Mein Freund ist mein

Johann Sebastian Bach, Kantate "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme", BWV 140, No. 6, Aria: "Mein Freund ist mein". (5:13)

Performed October 6, 2002 during the Lerner home concert by: Rebecca Lloyd (soprano), Robert G. Brand (guest baritone), Elizabeth Suh-Lane (violin), Lawrence Figg (cello), Jan Kraybill (harpsichord).

Stelle: Mein freund ist mein,
Jesus: Und ich bin dein,
Beide: Die Liebe soll nichts scheiden.
[Ich will, du sollst] mit [dir, mir]
in Himmels Rosen weiden,
Da Freude die Fulle, da
Wonne wird sein.

Soul: My friend is mine,
Jesus: And I am thine,
Both: Let love bring no division.
[I will, thou shalt] with [thee, me]
on heaven's roses pasture,
Where pleasure in fullness, where joy will abound.

The hymns of the Reformation had been distinguished by their simplicity and appropriateness to church use; their models had been found in teh earlier Latin hymns, or in the Psalms of the Old Testament and the hymns handed down by St. Luke. Thereafter, however, appeared a new style, reminiscent of some of the later medieval humns addressed to the Virgin and saints, which found its scriptural ground in the Song of Solomon and the Apocalypse. Most humns previously had been addressed to God the Father through Jesus Christ, or to the Holy Trinity, or in the case of hymns of sorrow and penitence to the Savior. But afterwards the mystical union of Christ with the soul became a favorite subject; more secular allusions and similies were admitted, and a class of hymns began to grow up, called in Germany, "Hymns of the Love of Jesus."

Cantata 140 was based on a beautiful hymn by Philip Nicolai which deals with the parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) and turns later to a description of heavenly Zion. In the first movement (No. 1), a chorale melody in long notes by the soprano is supported by lower voices weaving a vivid contrapuntal texture. The instrucments add a completely independent accompaniment depicting a) the approach of the heavenly bridegroom and b) eager anticipation of the maidens. Out of those various elements grows a sound combination of overwhelming sensuous beauty. In the second chorale arrangement (No. 4), the tenor hymn tune is joined by a completely different violin melody of a caressing sweetness rarely to be found in Bach's cantatas; this depicts the graceful procession of the maidens going out to meet Jesus, the heavenly bridegroom. In the aria duets (No. 3 and No. 6 which we are now hearing), the hyumn tune is not used, and the pledges that Jesus and the Soul exchange sound not very different from those of earthly lovers. No. 3 achieves a mood of sweet poignancy witht he lyrical violin (in Bach's day, perhaps a "violino piccolo," a small violin tuned a minor third higher than a standard violin, would have been used). No. 6 employs similar motives in both voices, and this combination was famously echoed much later in duets between husband and wife in Haydn's Creation and Beethoven's Fidelio. <top>

Philip Nicolai was born in 1556 in Germany, son of a Lutheran pastor. He studied theology at the universities of Erfurt and Wittenberg, l575-1579, and became a pastor himself. It was a time of religious wars in Europe, and several times he had to flee or go into hiding and minister to his congregations secretly in house meetings. He was a theological writer, defending Lutheran theology chiefly against Calvinistic opponents. He also preached with great power and effectiveness. In 1588 he became pastor at Altwildungen, in 1596 he became pastor at Unna in Westphalia, and in 1601 pastor in Hamburg. But he is remembered today for writing two hymns.

While he was pastor in Westphalia, the plague took 1300 of his parishioners, mostly in the latter half of 1597, 170 in one week To comfort his parishioners, he wrote a series of meditations which he called Freudenspiegel (Mirror of Joy), and to this he appended two hymns, both of which have become world-famous.

The first hymn was, "Wake, awake, for night is flying" (Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme). It uses the image of the watchman on a city wall (Isaiah 52:8), and of the Parable of the Bridesmaids welcoming the Bridegroom to the Marriage Feast (Matthew 25:1-13), and of the Song of Triumph in Heaven (Revelation 19:6-9). It is a favorite Advent hymn.

The second hymn was, "How bright appears the morning star'" ("Wie schoen leuchtet der Morgenstern"). This also, with a wealth of imagery, hails Christ as our deliverer, and celebrates his triumph. It has become a favorite wedding hymn, but is also sung for Advent, for Christmas, for Epiphany, and and as a general hymn of praise.

Nicolai wrote both the words and the tunes, but the arrangements we know are due to Bach. The earliest English translations are those of Catherine Winkworth, but there have been many translations since, some of them (especially for the second hymn) content to reproduce the general spirit of the origina1 words rather than their specific meaning. In addition, several hymn writers have set their own words (in various languages) to one of Nicolai's tunes. If pure quality, without respect to quantity, were our criterion, Nicolai would have to be ranked as history's greatest chorale-writer, and one of its greatest hymn-writers.
Nicolai died 26 October 1608 after a brief (four-day) illness. <back>

Matthew 25:1-13

1. Then shall the kingdom of heaven be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2. And five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3. They that were foolish, while they took their lamps, took no oil with them: 4. But the wise took oil in their vessels along with their lamps. 5. And while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6. And at midnight a cry arose, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go you out to meet him." 7. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8. And the foolish said to the wise, "Give us of your oil for our lamps are going out." 9. But the wise answered, saying, "By no means, lest there be not enough for you and for us; but go you rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves." 10. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. 11. And afterwards came also the other virgins, saying, "Lord, Lord, open to us." 12. But he answering said, "Verily I tell you, I know you not." 13. Watch, therefore, for you know not the day nor the hour in which the Son of man shall come. <back>

Johann Sebastian Bach, Kantate *"Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme", BWV 140, No. 6, Aria: "Mein Freund ist mein"*. (5:13)
	Performed October 6, 2002 during the Lerner home concert by: Rebecca Lloyd (soprano), Robert G. Brand (guest baritone), Elizabeth Suh-Lane (violin), Lawrence Figg (cello), Jan Kraybill (harpsichord).

