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{{Short description|Chorale cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach}}
{{Infobox Bach composition {{Infobox Bach composition
| title = {{lang|de|Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht}} | title = {{lang|de|Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht}}
| bwv = 124 | bwv = 124
| type = ] | type = ]
| image = Thomaskirche-1885.png | image = Thomaskirche-1885.png
| caption = ], Leipzig | caption = ], Leipzig
Line 8: Line 9:
| performed = {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|1725|1|7|df=y}}|location=]}} | performed = {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|1725|1|7|df=y}}|location=]}}
| movements = 6 | movements = 6
| chorale = {{based on|"{{langr|de|]}}"|]}}
| text_poet = anonymous
| chorale = {{based on|"{{lang|de|]|italic=no}}"|]}}
| vocal = ] choir and solo | vocal = ] choir and solo
| instrumental = {{hlist | horn | oboe d'amore | 2 violins | viola | continuo }} | instrumental = {{hlist | horn | oboe d'amore | 2 violins | viola | continuo }}
| italic title = no
}} }}
'''{{lang|de|Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht}}''' (I will not let go of my Jesus),<ref name="Dellal" /> '''{{nowrap|BWV 124}}''',{{efn|"BWV" is ], a thematic catalogue of Bach's works.}} is a ] by ]. He composed the ] in ] for the first Sunday after ] and first performed it on 7 January 1725. It is based on the ] "]" by ]. '''{{lang|de|Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht}}''' (I will not let go of my Jesus),{{sfn|Dellal|2025}} '''{{abbr|BWV|Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (catalogue of Bach's works)}}{{nbsp}}124''', is a ] written by ]. He composed it in ] for the first Sunday after the ] and first performed it on 7 January 1725. It is based on the ] "{{langr|de|]}}" by ].


The cantata is part of Bach's ], the second cycle during his tenure as {{langr|de|]}} that began in 1723. In the style of the cycle, an unknown poet retained the outer ]s for framing choral ] and paraphrased the inner stanzas into four movements for soloists, alternating ]s and ]s. Bach scored the work for four vocal soloists, a ] and a ]al ensemble of a ] to play the ] with the soprano, ], strings and ].
== History and words ==


== History, hymn and words ==
Bach wrote the chorale cantata in his second year in Leipzig for the ].<ref name="Dürr" /> The prescribed readings for the Sunday were taken from the ], speaking of the duties of a Christian ({{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Romans|chapter=12|verse=1|range=–6}}), and from the ], the ] ({{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Luke|chapter=2|verse=41|range=–52}}).
Bach wrote the chorale cantata in his second year in Leipzig for the ].{{sfn|Bach Digital|2025}}{{sfn|Dürr|Jones|2006|p=187}} The prescribed readings for the Sunday were taken from the ], speaking of the duties of a Christian ({{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Romans|chapter=12|verse=1|range=–6}}), and from the ], the ] ({{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Luke|chapter=2|verse=41|range=–52}}).{{sfn|Bach Digital|2025}}{{sfn|Dürr|Jones|2006|p=183}}


A year earlier, on the same occasion, Bach had reflected {{lang|de|] |italic=unset}}, from the point of view of a person who had lost Jesus. This cantata text is based on the ] in six stanzas by Christian Keymann (1658).<ref name="chorale text" /> The text of the hymn begins, as in the former work, with an idea close to the gospel: the Christian does not want to let go of Jesus, as his parents had wished not to lose their 12-year-old boy, but then the chorale pursues the thought of being united with Jesus after death. An unknown poet kept the first and the last stanza, and paraphrased the inner stanzas to a sequence of as many ]s and ]s. Bach first performed the cantata on 7&nbsp;January 1725, one day after {{lang|de|] |italic=unset}}, for Epiphany.<ref name="Dürr" /> A year earlier, Bach had reflected the same occasion in {{lang|de|] |italic=unset}}, from the point of view of a person who had lost Jesus. The 1725 cantata text is based on the 1658 ] in six stanzas by Christian Keymann.{{sfn|Bach Digital|2025}}{{sfn|Chorale text|2005}} The text of the hymn begins, as in the former cantata, with an idea close to the Gospel: the Christian does not want to let go of Jesus, as his parents had wished not to lose their 12-year-old boy. The chorale then pursues the thought of being united with Jesus after death. In the format of the chorale cantata cycle, an unknown poet retained the hymn's first and last stanzas for choral movements, and paraphrased the inner stanzas to a sequence of as many ]s and ]s.{{sfn|Dürr|Jones|2006|p=187}}


