Once again we have a meditative plaint from the countertenor. The oboes and pizzicato bass give this movement a sombre feel. From now until the end of the work Bach uses only keys with flats in them. The aria which follows beseeches the faithful believers to come and be with Christ – the quick interjections of the chorus contrasting with the lyrical line given to the countertenor. The original aria was scored for two oboes de caccia, a renaissance oboe shaped like a crescent and with a particularly hollow sound. In using this instrument Bach, a composer who was very aware of timbre, was illustrating the image of the skull, after which Golgotha was named.
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59 |
Countertenor |
Ach Golgatha, unselges Golgatha! Der Herr der Herrlichkeit muß schimpflich hier verderben, der Segen und das Heil der Welt wird als ein Fluch ans Kreuz gestellt. Der Schöpfer Himmels und der Erden soll Erd und Luft entzogen werden. Die Unschuld muß hier schuldig sterben, das gehet meiner Seele nah; ach Golgatha, unselges Golgatha! |
Ah, Golgotha, wretched Golgotha! The Lord of Glory must shamefully perish here; the blessing and salvation of the world is cursed and nailed to the cross. The creator of heaven and earth is to be taken from earth and air. Innocence must die here in sin, and that distresses my soul. Oh Golgotha, wretched Golgotha! |
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60 |
Countertenor with ChorusAria with chorus |
Sehet, Jesus hat die Hand, uns zu fassen ausgespannt, kommt, “wohin?” kommt, “wohin?” kommt, “wohin?” In Jesu Armen suchet Erlösung, nehmt Erbarmen, suchet! “Wo?” In Jesu Armen suchet! “Wo?” In Jesu Armen. Lebet, sterbet, ruhet hier, ihr verlaßnen Küchlein ihr, bleibet, “Wo?” In Jesu Armen, bleibet, “Wo?” In Jesu Armen. |
See, Jesus has stretched out his hand to hold us. Come! “Where to?” Come! “Where to?” Come! “Where to?” Seek salvation in the arms of Jesus, find redemption, seek! “Where?” Seek in the arms of Jesus. “Where?” In the arms of Jesus. Live, die, rest here, you abandoned children. Stay! “Where?” In the arms of Jesus, stay! “Where?” In the arms of Jesus. |
We come now to the very heart of the work. The darkness present at the scene is written into the music with dark tonalities and slow tempi. The Aramaic words spoken by Christ are, for the first time, not accompanied by the strings. Having temporarily lost his faith, Christ also loses his halo. Christ’s words are repeated and translated by the Evangelist with exactly the same notes, but written at a higher pitch. The translation is significant as the projection of the vernacular dialect into sacred worship, at the expense of the classical tongue, was one of the main staples, and indeed causes, of protestant reformation. These words are the only words of Christ, spoken from the cross, which appear in more than one of the gospels (Matthew and Mark). The accompaniments for the two choral outbursts are extremely similar – as they were in nos 58b and 58d. Finally in this movement, and with understated simplicity, the Evangelist delivers the news of Christ’s death.
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61a |
Evangelist |
Und von der sechsten Stunde an war eine Finsternis über das ganze Land bis zu neunten Stunde. Und um die neunte Stunde schriee Jesus laut und sprach: |
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying: |
Jesus |
“Eli, Eli, lama, lama a sabthani?” |
“Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” |
|
Evangelist |
Das ist: “Mein Gott, mein Gott, warum hast du mich verlassen?” Etliche aber, die da stunden, da sie das höreten, sprachen sie: |
That is to say: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said: |
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61b |
Chorus |
“Der rufet dem Elias!” |
“This man calleth for Elias.” |
61c |
Evangelist |
Und bald life einer unter ihnen, nahm einen Schwamm und füllete ihn mit Essig und stekkete ihn auf ein Rohr und tränkete ihn. Die andern aber sprachen: |
And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. The rest said: |
61d |
Chorus |
“Halt! Halt! Laß sehen, ob Elias komme und ihm helfe?” |
“Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.” |
61e |
Evangelist |
Aber Jesus schriee abermal laut, und verschied. |
Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. |
SILENCE IS KEPT
Commentary by Peter Parfitt © Aberdeen Bach Choir 2012