	Stelle: Mein freund ist mein, Jesus: Und ich bin dein, Beide: Die Liebe soll nichts scheiden. [Ich will, du sollst] mit [dir, mir] in Himmels Rosen weiden, Da Freude die Fulle, da Wonne wird sein.	Soul: My friend is mine, Jesus: And I am thine, Both: Let love bring no division. [I will, thou shalt] with [thee, me] on heaven's roses pasture, Where pleasure in fullness, where joy will abound.

The hymns of the Reformation had been distinguished by their simplicity and appropriateness to church use; their models had been found in teh earlier Latin hymns, or in the Psalms of the Old Testament and the hymns handed down by St. Luke. Thereafter, however, appeared a new style, reminiscent of some of the later medieval humns addressed to the Virgin and saints, which found its scriptural ground in the Song of Solomon and the Apocalypse. Most humns previously had been addressed to God the Father through Jesus Christ, or to the Holy Trinity, or in the case of hymns of sorrow and penitence to the Savior. But afterwards the mystical union of Christ with the soul became a favorite subject; more secular allusions and similies were admitted, and a class of hymns began to grow up, called in Germany, "Hymns of the Love of Jesus." Cantata 140 was based on a beautiful hymn by Philip Nicolai which deals with the parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) and turns later to a description of heavenly Zion. In the first movement (No. 1), a chorale melody in long notes by the soprano is supported by lower voices weaving a vivid contrapuntal texture. The instrucments add a completely independent accompaniment depicting a) the approach of the heavenly bridegroom and b) eager anticipation of the maidens. Out of those various elements grows a sound combination of overwhelming sensuous beauty. In the second chorale arrangement (No. 4), the tenor hymn tune is joined by a completely different violin melody of a caressing sweetness rarely to be found in Bach's cantatas; this depicts the graceful procession of the maidens going out to meet Jesus, the heavenly bridegroom. In the aria duets (No. 3 and No. 6 which we are now hearing), the hyumn tune is not used, and the pledges that Jesus and the Soul exchange sound not very different from those of earthly lovers. No. 3 achieves a mood of sweet poignancy witht he lyrical violin (in Bach's day, perhaps a "violino piccolo," a small violin tuned a minor third higher than a standard violin, would have been used). No. 6 employs similar motives in both voices, and this combination was famously echoed much later in duets between husband and wife in Haydn's Creation and Beethoven's Fidelio. <top>

Philip Nicolai was born in 1556 in Germany, son of a Lutheran pastor. He studied theology at the universities of Erfurt and Wittenberg, l575-1579, and became a pastor himself. It was a time of religious wars in Europe, and several times he had to flee or go into hiding and minister to his congregations secretly in house meetings. He was a theological writer, defending Lutheran theology chiefly against Calvinistic opponents. He also preached with great power and effectiveness. In 1588 he became pastor at Altwildungen, in 1596 he became pastor at Unna in Westphalia, and in 1601 pastor in Hamburg. But he is remembered today for writing two hymns. While he was pastor in Westphalia, the plague took 1300 of his parishioners, mostly in the latter half of 1597, 170 in one week To comfort his parishioners, he wrote a series of meditations which he called Freudenspiegel (Mirror of Joy), and to this he appended two hymns, both of which have become world-famous. The first hymn was, "Wake, awake, for night is flying" (Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme). It uses the image of the watchman on a city wall (Isaiah 52:8), and of the Parable of the Bridesmaids welcoming the Bridegroom to the Marriage Feast (Matthew 25:1-13), and of the Song of Triumph in Heaven (Revelation 19:6-9). It is a favorite Advent hymn. The second hymn was, "How bright appears the morning star'" ("Wie schoen leuchtet der Morgenstern"). This also, with a wealth of imagery, hails Christ as our deliverer, and celebrates his triumph. It has become a favorite wedding hymn, but is also sung for Advent, for Christmas, for Epiphany, and and as a general hymn of praise. Nicolai wrote both the words and the tunes, but the arrangements we know are due to Bach. The earliest English translations are those of Catherine Winkworth, but there have been many translations since, some of them (especially for the second hymn) content to reproduce the general spirit of the origina1 words rather than their specific meaning. In addition, several hymn writers have set their own words (in various languages) to one of Nicolai's tunes. If pure quality, without respect to quantity, were our criterion, Nicolai would have to be ranked as history's greatest chorale-writer, and one of its greatest hymn-writers. Nicolai died 26 October 1608 after a brief (four-day) illness. <back>

Matthew 25:1-13 1. Then shall the kingdom of heaven be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2. And five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3. They that were foolish, while they took their lamps, took no oil with them: 4. But the wise took oil in their vessels along with their lamps. 5. And while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6. And at midnight a cry arose, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go you out to meet him." 7. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8. And the foolish said to the wise, "Give us of your oil for our lamps are going out." 9. But the wise answered, saying, "By no means, lest there be not enough for you and for us; but go you rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves." 10. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. 11. And afterwards came also the other virgins, saying, "Lord, Lord, open to us." 12. But he answering said, "Verily I tell you, I know you not." 13. Watch, therefore, for you know not the day nor the hour in which the Son of man shall come. <back>