2015–2016 Series - Concordia Seminary

2015–2016 Series
FEBRUARY 7, 2016
The Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus
at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis
Schedule of Concerts
23rd Season
BACH AT THE SEM – 2015-16
Dr. Maurice Boyer, Music Director
OCTOBER 4, 2015, 3 p.m.
(PENTECOST 19, TRINITY 18)
J.S. Bach: Cantata, BWV 96, Herr Christ, der ein’ge Gottessohn; Duet for soprano & alto,
“Herr, du siehst statt guter Werke,” from BWV 9, Es ist das Heil uns kommen her; Cantata BWV 67,
Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ; Chorus from BWV 148, Bringet dem Herrn Ehre seines Namens
DECEMBER 13, 2015, 3 p.m.
(ADVENT 3)
Hugo Distler: Organ prelude on Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern; BWV 1; Cantata BWV 61,
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland; Cantata BWV 133, Ich freue mich in dir; Cantata BWV 40,
Dazu ist erschienen der Sohn Gottes; Chorus from BWV 1, Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern
FEBRUARY 7, 2016, 3 p.m.
(TRANSFIGURATION)
J.S. Bach: Cantata BWV 127, Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’r Mensch und Gott; Concerto for violin in A
minor, BWV 1041, movement 2; Aria for alto with chorale, “Ich folge dir nach,” from BWV 159,
Sehet! Wir geh’n hinauf gen Jerusalem; Cantata BWV 161, Komm, du süße Todesstunde; Cantata
BWV 23, Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn
MAY 15, 2016, 3 p.m.
(PENTECOST)
J.S. Bach: Cantata BWV 11, Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen; Aria for bass, “Es ist vollbracht,”
from BWV 159, Sehet! Wir geh’n hinauf gen Jerusalem; Organ prelude on Komm, heiliger Geist;
Cantata BWV 34, O ewiges Feuer
We are grateful to the “Friends of Bach at the Sem” for their continuing generosity that makes the
Bach at the Sem series possible.
Special thanks to Wayne Coniglio for supporting Bach at the Sem by donating the archival-only
recording of the program.
Concordia Seminary is privileged to make J.S. Bach’s music available to the St. Louis community
and invites your generous support for these uplifting concerts. If you have not received information
from Bach at the Sem and would like to be placed on the mailing list, please call 314-505-7009.
Cover image – from the autograph score of J.S. Bach’s Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn BWV 23,
which the American Kantorei will perform Feb. 7, 2016.
/BachAtTheSem
@BachAtTheSem
csl.edu/bach
Bach at the Sem
February 7, 2016, 3:00 p.m.
Quinquagesima / Transfiguration
Dr. Maurice Boyer, Music Director
The American Kantorei
Dr. Jeral Becker, Assistant Conductor
In Nomine Jesu
Cantata: Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’r Mensch und Gott, BWV 127 (Lord Jesus Christ, true Man and God)
1. Chorus
2. Tenor Recitative (Scott Kennebeck)
3. Soprano Aria (Lea Herdler)
4. Bass Recitative / Aria (Jeffrey Heyl)
5. Chorale
Johann Sebastian Bach
Instrumental: “Andante” from Concerto for Violin in A minor (Wanda Becker)
Johann Sebastian Bach
Hymn: “Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me”
The assembly stands to sing the hymn provided on Page 11 or in Lutheran Service Book (LSB) 683.
(The choir sings verse 3 in a setting by Maurice Boyer.)
Alto Aria / Chorale: “Ich folge dir nach”
Johann Sebastian Bach
from Cantata: Sehet! Wir geh’n hinauf gen Jerusalem, BWV 159 (Stephanie Ruggles)
(See! We are going up to Jerusalem)
Cantata: Komm, du süße Todesstunde, BWV 161
Johann Sebastian Bach
(Come, sweet hour of death)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Alto Aria / Chorale (Katharine Lawton Brown)
Tenor Recitative (Jeral Becker)
Tenor Aria (Jeral Becker)
Alto Recitative (Katharine Lawton Brown)
Chorus
Chorale
Organ Voluntary: Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus
James Marriott
(James Marriott, organist)
The offerings received at this time support the Bach at the Sem concert series.
Cantata: Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn, BWV 23
(You true God and Son of David)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Soprano and Alto Duet (Emily Truckenbrod, Stephanie Ruggles)
Tenor Recitative (Scott Kennebeck)
Chorus (solos: Scott Kennebeck, Jeffrey Heyl)
Chorale
Soli Deo Gloria
Johann Sebastian Bach
Program Notes
“Christe, du Lamm Gottes,
der du trägst die Sünd der Welt,
Gib uns deinen Frieden.”
The opening chorus for this cantata is one of the most
astonishing in all of Bach’s oeuvre. As is typical
for a chorale cantata, the chorale melody is declaimed
in long note values in the soprano over the course of
the movement. Here, additionally, the tune’s first line
is heard in shorter note values, either in the instruments
or the lower three voice parts, in nearly every bar.
The implication is that this “Lord Jesus, true Man
and true God” permeates all things, is the source of
all things. He has entered the “stuff” of humanity to
redeem from within. This is just the first and most
obvious level. Further into the texture and in long note
values, Bach inserts “Christe, du Lamm Gottes,” the
German Agnus Dei, dividing it up line by line among the
upper strings, oboes and flutes.
