Bach Cantata Notes
BWV 31
Bach Cantata BWV 31 is a work from Bach's first great maturity. Written
in 1716 in Weimar, it is one of the most majestic of the Weimar cantatas.
It opens with a brilliant, energetic sinfonia, setting the stage for
a wonderful, vibrant chorus. As is typical of Bach after the outgoing
opening, the work goes inward. The bass recitative and aria have a starkness
in contrast to the chorus. The tenor aria is much warmer and friendlier.
It has a marvelous jaunty tune which curiously only appears in the strings,
the tenor always singing an obbligato. The high point of the cantata
is the heavenly soprano aria: only Bach could lead us to this transcendent,
inward spot on Easter Day. A simple, almost folklike tune in the oboe
is mirrored in the soprano. Against that, all of the strings play the
chorale "Wenn mein Stündlein vorhanden ist" which
is then sung in a rich, five-voice setting to bring the cantata to a
quiet close.
©Craig Smith