J.S. Bach: Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält, BWV 178 - The Church Cantatas, Vol. 122

BWV178 was written for 30 July 1724. The opening chorus treats the opening verse of the chorale `Wo Gott der Herr’ in a militant fashion: the struggle against false prophets is a hard one. The first line is homophonic, dealing with the safe keeping of God and ending on a tremendous unisono long note on hält. The second line about the raging enemies has raging music. Strangely enough the same notes are repeated for line 3 and 4 with completely different text. In the remarkable recitative the alto sings the chorale melody; the same melody is played in a different tempo in the continuo. The idea for the bas aria is derived from the wild sea waves. The following tenor aria gives us the chorale again, as does the next number for the choir, with recitative interruptions; a fascinating detail is the und stürzen in the bass part. The last aria before the two closing chorale verses is given to the tenor, a diatribe against Vernunft. Human reason is literally silenced. Composer: Johann Sebastian Ba