Trinitatus
A little more Bach!! Some background info on this piece and project (for those interested):
A cantata is a group of pieces written for voices and instruments lasting about 30-40 minutes. Cantatas were an important form during the baroque era, as they were an important aspect of Lutheran liturgy during that period. Bach wrote both secular and sacred cantatas, but he is best known for his sacred cantatas written for church services.
Sacred cantatas were performed during worship services, and incorporated chorales that would be familiar to the congregation, along with solo arias that were intended to musically illustrate aspects of the scripture text. Church musicians in larger cities were expected to write them for various occasions during the year. Bach was exceptionally prolific in this regard, writing more than 200 cantatas by the time he died.
This particular cantata is titled “O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort, ” which translates to “Oh eternity, you word of thunder.” The overall message of this cantata is that eternity is a very long time, so you’d better wake up and be sure about where you are going to spend it.
Bach wrote this cantata in Leipzig, and it was first performed on June 11, 1724, for the first Sunday after Trinity. This period in the church year was traditionally dedicated to reflection on the essence of God; classes and sermons focused on aspects of who and what God is.
The piece featured in this video, “Gott ist gerecht,” is a typical baroque Da Capo aria using ABA form. The text considers how the righteousness and justice of God plug into the concept of eternity. It begins and ends with the a positive affirmation from Psalm 145 that God is just in his dealings with us, the "up side," in Bb Major.
Then in the B section comes a warning, in d minor; the justice of God demands a reckoning for sin. Our sins in this brief life have potentially eternal consequences. The time is short, and it is later than you think. Death could come at any time—so consider where you stand. The steady, staccato figures in the accompaniment are a bit like a ticking clock.
While this aria carries a heavy message, the cantata ends with positive note, reminding us that Christ’s sacrifice has earned an eternity in paradise for those who accept the gift of His salvation.
Bach wrote many gorgeous pieces like this into his choral works, and I have always loved them. The oboe parts are a lot of fun--apart from Bach’s propensity to forget that wind players still need to breathe from time to time! I used reeds with a slightly wider profile in an effort to get closer to the sound of a baroque-era instrument. It was also fun to practice reading figured bass on the continuo part.
I used iMovie to put this project together, which was somewhat of a painful experience, but I learned a lot. The worst part was realizing that in the absence of another bass in our household, I would have to sing--and I am by no means a vocalist. So, I’d like to throw out a challenge to my Baritone/Bass friends out there: if you’d like to take a shot at this aria, you are welcome to take my place. Drop me a message and I’ll send you some music via PDF (public domain). If someone sends me back an audio or video file, I’ll edit it into the video.
Fun fact: you can catch a glimpse of our cat Atlas in this video, about 35 seconds in. 🙂
Aria “Gott ist gerecht” from Kantate “Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort” BWV20. Dr. Reese plays/sings all parts.
