Willkommen! ihr herrschenden Götter der Erden BWV 1161; BWV Anh. 13; BWV Anh. I 13; BC [G 24] GND

Saxe-Poland
Genre
Secular cantata
Scoring
nicht überliefert

Date of origin, Work history
vor dem 28. April 1738
First performance on April 28, 1738, in Leipzig in front of the “Apelisches Hause” at the market as evening homage music for the Electoral couple Friedrich August II and Maria Josepha on the occasion of the upcoming wedding of the Saxon princess Maria Amalia with Karl, the King of both Sicilies. The event was in the presence of high-ranking individuals. At 9 p.m., students from the local university presented a beautiful night music accompanied by many wax torches, trumpets, and drums, in front of the Apelisches Hause at the market. This most humble drama was composed and performed by CapellMeister Johann Sebastian Bach. [Karl dem Könige beider Sicilien, in Anwesenheit der hohen Herrschaften: Abends um 9. Uhr aber brachten die auf hiesiger Vniversitet Studirende eine schöne Nacht Musique mit vielen Wachs Fackeln, unter Trompeten und Paucken Schall vor dem Apelischen Hause am Marckte ein unterthänigstes Drama so von dem Herrn CapellMeister Joh. Sebastian Bachen componiret und aufgeführet wurde.] (See Riemer-Chronik, Volume 2, Page 427; see Dok. II Nr. 424a). The professors of the university commissioned the work, as documented in the Professors' Council minutes dated April 10, 1738: [...] that Cantor Herr Bach and Professor Gottsched should prepare the composition of the cantata for the evening music [[…] daß die Composition der Cantate bey der Abend Music der Cantor Herr Bach u die Cantate Herr Prof: Gottsched verfertigen solten] (see Dok. II Nr. 422). This decision may have been made as early as the end of March, as indicated by the Protocol of the Council of Deans (University Archive Leipzig, Repository I/XVI No. 33, Section I, folio 197f.). Bach’s fee receipt from May 5, 1738, attests to the participation of Leipzig’s town musicians in the performance (50 Reichsthalers for me, and 8 Reichsthalers for the town musicians [50 rthl. vor mich, und 8 rthl. vor die StadPfeifer]; see Dok. I Nr. 122). The music has been lost but was the subject of stylistic debates in the Scheibe-Birnbaum dispute involving L. Mizler (see Dok. II Nr. 436, Nr. 438 and Nr. 441).
Sequence of Movements (according to the original text print):
1. Arie: Willkommen! Ihr herrschenden Götter der Erden!
2. [Recit.]: Großmächtigster August!
3. Arie: Fürsten sind die Luft der Erden
4. [Recit.]: Dieß Bild zeigt sich an Dir
5. Arie: Sanfte Stille! Süsse Fülle!
6. [Recit.]: Doch was erschallt für eine Freudenpost!
7. Arioso: Wohlan Prinzessin! zweifle nicht!
8. [Recit.]: Der warme Südenwind
9. Arie: Auf! theureste Enkelinn mächtigster Kaiser!
Early performances
, Leipzig (Premiere) (Link to event)

Libretto
J. C. Gottsched. Original text print: Leipzig 1738
Link to lyrics

Edition
Literature
Neumann 1967, S. 530 (Textwiedergabe)/Neumann 1974, S. 418 (Faksimile)

persistent ID
BachDigitalWork_work_00001321
Static URL
https://www.bach-digital.de/receive/BachDigitalWork_work_00001321
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Last changed
2023-08-29 : 01:40:46