Patterico's Pontifications

2/18/2018

Sunday Music: Bach Cantata BWV 80: “Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott”

Filed under: Bach Cantatas,General,Music — Patterico @ 7:00 am



It is the first Sunday in Lent. The title of today’s cantata is “Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott” (A Mighty Fortress Is Our God). The cantata was written for Reformation Day, but that won’t fall on a Sunday until 2021, and I can’t wait that long to give you one of Bach’s best-loved cantatas. And as we will see, the text relates nicely to today’s Gospel reading — and many congregations will be singing the Martin Luther hymn today that is the basis of the cantata. Listen to Bach’s cantata and rejoice:

The most recognizable iteration of the melody, from Luther’s hymn, is contained in the final chorale at 23:20 of the recording.

Luther is said to have uttered these words: “Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.” These words ring true to me, especially because musical works — Bach’s cantatas in particular — have played a primary role in bringing me back to the church.

Today’s Gospel reading is Mark 1:9-15, and describes Jesus’s 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by Satan:

The Baptism and Testing of Jesus

At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

Jesus Announces the Good News

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Last week’s Gospel reading concerned the Transfiguration of our Lord — another milestone of Jesus’s life, and another one where a voice came from the heavens, proclaiming that Jesus is God’s son. We have already heard verses 9-11 this church year, on the first Sunday after the Epiphany, but now we carry on the story to Jesus’s temptation and the proclamation of good news.

The text of today’s cantata is available here. The theme of fighting Satan is also apparent in this cantata, making this an appropriate cantata for the occasion. The opening chorus speaks of God being a fortress against “the old, evil enemy … and his horrid armaments”:

Our God is a secure fortress,
a good shield and weapon;
He helps us willingly out of all troubles,
that now have encountered us.
The old, evil enemy
is earnestly bent on it,
great strength and much deceit
are his horrid armaments,
there is nothing like him on earth.

A recitative proclaims God’s victory in “the war against Satan’s host”:

Only consider, child of God, that such great love,
which Jesus Himself
with His blood signed over to you,
through which He,
in the war against Satan’s host and against the world and sin,
has won you!
Do not make a place in your soul
for Satan and depravity!

I have given up both alcohol and chips for Lent — a double sacrifice that I’m sure we can all agree is very close to spending 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by Satan! OK, maybe not quite — but close, right?

I’ve been criticized for bringing you only Bach in these Sunday posts. I’m going to continue to present Bach cantatas, but I’ll give you some other music when it relates — and today is a perfect example, because one of my favorite composers, Felix Mendelssohn, used the same Martin Luther hymn as the basis of the fourth movement of his “Reformation Symphony”:

The entire symphony is available there for you to listen to, but I have set it up to begin at the fourth movement, so you can hear the stirring melody used in Bach’s cantata. It begins in the flute, spreads to other woodwinds, and is gradually taken up by the full orchestra. At 27:42, there is a stirring rendition of the theme to close the symphony. The symphony was labeled Mendelssohn’s Fifth, but was actually his second, and is not performed nearly often enough.

If you’re interested in hearing a beautiful performance of Luther’s hymn sung in English, there’s this performance by the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge.

UPDATE: A commmenter explains the meaning of the Arabic letter in the video, as to which I was previously ignorant:

The Arabic letter is a “nun,” for “Nazarene.” ISIS militants spray-painted it on the homes of Christians to mark them for terror and then seizure of their property. Some Westerners have adopted it as a symbol of solidarity.

Gorgeous.

Happy listening!

UPDATE x2: If you don’t have time to listen to anything else, make sure to listen to the duet at 19:12. It is one of the more beautiful passages Bach wrote — and that’s saying something.

[Cross-posted at RedState and The Jury Talks Back.]

20 Responses to “Sunday Music: Bach Cantata BWV 80: “Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott””

  1. The Arabic letter is a “nun,” for “Nazarene.” ISIS militants spray-painted it on the homes of Christians to mark them for terror and then seizure of their property. Some Wwsterners have adopted it as a symbol of solidarity.

    Eliot (32bbca)

  2. Yes it’s in keeping with Luke 9: 18-27, Islam calls Jesus a prophet issa, but that missed the point entirely.

    narciso (52a0a7)

  3. Albert Schweitzer in many ways a wise man, said Jesus was a figment of our world, despite 1900 odd years of evidence.

    narciso (364166)

  4. Welcome home (to the Church)!

    felipe (023cc9)

  5. No one would complain if you did a Bach pos on any of the other days of the week, you know.

    The usually heard version of that Mendelssohn symphony is a revision in which Mendelssohn drastically shortened the opening of the fourth movement. I only know of one recording (Nezet-Seguin) which uses the original version. Which is a shame, because it’s actually better than the revised version. (I think Gardiner uses the standard version, but I’m not home so I can’t really compare it with the N-S recording.)

    kishnevi (bb03e6)

  6. UPDATE x2: If you don’t have time to listen to anything else, make sure to listen to the duet at 19:12. It is one of the more beautiful passages Bach wrote — and that’s saying something.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  7. The usually heard version of that Mendelssohn symphony is a revision in which Mendelssohn drastically shortened the opening of the fourth movement. I only know of one recording (Nezet-Seguin) which uses the original version. Which is a shame, because it’s actually better than the revised version. (I think Gardiner uses the standard version, but I’m not home so I can’t really compare it with the N-S recording.)