Quinquagesima – Estomihi
Today is the Feast of the Transfiguration, the last Sunday
before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of
Lent. In Bach’s time however, Transfiguration was not
celebrated, and this day of the liturgical calendar was
called Quinquagesima, meaning “fiftieth” for 50 days
before Easter, or Estomihi after the first words of the
day’s introit, “Esto mihi in Deum protectorum” (Psalm
31: “In You, O Lord, I seek refuge”). It was observed
as a Passion Sunday. Three of today’s cantatas (BWV
127, 159 and 23) were written for this Sunday.
Bach has not finished providing sinews to this movement.
Noted Bach scholar Alfred Dürr has suggested that a
third chorale is repeatedly uttered in the instrumental
bass line. Indeed, the opening line of “O Sacred Head
Now Wounded” is wordlessly stated six times over the
course of the movement. It should be added that this
tune was associated with as many as seven sacred texts
in Bach’s time, but the most logical assumption is that
the aforementioned text is the implied reference.
The Epistle of the day would have been the so-called
“love chapter” from 1 Cor. 13:1-13 and the Gospel
from Luke 18:31-43, the narrative in which Jesus
foretells His death and resurrection (“See, we are
going up to Jerusalem …”) and heals a blind beggar
near Jericho. In the latter portion of the narrative,
the blind man, though sternly rebuked, cries out
twice: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
As will be seen, at the core of today’s concert is the
melody of the German Agnus Dei, “Christe, du Lamm
Gottes,” either clearly stated or wordlessly dissimulated
in the texture.
Thus, in purely musical ways, Bach has painted a richly
layered canvas of the Incarnation: this Lord Jesus
Christ is true Man and true Man, the Lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world and grants peace, and
the One who suffered and died to bring reconciliation.
One might say that this is all very clever and shows
extraordinary compositional skill, but what is always
a source of marvel is that Bach’s craft is never an end
in itself. It serves a greater expressive and theological
purpose and is informed by tremendous human and
spiritual understanding, born of lived life. Bach reveals
this most poignantly in the amoroso and comforting
affect of the movement, one that is underlined in the
use of two recorders in the orchestral palette. It is
radiant and serene. The individual’s plea for mercy is
uttered within Christ’s loving embrace.
Cantata: Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’r Mensch und Gott,
BWV 127
This chorale cantata was composed for Quinquagesima
Sunday 1725 (Feb. 11). It belongs to the 50 some works
that Bach composed from 1724-25. The first and last
verses of Paul Eber’s funeral hymn (“Lord Jesus Christ,
true Man and God”) are heard verbatim in the outer
movements and the six other verses are paraphrased in
the inner movements. As a musical sermon, it focuses
on the first part of the Gospel reading: Jesus’ foretelling
of His death and resurrection.
2
The soprano da capo aria in C minor is one of Bach’s
most stirring and poignant evocations of the individual
confronted with his or her own mortality. The oboe line,
unfolding imitatively with and in the same range as the
soprano, would seem to represent Christ holding the
individual — “my soul rests in the hands of Jesus” — or,
as the preceding recitative states, His standing alongside,
accompanying the individual “on this hard way.”
The aria’s instrumental introduction may well represent
Jesus’ own solitary and arduous walk through suffering
to death. He has preceded the individual along this
path. The choice of the soprano voice is not accidental,
as it is invariably the vocal part that embodies innocence
and vulnerability.
earth and heaven. The seamless recitative/aria for
bass is a startling construction: a dramatic recitative
leading to a no-less dramatic aria. The latter alternates
between comforting lyricism quoting the chorale tune
and thunderous evocations of destruction. The whole
is couched in C major and the expressive core is
triumphant and exultant.
The A section’s expressive chromaticism, seamless
minor-major shifts and, by turns, keening and sweet
suspensions all serve to capture the dual effects of the
aria: rest and longing. The spare accompaniment is
remarkably still with two recorders pulsating eighth
notes and continuo playing pizzicato, both as if to mark
the ticking of a clock. The chromatic oboe and soprano
lines bespeak longing.
This cantata’s composition date remains unclear,
but Quinquagesima Sunday 1729 (Feb. 27) has been
offered as a possibility. The piece thus succeeds the
first two versions of the St. John Passion and probably
also the first performance of the St. Matthew Passion,
which is likely to have occurred on Good Friday 1727.
A performance in 1729 (April 15) is attested. Thus, the
cantata and the Passion would have been heard by the
St. Thomas Church congregants within a span of 50
days in 1729.
Returning to the work’s eponymous chorale, the cantata
draws to a close in a prayer for forgiveness, patience
and abiding trust in God’s Word.
Aria with Chorale: from Sehet! Wir geh’n hinauf gen
Jerusalem, BWV 159
Out of nowhere, violins and violas enter in the third
bar of the B section at the word “glokken” (bells).
Also playing pizzicato, but in faster note values, they
very clearly depict the tolling of the death knells.