Bach led the ] in the first performance of the cantata on 7&nbsp;January 1725,{{sfn|Bach Digital|2025}}{{sfn|Dürr|Jones|2006|p=187}} one day after {{lang|de|] |italic=unset}}, for Epiphany.{{sfn|Dürr|Jones|2006|p=177}}
== Scoring and structure ==

The cantata in six movements is scored for four soloists, ], ], ], and ], a four-part choir, ] to play the ] with the soprano, ], two ]s, ], and ].<ref name="Dürr" />

# Chorus: {{lang|de|Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht}}
# Recitative (tenor): {{lang|de|Solange sich ein Tropfen Blut}}
# Aria (tenor): {{lang|de|Und wenn der harte Todesschlag}}
# Recitative (bass): {{lang|de|Doch ach! welch schweres Ungemach}}
# Aria (soprano, alto): {{lang|de|Entziehe dich eilends, mein Herze, der Welt}}
# Chorale: {{lang|de|Jesum laß ich nicht von mir}}


== Music == == Music ==
=== Structure and scoring ===
Bach structured {{lang|de|Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht}} in six movements. Both the text and the tune of the hymn are retained in the outer movements, a ] and a four-part closing ]. Bach scored the work for four vocal soloists (] (S), ] (A), ] (T) and ] (B)), a ], and a ]al ensemble of a ] (Co) to reinforce the chorale melody, ] (Oa), two ] parts (Vl), a ] part, and ].{{sfn|Bach Digital|2025}}{{sfn|Dürr|Jones|2006|pp=186–187}} The duration is given as 17 minutes.{{sfn|Dürr|Jones|2006|p=186}}


In the following table of the movements, the scoring, ] and ]s are taken from ]'s standard work {{lang|de|Die Kantaten von Johann Sebastian Bach}}.{{sfn|Bach Digital|2025}}{{sfn|Dürr|Jones|2006|pp=186–187}} The continuo, which plays throughout, is not shown.
In the opening chorus the soprano and the horn present line by line the {{lang|la|cantus firmus}}, a melody by ], who collaborated with Keymann on chorales.<ref name="chorale melody" /> The lower voices are set mostly in ], while the orchestra plays its own ] in introduction, interludes and accompaniment. The character of the movement is a ], and the oboe d'amore takes a virtuosic concertante leading part.<ref name="Dürr" /> The phrase "{{lang|de|klettenweis an ihm zu kleben|italic=no}}" (cling to him like a burr)<ref name="Dellal" /> is illustrated by all three lower voices holding a note for three measures as if clinging to it. ] notes the "gentle, almost naïve tone of voice to reflect the submissive character of the text".<ref name="Gardiner" /> A short secco recitative leads to a tenor aria, which is accompanied by the oboe, while the strings play "a persistent four-note drumming" to express "{{lang|de|Furcht und Schrecken|italic=no}}" (fear and terror).<ref name="Dellal" /><ref name="Gardiner" /> ] compares these repetitions to similar figures in the alto recitative "{{lang|de|Warum wollt ihr erschrecken|italic=no}}", movement 49 of Bach's '']''.<ref name="Dürr" /> In another secco recitative the term "{{lang|de|nach vollbrachtem Lauf|italic=no}}" (after my completed course)<ref name="Dellal" /> is pictured by a scale spanning an ]. A duet of soprano and alto, only accompanied by the continuo, moves like a dance in simple periods of four measures. The cantata is closed by the final stanza in a four-part setting.<ref name="Dürr" />


