Siehe zu, daß deine Gottesfurcht nicht Heuchelei sei, BWV 179

Siehe zu, daß deine Gottesfurcht nicht Heuchelei sei
BWV 179
Church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach
Fresco of Pharisee and tax collector
Occasion	Eleventh Sunday after Trinity
Chorale	by Christoph Tietze
Performed	8 August 1723 (1723-08-08): Leipzig
Movements	six
Vocal	SATB choir and solo
Instrumental	2 oboes da caccia 2 violins viola continuo

Johann Sebastian Bach composed the church cantata Siehe zu, daß deine Gottesfurcht nicht Heuchelei sei (See to it, that your fear of God be not hypocrisy),^[1] BWV 179 in Leipzig for the eleventh Sunday after Trinity and first performed it on 8 August 1723.

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History and words

Bach composed the cantata in his first year in Leipzig, which he had started after Trinity of 1723, for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity.^[2] The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from the First Epistle to the Corinthians, on the gospel of Christ and Paul's duty as an apostle (1 Corinthians 15:1–10), and from the Gospel of Luke, the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9–14). The unknown poet stayed close to the gospel and alluded to several Bible passages. The cantata is opened by a line from Wisdom of Sirach 1:29.^[2] the closing chorale is the first stanza of Christoph Tietze's hymn "Ich armer Mensch, ich armer Sünder" (1663).^[3]

Bach first performed the cantata on 8 August 1723. Alfred Dürr assumes that Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut, BWV 199, composed for the same occasion in Weimar, was also performed in the service.^[2]

Scoring and structure

The cantata in six movements is scored for soprano, tenor and bass soloists, a four-part choir, and a Baroque instrumental ensemble of two oboes da caccia, two violins, viola, and basso continuo.^[2]

Chorus: Siehe zu, daß deine Gottesfurcht nicht Heuchelei sei
Recitative (tenor): Das heutge Christentum ist leider schlecht bestellt
Aria (tenor): Falscher Heuchler Ebenbild
Recitative (bass): Wer so von innen wie von außen ist
Aria (soprano): Liebster Gott, erbarme dich
Chorale: Ich armer Mensch, ich armer Sünder

Music

In the opening chorus the instruments go with the voices as in a motet. The words are set in a strict counter-fugue: each entrance is followed by an entrance in inversion. The sequence is concluded by a canonic imitation on a new theme: in the words "und diene Gott nicht mit einem falschen Herzen" (and do not serve God with a false heart)^[1] the falseness is expressed by chromatic. A second expanded fugue presents even more complex counterpoint than the first.^[2]

A secco recitative prepares the aria with an accompaniment of the two oboe da caccia and violin I in syncopation, which even the tenor voice picks up in the first part. It is not a da capo aria, as only the ritornello repeats the beginning. The final words of the second recitative end like an arioso to stress "So kannst du Gnad und Hilfe finden!" (so that you can find mercy and aid).^[1] The soprano aria expresses like a prayer "Liebster Gott, erbarme dich" (Beloved God, have mercy).^[1] The two oboes da caccia illustrate a movement of supplication even together with the soprano voice.^[2]

The final chorale is sung on the melody of ""Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten", which Bach used also in his choral cantata BWV 93.^[2]^[4]

Bach used the music of the opening chorus again for the Kyrie of his Missa in G major, the first aria for the Quoniam of that mass, and the second aria for the Qui tollis of the Missa in A major.^[5]

Performances

The cantata was performed at The Proms of 2007 with the Bach Collegium Japan and soloists Carolyn Sampson, Gerd Türk and Peter Kooy, conducted by Masaaki Suzuki.^[6]