At this juncture, the music also slides downward
harmonically to the warm key of A-flat major. The
expressive tenor is anything but anguished, as these
bells signal release, quiet joy. After a mere four and
a half bars, the harmony veers to a dissonant chord
(a diminished seventh chord), and all but the oboe
cease. Time stops. The oboe alone is left suspended
over silence, sustaining a single pitch (E flat). Its
consequent ascending flourish, cadenza-like, marks
a return to the opening’s minor mode and chromatic
melodic lines. The individual has been awakened from
the dream of death and led by Christ (the oboe) back to
the human sphere of longing.
BWV 159 opens with the bass as Vox Christi speaking
the words of Jesus from the Gospel of the day over a
walking bass line: “See, we are going up to Jerusalem.”
Follows then the present alto aria with chorale: the
disciple’s pledge to follow Jesus even to the cross and,
in a stirring image, become His grave once He has expired.
As ever, Bach startles with his remarkable psychological
and spiritual insight. A surface reading of the libretto
might have suggested a slow tempo, a dark minor mode
tonality and anguished chromaticism, possibly with a
plangently sinuous obbligato line — in visual terms, think
Matthias Grünewald’s “Isenheim Altarpiece.” Instead,
Bach chooses a major key, strips the texture down to
continuo alone with a soprano (doubled by an oboe)
singing verse 6 of the Passion chorale “O Sacred Head
now Wounded,” and casts the whole in the tender lilt
of a triple meter. It almost has the feel of a lullaby. The
poetic text is impassioned but also stark. The chorale, in
Instantly, the scene changes to Judgment Day. The last
trumpet sounds over a bluster of descending chords
in the strings depicting the shattering and falling of
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semantic counterpoint, is a comforting and calming inner
voice. The vivid scene is softened by the chorale’s pietàlike image of enfolding the pale body of the deceased.
one’s final awakening by Christ. Paul’s letter to the
Philippians (1:21, 23) most directly uses such vocabulary:
“For me, living is Christ and dying is gain. … My
desire is to depart and be with Christ.” Bach calls
upon the recorders’ delicate sound to color the opening
movement and indeed the whole work with vulnerability,
innocence and sweetness. Death in Christ is freedom.
One is reminded of a similar image near the very end of
the St. Matthew in which the bass sings lovingly: “Make
yourself pure, my heart. I want to entomb Jesus myself.”
The Christian takes the death of Christ into himself or
herself so that His resurrected life might flow forth from
within — a startling recasting of Paul’s notion of being
formed into Christ.
Returning to the chorale melody, Alfred Dürr has
suggested that it motivically governs much of the
thematic material. Embellished versions are visible
on the page and audible, though perhaps not
immediately, in the alto and tenor arias as well as the
chorus. If this observation obtains, then the longing at
the heart of the chorale and the libretto also permeates
the very musical fabric of the work, suffusing it with
the desire for release and union with Christ in heaven.
Cantata: Komm, du süße Todesstunde, BWV 161
BWV 161 originated in Weimar and was first performed
in all likelihood on the 16th Sunday after Trinity 1716
(Sept. 27), for which the Gospel would have been
the story of Jesus’ raising of the widow’s son at Nain
(Luke 7:11-17). Bach later reused the piece in Leipzig,
apparently in a revised form. However, given the
absence of original sources, it is impossible to trace the
extent of such revisions or even to know whether they
are by Bach himself.
The tenor recitative begins secco (with only cello and
organ). Chromaticism serves to highlight the hateful
wiles of “this world.” A short arioso in the pure key of
C major expresses the joy of “pasturing” with Christ
before the cello returns to the opening’s chromaticism
to close the recitative with a sighing motive. The
aria, full of suspensions by turns plaintive and sweet,
affectingly depicts the protean nature of longing.
The same chorale melody as was just heard in BWV
159 is found at the end of BWV 161. Here it is given
a different text (one of several with which the tune was
associated). In effect, the closing chorale is verse 4 of
“Herzlich tut mich verlangen.” Since the same melody
is heard in the organ in the opening movement, one can
infer that Bach intends to call to the listener’s mind the
first verse of the same hymn. It indeed accords well with
the aria’s text:
The alto accompagnato recitative is arrestingly beautiful
and poignant in its portrayal of the individual’s calmly
welcoming death as a resting in Jesus’ arms. Vivid
text-painting in every phrase enfleshes the narrative. A
simple descending line depicts dying. The embrace in
Jesus’ arms is captured in the alto’s being both wrapped
in a multi-voice canon with bass and recorders and also
enfolded in the gentle sustaining of the upper strings.
The accompaniment is pared down to mere chords to
depict the “cool tomb” and becomes animated again
with swift ascending lines for “awakens me.” One can
almost see Jesus lifting up the individual by the hand.
To highlight the sweetness of the “pastures of life,”
Bach turns for those words alone to the gentleness of
triplets. To evoke the breaking forth of the “joyous day
of death,” he resorts to broken chords and repeated pitches.
With strings pizzicato and the first recorder playing
repeated notes, he conjures the striking of the last hour.
The succeeding chorus, in a gently lilting 3/8 meter,
My heart is filled with longing
For a blessed end,
For I am here surrounded
By tribulation and misery.
I have a desire to depart
From this wicked world;
I yearn for heavenly joys:
O Jesus, do come soon!
