Sequenza & Friends, August 2023
Programme
| Trio sonata in E minor, Op. 37 No. 2, for flute, viola da gamba and continuo Allegro – Adagio – Allegro | Boismortier |
| Cantata Stille die Tränen des winselnden Armen, for voice, flute and continuo TWV 1:1401 | Telemann |
| Aria ‘Schweigt ihr Flöten, schweigt ihr Töne’ from O holder Tag, erwünschte Zeit (Wedding Cantata) BWV 210 | J.S. Bach |
| Trio sonata in G minor for flute, viola da gamba and continuo, TWV 427 Siciliana – Allegro – Adagio – Allegro assai | Telemann |
| Aria ‘Ei wie schmeckt der Coffee süsse’ from Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht (Coffee Cantata) BWV 211 | J.S.Bach |
| Prelude and Allemande from Suite No. 1 for viola da gamba and continuo | Dollé |
| Sonata for flute and continuo in E minor, Op. 3 No. 3 Vivace – Largo poco andante – Allegro | Blavet |
| Aria ‘Meine Seele sei vergnügt’ from Ich bin in mir vergnügt BWV 204 | J.S. Bach |
| Cantata Kein Vogel kann im weiten Fliegen for voice, flute and continuo TWV 1:994 | Telemann |
Notes
Frequently referred to as ‘The French Telemann’, Joseph Bodin de Boismortier was the most prolific and innovative French composer of his generation. His Op. 37 (1732), namely a set of five trio sonatas followed by a ‘Concerto a Cinq Parties’, is a particularly original work. The trio sonatas depart from the model established by Corelli in that they are scored for a treble instrument, a bass instrument and continuo rather than two identical treble instruments and continuo. Moreover, their structure is based not on the ‘sonata da camera’ and/or the ‘sonata da chiesa’, but rather the North Italian concerto; they each have three movements in the fast-slow-fast scheme. Boismortier prescribes three different instrumental combinations for the performance of these sonatas: violin, cello and continuo; oboe, bassoon and continuo; or transverse flute, viola da gamba and continuo – the last of these combinations was especially dear to the composer since he later wrote another six trio sonatas, his Op. 75 (now lost), specifically for flute, viola da gamba and continuo.
Georg Philip Telemann is known to have written at least 20 annual cycles of church cantatas amounting to more than 1,700 individual works. Although few German composers of the time had their sacred music published, Telemann printed four complete cycles of his cantatas. The 72 cantatas for the 1725‑6 liturgical year appeared under the collective name of Harmonischer Gottes-Dienst. This cycle’s limited scoring (voice, obbligato melody instrument and continuo) and restricted scope (two da capo arias separated by a recitative) made it suitable not only for churches with limited musical resources, but also for domestic worship. Most of the texts for these cantatas, including those featured in today’s concert, were adapted from the Scriptures by the young Hamburg poet Matthaus Arnold Wilkens.
Stille die Tränen des winselnden Armen (Cantata no. 36) was written for the 2nd Sunday after Trinity. The theme of the opening aria represents the tears of the weeping poor, while the final aria, in which the voice and flute are in unison, extols the rewards of heaven. Kein Vogel kann im weiten Fliegen (Cantata no. 44) was written for the 10th Sunday after Trinity. The first aria is noticeable for its musical representation of the nightingale’s song, and for its word painting (as the eagle soars ever higher, the flute melody ascends as far upwards as G6, a note very rarely found in flute music of the baroque period). In spite of its calm and stately character, the lovely closing aria ruminates on the dire consequences of not following Christ’s teachings.
While holding the position of Thomaskantor in Leipzig from 1723 to 1750, J.S. Bach composed a number of secular cantatas in addition to those required by the liturgy. These works differ from his sacred cantatas in terms of the occasion for which they were composed, and on account of the absence of chorale-based movements and the omission of a closing chorale. As with the sacred cantatas, Bach’s secular cantatas frequently feature solo obbligato instruments in the arias, particularly the violin, the oboe or the flute.
O holder Tag, erwünschte Zeit (Auspicious day, O longed-for time) is one of at least eight cantatas that Bach composed for weddings; scholars are not in agreement as to the specific event for which it was written, but latest research suggests the wedding of Berlin court doctor Georg Ernst Stahl the Younger and Johanna Elisabeth Schrader that took place in Berlin in 1741. This particular work, for solo soprano, is actually the reworking of a cantata that was composed around 1729 and successively modified on no fewer than three previous occasions. In its definitive version, the text focuses on the relationship between music and marital love. ‘Schweigt ihr Flöten, schweigt ihr Töne’ is somewhat unusual amongst Bach’s obbligato arias in that it does not begin with an instrumental ritornello that then returns at the end of the piece. It initially takes the form of a dialogue with the voice entreating the flute to be silent. While the flute initially acquiesces, it becomes increasingly animated in the interludes, and ultimately has the final word.
Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht, (Be still, stop chattering), popularly known as the ‘Coffee Cantata’, dates from around 1733, and was almost certainly composed to be performed at Zimmermann’s Coffee House in Leipzig where Bach regularly directed the Collegium Musicum that had been founded by Telemann back in 1702. Although classified as a cantata, this work is essentially a miniature comic opera that amusingly tells the story of a young woman, Lieschen, who has an addiction to (or rather a dependence on) coffee, much to the chagrin of her father, Schlendrian. The aria with flute obbligato expresses Lieschen’s infatuation with the beverage, which she considers preferable to one thousand kisses or Muscat wine!
The circumstances surrounding the composition of Ich bin in mir vergnügt (I am content in myself) are unknown. The work, described by Bach as a ‘cantata of contentment, is for solo soprano, and was written between 1726 and 1727 for an unidentified occasion, the text being drawn from the work of Christian Friedrich Hunold. The aria featuring flute obbligato could be equally at home in one of Bach’s sacred cantatas since the text refers to how one’s soul should be content, whatever God’s plan for us.
Telemann was an undisputed master of the trio sonata. His remarkable output includes at least 105 individual works for a vast variety of instrumental combinations, and many of these served as models for other composers (for example, Quantz) with regard to the structure and the treatment of the individual parts in their own trios. Six of Telemann’s trio sonatas are scored for transverse flute, viola da gamba and continuo, all but one of them in minor keys. The work to be heard this afternoon is in four movements: the first is a particularly beautiful Siciliana, the second movement is basically a fugue with a decidedly chromatic subject, the third features a prominent dotted rhythm in the bass, and the final movement is a short, vigorous dialogue, the impetus of which is created by the moto perpetuo of the bass line.
French viol player Charles Dollé remains something of a mystery to musicologists. While virtually nothing is known about his life, he possibly received tuition form the great viol virtuoso Marin Marais; amongst his various compositions are pieces paying homage not only to Marais, but also to Marais’ son, Roland. Dollé was active in Paris, where it appears that he was a highly sought-after teacher of the viol. His music, all of which involves either the bass viol (viola da gamba) or the ‘pardesssus de viol’ (treble viol), is heavily indebted to the works of Marais and Saint-Colombe, but his later works display a progressive deference to the Italian style in spite of their retaining characteristically French ornamentation. The Pieces pour le viol Op. 2 (1737) are organised into three suites, each consisting of eight movements. The instrumental writing is characterised by the ample use of ornaments, chords and polyphonic writing, and frequent employment of the high register.
Michel Blavet was probably the first true flute virtuoso. Born in Besançon, he moved to Paris in 1723, and he then appeared with resounding success at the Concert Spirituel in 1726. Over the next twenty-five years, he was heard at the Concert Spirituel more than any other performer, and he held the positions of principal flute in the Musique du Roi (c1736), in the Musique de la Reine (1738) and at the Opéra (1740); by the end of his career, his position in Parisian musical life was unparalleled. Among those who expressed their admiration for him were Telemann, Marpurg, Quantz, Hubert Le Blanc, Serré de Rieux, Ancelet, La Borde, Daquin and Voltaire: Telemann, Leclair and Boismortier wrote works for him. Although Blavet was granted a privilège général by Louis XV in 1728 that allowed him to publish his own compositions, he actually wrote very little. His most important works are the six sonatas Op. 2 (1728), for flute and continuo, which show the influence of both the French suite and the Corellian sonata da camera, and the six sonatas Op. 3 (1743), also for flute and continuo. The latter works, which are extremely well-written for the one-keyed flute but also very technically challenging, are true showpieces in the Italian style.
