Playlist
Translation
| German Text | English Text |
|---|---|
| German Text | English Text |
Notes on Translation
| Long Notes |
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| Long Notes |
Analysis
This work is problematic: it survives only in a manuscript dated 1762, 12 years after Bach died. It is fairly crude in form and musical invention -and this has led most to assume it to have been an early work, perhaps dating from around 1708, when Bach was working in Mülhausen. The text is not always certain (as can be seen in some of my translation notes); when it is certain, it's not always clearly sensible! In some circles, the lack of musical heft and the lack of a decent contemporary manuscript has made the work doubtful: the New Groves (at least, my 1980 edition) relegates it to is list of 'doubtful and spurious' works, for example. However, the NBA is still, at present, declaring it authentic and Dürr sees no fundamental reason to doubt its authenticity.
The work was to be performed at a New Year's celebration (which also happens to be the Feast of the Circumcision -but there are no references to this or to the Epistle or Gospel readings for the day).