For the cantata’s librettist (Salomo Franck), the story
of Jesus’ raising of the widow’s son is an opportunity
to reflect upon the longing for death as anticipation of
4
is devoid of anguish — quiet acquiescence to God’s
will. Recorders, mainly in sweet-sounding thirds, play
four strands of material: gentle 16th notes, swift and
airy 32nd notes, 16th note broken chords, as well as the
choral head motive. The first pattern is built on continuous
anticipations representing the Christian’s joyful
anticipation of release from the “burden of the body.”
sounding thirds and sixths. The twining of ornate
and beautiful long-breathed lines in a rich harmonic
vocabulary creates a stirringly expressive vision of
the plea for mercy. In the libretto, the plea for mercy
and consolation is addressed to the “true Man and
Son of David.” Through strictly musical means, Bach
affirms that He is the Christ, the second Person of
the Trinity. The threefold symbolism is unmistakable:
a trio of instruments interacting canonically or in
thirds and much of the time in triplets. Through such
compositional thoughtfulness and care, Bach seems to
say that prayer for mercy is also an offering of the best
of ourselves: “a fragrant offering” (Eph. 5:2).
This sentiment is heightened, and likewise release
embodied, in the second pattern’s fleet twirling.
The third pattern is remindful of the alto recitative’s
“breaking of the joyous day of days.” The head motive
bespeaks rest. The concentration of Bach’s vocabulary
is astonishing, but the craft always recedes behind the
expressive dimension.
The succeeding recitative paraphrases the Gospel of the
day about the blind man by the roadside asking Jesus
to have mercy on him. Expanding upon the narrative,
it makes allusion to two other biblical passages: Jesus’
stating that “those who are well have no need of a
physician, but those who are sick” (Luke 5:31) and
Jacob’s wrestling with “a man” (God) and not letting
go until he receives a blessing (Gen. 32:27). That Bach
chooses to set the text as an accompagnato recitative
rather than a secco recitative is significant. The string
accompaniment lends an enveloping quality, as if to
signify Christ’s embracing presence. A salient detail
worth noting is that the first violins and oboes join to
play “Christe, du Lamm Gottes” above the solo voice.
Since the tune is uttered in long note values over a
typically active recitative line, it may go unnoticed.
Bach sets the libretto’s final two lines — “I master
myself and do not let You go without Your blessing”
— with tremendous care. Indeed, the beauty of the
aforementioned layering, coupled with the overall dulcet
expressiveness of the recitative, reveals that the tenacity
of the man demanding is embraced in God’s having
granted the believer the longed-for blessing.
As mentioned above, the fourth verse of “Herzlich tut
mich verlangen” draws the cantata to a close. Over a simple
four-part harmonization of the chorale, the recorders
play an obbligato line. Independently unspooling high
above the chorale texture, it seems to depict in the here
and now, proleptically, the “beautifully transfigured”
body, now freed, living in “heavenly joy and delight.”
Cantata: Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn, BWV 23
It was on Feb. 7, 1723 — exactly 293 years ago today
— that Bach performed this cantata as part of his
“audition” for the position of Cantor at the St. Thomas
Church in Leipzig. It was the second of two cantatas
composed for the occasion, BWV 22 “Jesus took unto
Himself the Twelve” being the other. The outcome
of this performance would change the course of the
composer’s life but also unquestionably that of music
history. It would be during the next 27 years in Leipzig
that Bach would write some of the greatest works of
the Western canon, among which figure the St. John
Passion, the St. Matthew Passion and the B minor Mass,
not to mention the rich corpus of cantatas.
In the original version of the cantata, the tenor recitative,
with its complete wordless statement of the Agnus Dei,
would fittingly have been at the center of the work.
The tenor and bass soloists of the succeeding chorus
would thus, in a way, have answered the soprano and
alto of the first movement. The present movement
follows essentially the pattern of an elaborate rondeau
(AABAB’ACAC’AA), in which the chorus sings only
Rather than opening with a choral movement, BWV
23 begins intimately with a duet for soprano and alto
joined by a pair of oboes and continuo. Bach weaves
a rich five-part contrapuntal texture in which two
groups — an instrumental trio and a vocal duo — each
unfold imitatively (most often in canon) and in sweet5
the A sections: “All eyes wait, Lord, almighty God,
upon You.” These words from Ps. 145:15 function as
a refrain, and their sevenfold recurrence embodies the
universality of the statement.
At a deeper level, the beginning of each A section
contains a wordless statement of the first line of
“Christe, du Lamm Gottes.” It is heard seven times: four
in the bass and once in each of the other parts (B/B, B,
S, A, T/B). Bach hereby reveals in purely sonic form
that the subject and object of “waiting upon the Lord”
is Christ, the Lamb of God. He is the “answer” to the
waiting. He is present even in the midst of that waiting.
As mentioned, the original work would have ended here.
