Bach’s mini Hercules opera
Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen (Let us watch him, let us guard him) BWV 213
There’s a lot to discover when you start exploring the origins of the famous parodies of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. We all know the text of the opening chorus to the piece written to celebrate the birthday (in December 1733) of the Saxon Electoress Maria Josepha, which explains the timpani blasts that open 1734 the Christmas Oratorio: Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten (Sound, all ye drums now! Resound, all ye trumpets). And every year we comprehend Bach’s stroke of genius in this opening, here entirely detached from the rather mundane connection to the original text. Recently published by Carus is the second important “quarry” for the Christmas Oratorio: the cantata Lasst uns sorgen, lasst uns wachen. Herkules auf dem Scheidewege (Let us watch him, let us guard him. Hercules at the Crossroads) BWV 213. By the way, the title comes from the printed title; Bach only wrote “Dramma per musica” – a not uncommon name for an opera at this time).
Unlike Tönet, ihr Pauken (BWV 214), the cantata is not only an homage but relates the well-known tale of the young Hercules who, reaching a fork in the road, has to choose between the temptations of Vice and the promises of Virtue – and, naturally, chooses the latter. Many pictorial representations of this mythological story have been preserved. It has also served as an opera seria (Alcide al bivio, opera libretto by Metastasio, set to music by Hasse and Paisiello, among others). The middle section of Bach’s cantata can be viewed as a mini-Baroque opera, in which – as you might expect – Virtue and Vice make an appearance alongside Hercules. Finally, Mercury announces Hercules’s choice. The Echo (Aria “Flößt, mein Heiland, flößt dein Namen”) familiar from the Christmas Oratorio also turns up here to advise the hero in his difficult decision. The actual occasion of the performance – the 11th birthday of the Saxon crown prince – is only addressed in the last recitative and the two outer choruses. The youthful Hercules represents the young prince, who, of course, has also long since chosen the path of Virtue.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Let us watch him, let us guard him
Hercules at the crossroads (Dramma per musica)
BWV 213, 1733
Unlike the audience 1733 that gathered at the beginnig of September in Zimmermann’s coffee garden just outside Leipzig’s city walls to enjoy the birthday music (and possibly enjoy a staged performance? We do not know), we can no longer listen to the cantata with an open mind: most of this music is already so familiar to us! And we are always fascinated and dumbfounded to realize just how different these scores so wonderfully suited to the texts of the Christmas Oratorio were in their original form; for example when Hercules rebuffs Vice with “Ich will dich nicht hören, ich will dich nicht wissen” (“I will not reguard thee, but wholy discard thee”. (Christmas oratorio: “Bereite dich Zion mit zärtlichen Trieben” – “Prepare thyself, Zion, with tender emotion”) or declaims “ich will nicht, ich mag nicht” („I will not, I may not“. Christmas Oratorio: “den Schönsten, den Liebsten” – „the Fairest, the Dearest“). There is a great deal to discover in this “mini opera”. Thanks to its timeless plot BWV 213 belongs to the most attractive of Bach’s secular cantatas, which can also be performed perfectly for a choral anniversary. The framing choruses are so powerful that we can even tolerate Bach’s obligatory “blühe, holder Friederich” (“praise thy budding majesty”) at the end.
Dr. Uwe Wolf studied musicology, history, and historical ancillary science at Tübingen and Göttingen. After receiving his doctorate in 1991 he was a research assistant at the Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Institut in Göttingen. From 2004 he worked at the Bach-Archiv Leipzig. There he directed a both research departments, was substantially responsible for the redisigning of the Bach Museum, and he developed the digital Online-Projekt Bach. Since October 2011 he has been the Chief Editor at Carus-Verlag, Stuttgart. He has taught at various universities and also belongs to the editorial boards of several complete editions.
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Christoph Wolff: Bach vocal. Manual
J. S. Bach: The Sacred Vocal Music
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