{{Classical movement header | show_text_source = no | work = ''Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht'' | instruments1 = Winds | instruments2 = Strings }}
== Recordings ==
{{Classical movement row
* ''Bach Cantatas Vol. 1 – Advent and Christmas'', ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] 1967
| id = m1
* ''Die Bach Kantate Vol. 21'', ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] 1980
| number = ]
* ''J.S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk – Sacred Cantatas Vol. 7'', ], ], ], soloists of the Tölzer Knabenchor, ], ], ] 1980
| title = {{langr|de|Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht}}
* ''Bach Edition Vol. 20 – Cantatas Vol. 11'', ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] 1999
| type = Chorale fantasia
* ''Bach Cantatas Vol. 18: Berlin / Weimar/Leipzig/Hamburg / For Christmas Day & for Epiphany / For the 1st Sunday after Epiphany'', ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] 2000
| vocal = SATB
* ''J.S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 12'', ], ], ], ], ], ], ] 2000
| instruments1 = Co Oa
* ''J.S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 32'', ], ], ], ], ], ], ] 2005
| instruments2 = 2Vl Va
| key = {{nowrap|]}}
| time = {{music|time|3|4}}
}}
{{Classical movement row
| id = m2
| number = ]
| title = {{langr|de|Solange sich ein Tropfen Blut}}
| type = Recitative
| vocal = T
| instruments1 =
| instruments2 =
| key =
| time = {{music|common-time}}
}}
{{Classical movement row
| id = m3
| number = ]
| title = {{langr|de|Und wenn der harte Todesschlag}}
| type = Aria
| vocal = T
| instruments1 = Oa
| instruments2 = 2Vl Va
| key = {{nowrap|]}}
| time = {{music|time|3|4}}
}}
{{Classical movement row
| id = m4
| number = ]
| title = {{langr|de|Doch ach! welch schweres Ungemach}}
| type = Recitative
| vocal = B
| instruments1 =
| instruments2 =
| key = ]
| time = {{music|common-time}}
}}
{{Classical movement row
| id = m5
| number = ]
| title = {{langr|de|Entziehe dich eilends, mein Herze, der Welt}}
| type = Aria
| vocal = S A
| instruments1 =
| instruments2 =
| key = A major
| time = {{music|time|3|8}}
}}
{{Classical movement row
| id = m6
| number = ]
| title = {{langr|de|Jesum laß ich nicht von mir}}
| type = Chorale
| vocal = SATB
| instruments1 = Co Oa
| instruments2 = 2Vl Va
| key = E major
| time = {{music|common-time}}
}}
{{End}}


== Notes == === Movements ===
==== 1 ====
{{notelist}}
In the opening chorus, "{{langr|de|Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht, weil er sich für mich gegeben}}" (I will not let go of my Jesus, since he has given himself for me),{{sfn|Dellal|2025}} the soprano and the horn present line by line the {{lang|la|cantus firmus}}, a melody by ], who collaborated with Keymann on chorales.{{sfn|Chorale melody|2006}} The lower voices are set mostly in ], while the orchestra plays its own ] in introduction, interludes and accompaniment. The character of the movement is a ], and the oboe d'amore takes a virtuosic concertante leading part.{{sfn|Dürr|Jones|2006|p=187}} The phrase "{{langr|de|klettenweis an ihm zu kleben}}" (cling to him like a burr){{sfn|Dellal|2025}} is illustrated by all three lower voices holding a note for three measures as if clinging to it. ] noted the "gentle, almost naïve tone of voice to reflect the submissive character of the text".{{sfn|Gardiner|2010}}


== References == ==== 2 ====
A short ] expresses "{{langr|de|Solange sich ein Tropfen Blut in Herz und Adern reget, soll Jesus nur allein mein Leben und mein alles sein}}" (As long as a drop of blood stirs in heart and vein, so shall Jesus alone be my life and my everything).{{sfn|Dellal|2025}}


==== 3 ====
{{reflist | 30em
A tenor aria, "{{langr|de|Und wenn der harte Todesschlage die Sinnen schwächt}}" (And when the harsh blow of death weakens my senses),{{sfn|Dellal|2025}} is accompanied by an ] oboe d'amore, while the strings play "a persistent four-note drumming" to express "{{langr|de|Furcht und Schrecken}}" (fear and terror) in the face of death.{{sfn|Gardiner|2010}} Dürr compared these repetitions to similar figures in the alto recitative "{{langr|de|Warum wollt ihr erschrecken}}", movement 49 of Bach's '']''.{{sfn|Dürr|Jones|2006|p=188}}
| refs =