In a later revival, sometime in the 1740s, Bach added
the present extraordinary setting of “Christe, du Lamm
Gottes,” which had been composed two years after the
first performance of BWV 23 for the second version of
the St. John Passion in 1725. There, replacing the final
chorale, it followed “Ruht wohl.” Bipartite in structure,
the movement begins slowly and plaintively (adagio
and G minor) with motives evocative of longing in the
strings and sighing in the recorders. With a modulation
to the relative major (B-flat) and a shift to a faster pace
(andante), Bach translates such longing and pleading
into joy and comfort. The closing “Amen” flows forth
from mercy and peace having been granted to rest in the
lustral key of C major.
In these cantatas, Bach has taken us into the heart
of the Passion of Christ, where the love of God meets
the solitary individual. Vulnerability and generosity
have been brought together, offering music of deep
longing and ultimately tremendous consolation and
abiding joy in the fathomless mercy of God as made
manifest in Christ.
Maurice Boyer
6
Text and Translation
Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’r Mensch und Gott, BWV 127
Lord Jesus Christ, true Man and God – J.S. Bach
Ach ruft mich bald, ihr Sterbeglocken,
Ah, call me soon, you funereal bells;
Ich bin zum Sterben unerschrocken,
I am not terrified to die,
Weil mich mein Jesus wieder weckt.
since my Jesus will awaken me again.
1. Chorus (S A T B)
Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’r Mensch und Gott,
Lord Jesus Christ, true Man and God,
Der du littst Marter, Angst und Spott,
You who suffered torture, anguish and derision,
Für mich am Kreuz auch endlich starbst
who finally died for me on the cross
Und mir deins Vaters Huld erwarbst,
and gained for me grace from Your Father,
Ich bitt durchs bittre Leiden dein:
I beg You, through Your bitter suffering:
Du wollst mir Sünder gnädig sein.
You would be gracious to me, a sinner.
4. Recitative / Aria (Bass)
Wenn einstens die Posaunen schallen,
When one day the trumpets sound
Und wenn der Bau der Welt
and when the whole fabric of the earth,
Nebst denen Himmelsfesten
as well as the firmament of heaven,
Zerschmettert wird zerfallen,
shatters and falls,
So denke mein, mein Gott, im besten;
then think kindly of me, my God.
Wenn sich dein Knecht einst vors Gerichte stellt,
When Your servant stands before Your judgment,
Da die Gedanken sich verklagen,
when my thoughts accuse me,
So wollest du allein,
then may You alone be willing
O Jesu, mein Fürsprecher sein
to be my spokesman
Und meiner Seele tröstlich sagen:
and say consolingly to my soul:
Fürwahr, fürwahr, euch sage ich:
“Truly, truly, I say to you:
Wenn Himmel und Erde im Feuer vergehen,
Even if heaven and earth perish in fire,
So soll doch ein Gläubiger ewig bestehen.
he who believes shall endure forever.
Er wird nicht kommen ins Gericht
He will not come to judgment,
Und den Tod ewig schmecken nicht.
and he will not taste death forever.
Nur halte dich, mein Kind, an mich:
Only cling to Me, My child;
Ich breche mit starker und helfender Hand
I break, with strong and helping hand,
Des Todes gewaltig geschlossenes Band.
the strongly knotted bonds of death.”
2. (Recitative) Tenor
Wenn alles sich zur letzten Zeit entsetzet,
When everyone is terrified of the last time,
Und wenn ein kalter Todesschweiß
and when a cold, deathly sweat
Die schon erstarrten Glieder netzet,
bathes the limbs that are already stiff,
Wenn meine Zunge nichts, als nur durch Seufzer spricht
when my tongue says nothing but can only sigh
Und dieses Herze bricht:
and this heart breaks:
Genug, dass da der Glaube weiß,
it is enough, that then faith knows
Dass Jesus bei mir steht,
that Jesus stands by me,
Der mit Geduld zu seinem Leiden geht
who goes with patience to His suffering
Und diesen schweren Weg auch mich geleitet
and also accompanies me on this hard way
Und mir die Ruhe zubereitet.
and prepares peace for me.
3. Aria (Soprano)
Die Seele ruht in Jesu Händen,
My soul rests in the hands of Jesus,
Wenn Erde diesen Leib bedeckt.
though earth covers this body.
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5. Chorale (S A T B)
Ach, Herr, vergib all unsre Schuld,
Lord, pardon all our guilt;
Hilf, daß wir warten mit Geduld,
help us to wait with patience
Bis unser Stündlein kömmt herbei,
until it is time for the hour of our death.
Auch unser Glaub stets wacker sei,
May our faith also always be brave
Dein’m Wort zu trauen festiglich,
to trust firmly in Your Word
Bis wir einschlafen seliglich.
until we sleep in blessedness.
Komm, du süße Todesstunde, BWV 161
Come, sweet hour of death – J.S. Bach
1. Aria / Chorale (Alto)
Komm, du süße Todesstunde,
Come, sweet hour of death,
Da mein Geist Honig speist
when my spirit feeds on honey
Aus des Löwen Munde;
from the lion’s mouth.
Mache meinen Abschied süße,
Make my departure sweet;
Säume nicht, letztes Licht
do not delay, last light,
Dass ich meinen Heiland küsse.
so that I may kiss my Savior.
