A chorale cantata structured with a French overture-inspired chorale fantasia, blending sacred text with intricate counterpoint and instrumental symbolism.
This aria from Bach's cantata BWV 97 features a duet texture and continuo accompaniment, possibly reflecting its potential origin as wedding music before being repurposed for general liturgical use.
A chorale cantata blending sacred text by Paul Fleming with intricate counterpoint, featuring a unique fusion of French overture structure and Lutheran hymnody. The work showcases Bach's late compositional style, bridging sacred tradition and Baroque innovation.
In this alto aria from Cantata BWV 97, Bach illustrates "lying down" and "waking" through contrasting string figures—long notes for rest and flowing lines for motion—reflecting Paul Fleming's poetic imagery of nocturnal trust in divine protection.
Bach structured the opening movement as a French overture (slow-fast sections), symbolizing a solemn new beginning. This mirrors the hymn's theme of embarking on life's journey with divine trust, using dotted rhythms for gravitas and a fugue to represent complex spiritual devotion.
