Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland

BWV 61 performed by the Netherlands Bach Society
conducted by Jos van Veldhoven
Walloon Church, Amsterdam

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1. Nun komm (Chor)
2. Der Heiland (Rezitativ)
3. Komm, Jesu (Arie)
4. Siehe, ich stehe (Rezitativ)
5. Öffne dich (Arie)
6. Amen (Choral)

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Behind the music

Story

Extra videos

Texts

Credits

The king is coming!

This is a cantata filled with special effects, which is probably due to the young age at which Bach composed the work

In the daring opening section, he combines the ancient Advent melody Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland with a French royal overture that would have sounded at home in Louis XIV’s palace of Versailles. Such an overture was played as the king entered, which is very fitting for the reading on the first Sunday of Advent, when Jesus enters Jerusalem as a king riding on a donkey.

In an unusual bass recitative, Bach uses plucked strings to represent Christ knocking on the doors of the faithful. The soprano answers this call in her aria, opening her heart to Jesus. In the passage ‘Bin ich gleich nur Staub’ Bach indicates a slow tempo – an Adagio. This sort of tempo indication is unusual for Bach.
In the final chorus, Bach uses the melody from another Christmas song, Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern to rejoice in welcoming Christ. He ends the cantata with a unique radiant high note in the violin part.

In Bach’s day, both the Advent song Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland and the Christmas song Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern were well-known to all church-goers. So they would not have wondered why these songs appeared in Bach’s cantata for the first Sunday in Advent, but rather how and where they appeared.

BWV: 61
Title: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland
Instrument: bass, soprano, tenor
Genre: cantatas
Year: 1714
City: Weimar
Text: Erdmann Neumeister
Occasion: first Sunday in Advent
First performance: 2 December 1714
Autograph: Berlin, State Library (DB Mus. Ms. Bach P45, Faszikel 6)

Extra videos

Conductor Jos van Veldhoven

“Conductor Jos van Veldhoven guides us through the dramaturgical structure of this cantata.”

Bass Peter Harvey

“Peter Harvey talks about Bach's most remarkable recitatives.”

Vocal texts

Original

1. Chor
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland,
der Jungfrauen Kind erkannt,
des sich wundert alle Welt,
Gott solch Geburt ihm bestellt.

2. Rezitativ (Tenor)
Der Heiland ist gekommen,
hat unser armes Fleisch und Blut
an sich genommen
und nimmet uns
zu Blutsverwandten an.
O allerhöchstes Gut,
was hast du nicht an uns getan?
Was tust du nicht
noch täglich an den Deinen?
Du kömmst und lässt dein Licht
mit vollem Segen scheinen.

3. Arie (Tenor)
Komm, Jesu, komm zu deiner Kirche
und gib ein selig neues Jahr!
Befördre deines Namens Ehre,
erhalte die gesunde Lehre
und segne Kanzel und Altar!

4. Rezitativ (Bass)
Siehe, ich stehe vor der Tür und klopfe an.
So jemand meine Stimme hören wird
und die Tür auftun,
zu dem werde ich eingehen
und das Abendmahl mit ihm halten
und er mit mir.

5. Arie (Sopran)
Öffne dich, mein ganzes Herze,
Jesus kömmt und ziehet ein.
Bin ich gleich nur Staub und Erde,
will er mich doch nicht verschmähn,
seine Lust an mir zu sehn,
dass ich seine Wohnung werde.
O wie selig werd ich sein!

6. Choral
Amen, amen!
Komm, du schöne Freudenkrone,
bleib nicht lange!
Deiner wart ich mit Verlangen.

Translation

1. Chorus
Now come, savior of the gentiles,
Known as child of the virgin;
Of this, all the world marvels:
God ordained him such a birth.

2. Recitative (Tenor)
The savior has come [from eternity];
Has taken on our wretched [temporal] flesh
And blood upon himself;
And takes us on
as blood relatives.
Oh Most-High possession,
What have you not done for us?
What do you not
Still daily do for your own [people]?
You come and let your light
Shine with full blessing.

3. Aria (Tenor)
Come, Jesus, to your church
And grant a blessed new year.
Promote your name’s honor,
Uphold the sound teaching [of your church],
And bless pulpit and altar.

4. Recitative (Bass)
Look, I stand before the door and knock.
If anyone ends up hearing my voice
and opening the door,
I will go in, to him,
and keep the Lord’s Supper with him,
and he with me.

5. Aria (Soprano)
Open yourself, my whole heart;
Jesus comes and enters [God’s “temple,” my heart].
Even though I am but dust and earth,
He will, nevertheless, not disdain me;
He will look upon his delight in me,
That I may become his dwelling-place.
O how blessed will I be!

6. Chorale
Amen, amen!
Come, you beautiful crown of joy,
Tarry not long!
[Exceedingly fair bridegroom,] I wait for you with longing.

transl. © Daniel R. Melamed and Michael Marissen
For the annotated version of the text and translation, see here.

Credits

Release date

2 May 2014
Recording date

30 November 2013
Location

Walloon Church, Amsterdam
Conductor

Jos van Veldhoven
Soprano

Zsuzsi Tóth
Tenor

Nicholas Mulroy
Bass

Peter Harvey
Ripieno soprano

Lauren Armishaw, Annelies Brants
Ripieno alto

Victoria Cassano McDonald, Elsbeth Gerritsen, Barnabás Hegyi
Ripieno tenor

Robert Buckland, João Moreira
Ripieno bass

Jelle Draijer, Lionel Meunier
Violin 1

Shunske Sato, Anneke van Haaften, Annelies van der Vegt
Violin 2

Sayuri Yamagata, Paulien Kostense, Lidewij van der Voort
Viola

Staas Swierstra, Esther van der Eijk
Cello

Lucia Swarts, Richte van der Meer
Double bass

Maggie Urquhart
Oboe

Frank de Bruine, Peter Frankenberg
Bassoon

Benny Aghassi
Horn

Erwin Wieringa
Harpsichord

Siebe Henstra
Positive organ

Pieter-Jan Belder
Church organ

Leo van Doeselaar
Organ registration

Paul Meerwijk
Concert production

Marco Meijdam, Imke Deters
Producer

Frank van der Weij
Film director

Lucas van Woerkum
Director of photography

Sal Kroonenberg
Camera

Sal Kroonenberg, Jorrit Garretsen, Robert Berger, Benjamin Sparschuh
Film editors

Lucas van Woerkum & Frank van der Weij
Music recording producer

Leo de Klerk
Gaffer

Alban Riphagen
Production assistant

Zoë de Wilde
Score reader

Jan Van den Bossche
Make up

Marloes Bovenlander, Jamila el Bouch
Camera assistant

Chris Tjong Ayong
Music producer's assistant

Menno van Delft
Music recording assistants

Jaap van Stenis, Jaap Firet, Bobby Verbakel, Luuk Hoogstraten
Music edit and mix

Leo de Klerk, Frank van der Weij
Music edit & mix asssistant

Martijn Snoeren
Colorist

Ruud de Bruijn
Interviews

Onno van Ameijde
Acknowledgements

Nienke Meuleman

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