Sehet! Wir geh’n hinauf gen Jerusalem, BWV 159
See! We are going up to Jerusalem – J.S. Bach
2. Aria (Alto) /
Chorale (Soprano)
Ich folge dir nach
I follow after You
Ich will hier bei dir stehen,
I shall stay here with you;
Durch Speichel und Schmach;
through spitting and insult;
Verachte mich doch nicht!
do not despise Me!
Am Kreuz will ich dich noch umfangen,
I shall still embrace You on the cross,
Von dir will ich nicht gehen,
I shall not leave you,
Bis dir dein Herze bricht.
even as your heart breaks.
Dich lass ich nicht aus meiner Brust,
I shall not let You go from my breast,
Wenn dein Haupt wird erblassen
When your head grows pale
Im letzten Todesstoß,
at the last death blow,
Und wenn du endlich scheiden mußt,
and when You must finally depart,
Alsdenn will ich dich fassen,
then I shall embrace you.
Sollst du dein Grab in mir erlangen.
You will find Your grave in me
In meinen Arm und Schoß
in My arms and bosom.
2. Recitative (Tenor)
Welt, deine Lust ist Last,
World, your pleasure is a burden.
Dein Zucker ist mir als ein Gift verhasst,
Your sweetness is as hateful to me as poison.
Dein Freudenlicht ist mein Komete,
Your light of joy is my star of ill omen;
Und wo man deine Rosen bricht,
and where your roses are gathered,
Sind Dornen ohne Zahl
there are thorns beyond counting
Zu meiner Seele Qual.
to cause my soul anguish.
Der blasse Tod ist meine Morgenröte,
Pale death is for me the glow of dawn,
Mit solcher geht mir auf die Sonne
with which arises for me the sun
Der Herrlichkeit und Himmelswonne.
of glory and heavenly delight.
Drum seufz ich recht von Herzensgrunde
Therefore, I truly sigh from the bottom of my heart
Nur nach der letzten Todesstunde.
only for the final hour of death.
Ich habe Lust, bei Christo bald zu weiden,
I desire to pasture soon by Christ.
Ich habe Lust, von dieser Welt zu scheiden.
I desire to depart from this world.
8
3. Aria (Tenor)
Mein Verlangen ist, den Heiland zu umfangen
My longing is to embrace the Savior
Und bei Christo bald zu sein.
and soon to be with Christ.
Ob ich sterblich’ Asch und Erde
Although I, as mortal ashes and earth,
Durch den Tod zermalmet werde,
shall by death be crushed,
Wird der Seele reiner Schein
the pure light of my soul will
Dennoch gleich den Engeln prangen.
then be resplendent like the angels.
5. Chorus (S A T B)
Wenn es meines Gottes Wille,
If it is the will of my God,
Wünsch ich, dass des Leibes Last
I wish that the burden of my body
Heute noch die Erde fülle,
may this day fill the earth [be buried]
Und der Geist, des Leibes Gast,
and that my spirit, the body’s guest,
Mit Unsterblichkeit sich kleide
may be clothed in immortality
In der süßen Himmelsfreude.
in the sweet joy in heaven.
Jesu, komm und nimm mich fort!
Jesus, come take me from here!
Dieses sei mein letztes Wort.
May this be my last word.
4. Recitative (Alto)
Der Schluss ist schon gemacht,
The decision is already made.
Welt, gute Nacht!
World, goodnight!
Und kann ich nur den Trost erwerben,
And I can only gain consolation
In Jesu Armen bald zu sterben:
by dying soon in Jesus’ arms.
Er ist mein sanfter Schlaf.
He is my gentle sleep.
Das kühle Grab wird mich mit Rosen decken,
The cool tomb will cover me with roses
Bis Jesus mich wird auferwecken,
until Jesus awakens me,
Bis er sein Schaf
until He leads His sheep
Führt auf die süße Lebensweide,
to the sweet pastures of life,
Dass mich der Tod von ihm nicht scheide.
since death does not separate me from Him!
So brich herein, du froher Todestag,
Therefore, break forth, joyous day of death;
So schlage doch, du letzter Stundenschlag!
therefore, strike, stroke of the last hour!
6. Chorale (S A T B)
Der Leib zwar in der Erden
The body indeed in the earth
Von Würmen wird verzehrt,
will be eaten by worms,
Doch auferweckt soll werden,
but it will be awakened,
Durch Christum schön verklärt,
transfigured beautifully through Christ.
Wird leuchten als die Sonne
It will shine like the sun
Und leben ohne Not
and live without need
In himml’scher Freud und Wonne.
in the joy and delight of heaven.
Was schadt mir denn der Tod?
What harm then can death do me?
9
Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn, BWV 23
You true God and son of David – J.S. Bach
3. Chorus (S A T B)
Aller Augen warten, Herr,
All eyes wait, Lord,
Du allmächtger Gott, auf dich,
almighty God, upon You,
Und die meinen sonderlich.
and my eyes especially.
Gib denselben Kraft und Licht,
Give them strength and light;
Laß sie nicht
do not leave them
Immerdar in Finsternissen!
forever in darkness!
Künftig soll dein Wink allein
In the future, only a sign from You
Der geliebte Mittelpunkt
shall be the beloved focus
Aller ihrer Werke sein,
of all their work,
Bis du sie einst durch den Tod
until once and for all in death
Wiederum gedenkst zu schließen.
