Angenehmes Wiederau (Pleasant Wiederau), BWV 30a, is a secular cantata composed by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Contents
History and text
The work was composed in Leipzig in 1737 as an homage to Johann Christian von Hennicke, who had acquired an estate including the Wiederau manor. The only performance of the work occurred on 28 September at Gut Wiederau manor near Leipzig.
The text of the cantata was most likely written by Bach's trusted librettist Christian Friedrich Henrici (Picander).
Scoring and structure
The piece is scored for basso continuo , along with four vocal soloists (soprano as Zeit (Time), alto as Glück (Good Fortune), tenor as Elster (River Elster), bass as Schicksal (Fate)) and four-part choir.
The cantata has thirteen movements:
- Chorus: Angenehmes Wiederau
- Recitative (bass, soprano, alto, tenor): So ziehen wir
- Aria (bass): Willkommen im Heil, willkommen in Freuden
- Recitative (alto): Da heute dir, gepriesner Hennicke
- Aria (alto): Was die Seele kann ergötzen
- Recitative (bass): Und wie ich jederzeit bedacht
- Aria (bass): Ich will dich halten
- Recitative (soprano): Und obwohl sonst der Unbestand
- Aria (soprano): Eilt, ihr Stunden, wie ihr wollt
- Recitative (tenor): So recht! ihr seid mir werte Gäste
- Aria (tenor): So, wie ich die Tropfen zolle
- Recitative (soprano, bass, alto): Drum, angenehmes Wiederau
- Chorus: Angenehmes Wiederau
Music
The eleventh movement, a tenor aria, is a reworking of a soprano aria from BWV 210. The other major movements were later reused in BWV 30, while the recitatives are newly composed.