Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid, II

Bach described this cantata as a “Dialogus”, as it presents a dialogue between a soprano and bass voice, which interprets the flight into Egypt and the Massacre of the Innocents as a metaphor for the trials of the Christian soul beset by enemies. Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid (Ah, God, how much heart-suffering) is a relatively mature work first performed in January 1727 but later revised in the mid 1730s when Bach replaced the central aria and added oboes to the opening and closing movements. Following the standard symbolism of Bach’s cantatas, the two voices represent God (bass) and the suffering soul (soprano). The first and last movements are both based around chorales: the soprano intoning the congregational hymn, while the bass offers melodic comfort. Both the soprano aria (from the 1730s) and final duet have concerto-like solo violin parts—recalling Bach’s own E Major Violin Concerto—possibly representing the battle between the soul (violin) and the spiritual foes of the wider world (orchestra). About J.S. Bach’s Cantatas Although Bach seldom used the word, “cantata” has become the accepted term for the multi-movement church pieces and celebratory secular works composed in large numbers by Bach and his contemporaries. Bach himself wrote more cantatas than anything else, mostly during two bursts of creativity between 1713 and 1716 in Weimar, and 1723 and 1729 in Leipzig. Around 200 works survive in a wide range of styles but usually including a chorus, solo arias, linking (speech-like) recitatives and a hymn (chorale). Bach probably completed five annual cycles of church cantatas for regular Sunday worship, festivals and celebrations. Because they were occasional pieces for court and public entertainment, fewer secular cantatas survive, though some were later revised for church use.