Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich
BWV 150 performed by the Netherlands Bach Society
conducted by Shunske Sato
Groote Kerk, Maassluis
Behind the music
Story
Story
Texts
Texts
Credits
Credits
Short and sweet
This delicate and small-scale cantata is one of Bach's earliest cantatas
In barely 14 minutes, the atmosphere in this cantata changes countless times. This kind of variation in tempo and character is typical of Bach’s early cantatas – and Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich certainly belongs to that category. It is even referred to sometimes as his earliest cantata. This appears, among other things, from the acrostic that is incorporated in the odd parts of the cantata: the initial letters of the lines of these parts together form the name of the municipal councilor of Mühlhausen who had an important vote in the appointment of Bach as organist there in the year 1707.
Following a melancholy instrumental sinfonia, the singers enter with the first verse of Psalm 25. Bach illustrates the text very precisely. Long chromatic lines illustrate ‘Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich’, while ‘zu Schanden werden’ is combined with a sort of downwards fall and the word ‘freuen’ is accompanied by quick laughing notes. Over the course of the piece, the impressive moments succeed one another, including the unusual terzetto ‘Cedern müssen von den Winden’, in which the bass seems to represent the rustling trees while the singers stand firm. There is a wonderful rising scale by the vocal and violin parts in ‘Leite mich’. And the string parts in ‘Meine Augen’ are also impressive. The cantata ends with an incredible final chorus in the form of a chaconne, whose bass line inspired Brahms for the final section of his Symphony no. 4.
- BWV
- 150
- Title
- Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich
- Genre
- cantatas
- Year
- ca. 1707
- City
- Mühlhausen
- Lyricist
- unknown, psalm 25:1-2, 5-6
With support from
Stichting Elise Mathilde Fonds
Extra videos
Vocal texts
Original
1. Sinfonia
2. Coro
Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich.
Mein Gott, ich hoffe auf dich.
Laß mich nicht zuschanden werden,
dass sich meine Feinde nicht
freuen über mich.
3. Arie (Sopran)
Doch bin und bleibe ich vergnügt,
Obgleich hier zeitlich toben
Kreuz, Sturm und andre Proben,
Tod, Höll und was sich fügt.
Ob Unfall schlägt den treuen Knecht,
Recht ist und bleibet ewig Recht.
4. Coro
Leite mich in deiner Wahrheit
und lehre mich;
denn du bist der Gott, der mir hilft,
täglich harre ich dein.
5. Arie (Alt, Tenor, Bass)
Cedern müssen von den Winden
Oft viel Ungemach empfinden,
Niemals werden sie verkehrt.
Rat und Tat auf Gott gestellet,
Achtet nicht, was widerbellet,
Denn sein Wort ganz anders lehrt.
6. Coro
Meine Augen sehen stets
zu dem Herrn;
denn er wird meinen Fuß aus dem
Netze ziehen.
7. Ciaccona
Meine Tage in dem Leide
Endet Gott dennoch zur Freude;
Christen auf den Dornenwegen
Krönet Himmels Kraft und Segen.
Bleibet Gott mein treuer Schutz,
Achte ich nicht Menschentrutz,
Christus, der uns steht zur Seiten,
Hilft mir täglich sieghaft streiten.
Translation
1. Sinfonia
2. Chorus
Unto Thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
O my God, I trust in Thee.
Let me not be ashamed,
let not mine enemies
triumph over me.
3. Aria (Soprano)
Yet I am and shall remain content,
though cross, storm and other trials
may rage here on earth,
death, hell, and what must be.
Though mishap strike Thy faithful servant,
right is and remains ever right.
4. Chorus
Lead me in Thy truth,
and teach me:
for Thou art the God of my salvation;
on Thee do I wait all the day.
5. Aria (Alto, Tenor, Bass)
Cedars must before the tempest
often suffer much torment,
and are often uprooted.
Entrust to God both thought and deed,
do not heed what howls against you,
for His word teaches us quite otherwise.
6. Chorus
Mine eyes are ever
toward the Lord;
for He shall pluck my feet
out of the net.
7. Ciaccona
All my days of suffering
are ended by God in gladness;
Christians on the thorny paths
are led by heaven’s power and blessing.
If God remains my faithful jewel,
I shall ignore human affliction;
Christ, who stands by us,
helps me daily win the battle.
Credits
-
- Release date
- 3 September 2020
-
- Recording date
- 21 September 2019
-
- Location
- Groote Kerk, Maassluis
-
- Violin and direction
- Shunske Sato
-
- Soprano
- Griet De Geyter
-
- Alto
- Bernadett Nagy
-
- Tenor
- Guy Cutting
-
- Bass
- Drew Santini
-
- Violin 2
- Pieter Affourtit
-
- Cello
- Lucia Swarts
-
- Double bass
- Robert Franenberg
-
- 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
- Martin Struijf, Gideon Krijnen, Jesper Blok, Menco van Duren
-
- Lights
- Zen Bloot, Henry Rodgers, Patrick Galvin, Fiona Verkleij
-
- Assistant director
- Ferenc Soeteman
-
- Set technique
- Justin Mutsaers
-
- Project manager team eng
- Ron Vermeulen
-
- Producer concert
- Imke Deters, Marco Meijdam
-
- Producer film
- Jessie Verbrugh
-
- Acknowledgement
- Groote Kerk Maassluis, Stichting Muziek tussen Maas en Sluis
-
- With support from
- Stichting Elise Mathilde Fonds
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