J.S. Bach & "Cantata 140: Wachet Auf", Oboe Player Music Technology

J.S. Bach

Hear Midi clip of Obliggato Oboe Solo
Intro to Movement 6: Cantata 140

A) This Cantata contains seven movements. They are: 1-Chorus, 2-Recitative, 3-Duet, 4-Chorale, 5-Recitative, 6-Duet, and 7-Chorale.

B) The Chorale Melody for which the Cantata gets it’s name appears only in the first, fourth, and seventh movements. This melody was based on a hymn of Philipp Niccolai with text arranged by a librettist named Picander.

C) Though we will be performing this cantata as one work with seven movements, It wouldn’t have been performed in this fashion in the Lutheran Church. The movements would instead be performed separately throughout the service between scripture, prayer, etc. Each movement would be treated as a separate entity from the others.

D) Bach’s choice of Chorale melody does reflect his understanding for the portion of the church year for which it was written. Wachet Auf was written for the 27^th Sunday after Trinity which is the first week of advent in preparation for the birth of Christ. The story behind the chorale melody is that of the foolish virgins who missed their bridegrooms. The chorale melody Wachet Auf (Sleeper’s Awake!) fits this story into the church year in that it’s saying telling how the bridegrooms were missed but you better be ready when Jesus comes. The celebration of the birth of Christ comes four weeks after this first week of advent.

E) Bach got the Chorale Melody from a hymn by Philipp Nicolai which was originally called Wachet Auf, it wasn’t composed by Luther.

F) We are unable to find an original manuscript of Cantata 140 because it was lost after Bach’s son Wilhelm Friedemann auctioned it off.

i. I don’t find the original recording strange or unsettling. The conductor’s justification for doing an "original" performance is to do complete justification to the score that Bach originally wrote.
ii. I think that the true authenticity is constituted with a small choir and most importantly the original instruments for which the piece was written. The instruments not only had different sound they were made and in most cases played quite differently. The Baroque string instruments were had shorter necks with less pronounced angles, shorter fingerboard, and lighter bass bars. The bridges were also lower and less curved and the strings were lighter in tension which allowed less strain than the modern stringed instruments. All of these things allowed the instruments to sustain three-part chords without force. Being the all knowing Baroque Oboe historian that I am I also feel that this topic is imperative. The Baroque Oboe family was indeed the largest. The Oboes use regulary were 38 in number ranging from the sopranino oboe in Eb (the counterpart to our modern oboe musette used in military bands) to the contrabass sarrusophone in BBBb. There is very little literature around today for most of these and only a select few are even around today: Oboe Musette Eb, Oboe C, Baroque Oboe in Bb(these are popularly coming back into existence, modern pieces are even being written for them) Oboe d’amore A, English Horn F, Baryton Oboe C, Hecklephone(usually C), Tenoroon C(very rare but still around), Bassoon C, and Contrabassoon C. Since just has been served, on with differences in playing. The Baroque oboes were usually drilled with seven hole scale in the key of the instrument and one to three keys, and with a range of about two ocataves. Now, when compared to the modern oboes and their 200 pounds of silver keywork it becomes obvious of one of the performing differences. IT WAS MUCH MORE DIFFICULT!!…especially in a work like Cantata 140 which contains a somewhat technically demanding oboe part. So indeed the Baroque instruments were both made and played very differently from the modern versions.

iii. Though Rifkin’s performance is more accurate for what it was written for; Bach may have had a totally different sound that he wanted. I know for example that the people were constantly trying to make new and better oboes. Makers were continuously striving for a more refined sound and an easier key mechanism (which still hasn’t totally been fixed especially in respect to the lowest member of the Oboe family…the Bassoon with it’s awkward fingering system.) Bach may have envisioned having this piece done with the new instruments once someone finally made them. I don’t think that modern versions with huge choruses and orchestras are doing a disservice to Bach because they didn’t have huge orchestras and choruses then. Maybe if they did that is what Bach would have wanted. The modern version doesn’t sound extremely different other than just mainly having a different timbre and historically accurate performances would be very unpractical for the instrumentalists and probably for the singers as well since Baroque instruments were pitched in A-415. If these performance situations were the case there would be very few performances of this great work.

Sheet Music (Overture File) and Wave File

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