NAM 28 J.S. BACH: Cantata 48 Ich Elender Mensch Mvts I-IV
Movement 1: Coro
Bar by bar analysis
Bar
/ What happens / Comment1-44 / Section 1
1-12 / Starts in Gm with orchestral ritornello. Vln 1 has 2-bar rising figure repeated 3 times, higher each time, before descending to cadence at bar 8. This figure is the first of 2 melodic motifs.
The ritornello passes through Cm and Dm, before ending with a perfect cadence in Gm at 11-12.
Texture here is melody supported by chords in strings and continuo.
Diminished 7th chords are present in this section, at first in the chords (2.1, 3.3) and then in the melodic violin line (bar 5, 7). The climax of the ritornello is bar 7, with its C#dim chord, before the line starts to descend.
During the ritornello the accompanying chords move from an upbeat figure (1-8) to a regular crotchet pattern. / Most of the figures in the figured bass parts were added by editors, based on the instrumental/vocal parts; Bach added very few figures himself.
The opening vln motif is transposed during the movement but keeps its general shape.
Vln 1 plays the theme, which is not played by any other instrument in the movement.
Some of the modulations produce false relations, e.g. bars 4-5 and 6-7.
12-21 / Contrasting choral episode.
Soprano and alto are in canon, with alto a 5th lower. The opening of the choral melody is the 2nd melodic motif used in the movement, with its opening of a rising 6th.
Strings have similar material to the opening ritornello, slightly rearranged but with the melody retained by vln 1.
Trumpet and oboes play the first phrase of the chorale melody Herr Jesu Christ, ich schrie zu dir in canon. The canon is at two bars and a 4th lower. / This is the first of a set of paired choral entries.
The choral motif is extended into a 7-bar melody that is used to set the text for the movement. The opening interval is occasionally varied.
The chorale melody played by the wind is the same chorale that occurs in movement 7 of the whole cantata; its function here is that of a cantus firmus.
Note the melismatic figure on the 2nd syllable of erlösen (deliver) in bar 16.
20-31 / Repeat of the ritornello from bars 1-12.
31-44 / Contrasting episode with the whole choir. Entries are imitative in the order B-T-S-A, using the same theme as bars 12-21.
The wind plays the 2nd phrase of the chorale melody (starting at bar 29).
The section ends with a perfect cadence in Dm at bar 44, including a Tierce de Picardie.
There is a hemiola at 42-43. / The opening interval of the choral motif becomes a 5th for the tenor (32-33) but is a 6th for the other voices.
The Tierce de Picardie creates a dominant chord in Gm, leading back to the repeat of the ritornello.
45-88 / Section 2
45-57 / Repeat of the ritornello from bars 1-12.
57-65 / Episode with tenor and bass instead of the SA in the 1st section. Once again the interval of the canon is a 5th lower.
The wind repeat the 1st phrase of the chorale melody. / The cantus firmus continues to be played in a canon at two bars and a 4th lower.
64-74 / Repeat of the ritornello from bars 1-12.
75-88 / Contrasting episode with the whole choir. Entries are again imitative, this time in the order A-S-T-B. The opening interval varies between a 5th and a 6th.
The wind repeat the 2nd phrase of the cantus firmus (beginning at the end of bar 73).
The section ends, once again, with a perfect cadence in Dm, this time without the Tierce de Picardie.
88-107 / Section 3
88-98 / This starts a choral episode that includes 2 sets of imitative entries. This is the first set of entries, in the order S-A-T-B. / The choral entries here are each a 5th lower than the previous entry and the tonality reflects this (Dm-Gm-Cm-Fm).
98-107 / The start of the second set of choral entries, also in the order S-A-T-B, overlaps with the end of the first set.
The opening interval is widened to a 7th for the S, A and T parts.
The wind instruments play the 3rd phrase of their chorale, starting at the end of bar 97.
The section ends with an imperfect cadence in Gm.
The start of the ritornello that begins the next section overlaps with the end of this one. / The opening of the S and A parts is decorated with semiquaver embellishments.
The overlapping ritornello creates a sense of conflation as we near the end of the movement; it also partly explains the use of an imperfect cadence to end the section.
103-138 / Section 4
103-114 / Repeat of the ritornello from bars 1-12, overlapping with the last 4 bars of the previous section.
113-120 / Contrasting episode with choral entries. The order is S/A, followed by T and then B. The opening interval has widened to an 8ve in the S, T and B.
Wind play the 4th phrase of the chorale melody.
120-138 / The final set of choral entries starts with the tenor at the end of bar 120.
After shifting modulations, the tonality becomes Cm at 131, ready for the final plagal cadence in Gm.
The wind have the 5th and final phrase of the chorale melody, this time with the canon at 1 bar.
The trumpet has an additional part in the texture. / The tonality of this section follows that of Section 3 (Dm-Gm-Cm-Fm).
The use of a plagal cadence is unusual in Bach.
The wind parts are extended to be included in the final cadence. This final canon coincides with the alto entry to create an effective climax to the movement.
Movement 2: Recitativo
Bar by bar analysis
Bar
/ What happens / Comment1-4 / Starts with an Eb chord, turned quickly in to Eb7 by the alto Db on Schmerz.
Tonality shifts to Fm at bar 2, where the flattened 9th falls to the 3rd of the next chord. This is a moment of extreme dissonance.
Bar 3 moves to Cm for the first cadence point. / The fluctuating tonality underpins the grief-ridden text and allows the use of extreme intervals.
The melody rises a 7th at the beginning of bar 4, just before it falls to its resolution.
