About the composer
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750) was born in Eisenach, Germany. He composed more than
1000 works, about 300 cantatas, several Passions, concertos for violin, clavichord and
flute and solo pieces for organ, violin, cello, clavichord, piano. He did not compose a
Stabat Mater, but he used the musical setting of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater to set Psalm 51
to music. It is not known why he did this. Analysis of the paper and the autograph of the
manuscript suggest that it was composed late in his career, probably around 1748.
About the Stabat Mater-paraphrase BWV 1083
| Date | Round 1748 |
| Performers | Soprano, alto, strings and continuo |
| Length | 37.07 minutes (CD 1) and 42.20 minutes (CD 2) |
| Particulars | The melodic lines of the Pergolesi piece are clearly recognizable and to the unschooled ear hardly altered. According to a CD-insert it is possible that the paraphrase has been a kind of workshop for Bach's students, a collective didactic project. The important modifications seem to be to the instrumental part of the composition, though Bach wrote stanza 7 as an independent section and shifted stanza 17 and 19 to the next parts. Furthermore, he changed the melodies of the last two parts around. The viola received a more independent role and the continuo has a richer and more elaborate bass. In the vocal parts he made longer notes and sequenses of notes resolve in single notes. The aim could have been to transform the Pergolesi Stabat Mater into a German cantata suitable for the faithful of the Thomaskirche of Leipzig. In CD 2 a choir is added to the first and last parts, and part nine is performed by choir alone (see Colorbar 2). |
| Textual variations | In the paraphrase the original text of the Stabat Mater is
replaced by a text which is based on the Martin Luther version of Psalm 51. This text was
completely rewritten to meet the requirements of the Stabat Mater poem. Thus, it comprises
twenty stanzas, with a rhythm and a rhyming scheme that is same as used in the Latin poem
(AAC, BBC), as can be seen from the first four stanzas: Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden, deinen Eifer lass verschwinden, lass mich deine Huld erfreuen. Ist mein Herz in Missetaten und in grosse Schuld geraten wasch es selber, mach es rein Missetaten die mich drücken, muss ich mir itzt selbst aufrücken, Vater, ich bin nicht gerecht. Dich erzürnt mein Tun und Lassen, meinen Wandel musst du hassen, weil die Sünde mich geschwächt. |
| CD 1 | Deutsche Harmonia Mundi DHM 05472 77508: J.S.Bach - Psalm 51 after G.B.Pergolesi - Stabat Mater |
| About this CD | In contrast to CD 2 no choir is used, so probably this is
closer to the Bach's original. Recorded at the Katholische Pfarrkirche "Mariae Kronung" in Oberried, Germany, in December 1998. |
| Orchestra | Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble |
| Conductor | Thomas Hengelbrock |
| Soloists | Maya Boog, soprano Michael Chance, countertenor |
| Other works | Alessandro Scarlatti: Concerto grosso in F minor Francesco Durante: Concerto for strings in G minor |
| CD 2 | Symphonia SY 95139: Psalm 51, Parodia dello Stabat Mater di G.B.Pergolesi |
| About this CD | The CD has a special flavour as the singing, choir as well as
soloists, is being done by boys. The CD-insert describes in detail the possibilities why
Bach would have taken on this task, and in what way he changed the Pergolesi setting. Recorded at the Augustiner Chorherrenstift, St.Florian, March 1995 |
| Orchestra | Ars Antiqua Austria |
| Choir | St.Florianer Sängerknaben |
| Conductor | Gunar Letzbor |
| Soloists | Siegfried Ertelthalner, soprano Martin Sturm, Michael Moucka, alto |
| Other works | Johann Sebastian Bach: Kantate BWV 182 "Himmelskönig sei wilkommen" |
E-mail:
stabatmater@dds.nl