Johann Sebastian Bach composed Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust (Delightful rest, beloved pleasure of the soul),[1] BWV 170, a church cantata for the sixth Sunday after TrinityinLeipzig. It is a solo cantata for alto that he first performed on 28 July 1726.
| Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust | |
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BWV 170
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| Church cantatabyJ. S. Bach | |
Georg Christian Lehms, author of the text
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| Occasion | Sixth Sunday after Trinity |
| Cantata text | Georg Christian Lehms |
| Performed | 28 July 1726 (1726-07-28): Leipzig |
| Movements | five |
| Vocal | alto |
| Instrumental |
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Bach composed the cantatainLeipzig for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity.[2] The prescribed readings for the Sunday are from the Epistle to the Romans, "By Christ's death we are dead for sin" (Romans 6:3–11), and from the Gospel of Matthew a passage from the Sermon on the Mount about better justice than the justice of merely observing laws and rules (Matthew 5:20–26).[3] The text of the cantata is drawn from Georg Christian Lehms' Gottgefälliges Kirchen-Opfer (1711)[2] and speaks of the desire to lead a virtuous life and so enter heaven and avoid hell.[4]
Bach first performed the cantata on 28 July 1726.[2] Its brevity, compared to the cantatas in two parts written before and after, such as Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot, BWV 39, can be explained assuming that in the same service another cantata Ich will meinen Geist in euch geben, JLB 7, by Johann Ludwig Bach was also performed.[5] It is regarded as part of Bach's third cantata cycle.[6]
Bach performed it again around 1746.[2] Bach's son Wilhelm Friedemann Bach performed the first movement around 1752 in Halle.[2][7]
The cantata is one of three Bach cantatas written in Leipzig in the summer and fall of 1726, in which an alto soloist is the only singer, the others being Geist und Seele wird verwirret, BWV 35, and Gott soll allein mein Herze haben, BWV 169. It seems likely that Bach had a capable alto singer at his disposal during this period.[4]
Bach structured the cantata in five movements, alternating arias and recitatives.[8] He scored the work for an alto soloist and a small ensembleofoboe d'amore (Oa), two violins (Vl), viola (Va), obbligato organ (Org) and basso continuo (BC).[2][3][9] The duration of the cantata is given as 24 minutes.[3]
In the following table of the movements, the scoring follows the Neue Bach-Ausgabe.[9] The keys and time signatures are taken from Alfred Dürr, using the symbol for common time (4/4).[8]
| No. | Title | Text | Type | Vocal | Winds | Strings | continuo | Key | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust | Lehms | Aria | A | Oa | 2Vl Va | BC | D major | 12/8 |
| 2 | Die Welt, das Sündenhaus | Lehms | Recitative | A | BC | 
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| 3 | Wie jammern mich doch die verkehrten Herzen | Lehms | Aria | A | Org | 2Vl Va (unis.) | F-sharp minor |
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| 4 | Wer sollte sich demnach wohl hier zu leben wünschen | Lehms | Recitative | A | 2Vl Va | BC | D major |
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| 5 | Mir ekelt mehr zu leben | Lehms | Aria | A | Org Oa | 2Vl Va | BC | D major |
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The first aria is a da capo aria in a pastoral rhythm. The musicologist Julian Mincham notes: "The first stanza is enigmatically poetic and its essence is an evocation of that peace and inner contentment".[10] The Bach scholar Alfred Dürr describes the mood as contemplative, and the melody of the voice as expansive, on a background of repeated quavers in the instruments.[4]
The first recitative is secco, only accompanied by the continuo.[4]
The second aria is set without continuo, rare in Bach's compositions, and symbolic of the lack of direction in the lives of those who ignore the word of God, as spoken about in the text. The organ plays the upper parts, which the violins and viola in unison form the lowest part.[4]
The second recitative is accompanied by the strings and continuo. The strings play mostly long chords but illustrate the words "bei Gott zu leben, der selbst die Liebe heißt" (to live with God, whose name is love)[1] by more lively movement.[4][7]
The final aria is a triumphant song of turning away from the world and desiring heaven. The words "Mir ekelt" (I feel revulsion)[1] are expressed by an unusual tritone opening the melody. The voice is ornamented by figuration in the organ, which Bach set for flauto traverso for a performance in his last years.[2][11]
Notable singers in the alto range recorded the cantata, male (as in Bach's time, also called altus or countertenor) and female (contraltoormezzo-soprano), including Alfred Deller, Maureen Forrester, René Jacobs, Julia Hamari, Paul Esswood, Jochen Kowalski, Nathalie Stutzmann, Andreas Scholl, Michael Chance, Guillemette Laurens, Magdalena Kožená and Robin Blaze.
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