Lift, my soul, the veil of darkness
Cantata for the 20th Sunday after Trinity BWV 180, 1724
The cantata Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele (Lift, my soul, the veil of darkness) for the 20th Sunday after Trinity belongs to the chorale cantatas of Bach’s 1724/25 cycle and was first performed in Leipzig on October 22, 1724. The Gospel reading on which it is based – the parable of the royal wedding feast – shapes the hymn-like, festive character of the entire cantata. Through the selection of Johann Franck’s communion hymn, the wedding feast is equated with the Lord's Supper. The hymn is not only present in the opening chorus and final chorale, as is customary, but also as a continuation of the recitative in movement 3: it transitions seamlessly into an ornate chorale stanza, accompanied by the obligatory violoncello piccolo.
All other movements are characterized by the pastoral sound of flutes and oboes (one oboe and one oboe da caccia each), with two recorders being used in most of the work. Only in movement 2, Rejoice, your Savior Jesus comes, arise now and prepare your heart, does a single transverse flute take the solo part with a haunting “knocking” motif echoing the German text (literally “Your Savior is knocking [at the gate].”)
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Composer
Johann Sebastian Bach
| 1685-1750Johann Sebastian Bach is one of the most important composers of Western music history. He came from a widely ramified musical dynasty, which produced numerous musicians and organists in the Thuringian-Saxon area.
Bach vocal
Ever since Carus-Verlag was founded in 1972, publishing the music of Johann Sebastian Bach has been a special focus for us. In the 2017 Reformation anniversary year we completed the Bach vocal project. Bach's complete sacred vocal works are now available in modern Urtext editions, together with performance material. A complete edition of all the full scores is also available in a high quality box set. Personal details
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Editor
Reinhold Kubik
| 1942-2024
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Songwriter / Librettist
Johann Franck
| 1618-1677
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Continuo realization
Paul Horn
| 1922-2016Paul Horn war ein deutscher Kirchenmusiker, Organist, Komponist und Musikwissenschaftler. Er studierte Kirchenmusik und Orgel an der Evangelischen Kirchenmusikschule Esslingen am Neckar bei Hans-Arnold Metzger und Musikwissenschaft, Theologie und Geschichte an der Universität Tübingen. Seine berufliche Laufbahn begann als Kantor an der Evangelischen Michaelskirche in Stuttgart-Degerloch. 1954 wurde er Kantor an der Evangelischen Stadtkirche Ravensburg, eine Position, die er bis zu seiner Pensionierung innehatte. Als Musikwissenschaftler arbeitete Horn bis ins hohe Alter eng mit Carus zusammen. So stammen zahlreiche Carus-Klavierauszüge aus seiner Feder. Personal details
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Translator
Vernon Wicker
| 1934-2024