You decide to close them again.
1. Duet Aria (Soprano-Alto)
Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn,
You true God and Son of David,
Der du von Ewigkeit in der Entfernung schon
who already from eternity and from afar
Mein Herzeleid und meine Leibespein
my heartache and bodily pain
Umständlich angesehn, erbarm dich mein!
have seen intimately, have mercy on me!
Und Laß durch deine Wunderhand,
And let Your miraculous hand,
Die so viel Böses abgewandt,
that has turned aside so much evil,
Mir gleichfalls Hilf und Trost geschehen.
act also for me as help and consolation.
2. Recitative (Tenor)
Ach! gehe nicht vorüber;
Ah! do not pass by!
Du, aller Menschen Heil,
You, the salvation of all mankind,
Bist ja erschienen,
have indeed appeared
Die Kranken und nicht die Gesunden zu bedienen.
to serve the sick and not the healthy.
Drum nehm ich ebenfalls an deiner Allmacht teil;
Therefore, I too take my share in Your omnipotence;
Ich sehe dich auf diesen Wegen,
I see You on this road
Worauf man mich hat wollen legen,
where they wanted to let me lie,
Auch in der Blindheit an.
blind as I was.
Ich fasse mich und lasse dich
I master myself and do not let You go
Nicht ohne deinen Segen.
without Your blessing.
4. Chorale (S A T B)
Christe, du Lamm Gottes,
Christ, You Lamb of God,
Der du trägst die Sünd der Welt,
You, who take away the sins of the world.
Erbarm dich unser!
have mercy on us!
Christe, du Lamm Gottes,
Christ, You Lamb of God,
Der du trägst die Sünd der Welt,
You, who take away the sins of the world,
Erbarm dich unser!
have mercy on us!
Christe, du Lamm Gottes,
Christ, You Lamb of God,
Der du trägst die Sünd der Welt,
You, who take away the sins of the world,
Gib uns dein’ Frieden. Amen.
grant us Your peace. Amen.
10
Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me LSB 638
683Jesus,ThyBoundlessLovetoMe
choir
Publicdomain
©OxfordUniversityPress.Usedbypermission:LSBHymnLicense.NET,no.100010935.
11
Dr. Maurice Boyer, Music Director
Dr. Maurice Boyer is associate professor of music at Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, Ill. (CUC), where he
conducts the chamber orchestra and Laudate, a women’s choir, and teaches all levels of ear training. Although born in
the United States, he began his musical training (piano, voice and solfège) in Aix-en-Provence, France, where he lived
until the age of 18.
Boyer earned a Bachelor of Music in sacred music, with piano as his principal instrument, and a Master of Music in
choral conducting at Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, N.J., while he also studied theology
at Princeton Theological Seminary. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in orchestral conducting from the University of
Maryland, College Park. His principal conducting teachers have been Joseph Flummerfelt, Kenneth Kiesler and James Ross.
Boyer also is artistic director of Aestas Consort of Chicago and assistant conductor of the Symphony of Oak Park
River Forest. He has served as guest conductor of the Chicago Choral Artists and guest chorus master for Chicago’s
Music of the Baroque. Additionally, he has been chorus master of the New Jersey State Opera and director of music at
several churches.
12
The American Kantorei
Chorus
Soprano
Emily Truckenbrod, Principal
Kathryn Crumrine
Katherine Gastler
Megan Glass
Brittany Graham
Krista Hartmann
Lea Herdler
Marita Hollander
Camille Marolf
Lynn D. Morrissey
Tenor
Scott Kennebeck, Principal
Jeral Becker, Associate Principal
Greg Gastler
Bill Larson
Ryan Markel
Steve Paquette
Bass
Jeffrey Heyl, Principal
David Berger, Associate Principal
Thomas Jarrett Bolain
Harold Gossard
Gary Lessmann
Greg Upchurch
Kyle Will
Alto
Katharine Lawton Brown, Principal
Stephanie Ruggles, Assistant Principal
Danielle Gines
Mona Hauser
Anna Otterman
Mary Ulm
Kimberly Werner
Amy Will
Lisa Young
Orchestra
Oboes
Ann Homann, Principal
Eileen Burke
Violin I
Wanda Becker, Concertmaster
Cynthia Bowermaster
Christine Sasse
Hannah Frey
Recorders
Willard Cobb
Bruce Carvell
Jim Harris
Violin II
Kaoru Wada, Principal
Marilyn Park Ellington
Margret Heyl
Trumpet
John Korak
Viola
Tova Braitberg, Principal
Stephen Luehrman
Continuo Organ
Melissa Kalbfleisch
Chapel Organ
James Marriott
Cello
Andrew Ruben
Double Bass
Adam Anello
13
Title page from volume 1 (Old Testament) of the Calov Bible commentary from the library of J.S. Bach.
Bach’s monogram signature is at the bottom right corner of the page. (Courtesy of Concordia Seminary Library)
14
WELCOME TO BACH AT THE SEM!
Between Christmas and Easter is today, Transfiguration.
As he (Jesus) was praying, the appearance of his face was
altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold,
two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared
in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to
accomplish at Jerusalem. ... And a voice came out of the cloud,
saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One, listen to him!”