==== 4 ====
<ref name="Dellal">{{cite web
In another secco recitative, "{{langr|de|Doch ach! Welch schweres Ungemach empfindet noch allhier die Seele?}}" (Yet alas!
| last = Dellal
what heavy hardship does the soul still endure here?),{{sfn|Dellal|2025}} the term "{{langr|de|nach vollbrachtem Lauf}}" (after my completed course){{sfn|Dellal|2025}} is pictured by a scale spanning an ].{{sfn|Dürr|Jones|2006|p=188}}
| first = Pamela
| authorlink = Pamela Dellal
| url = http://www.emmanuelmusic.org/notes_trans/transl_cantata/bwv124.htm
| title = BWV 124 – Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht
| publisher = ]
| accessdate = 10 January 2015
}}</ref>


==== 5 ====
<ref name="Dürr">{{cite book
A duet of soprano and alto, "{{langr|de|Entziehe dich eilends, mein Herze, der Welt, du findest im Himmel dein wahres Vergnügen}}" (Withdraw yourself hurriedly, my heart, from the world, you will find in heaven your true delight),{{sfn|Dellal|2025}} is accompanied by the continuo. It moves like a dance in simple periods of four measures.{{sfn|Dürr|Jones|2006|p=188}}
| last = Dürr
| first = Alfred
| authorlink = Alfred Dürr
| title = Die Kantaten von Johann Sebastian Bach
| year = 1971
| publisher = Bärenreiter-Verlag
| oclc = 523584
| volume = 1
| language = German
}}</ref>


==== 6 ====
<ref name="Gardiner">{{Cite AV media notes
]
| last = Gardiner
The cantata is closed by the final chorale stanza, "{{langr|de|Jesum laß ich nicht von mir, geh ihm ewig an der Seiten}}" (I will not let go of my Jesus, I will walk beside him forever),{{sfn|Dellal|2025}} in a four-part setting.{{sfn|Dürr|Jones|2006|p=188}}{{sfn|Dahn|2025}}
| first = John Eliot
| author-link = John Eliot Gardiner
| url = https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_SDG174
| title = Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) / Cantatas Nos 32, 63, 65, 123, 124 & 154
| publisher = ] (at ] website)
| year = 2010
| accessdate = 31 December 2018
}}</ref>


== Recordings ==
<ref name="chorale text">{{cite web
A list of recordings is provided on the Bach Cantatas website.{{sfn|Oron|2025}} Vocal groups with one voice per part (]) and instrumental groups playing period instruments in ]s are marked by green background.
| url = http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/Chorale054-Eng3.htm
| title = Meinen Jesum laß' ich nicht / Text and Translation of Chorale
| publisher = Bach Cantatas Website
| year = 2005
| accessdate = 3 January 2012
}}</ref>


{{Cantata discography header | work=''Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht'' | instruments={{abbr|Instr.|Type of instruments }} }}
<ref name="chorale melody">{{cite web
| url = http://www.bach-cantatas.com/CM/Meinen-Jesum-lass-ich-nicht.htm
| title = Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works / Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht
| publisher = Bach Cantatas Website
| year = 2006
| accessdate = 3 January 2012
}}</ref>