5-8 / The dominant 7th of Ab is implied in bar 5, before moving through Ab (bar 6) and a perfect cadence in Bbm at bar 8.
The last note in the voice part of bar 7 is an anticipation of the next chord.
The modulation to Bbm is prepared by the bassnote shifting chromatically from Ab to A. / The continuo drop at bar 7 is an illustration of the body sinking into the grave.
The sequence at 7-8 is an example of a dissonant bass moving upwards to the dominant of a cadence.
9-12 / The D natural suggests a move to Eb but an implied diminished 7th at bar 9 becomes the dominant 7th of E in bar 10.
There is an A#dim7 at 12, highlighting Schmerz.
There are false relations between bars 8-9 and 12-13, where the bass moves surprisingly from A# to C natural. / From bars 8-11, the key changes rapidly from Bbm to the remote key of E.
The 6-4-2 chord in bar 10 resolves onto the root position and an E major chord.
13-16 / Tonality shifts to Gm, followed by a highly chromatic ending consisting of V7 of Eb, a dim7 on E natural and a perfect cadence in Bb. / The tortuous vocal writing from bars 12-14 suggest the movement of a body in great pain, another example of the melodic writing illustrating the text.
Movement 3: Chorale
Bar by bar analysis
Bar
/ What happens / Comment1-4 / Starts in Bb major but immediately has a perfect cadence in F (bar 1) followed by an extremely chromatic chord on Straf (punishment) at 2.1, in which the soprano G is treated as a passing note en route to a heavily modified perfect cadence in Gm.
Between bars 2.4 and 4.3 the key returns to F, ready for a Ic-V-I cadence, decorated with an elaborate 4-3 suspension in the tenor. / The use of the Cdim7 at 2.2 is an example of the chromaticism and dissonance used to illustrate the text.
The bass uses accented and unaccented passing notes, including a clash with the soprano at 3.4 preparing for the cadence in F major.
5-7 / The key returns to Bb for an imperfect cadence, before an unexpected shift to the unrelated key of Ab for a cadence at 6.3. / The tenor shift from A to Ab at bars 5-6 is not a false relation, as the 2 notes are in the same part. However, the soprano/alto D/Db clash is a false relation.
8-10 / This passage is characterised by the ascending bass line approaching the final plagal cadence.
The key implies Dm (bar 7) but is disrupted by the F#dim7 at 8.1.
This starts off a series of suspensions, mostly in the alto part.
The bass line concludes with another series of accented and unaccented passing notes. / Despite being used several times in this cantata, the plagal cadence remains rare in Bach’s music.
Movement 4: Aria
Bar by bar analysis
Bar
/ What happens / Comment1-8 / The opening ritornello has a Siciliano-like feel, despite being in 3/8.
The oboe obbligato part introduces the main melody of the aria.
The opening 8-bar phrase passes through Ab (3-4) before ending with an imperfect cadence in Eb at bar 8. / A Siciliano is a graceful dance movement, usually in 12/8; it is often used by Bach to create a lyrical, flowing movement.
9-16 / The melody rises gradually to its climax at bars 12-14, using a sequence that is then extended.
The key moves through Bb(10), Cm (12) and Bb(14) before returning to Eb for a perfect cadence at bar 16. / The use of the obbligato instrument is a common feature in Bach’s arias.
17-24 / The alto solo enters and takes over the main melody, although it diverges from the ritornello melody after 4 bars. This starts Section A of the aria.
The key moves through Ab to Fm (21), led by the vocal line, but is immediately returned to Eb by the oboe at bar 23. / Despite the more lyrical style of this movement, there are still intervals that colour the text, e.g. the dim7 in the vocal line at bar 21.
The oboe plays a more fragmented melodic role while the voice is singing. It is playing a countermelody at this point.
All the keys are closely related to the tonic.
25-38 / The second vocal phrase starts with the same melodic shape as the first but is quickly modified.
The keys move through Bb (28), Fm (31-32) and Bbm (35-38). The final cadence has a Tierce de Picardie, effectively moving into Bb major.
Despite the frequent modulations and melodic variations, the main melody retains its rhythmic character. / The vocal Gb at bar 27 is simply chromatic decoration and not part of a modulation. It is used to illustrate the word zerstöret (destroys).
39-48 / This is a shortened version of the opening ritornello, now transposed to Bb, the dominant of the original. / It contains a passing modulation to Eb (41-42) before returning to Bb.
48-56 / This starts Section B of the aria.
There are passing modulations to Cm (bar 50), Eb major (52) and finally arrives in Ab at bar 53. / The use of the vocal Gb in bar 54 is decorative; it suggests a shift to Db but this is not followed up.
56-60 / A short section for oboe and continue, containing a reference to the ritornello, starting in Ab but quickly moving towards Fm.
There are examples of passing dissonances, e.g. the tritone between bassline and oboe at 58.1 and the dim7 at 59.1. / There is another example of a bassline moving upwards to the dominant of a cadence at 59-60.
61-78 / The final vocal entry begins in Fm but passes through Eb (bar 64), Fm (68), a suggestion of Cm (69), back to Fm (71), Ab (73), Bb (75) and Eb at bar 76.
The section ends with a perfect cadence in Eb.
At bar 65 the oboe begins a restatement of the original ritornello theme, modified to fit in with the voice and continuo. / It sis quite common for a piece to modulate more frequently during the B section than it did during Section A.
The a naturals in the oboe at 76-77 are decorative.
Feaures that show NAM 28 in its musical context
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