you will think he does God a service”, sings the chorus at the beginning of this cantata. This sounds awfully topical. Jesus gives dire warnings to his disciples. “They will put you under banishment!”, he cautions them. This text was intended for the Sunday after Ascension, a desolate period before the inspiration of Whitsuntide. Jesus is trying to explain to his disciples that their lives will not always be easy. Particularly in a world where some people will reject them.
Bach supports these warnings with a strict canon; a composition method whereby the different voices follow one another very precisely. This is well suited to the menacing tone of the words. The sense of urgency is emphasised by the capricious chorus that joins in suddenly. It sounds like an uprising from the St John Passion, which had been performed for the first time one and a half months earlier. It is only in the last aria and final chorus that persecution makes way for faith.
This cantata is striking for Bach’s use of the bassoon. Bach was not often so specific about the instruments he wanted to use for the bass parts, but here he explicitly asks for a bassoon in all the movements. Our bassoonist Benny Aghassi has an idea why, which he explains in the interview.
- BWV
- 44
- Title
- Sie werden euch in den Bann tun
- Instrument
- alto, bass, soprano, tenor
- Genre
- cantatas
- Year
- 1724
- City
- Leipzig
- Lyricist
- unknown, probably Christian Weiß? Movements 1-2 based on John 16:2, chorales by Martin Moller and Paul Flemings (1642)
- Occasion
- Exaudi Sunday (between Ascension Day and Whit Sunday)
- First performance
- 21 May 1724
- Special notes
- no relation to cantata BWV 183, which begins with the same text.
Extra videos
Vocal texts
Original
1. Duett (Tenor, Bass)
Sie werden euch in den Bann tun.
2. Chor
Es kömmt aber die Zeit,
dass, wer euch tötet, wird meinen,
er tue Gott einen Dienst daran.
3. Arie (Alt)
Christen müssen auf der Erden
Christi wahre Jünger sein.
Auf sie warten alle Stunden,
bis sie selig überwunden,
Marter, Bann und schwere Pein.
4. Choral (Tenor)
Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid
begegnet mir zu dieser Zeit.
Der schmale Weg ist trübsalvoll,
den ich zum Himmel wandern soll.
5. Rezitativ (Bass)
Es sucht der Antichrist,
das große Ungeheuer,
mit Schwert und Feuer
die Glieder Christi zu verfolgen,
weil ihre Lehre ihm zuwider ist.
er bildet sich dabei wohl ein,
es müsse sein Tun Gott gefällig sein.
Allein, es gleichen Christen denen Palmenzweigen,
die durch die Last
nur desto höher steigen.
6. Arie (Sopran)
Es ist und bleibt der Christen Trost,
dass Gott vor seine Kirche wacht.
Denn wenn sich gleich die Wetter türmen,
So hat doch nach den Trübsalstürmen
Die Freudensonne bald gelacht.
7. Choral
So sei nun, Seele, deine,
und traue dem alleine,
der dich erschaffen hat.
Es gehe, wie es gehe,
dein Vater in der Höhe,
der weiss zu allen Sachen Rat.
Translation
1. Duet (Tenor, Bass)
They shall put you out of the synagogues.
2. Chorus
Yea, the time cometh,
that whosoever killeth you
will think that he doeth God service.
3. Aria (Alto)
Christians on earth
must be Christ’s true disciples.
Attendant on them every hour
are torment, exile and sore affliction,
till they be blissfully overcome.
4. Chorale (Tenor)
Ah God, what deep affliction
befalls me at this time.
The narrow way is full of sorrow
on which I must go to Heaven.
5. Recitative (Bass)
The antichrist,
that great monster,
seeks with sword and fire
to persecute members of Christ,
because their doctrine is odious to him.
In doing so, he imagines
that his actions are pleasing to God.
But Christians are like palm-tree branches
which because of their burden
only grow higher.
6. Aria (Soprano)
It ever remains the Christians’ comfort
that God watches over His church.
So even though tempests gather,
after such tribulations
the sun of gladness has always soon laughed.
7. Chorale
Therefore, O soul, be true to yourself
and trust in Him alone
who has created you;
whatever may happen,
your Father on high
counsels well in everything.
Credits
-
- Release date
- 16 April 2020
-
- Recording date
- 10 February 2018
-
- Location
- Walloon Church, Amsterdam
-
- Conductor
- Jos van Veldhoven
-
- Soprano
- Maria Keohane
-
- Alto
- Tim Mead
-
- Tenor
- Daniel Johannsen
-
- Bass
- Matthew Brook
-
- Ripieno soprano
- Hilde Van Ruymbeke, Marjon Strijk
-
- Ripieno alto
- Barnabás Hegyi, Marleene Goldstein
-
- Ripieno tenor
- Kevin Skelton, Guy Cutting
-
- Ripieno bass
- Drew Santini, Matthew Baker
-
- Violin 1
- Shunske Sato, Anneke van Haaften, Pieter Affourtit
-
- Violin 2
- Sayuri Yamagata, Lidewij van der Voort, Paulien Kostense
-
- Viola
- Staas Swierstra, Jan Willem Vis
-
- Cello
- Lucia Swarts, Richte van der Meer
-
- Double bass
- Robert Franenberg
-
- Oboe
- Martin Stadler, Peter Frankenberg
-
- Bassoon
- Benny Aghassi
-
- Organ
- Leo van Doeselaar
-
- Harpsichord
- Siebe Henstra
-
- Director and editor
- Bas Wielenga
-
- Music recording
- Guido Tichelman, Bastiaan Kuijt, Pim van der Lee
-
- Music edit and mix
- Guido Tichelman
-
- Camera
- Merijn Vrieling, Ivo Palmen, Martin Struijf, Bjorn Tiebout
-
- Lights
- Zen Bloot, Henry Rodgers, Patrick Galvin
-
- Assistant director
- Ferenc Soeteman
-
- Video engineer
- Vincent Nugteren
-
- Set technique
- Dennis van Hoek
-
- Data handling
- Jesper Blok
-
- Project manager nep
- Peter Ribbens
-
- Interview
- Onno van Ameijde, Marloes Biermans
-
- Producer concert
- Imke Deters
-
- Producer film
- Jessie Verbrugh
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