Oregon Bach Festival Discovery Series BWV 19 Es erhub sich ein Streit 2005 Yesterday we discussed one of the cantatas that Bach wrote for the Feast of St. Michael. If you remember, the theme of this feast day is St. Michael s struggle and victory over the Dragon. The opening chorus in yesterday s cantata celebrated the victory that Michael had won, and the fight itself came only in the second movement. But today s cantata, BWV 19 Es erhub sich ein Streit [There arose a great fight], also written for the Feast of St. Michael, begins immediately with the battle. There is no orchestral introduction, but the basses of the chorus and orchestra start right away. Es erhub sich [There arose] is Bach s cue for a motive that jumps up an octave and then starts fighting. One after the other, the entire chorus and orchestra will enter, ending with the trumpets and the timpani. 1
During these opening measures the fight gets more intense. The chorus continues with the fighting motive, the trumpets and timpani have jabbing chords, and finally the first trumpet plays the fighting motive of the chorus. 2
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So far we know only that there is a fight, but who are the opponents? First the Dragon is identified Die rasende Schlange [The raging serpent]. He storms against Heaven with furious vengeance. And if you look at the printed parts, you can see the writhing dragon going up and down. It is music that one can see as well as hear. 5
So the Dragon is one opponent. The other one, of course, is St. Michael. Bach gives him a completely different rhythm, one that is very light and lilting. This goes with the text Aber Michael bezwingt [But Michael wins the day]. The timpani delivers the final blow to the Dragon. 6
In the following section one hears the howling of the defeated Dragon. 7
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The following recitative praises God for the Dragon s defeat. The bass describes the Dragon being struck down and lying in the gloom of darkness. At that point the continuo instruments and the soloist go down to very low range. And there he lies. In the second part of the recitative, Bach makes a transition from this dramatic scene to the angel aria that will follow. The text says Wir stehen sicher und gewiß [We stand secure and certain]. Even if the roar of the Dragon makes us afraid, the angels will protect us. 9
Perhaps you remember that the third movement of yesterday s cantata was an angel aria. Then, as now in this aria, the omnipresence of the angels is the topic. The instrumentation is two oboes d amore, bassoon, and organ. 10
The delightful melody includes a floating rhythm that depicts the angels. It is first in the oboe. Then in the bassoon. This rhythm will always be present, just as the angels are always around us. The soprano soloist enters with the same motive heard earlier in the oboes. Later on she says that whether we are standing or moving, we are at peace because of the angels protection. Bach, of course, musically depicts the words stehen [standing] and gehen [going] with long held notes and moving figurations. 11
In the next movement, another recitative, the topic changes. The text says Was ist ser schnöde Mensch, das Erdenkind? [What is the child of earth?]. And then in a very Baroque way we get the answer, Ein Wurm, ein armer Sünder [A worm, a wretched sinner]. Bach uses dissonant harmonies for this beginning. What is surprising is his use of the strings to accompany this recitative. 12
The following measures speak of the angels, who now come to protect and help the poor sinner. The text describes the seraphim and the whole order of the angels. And now it becomes apparent why Bach uses the strings to accompany this recitative. They are the glow of the angels sent from heaven. 13
The topic of angels continues in the next movement for tenor and strings. It is a dance that depicts floating angels. At first glance, it seems to be simply beautiful music, with a relaxed, ongoing rhythm. But there are subtle depictions of the upcoming text. The motive begins with a long note, which corresponds to the text Bleibt, ihr Engel [Stay, ye angels]. And later the text will say Führet mich auf beiden Seiten [Lead me on both sides]. Bach has the continuo instruments begin the dotted rhythm on the first beat before the violins and viola take it up on the second beat. The motive is on both sides, bottom and top. 14
Bach has already conveyed the meaning of the aria, without one word of text. Now the tenor begins Bleibt, ihr Engel, bleibt bei mir! But this is not yet all, because now the trumpet plays a chorale Ach Herr, laß dein lieb Engelein [Lord, at my end let Thy dear angels carry my soul to Abraham], a chorale that would have been 15
recognized by the congregation. With its inclusion in the aria, the trumpet announces that the angels are present. One can also hear the angelic rhythms in the tenor that were first depicted by the oboes and soprano soloist in the earlier aria. This will be a long piece as the chorale has many staves. The structure will remain the same: the tenor sings the melody, the orchestra accompanies with the ongoing angelic rhythm, and the trumpet plays the chorale. Later the text is Aber lernt mich auch allhier euer großes Heilig singen und dem Höchsten Dank zu singen! [Teach me how to sing 16
your great Holy, and the highest thanks to sing!]. This is a reference to Isaiah s vision of two Seraphim singing "Holy, holy, holy Lord God of hosts; heaven and earth are full of Thy glory." When the tenor sings Dank, he has four measures of coloratura with a fast ongoing rhythm. Heilig [holy] will never cease to sound. 17
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After this central piece of the cantata there is another recitative for the soprano before we come to the final chorale Laß dein Engel mit mir fahren auf Elias Wagen rot [Let Thine angels go with me as you did with Elijah on the red chariot]. This is a reference to the Old Testament story of Elijah going to heaven in the fiery chariot. It is followed by another Biblical reference to the story of Lazarus und mein Seele wohl bewahren, wie Lazrum nach seinem Tod [and take my soul as you did when Lazarus died]. It is interesting to see how often Bach references other Biblical stories in the texts of his cantatas. By doing that, he is subtly saying that truth rests in the Scriptures. This finale chorale is made festive by the brilliance of the trumpets and the timpani. But in addition to making the chorale more bright and intense, they are a reminder of the brilliant opening chorus that describes the battle of St. Michael and the Dragon. 19
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The final two staves of the chorale speak of the resurrection bis der Leib kommt aus der Erde [till my body rises from earth]. This is also a connection to the opening chorus, because the victory of St. Michael over the Dragon represents the victory of Christ over death, the victory of the resurrection. 21
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