The Notenbüchlein for Anna Magdalena Bach is a collection of different sorts of music by several composers. Besides pieces for harpsichord – preludes, partitas and various dances – it also includes a series of songs. Some are more spiritual in character and others more secular.

This song, 'Willst du dein Herz mir schenken', belongs in the latter category. It is a love song in four strophes, in which the singer asks her lover to keep their love hidden and unspoken, because ‘being too free and feeling confident has already led often to danger” and now, too, “a false eye” is watching. In short, “the passion we enjoy must be a secret”. It is clearly a case of a hidden or forbidden love. A young couple with strict parents? An extramarital affair? Or maybe a lesbian romance? As it conjures up all sorts of situations, the song fits well in a wider context, as in this performance, where it is combined with Bach’s Quodlibet (see [ Ссылка ]), among other pieces.

Recorded for the project All of Bach on October 10th 2020 at TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht. If you want to help us complete All of Bach, please subscribe to our channel [ Ссылка ] and consider donating [ Ссылка ].

For the interview with tenor Charles Daniels on the Notenbüchlein für Anna Magdalena Bach go to [ Ссылка ]
For more information on BWV 518 and this production go to [ Ссылка ]

All of Bach is a project of the Netherlands Bach Society, offering high-quality film recordings of the works by Johann Sebastian Bach, performed by the Netherlands Bach Society and its guest musicians. Visit our free online treasury for more videos and background material on [ Ссылка ]. For concert dates and tickets go to [ Ссылка ].

Griet De Geyter, sopran
Lucia Swarts, cello
Fred Jacobs, theorbo
Siebe Henstra, harpsichord
Thomas Höft, theatre concept, direction and design

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