    That is a very interesting detail, and I will have to investigate it further.

    The version of Mendelssohn’s symphonies with which I am familiar is the Karajan/Berlin Phil set, which I had on cassette in childhood and was one of my most prized possessions. It kept me company on long family trips in the car. (We would drive from Fort Worth to grandparents’ homes in Henderson, Kentucky; in Anderson, South Carolina; and even to my grandma’s property on Long Island. It helped to have music, since these trips could last for days.)

    Patterico (115b1f)

  8. kishnevi,

    You’re sure you’re referring to the Reformation Symphony and not the Italian? Your comment caused me to run across an account of a different version of the Italian not published until 2001 — which I had never heard anything about before, and which will require further research which will almost certainly be another post at some point.

    I can’t find anything about a different version of the Reformation Symphony so far.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  9. Goes diving into the sea of Google…
    Ah, here we go….
    https://daniels-orchestral.com/felix-mendelssohn/symphony-5-opus-107-d-major-reformation/

    Symphony No.5, op.107, D major (Reformation)
    Specific information available for subscribers.
    Score calls for “contrafagotto e serpente,” (4th mvt only) playing in unison. This suggests the doubling of the cbn part with a modern tuba. However, no separate tuba part is provided in published materials; the part is normally played on contrabassoon.
    The Bärenreiter ed. by Christopher Hogwood includes a 30-bar transition between the 3rd & 4th mvts—a transition that was later deleted by the composer

    That 30 bar cut is what I was referring to.

    kishnevi (bb03e6)

  10. even better, Hogwood himself
    http://www.takte-online.de/en/orchestra/detail/browse/9/artikel/selbstkritisch-bis-zur-destruktion-mendelssohn-im-spiegel-seiner-sinfonischen-werke/index.htm

    With the Reformation Symphony still bigger surprises await; in the process of trying to reduce the work to a length suitable for its celebratory function, he cut out one entire movement preceding the Finale, a passage that expands on the flute cadenza and prepares the arrival of the chorale theme with more engaging musical drama. Here again the modern player and listener should have the option of hearing what the compose originally intended.

    kishnevi (bb03e6)

  11. OK, cool. Have you ever heard about an alternate finale for the Italian? See here. (Affiliate link to a ridiculously overpriced book that I am going to borrow through an interlibrary loan.)

    Patterico (115b1f)

  12. I think the passage kishnevi means is from 21:26 to 23:12 in this performance:

    If you don’t want to scroll, here is the passage isolated, with a few seconds of the standard flute beginning for context.

    Does that seem right, kishnevi?

    Patterico (115b1f)

  13. I learn wonderful things from my commenters. That’s two from this post alone.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  14. Our host wrote:

    The version of Mendelssohn’s symphonies with which I am familiar is the Karajan/Berlin Phil set, which I had on cassette in childhood and was one of my most prized possessions. It kept me company on long family trips in the car. (We would drive from Fort Worth to grandparents’ homes in Henderson, Kentucky; in Anderson, South Carolina; and even to my grandma’s property on Long Island. It helped to have music, since these trips could last for days.)

    Your access to this music came much earlier than mine, but I can relate to all parts of this recollection you’ve shared with us (except for the part about Long Island; did anyone try to inculcate you in New York values there?). Thanks!

    Beldar (fa637a)

  15. Yes, that the one, with the conductor and orchestra of the recording I was talking about. It probably is the actual recording, in fact.

    If you want to hear the original version of the Italian Symphony, Gardiner recorded it. ASIN number for Amazon search is B00000I93Q. Chailly recorded the original version of the Scottish Symphony. ASIN number for that is B002RDZ5QM. [Makes significant gesture to Patterico’s Amazon widget.

    kishnevi (bb03e6)

  16. Your access to this music came much earlier than mine, but I can relate to all parts of this recollection you’ve shared with us (except for the part about Long Island; did anyone try to inculcate you in New York values there?). Thanks!

    I’m interested to know more specifics to know just how closely the details match up. Are we talking long car trips with music, or did you specifically like Mendelssohn, etc.? What level of specificity rings true?

