Dem Gerechten muß das Licht (The light shall [ever rise again] for the righteous), BWV 195, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Contents
History and text
Bach composed this cantata in Leipzig around 1727 for a wedding. The earliest version of the work is lost; an incomplete second version from 1742 and a complete revision from the late 1740s survive. These dates correspond with repeat performances of the work.
Movement 6 is the first stanza of Paul Gerhardt's hymn "Nun danket all und bringet Ehr", the opening movement based on Psalms 97:11-12; the rest of the text is anonymous.
Scoring and structure
The cantata is scored for soprano and bass vocal soloists, a four-part choir, three trumpets, timpani, two horns, two flutes, two oboes, two oboes d'amore, two violins, viola, violone, basso continuo.
The work is divided into two parts, to be performed before and after the sermon. The original version had three movements in the second part, out of eight total. In the surviving version, the second part includes only the final of six movements.
- Chorus: Dem Gerechten muss das Licht immer wieder aufgehen
- Recitative (bass): Dem Freudenlicht gerechter Frommen
- Aria (bass): Rühmet Gottes Güt und Treu
- Recitative (soprano): Wohlan, so knüpfet denn ein Band
- Chorus: Wir kommen, deine Heiligkeit
- Chorale: Nun danket all und bringet Ehr
Music
The cantata opens with a choral fantasia, scored for all parts. The vocal scoring includes a concertante group and a ripieno that almost always doubles it. The movement has an "energetic and ebullient" instrumental introduction. The first section highlights the contrast between soloists and chorus, while the second section is dance-like and uses fugal techniques.
The bass recitative is secco and "severe". It is accompanied by a triplet line that moves in semiquavers to end the movement.
The bass aria is in modified ternary form and includes an instrumental ritornello with a characteristic Scotch snap. The middle section moves into a minor key to increase the intimacy of the personal expression. The movement concludes with a short coda.
The soprano recitative "is a musical portrayal of the central part of the marriage ceremony" – the blessing of the union. It is accompanied by chordal oboes and scalar flutes.
The penultimate movement is a chorus, similar to that with which the cantata opened. It combines da capo and ritornello form. The first section is dominated by scalar motifs, while the middle section is chordal and "quasi-philosophical".
The cantata ends with a four-part harmonization of the chorale tune.