Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Cantata BWV 20: O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort (11 June 1724)

Part I.
1. O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort (Chorus)
2. Kein Unglück ist in aller Welt zu finden (Recitative: T) 04:45
3. Ewigkeit, du machst mir bange (Aria: T) 05:39
4. Gesetzt, es dau'rte der Verdammten Qual (Recitative: B) 09:01
5. Gott ist gerecht in seinen Werken (Aria: B) 10:15
6. O Mensch, errette deine Seele (Aria: A) 14:43
7. Solang ein Gott im Himmel lebt (Chorale) 17:08

Part II.
8. Wacht auf, wacht auf, verlornen Schafe (Aria: B) 18:11
9. Verlass, o Mensch, die Wollust dieser Welt (Recitative: A) 20:57
10. O Menschenkind (Duet: A, T) 22:14
11. O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort (Chorale) 25:58

Soloists:
Alto: Paul Esswood
Tenor: Kurt Equiluz
Bass: Max van Egmond

Performed by the Wiener Sängerknaben & Chorus Viennensis (Chorus Master - Hans Gillesberger), and Concentus Musicus Wien under the direction of Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Recorded by Teldec in 1972.

"O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort (O Eternity, you word of thunder) (BWV 20), is the first of the choral cantatas of Bach's second year and was first performed on 11th June 1724 in the Thomas Church in Leipzig. The choice of the hymn (in a twelve-verse setting) which forms the basis of the cantata was inspired by the reading from the Sunday Gospel according to St. Luke (Chap. 16:19-31) which concerns itself with the parable of the rich man and the poor man Lazarus. In the tenth movement the unknown editor of the cantata version has taken the opportunity of making an immediate reference to this parable ("Ach spiegle dich am reichen Mann...": "Be reflected in the rich man's spirit").

Corresponding to the previous year, his commencement of employment of the new year began on the first Sunday after Trinity. Bach brought attention to this fact in many ways, but most clearly of all by giving the introductory chorus the form of the French overture. Two appropriate, ceremoniously phrased and mainly homophonic structural sections, which carry the lines of the hymn 1-3 and 7-8 (first paragraph and latter part of the stanza), surround a sudden, polyphonic middle section with the lines 4-6 (second paragraph). Within this traditional form borrowed from French opera Bach takes the opportunity not only of developing the theme of the first section from the beginning of the hymn, but also of describing prominent words from the libretto with musical figures, e.g., the word 'erschrocken' ('frightened'), which comes at the beginning of the latter part of the stanza, has short rhythms with many pauses.

The large number of following choral and aria passages necessitated a relatively short form. This is especially the case with the recitative (almost completely without sections of arioso), but is also true of the arias which, by means of their character and instrumentation, provide contrast with one another.

Both parts of the cantata end with the same simple choral passage, which is based on the 8th and 12th hymn-verses." - Alfred Dürr

Drawing: Jonah Cast Forth by the Whale, Gustave Doré

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