Recordings

Die Bach Kantate Vol. 46, Helmuth Rilling, Gächinger Kantorei, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Arleen Augér, Kurt Equiluz, Wolfgang Schöne, Hänssler 1974
Bach Cantatas Vol. 4 – Sundays after Trinity I, Karl Richter, Münchener Bach-Chor, Münchener Bach-Orchester, Edith Mathis, Peter Schreier, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Archiv Produktion 1977
J. S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk – Sacred Cantatas Vol. 9, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Tölzer Knabenchor, Concentus Musicus Wien, soloist of the Tölzer Knabenchor, Kurt Equiluz, Robert Holl, Teldec 1988
J. S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 6, Ton Koopman, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, Ruth Ziesak, Paul Agnew, Klaus Mertens, Antoine Marchand 1997
J. S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 10, Masaaki Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan, Miah Persson, Makoto Sakurada, Peter Kooy, BIS 1999
J. S. Bach: Trinity Cantatas II, John Eliot Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, Magdalena Kožená, Mark Padmore, Stephan Loges, Archiv Produktion 2000
J. S. Bach: Cantatas for the Complete Liturgical Year Vol. 5, Sigiswald Kuijken, La Petite Bande, Gerlinde Sämann, Jan Kobow, Jan van der Crabben, Accent 2006

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Dellal, Pamela. "BWV 179 – Siehe zu, daß deine Gottesfurcht nicht Heuchelei sei". Emmanuel Music. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Dürr, Alfred (1981). Die Kantaten von Johann Sebastian Bach (in German). Vol. 1 (4 ed.). Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag. pp. 409–411. ISBN 3-423-04080-7.
^ "Ich armer Mensch, ich armer Sünder / Text and Translation of Chorale". Bach Cantatas Website. 2005. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
^ "Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works / Ich armer Mensch, ich armer Sünder". Bach Cantatas Website. 2009. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
^ Crouch, Simon (1998). "Cantata 179". classical.net. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
^ "Full Proms listings 2007". The Times. 12 July 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2010.

Sources

Siehe zu, dass deine Gottesfurcht, BWV 179: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
Siehe zu, dass deine Gottesfurcht nicht Heuchelei sei BWV 179; BC A 121 / Sacred cantata (11th Sunday after Trinity) Bach Digital
Siehe zu, daß deine Gottesfurcht nicht Heuchelei sei history, scoring, sources for text and music, translations to various languages, discography, discussion, Bach Cantatas Website
BWV 179 Siehe zu, daß deine Gottesfurcht nicht Heuchelei sei English translation, University of Vermont
BWV 179 Siehe zu, daß deine Gottesfurcht nicht Heuchelei sei text, scoring, University of Alberta
Luke Dahn: BWV 179.6 bach-chorales.com

v t e Church cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach
Before Leipzig	Early: BWV 4 131 71 1138.1 & .2 106 196 150 143 Weimar: BWV 61 70a 186a 132 147a 63 152 155 18 54 80a 182 31 12 172 165 21 185 199 161 162 163 Köthen: BWV Anh. 5
First cycle (1723–24)	Between Trinity and Advent: BWV 75 76 24 167 147 186 136 105 46 179 69a 77 25 138 95 148 48 109 89 60 90 70 From Advent to Trinity: BWV 40 64 190 153 65 154 73 81 83 144 181 22 23 66 134 67 104 166 86 37 44 59 184
Second cycle (and chorale cantatas)	Chorale cantatas between Trinity and Easter: BWV 20 2 7 135 10 93 107 178 94 101 113 33 78 99 8 130 114 96 5 180 38 115 139 26 116 62 91 121 133 122 41 123 124 3 111 92 125 126 127 1 Continuation of the second cycle: BWV 6 42 85 103 108 87 128 183 74 68 175 176 Later additions to the chorale cantata cycle: BWV 80 137 129 58 112 140 177 9 14 Other late chorale cantatas: BWV 117 192 100 97
Third cycle	After Trinity 1725: BWV 168 164 79 Liturgical year 1725–26: BWV 110 57 151 28 16 32 13 72 146 43 39 88 170 187 45 102 35 17 19 27 47 169 56 49 98 55 52 1727: BWV 82 84 34 173
Later and other	Picander cycle: BWV 149 188 197a 171 156 159 145 174 Late parodies: BWV 36 30 191 200 248 I 248 II 248 III 248 IV 248 V 248 VI 1083 Council election (Leipzig): BWV 119 193 29 120 69 (lost: 1139.1, 1140–1141) Wedding: BWV 34a 195 120a 197 Funeral: 157 244a Other: 194 190a 120b 51 158 50 Doubtful: 53 142 189 217 220 221 223 224
Bach cantata List of Bach cantatas Discography: Monteverdi Choir/Koopman/Teldec

This page was last edited on 7 September 2022, at 22:11

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