J.S. Bach: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140 - The Church Cantatas, Vol. 120

BWV140 (25 November 1731) is one of Bach’s most famous cantatas, and rightly so. All three stanzas of the chorale `Wachet auf’ are used, with free poetry added. The opening chorus combines a theme of quiet footsteps with a lovely upward motive which quotes the beginning of the chorale melody. The sopranos sing the chorale in long notes above the lively other voices. The calls to activity sound continuously: wacht auf! wohlauf! steht auf! wo, wo! ihr, ihr! And then, at the end, the Allelujah takes off, almost hesitatingly, like a young bird leaving the nest for the first time. After a tenor recitative an unforgettable soprano/bass love duet follows, with a longing violin line, the bride (soul) waiting for bridegroom ChriSt The following chorale, well known as one of the Schuebler Chorales, combines the chorale tune with a most beautiful violin melody. Another recitative for the bass leads to a second duet of a totally different, very lively character. The text is logically wrong, but the me