O ewiges Feuer, o Ursprung der Liebe, BWV 34a

O ewiges Feuer, o Ursprung der Liebe (O eternal fire, o source of love), BWV 34a, is an incomplete secular cantata composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, of which only the complete libretto and some parts (movements 2, 3 and 6) have survived.

It was composed in Leipzig most likely in 1725 or 1726^[1] as a wedding commission, and performed shortly after its composition.

The texts are anonymous or drawn from the scriptures^[2][3]; specifically, movements 3 and 4 set to music verses 4-6 of Psalm 128, whereas the text of the final chorale is drawn from the biblical Book of Numbers, chapter 6, verses 24-26.

As the choral numbers are lost, it is unknown whether any chorale theme had been used by Bach as inspiration for the writing.

Scoring and structure

The piece is scored for oboes I/II, flauti traversi I/II, timpani (tamburi), trombe in D I/II/III, violins I/II, viola, and basso continuo, along with four vocal soloists (soprano, altus, tenor, bass) and four-part choir. It is planned in seven movements, divided in two parts (four movements are to be performed before the sermon, and the remaining three afterwards):

1. (Coro): "O ewiges Feuer, o Ursprung der Liebe" for choir, trombe, timpani or tamburi, strings, and continuo.
2. Recitativo: "Wie, dass der Liebe hohe Kraft" for bass and continuo.
3. Aria (for tenor) and Recitativo (for altus): "Siehe, also wird gesegnet der Mann, der den Herren fürchtet" for strings and continuo.
4. Coro: "Friede über Israel" for choir, trombe, timpani or tamburi, oboes, strings, and continuo.
5. Aria: "Wohl euch, ihr auserwählten Schafe" for altus, flauti traversi, strings, and continuo.
6. Recitativo: "Das ist vor dich, o ehrenwürdger Mann" for soprano and continuo.
7. Coro: "Gib, höchster Gott, auch hier dem Worte Kraft" for choir, strings, and continuo.

Recordings

• Edition Bachakademie Vol. 140 - Sacred Vocal Works/Magnificat BWV 243a - Sopr.: Sibylla Rubens; Alt.: Anke Vondung; Ten.: Christoph Prégardien; Bass: Michael Volle; Gächinger Kantorei/Bach-Collegium Stuttgart; Helmuth Rilling, conductor. Label: Hänssler

References

1. ^ Richard Stokes. J.S. Bach - The Complete Cantatas in German-English Translation, Long Barn Books/Scarecrow Press, 2000, 381 pages, ISBN 0-8108-3933-4
2. ^ Christoph Wolff (Eds.): Die Welt der Bach-Kantaten, Metzler/Bärenreiter, Stuttgart und Kassel, 3 Bände Sonderausgabe 2006 ISBN 3-476-02127-0
3. ^ C. S. Terry and D. Litti, Bach's Cantata Libretti, Journal of the Royal Musical Association 1917 44(1):71-125; doi:10.1093/jrma/44.1.71

Sources

• Walter F. Bischof, Text and orchestration for BWV 34a, Bach Cantatas, University of Alberta.
• Alfred Dürr: Johann Sebastian Bach: Die Kantaten. Bärenreiter, Kassel 1999, ISBN 3-7618-1476-3
• Alfred Dürr: The Cantatas of J.S. Bach, Oxford University Press, 2006. ISBN 0-19-929776-2
• Werner Neumann: Handbuch der Kantaten J.S.Bachs, 1947, 5th Ed. 1984, ISBN 3-7651-0054-4
• Hans-Joachim Schulze: Die Bach-Kantaten: Einführungen zu sämtlichen Kantaten Johann Sebastian Bachs. Leipzig: Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt; Stuttgart: Carus-Verlag 2006 (Edition Bach-Archiv Leipzig) ISBN 3-374-02390-8 (Evang. Verl.-Anst.), ISBN 3-89948-073-2 (Carus-Verl.)
• Christoph Wolff/Ton Koopman (Eds.): Die Welt der Bach-Kantaten, Metzler/Bärenreiter, Stuttgart und Kassel, 3 Bände Sonderausgabe 2006 ISBN 3-476-02127-0
• Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini. Studi sui testi delle Cantate sacre di J. S. Bach. Università di Padova, pubblicazioni della Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia, vol. XXXI, Padova & Kassel, 1956, xv-291.
• Geoffrey Turner. Singing The Word: The Cantatas of J S Bach. New Blackfriars, volume 87, issue 1008, pages 144-154.
• J. C. J. Day. The texts of Bach's Church cantatas: some observations. German Life and Letters, volume 13 (1960), num. 2, pages 137-144.
• Harald Streck. Die Verskunst in den poetischen Texten zu den Kantaten J. S. Bachs. Dissertation: Universität Hamburg 1971, 214 pages.

External links

• Discussion of the work on bach-cantatas.com