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moreKay Johannsen
Sei Lob und Ehr dem höchsten Gut BWV 117
(All glory to the Lord of Lords)
My favorite cantata? I have many, and during the course of our ten-year “Bach:vokal” cycle others are constantly being added. I have happy memories of the very first Bach cantata which I performed as a teenager: Sei Lob und Ehr dem höchsten Gut. I was particularly fascinated by the alto aria “Ich will dich all mein Leben lang, O Gott von nun an ehren”. Here, Bach wrote an absolutely beguiling aria theme in a gentle, lilting D major in triplet 3/4 meter. He has the flutes float over the strings – what magic! In style, this aria is related to the opening chorus with its cheerful, lively 6/8 meter. This is also a straightforward movement, but is effectively structured with agile sixteenth-note writing over long passages in the cellos and a cantus firmus high in the texture for the soprano, shining above everything in the simply-scored chorale setting. In the tenor aria with two oboes d’amore, and also the bass aria with violin, lyrical rather than virtuoso writing comes to the fore. And so this chorale cantata based on a song of praise which is still frequently sung today, can serve as a beautiful introduction to Bach’s cantatas, many of which are still too little known.
Photo: © Christian Hass