He who loves me, he will keep my saying (I)
Cantata for the 1st day of Pentecost BWV 59, 1723
Some mystery surrounds the genesis of the cantata Wer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten (He who loves me, he will keep my sayings), BWV 59. Although the surviving parts attest to a performance on Whit Sunday in 1724, the score was in fact written well before the move to Leipzig, giving rise to the assumption that Bach had already performed the cantata at the city’s University Church before taking up his post as Thomaskantor. In any case, the cantata, based on a text by Erdmann Neumeister and with only four movements, is decidedly in the chamber-music style, even if the opening duet features a suitably festive ensemble for such a major holy day, namely with trumpets and timpani. The chorale – the only choral movement – appears as the 3rd movement (following an accompagnato). The cantata ends with an aria for solo violin, bass and basso continuo. Apart from the accompagnato, Bach reused all movements in later sacred cantatas. This may indicate that the composer (or his listeners?) was ultimately unsatisfied by the unusual form; yet this is precisely the reason why we regard it today as one of the very special cantatas.
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Digital text (without sheet music) incl. printing licence, html file, singing text, english translationhtml file, singing text, english translation (Sample)1 Duetto (Soprano, Basso)He who loves me,
2 Recitativo (Soprano)
he will keep my sayings,
and my Father then shall love him;
we shall come to stand beside him
and make our dwelling with him.O what are these great honors
that Jesus will prepare?
He counts us all so dear
that he will come with Father
and with Spirit’s flame
into our hearts to dwell within us.
O what are these great honors?
For man is dust, which vanity lays waste,
of pain and grief the tragic play,
their shameful object and their prey.
What then? Our God on high speaks true.
Our inmost heart and feeling
he chooses for his dwelling....
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Digital text (without sheet music) incl. printing licence, html file, singing text, originalhtml file, singing text, original (Sample)1 Duetto (Soprano, Basso)
Wer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten,
2 Recitativo (Soprano)
und mein Vater wird ihn lieben,
und wir werden zu ihm kommen
und Wohnung bei ihm machen.O, was sind das vor Ehren,
worzu uns Jesus setzt?
Der uns so würdig schätzt,
dass er verheißt,
samt Vater und dem Heilgen Geist
in unsern Herzen einzukehren.
O, was sind das vor Ehren?
Der Mensch ist Staub,
der Eitelkeit ihr Raub,
der Müh und Arbeit Trauerspiel
und alles Elends Zweck und Ziel.
Wie nun? Der Allerhöchste spricht,
er will in unsern Seelen
die Wohnung sich erwählen....
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Additional product information
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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
Erdmann Neumeister
| 1671-1756
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Continuo realization
Reinhold Kubik
| 1942-2024
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Translator
Jean Lunn
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