Lyrics / Translations
Stille die Tränen des winselnden Armen
| Arie Stille die Tränen des winselnden Armen, fülle aus Wohltun aus mildem Erbarmen dem dürftigen Bruder die Hand! Erschrick, erweiche! Dort brennet der ewig verdammete Reiche, der Mitleid und Liebe durch blendender Wolllust verhärtende Triebe aus Herzen und Händen verbannt. | Comfort the tears of the weeping poor Comfort the tears of the weeping poor, with generosity and sweet compassion fill the hand of the needy brother! Be fearful and mollified! In the kingdom of eternal damnation Compassion and love are burned out of hearts and hands By the glaring lust of hardening deeds. |
| Rezitativ Ist’s möglich, unbarmherzige Gemüter, dass, da ihr dieser Erden Güter aus eures Schöpfers nie erschöpften Hand so, wie zur Notdurft, auch zur Lust geniesst, ihr Hand und Herz vor eurem Bruder schliesst? Ihr lebet herrlich und in Freuden, wenn der, der euch als Mensch und Christ verwandt, für Angst und Schmerz, der ihn zur Erde biegt, fast halb entseelt an euren Türen liegt; der, wenn euch Gold und Seide kleiden, die Menge seiner Schwären decket, die selbst ein Hund mitleidig lecket. O nein! Hier kann mein Herz nicht unempfindlich sein. Ich nehme Segen, Heil und Überfluss aus meines milden Vaters Fülle, so weiss ich, ist auch dies sein Wille, dass mein Genuss sich ihm vor allem weihe und ihm den ersten Teil von seinen Gaben leihe. Wohl an, ich will, was Boas tat, verrichten. Es soll von meiner Felder Früchten nicht ich allein, nein, Ruth soll auch davon gesättigt sein. | Recitative Is it possible, O unmerciful ones, that while you are always able to enjoy earthly blessings filling your needs and desires from your creator’s never empty hand, you still close your heart and hand to your own brother? Your life is full of joy and glory, while he that is related to you both as a human and as a Christian lies half dead at your door, bowed down to the earth by pain and anxiety; While you are dressed in gold and silk, his festering sores are covered by the crowd, sores that even a dog compassionately licks. Oh no! Here my heart cannot be insensitive. I accept blessings, salvation and abundance from my kind Father’s plenitude, and I know it is His will that I dedicate my harvest to him and give Him the first part of his gifts. So, I will do as Boaz did. I will not be the only one to enjoy the fruit of my fields, no, Ruth shall also take her fill. |
| Arie Ja, ja, sammle nur bei meinen Garben, verlassne Moabiterin! Dein Epha wird mich nach dem Darben mit Himmelsfrüchten überschütten, wenn ich dereinst in ew’gen Hütten verherrlicht aufgenommen bin. | Aria Yes, yes, gather by my sheaves, oh abandoned Moabite woman! After the famine your epha will be overflowing with heavenly fruit, When I have been glorified in the eternal dwellings above. |
From O holder Tag, erwünschte Zeit (Wedding Cantata) BWV 210
| Schweigt, ihr Flöten, schweigt, ihr Töne, Denn ihr klingt dem Neid nicht schöne, Eilt durch die geschwärzte Luft, Bis man euch zu Grabe ruft! | Silence, you flutes, silence your tones, since your sound is not appealing to Envy. Hasten through the darkened air, until you are called to the grave! |
From Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht (Coffee Cantata) BWV 211
| Ei! wie schmeckt der Coffee süße, Lieblicher als tausend Küsse, Milder als Muskatenwein. Coffee, Coffee muss ich haben, Und wenn jemand mich will laben, Ach, so schenkt mir Coffee ein! | Ah! How sweet coffee tastes, more delicious than a thousand kisses, milder than Muscat wine. Coffee, I must have coffee, and, if someone wants to pamper me, ah, then fill up my coffee again! |
From Ich bin in mir vergnügt BWV 204
| Meine Seele sei vergnügt, Wie es Gott auch immer fügt. Dieses Weltmeer zu ergründen, Ist Gefahr und Eitelkeit, In sich selber muss man finden Perlen der Zufriedenheit. | May my soul be content, However God arranges everything. To fathom the world’s sea Is dangerous and futile. We must find within ourselves Pearls of contentment. |
Kein Vogel kann im weiten Fliegen
| Arie Kein Vogel kann im weiten Fliegen die Schwingen der steigenden Adler besiegen, er hebe sich gleich noch so hoch empor. Doch tut´s dem Adler im Gesange mit ihrer Gurgel reinem Klange die kleinste Nachtigall zuvor. | No Bird in its Broad Flight No bird in its broad flight can surpass the soaring of the rising eagle, however high aloft it climbs. But in song the smallest nightingale, with its throat’s pure sound, outdoes the eagle. |
| Rezitativ Kein Mensch darf den geringer Schätzen, der etwa ihm in einer Wissenschaft nicht beizusetzen; was dem in einem Stücke fehlet, ist ihm vielleicht an andern zugezählet. Ein jeder suche nur die ihm von Gottes Händen vertrauten Gaben nicht lässig zu vergraben, nicht unrechtmäßig anzuwenden. Gott teilet sie zu aller Nutzen aus, der fragt auch, wann er, eh man´s meinet, dereinst zur Rechenschaft erscheinet: Wie hieltest du mit deinen Gütern haus? | Recitative No man may disparage one who, perhaps, does not outdo him in some knowledge: what in one respect he lacks is perhaps granted him in another. Everyone must seek only not to bury, casually, the gifts entrusted to him by God’s hands, nor to use them unlawfully. God distributes them for the benefit of all and also asks, when one day he appears before one realises, and calls for an account: What stewardship have you made of my boons’! |
| Arie Erwäge, sichrer Mensch, mit Beben, daß Gott dereinst nach diesem Leben zu jedermann: „Tu Rechnung” spricht. Sonst wird dies Wort beim Fall der Erden dir noch ein stärker Donner werden, als der ihr ganzes Rund zerbricht. | Aria Consider with trembling, self-confident man, that one day, after this life, God will say to everyone: “Render account“. Otherwise these words will be to you a still mightier thunder when earth falls than that which shatters its whole globe. |