{{Cantata discography row
| id = Richter
| title = {{lang|de|Die Bach Kantate Vol. 1}}
| conductor = {{sortname|Karl|Richter|dab=conductor}}
| choir = ]
| orchestra = ]
| soloists = {{plainlist|
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
}} }}
| label = ]
| year = {{Start date|1967}}
| orchestra_type =
}}
{{Cantata discography row
| id = Rilling
| title = {{lang|de|Die Bach Kantate Vol. 21}}
| conductor = {{sortname|Helmuth|Rilling}}
| choir = ]
| orchestra = ]
| soloists = {{plainlist|
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
}}
| label = ]
| year = {{Start date|1980}}
| orchestra_type =
}}
{{Cantata discography row
| id = Harnoncourt
| title = ''J. S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk – Sacred Cantatas Vol. 7''
| conductor = {{sortname|Nikolaus|Harnoncourt}}
| choir = ]
| orchestra = ]
| soloists = {{plainlist|
* soloists from ]
* ]
* ]
}}
| label = ]
| year = {{Start date|1980}}
| orchestra_type = Period
}}
{{Cantata discography row
| id = Leusink
| title = ''Bach Edition Vol. 20 – Cantatas Vol. 11''
| conductor = {{sortname|Pieter Jan|Leusink}}
| choir = ]
| orchestra = ]
| soloists = {{plainlist|
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
}}
| label = ]
| year = {{Start date|1999}}
| orchestra_type = Period
}}
{{Cantata discography row
| id = Gardiner
| title = ''Bach Cantatas Vol. 18: Berlin / Weimar / Leipzig / Hamburg''{{sfn|Gardiner|2010}}
| conductor = {{sortname|John Eliot|Gardiner}}
| choir = ]
| orchestra = ]
| soloists = {{plainlist|
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
}}
| label = ]
| year = {{Start date|2000}}
| orchestra_type = Period
}}
{{Cantata discography row
| id = Koopman
| title = ''J. S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 12''
| conductor = {{sortname|Ton|Koopman}}
| orchestra = ]
| soloists = {{plainlist|
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
}}
| label = ]
| year = {{Start date|2000}}
| orchestra_type = Period
}}
{{Cantata discography row
| id = Suzuki
| title = ''J. S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 32''
| conductor = {{sortname|Masaaki|Suzuki}}
| orchestra = {{nowrap|]}}
| soloists = {{plainlist|
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
}}
| label = ]
| year = {{Start date|2005}}
| orchestra_type = Period
}}
{{End}}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==

{{reflist | 20em }}


== Sources == === Cited sources ===
* {{cite web
| url = http://www.bach-digital.de/receive/BachDigitalWork_work_00000151?lang=en
| title = Meinen Jesum lass ich nicht BWV 124; BC A 30
| website = ]
| date = 2025
| access-date = 7 January 2025
| ref = {{sfnref|Bach Digital|2025}}
}}
* {{cite web
| last = Dahn
| first = Luke
| url = http://www.bach-chorales.com/BWV0124_6.htm
| title = BWV 124.6
| website = bach-chorales.com
| date = 2025
| access-date = 7 January 2025
}}
* {{cite web
| last = Dellal
| first = Pamela
| author-link = Pamela Dellal
| url = https://www.emmanuelmusic.org/bach-translations/bwv-124
| title = BWV 124 – Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht
| publisher = ]
| date = 2025
| access-date = 7 January 2025
}}
* {{cite book
| last1 = Dürr
| first1 = Alfred
| author1-link = Alfred Dürr
| last2 = Jones
| first2 = Richard D. P.
| author2-link = Richard D. P. Jones
| chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=m9JuwslMcq4C&pg=PA186
| chapter = ''Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht'', BWV 124
| title = The Cantatas of J. S. Bach: With Their Librettos in German-English Parallel Text
| location = Oxford
| publisher = ]
| date = 2006
| pages = 186–188
| isbn = 978-0-19-969628-4
}}
* {{Cite AV media notes
| last = Gardiner
| first = John Eliot
| author-link = John Eliot Gardiner
| url = https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_SDG174
| title = Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) / Cantatas Nos 32, 63, 65, 123, 124 & 154
| publisher = ] |via=]
| date = 2010
| access-date = 31 December 2018
}}
* {{cite web
| last = Oron
| first = Aryeh
| url = http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV124.htm
| title = Cantata BWV 124 ''Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht''
| website = Bach Cantatas website
| date = 2025
| access-date = 7 January 2025
}}
* {{cite web
| url = http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/Chorale054-Eng3.htm
| title = Meinen Jesum laß' ich nicht / Text and Translation of Chorale
| website = Bach Cantatas website
| date = 2005
| access-date = 7 January 2024
| ref = {{sfnref|Chorale text|2005}}
}}
* {{cite web
| url = http://www.bach-cantatas.com/CM/Meinen-Jesum-lass-ich-nicht.htm
| title = Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works / Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht
| publisher = Bach Cantatas Website
| date = 2006
| access-date = 7 January 2024
| ref = {{sfnref|Chorale melody|2006}}
}}


