Classical Music | Piano Music

Recorded on 10/14/2009, uploaded on 01/17/2010

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (from Cantata No. 147)       Johann Sebastian Bach

"Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" is the chorale tune from Bach's Cantata No. 147 (Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben -"Heart and Mind and Deed and Life") and owes its popularity today almost entirely to this successful arrangement by Myra Hess.  She held Bach in the highest regard throughout her life and was very impressed by the beauty of this chorale, often improvising it at the piano.  She finally published the piece in 1926.  Dame Myra's transcription perfectly expresses the character of the original; she indicates the piece should be "Simple and Flowing," although the technique required is anything but simple. The voicing throughout represents the challenge of this piece, such as when the tenor or the soprano "solo parts" emerge from the general texture.      Alon Goldstein

---------------------------------------------------------------

Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147 (“Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”)      Johann Sebastian Bach

Bach originally composed the cantata Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147 (“Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life”) in 1716, while in Weimar, for Advent. While it is unknown whether this version of the cantata was ever performed, it is certain that Bach revised and expanded it for performance during the feast of Visitation in 1723 in Leipzig. The text of the Weimar version, and of five of the movements of the later Leipzig version, was written by Salomo Franck for the fourth Sunday of Advent. Since the Leipzig churches observed tempus clausum, or time of silence, during Advent it was not possible for the cantata to be performed at that time. However, given the nature of the text it is essentially appropriate for any feast celebrating the Virgin Mary.

The Leipzig version of the cantata contains several changes. The opening chorus and four arias of the original Weimar score formed the basis, though the arias were reordered. To this were added three recitatives and the original chorale was replaced. The resulting ten movement cantata is broken into two parts. The first part, consisting of the first six movements, is to be performed before the sermon. The remaining four movements, forming the second part, are performed afterwards. The last movement of each part is based on the chorale Jesu, meiner Seelen Wonne by Martin Luther.

It is this chorale movement, and the popular piano arrangement of it by Myra Hess, that remain one of Bach’s most well-known compositions. It is often recognized under the arrangement’s title Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, which approximates the German title of Jesus bleibet meine Freude (“Jesus shall remain my gladness.”) The words of these two movements come from the sixth and sixteenth verse of Luther’s chorale set to a melody by Johann Schop. (Incidentally, Bach used the same melody to different words in the St. Matthew Passion.) In this movement, the simple four-part harmonization of the chorale occurs within a peaceful orchestra setting of pastoral triplets.     Joseph DuBose