    Patterico (115b1f)

  17. Hey, I didn’t know Burg originally meant fortress!

    Very nice, Patterico.

    nk (dbc370)

  18. Hamburg, Frankfort?

    Ben burn (b3d5ab)

  19. Completely off-topic, but worth a moment of your time:

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/van-t-barfoot-va-medal-of-honor-recipient-who-won-fight-to-fly-flag-in-front-yard-dies-at-92/2012/03/05/gIQARDTdtR_story.html

    Van T. Barfoot, Va. Medal of Honor recipient who won fight to fly flag in front yard, dies at 92

    Retired Army Col. Van T. Barfoot, who received the Medal of Honor during World War II and decades later drew national attention when he fought successfully against his homeowners association to keep a flagpole flying the Stars and Stripes in his front yard, died March 2 at a hospital in Richmond. He was 92.

    He had complications from a fall, said his daughter Margaret Nicholls.

    Col. Barfoot grew up on a Mississippi cotton plantation before enlisting in the Army infantry in 1940. By the end of his career in 1974, he had served in three wars and received the military’s highest award for valor — the Medal of Honor — for leading an assault on German troops during World War II.

    In retirement, he lived a quiet life in rural central Virginia — tending to his vegetable garden, filling his bird feeders and catching catfish in his private pond — before moving to the Richmond suburbs in the summer of 2009.

    Col. Barfoot erected a 21-foot flagpole in his front yard not long after taking up residence in the Sussex Square development in Henrico County.

    Even as a nonagenarian, Col. Barfoot awoke every morning to hoist the American flag. At dusk, he lowered and folded the flag, hugging the triangular bundle to his chest as he walked back inside.

    The community, governed by a homeowners association, had denied Col. Barfoot’s initial request to put the flagpole in his yard, citing rules to maintain curb appeal.

    The homeowners association sent him a letter ordering him to remove the flagpole and threatened to take Col. Barfoot to court to enforce the neighborhood’s rules.

    Col. Barfoot refused, and the resulting news brought support from Democrats and Republicans in the state and beyond.

    From the White House, Obama administration spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters: “The president believes — I think all of us believe — that the very least we can do is show our gratitude and thanks to somebody that served our country so admirably.”

    Pressured by critics, the homeowners association relented in December 2009 and allowed Col. Barfoot to keep his flagpole.

    Van Thurman Barfoot was born June 15, 1919, in Edinburg, Miss. He later changed his name to Van Thomas Barfoot.

    In the Army, Col. Barfoot worked his way up the enlisted ranks before receiving a field commission during World War II.

    Early in the war, he participated in the Army’s invasion of Italy. As his unit moved inland, the soldiers took up defensive positions near Carano.

    On May 23, 1944, Col. Barfoot was ordered to lead an assault on German positions. He went out alone and crawled to within feet of a German bunker.

    According to his Medal of Honor citation, he tossed a grenade inside, killing two Germans and wounding three others. He then moved to another bunker nearby and killed two more German soldiers with his submachine gun while taking three others prisoner. A third machine gun crew, watching Col. Barfoot’s methodical assault, surrendered to him. In all, 17 Germans gave themselves up to Col. Barfoot.

    In retaliation, the Germans organized a counterattack on Col. Barfoot’s position, sending three tanks toward him.

    Col. Barfoot grabbed a bazooka grenade launcher and stood 75 yards in front of the leading tank. His first shot stopped it in its tracks. He then killed three of the German tank crew members who had attempted to escape.

    The other two tanks, witnessing the destruction, abruptly changed directions, moving away from Col. Barfoot. Returning to his platoon, he helped carry two wounded U.S. soldiers almost a mile to safety.

    Commending his “Herculean efforts,” Col. Barfoot’s citation praised his “magnificent valor and aggressive determination in the face of pointblank fire.”

    Col. Barfoot served in the Korean War and later in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot. His other military decorations included the Silver Star; two awards of the Legion of Merit; the Bronze Star; three awards of the Purple Heart; and 11 awards of the Air Medal.

    His wife of 48 years, the former Norma Louise Davis, died in 1992. Survivors include four children, Margaret Nicholls of Richmond, Van T. Barfoot Jr. of Bremerton, Wash., James D. Barfoot of Lake Tapps, Wash., and C. Odell Barfoot of Huntsville, Tex.; a sister; 12 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

    In 2010, Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) signed legislation inspired by Col. Barfoot that prohibited homeowners associations from barring the proper display of the U.S. flag.

    “All my life, from childhood to now, I have been able to fly the flag,” Col. Barfoot said in 2009. “In the time I have left, I plan to continue to fly the American flag without interference.”

    Kevin M (752a26)

  20. During the final gavotte-style aria, a couple of the violinists put down their instruments for a bit and actually danced the gavotte, a fitting closing to one of Bach’s most delightful secular cantatas.

    ninabxl (55c527)


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