J.S. Bach Concerts

Programme:

• Missa Brevis BWV 235

The four short masses Bach wrote in the 1730s are shrouded in mystery. They are written in Latin, which is unusual for Bach, and consist only of a Kyrie and a Gloria. What’s more, Bach compiled these masses almost entirely from material drawn from a small number of sacred cantatas. The Mass in G minor, BWV 235, takes its opening from Cantata 102, while its other two choruses and three arias are taken from Cantatas 187 and 72. Although adjustments had to be made here and there—passages were cut or added, and the key or register adapted—the chorus from Cantata 102 was transferred more or less intact. The three lines of text derived from Jeremiah fit remarkably well with the three-part invocation Kyrie-Christe-Kyrie.

Cantata BWV 138: Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz (Why are you downcast, my heart?)

Bach wrote this cantata for the 15th Sunday after Trinity, which fell on September 5 that year, in 1723. It has the characteristics of a chorale cantata, even though it was written a year before Bach’s annual cycle of chorale cantatas. The melody and words of the chorale, published in Nuremberg in 1561, were once attributed to Hans Sachs, but this seems unlikely. Its theme is close to that of the “Sermon on the Mount.” The instrumental forces include four soloists, a choir, two oboes, two violins, viola and basso continuo.