== External links ==
* {{IMSLP|work=Meinen Jesum lass ich nicht, BWV 124 (Bach, Johann Sebastian)}} * {{IMSLP|work=Meinen Jesum lass ich nicht, BWV 124 (Bach, Johann Sebastian)}}
* ]
* history, scoring, sources for text and music, translations to various languages, discography, discussion, ''bach-cantatas'' website
* English translation, ] * English translation, ]
* text, scoring, ] * text, scoring, ]
* Julian Mincham, 2010 * Julian Mincham, 2010
* bach-chorales.com


{{Church cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach}} {{Church cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach}}

Latest revision as of 22:24, 7 January 2025

Chorale cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach
Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht
BWV 124
Chorale cantata by J. S. Bach
Thomaskirche, Leipzig
OccasionFirst Sunday after Epiphany
Chorale"Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht"
by Christian Keymann
Performed7 January 1725 (1725-01-07): Leipzig
Movements6
VocalSATB choir and solo
Instrumental
  • horn
  • oboe d'amore
  • 2 violins
  • viola
  • continuo

Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht (I will not let go of my Jesus), BWV 124, is a church cantata written by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it in Leipzig for the first Sunday after the Epiphany and first performed it on 7 January 1725. It is based on the hymn "Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht" by Christian Keymann.

The cantata is part of Bach's chorale cantata cycle, the second cycle during his tenure as Thomaskantor that began in 1723. In the style of the cycle, an unknown poet retained the outer stanzas for framing choral movements and paraphrased the inner stanzas into four movements for soloists, alternating recitatives and arias. Bach scored the work for four vocal soloists, a four-part choir and a Baroque instrumental ensemble of a horn to play the cantus firmus with the soprano, oboe d'amore, strings and basso continuo.

History, hymn and words

Bach wrote the chorale cantata in his second year in Leipzig for the First Sunday after Epiphany. The prescribed readings for the Sunday were taken from the Epistle to the Romans, speaking of the duties of a Christian (Romans 12:1–6), and from the Gospel of Luke, the finding in the Temple (Luke 2:41–52).

A year earlier, Bach had reflected the same occasion in Mein liebster Jesus ist verloren, BWV 154, from the point of view of a person who had lost Jesus. The 1725 cantata text is based on the 1658 chorale in six stanzas by Christian Keymann. The text of the hymn begins, as in the former cantata, with an idea close to the Gospel: the Christian does not want to let go of Jesus, as his parents had wished not to lose their 12-year-old boy. The chorale then pursues the thought of being united with Jesus after death. In the format of the chorale cantata cycle, an unknown poet retained the hymn's first and last stanzas for choral movements, and paraphrased the inner stanzas to a sequence of as many recitatives and arias.

Bach led the Thomanerchor in the first performance of the cantata on 7 January 1725, one day after Liebster Immanuel, Herzog der Frommen, BWV 123, for Epiphany.

Music

Structure and scoring

Bach structured Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht in six movements. Both the text and the tune of the hymn are retained in the outer movements, a chorale fantasia and a four-part closing chorale. Bach scored the work for four vocal soloists (soprano (S), alto (A), tenor (T) and bass (B)), a four-part choir, and a Baroque instrumental ensemble of a horn (Co) to reinforce the chorale melody, oboe d'amore (Oa), two violin parts (Vl), a viola part, and basso continuo. The duration is given as 17 minutes.

In the following table of the movements, the scoring, keys and time signatures are taken from Alfred Dürr's standard work Die Kantaten von Johann Sebastian Bach. The continuo, which plays throughout, is not shown.

Movements of Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht
No. Title Type Vocal Winds Strings Key Time
1 Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht Chorale fantasia SATB Co Oa 2Vl Va E major
4
2 Solange sich ein Tropfen Blut Recitative T common time
3 Und wenn der harte Todesschlag Aria T Oa 2Vl Va F-sharp minor
4
4 Doch ach! welch schweres Ungemach Recitative B A major common time
5 Entziehe dich eilends, mein Herze, der Welt Aria S A A major
8
6 Jesum laß ich nicht von mir Chorale SATB Co Oa 2Vl Va E major common time

Movements

1

In the opening chorus, "Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht, weil er sich für mich gegeben" (I will not let go of my Jesus, since he has given himself for me), the soprano and the horn present line by line the cantus firmus, a melody by Andreas Hammerschmidt, who collaborated with Keymann on chorales. The lower voices are set mostly in homophony, while the orchestra plays its own themes in introduction, interludes and accompaniment. The character of the movement is a minuet, and the oboe d'amore takes a virtuosic concertante leading part. The phrase "klettenweis an ihm zu kleben" (cling to him like a burr) is illustrated by all three lower voices holding a note for three measures as if clinging to it. John Eliot Gardiner noted the "gentle, almost naïve tone of voice to reflect the submissive character of the text".