And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
(Luke 9:29-31, 35-36)
This afternoon J.S. Bach brings together the contradictions of divine glory and human suffering. The glorious
Deity that came into our human flesh at Christmas now turns His face to Lent and Good Friday. “Sehet! Wir
geh’n hinauf gen Jerusalem” / See! We are going up to Jerusalem. Christ goes as true God, able to endure
the punishment of sin, but also goes as true Man, our substitute. Transfiguration focuses on Jesus: “Du wahrer
Gott und Davids Sohn” / You true God and Son of David, and “Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’ Mensch und Gott” /
Lord Jesus Christ, true Man and God.
Your faithful attendance at these concerts says “thank you” to Music Director Maurice Boyer and the American
Kantorei for their countless hours, indeed their lives, devoted to the highest music. Your generous financial support is another expression of gratitude. Please speak about this series to your friends and invite them to join us.
Thank you!
May Bach’s words lead us to reflect, again or for the first time, that our own transfiguration to glory will come
only through the cross.
Dale A. Meyer
President
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis
15
Join Us!
A Special Reception with Dr. Maurice Boyer
Music Director for the Bach at the Sem Concert Series
After today’s concert
Korburg Hall
All are welcome!
16
Leonard
Slatkin
RADIO ARTS FOUNDATION presents
2016 GALA
celebrating the music
of j.s. bach since 1955.
STAY UP-TO-DATE WITH
BACH AT THE SEM
BETWEEN CONCERTS
SHARON
ISBIN
Classical
Guitarist and
Grammy Award
winner
@BachAtTheSem
Pianist and Gold
Medal winner in
the Van Cliburn
International
Competition
LEONARD
SLATKIN
Conductor
Laureate of
the St. Louis
Symphony
FREDERICK
ZLOTKIN
CHO-LIANG
LIN
Cellist and
winner of the
Geneva
International
Competition
Violinist and
2-time
Grammy Award
nominee
MARCH 8, 2016 at THE SHELDON CONCERT HALL
5:30 COCKTAILS | 6:30 DINNER | 8:00 CONCERT
bach.csl.edu
/BachAtTheSem
OLGA KERN
& Friends
A CELEBRATION
OF THE SOUND OF ART
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IS MADE POSSIBLE
THROUGH OUR
SPONSORS
PATRONS
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Proceeds for the evening will benefit RAF-STL. A variety of ticket and sponsorship packages are available.
For more information please contact Pam Thomas or Linda Shedlofsky at: 314.881.3523 or visit www.rafstl.org
CATHEDRAL CONCERTS 2015 - 2016 SEASON
Experience Great Music in a Great Space!
Nathan Laube organist
Sunday, Janaury 31, 2016 2:30 PM
Philip Barnes
Welcomed by Rodgers Organs of St. Louis
& The Parkway Hotel
Artistic Director
Polish Baltic Philharmonic
All Tchaikovsky Program
Ernst Van Tiel, Conductor
Monday, February 29, 2016 8:00 PM
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Steinway is the Official Piano of Cathedral Concerts
Bach Society of Saint Louis
2015~2016
Fauré Requiem
Sunday, March 13, 2016 7:30 PM
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Join one of the country’s best a cappella choirs for our 60th season!
Sing A New Song!
Languish With Love
In Every Corner Sing!
All Manner of Gods
Cathedra
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November 8 • 3 pm
April 10 • 3 pm
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560 Music Center
500 S Mason Road • Creve Coeur • 63141 560 Trinity Avenue • U City • 63130
Friday, May 13, 2016 8:00 PM
Christmas – Auf Deutsch!
In Memoriam
Choir of St. John’s College
Cambridge
Andrew Nethsingha, Conductor
Friday, April 8, 2016 8:00 PM
Welcomed by USI
Welcomed by Kopytek, Inc.
Group Rates Available - 314-533-7662
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4431 Lindell Boulevard 63108
September 27 • 3 pm
February 14 • 3 pm
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You Can Bless and Enrich Lives!
Bach’s amazing music continues to bless and enrich lives because people like you have not only appreciated
the music personally, but have made provisions to make it possible for new generations to experience the
highest quality performances of not only his music but also that of other master composers of the Christian
musical heritage. This wonderful music still touches the lives of people of all ages and all beliefs.
“Friends of Bach at the Sem” make it possible for children, students, families and members of the community
to be enriched by the professional, live performances that Bach at the Sem has delivered for 23 uplifting
seasons.
With a full schedule of Sunday concerts featuring the American Kantorei, now is the perfect time for you to
experience the joy of being one of the patrons who make Bach at the Sem possible.
By becoming a “Friend of Bach at the Sem” you will have the satisfaction of enriching others just as you have
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Pledges, checks and credit card donations are welcomed. Please use the envelope provided.
Or, to ask questions or donate by phone, please call 800-822-5287.
Bach at the Sem Sponsorship
“Friends of Bach at the Sem”
Concert Sponsor
Conductor Sponsor
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Board Sponsor $1,000
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For more information about sponsoring Bach at the Sem,
please call 314-505-7009 or email bach@csl.edu.
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