2

A short secco recitative expresses "Solange sich ein Tropfen Blut in Herz und Adern reget, soll Jesus nur allein mein Leben und mein alles sein" (As long as a drop of blood stirs in heart and vein, so shall Jesus alone be my life and my everything).

3

A tenor aria, "Und wenn der harte Todesschlage die Sinnen schwächt" (And when the harsh blow of death weakens my senses), is accompanied by an obbligato oboe d'amore, while the strings play "a persistent four-note drumming" to express "Furcht und Schrecken" (fear and terror) in the face of death. Dürr compared these repetitions to similar figures in the alto recitative "Warum wollt ihr erschrecken", movement 49 of Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Part V.

4

In another secco recitative, "Doch ach! Welch schweres Ungemach empfindet noch allhier die Seele?" (Yet alas! what heavy hardship does the soul still endure here?), the term "nach vollbrachtem Lauf" (after my completed course) is pictured by a scale spanning an octave.

5

A duet of soprano and alto, "Entziehe dich eilends, mein Herze, der Welt, du findest im Himmel dein wahres Vergnügen" (Withdraw yourself hurriedly, my heart, from the world, you will find in heaven your true delight), is accompanied by the continuo. It moves like a dance in simple periods of four measures.

6

Four-part setting, BWV 124/6
Four-part setting, BWV 124/6

The cantata is closed by the final chorale stanza, "Jesum laß ich nicht von mir, geh ihm ewig an der Seiten" (I will not let go of my Jesus, I will walk beside him forever), in a four-part setting.

Recordings

A list of recordings is provided on the Bach Cantatas website. Vocal groups with one voice per part (OVPP) and instrumental groups playing period instruments in historically informed performances are marked by green background.

Recordings of Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht
Title Conductor / Choir / Orchestra Soloists Label Year Instr.
Die Bach Kantate Vol. 1 Karl RichterMünchener Bach-ChorMünchener Bach-Orchester Archiv Produktion 1967 (1967)
Die Bach Kantate Vol. 21 Helmuth RillingGächinger KantoreiBach-Collegium Stuttgart Hänssler 1980 (1980)
J. S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk – Sacred Cantatas Vol. 7 Nikolaus HarnoncourtTölzer KnabenchorConcentus Musicus Wien Teldec 1980 (1980) Period
Bach Edition Vol. 20 – Cantatas Vol. 11 Pieter Jan LeusinkHolland Boys ChoirNetherlands Bach Collegium Brilliant Classics 1999 (1999) Period
Bach Cantatas Vol. 18: Berlin / Weimar / Leipzig / Hamburg John Eliot GardinerMonteverdi ChoirEnglish Baroque Soloists Soli Deo Gloria 2000 (2000) Period
J. S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 12 Ton KoopmanAmsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir Antoine Marchand 2000 (2000) Period
J. S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 32 Masaaki SuzukiBach Collegium Japan BIS 2005 (2005) Period

Notes

References

  1. ^ Dellal 2025.
  2. ^ Bach Digital 2025.
  3. ^ Dürr & Jones 2006, p. 187.
  4. Dürr & Jones 2006, p. 183.
  5. Chorale text 2005.
  6. Dürr & Jones 2006, p. 177.
  7. ^ Dürr & Jones 2006, pp. 186–187.
  8. Dürr & Jones 2006, p. 186.
  9. Chorale melody 2006.
  10. ^ Gardiner 2010.
  11. ^ Dürr & Jones 2006, p. 188.
  12. Dahn 2025.
  13. Oron 2025.

Cited sources

External links

Church cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach
Before
Leipzig
First cycle
(1723–24)
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Cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach by BWV number
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