Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 33

Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ (Towards you alone, Lord Jesus Christ), BWV 33, is a church cantata composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed the chorale cantata in Leipzig in 1724 for the thirteenth Sunday after Trinity and first performed it on 3 September 1724.

The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from the Epistle to the Galatians, Galatians 3:15–22, Paul's teaching on law and promise, and from the Gospel of Luke, Luke 10:23–37, the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Most of the texts are of unknown authorship^[1], with the exception of the opening and closing movements, for which Bach used verses 1 and 4 of Konrad Hubert's original hymn^[2].

The chorale theme Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ (Zahn 7292b) is of unknown authorship and was first documented in a 1541 Wittenberg publication, but had been used extensively by Bach's time^[3], for example by Sethus Calvisius and Michael Praetorius^[4].

Scoring and structure

The piece is scored for oboes I/II, violins I/II, viola, and basso continuo, along with three vocal soloists (altus, tenor, bass) and four-part choir. It is in six movements:

1. (Coro): "Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ" for choral and orchestral tutti.
2. Recitativo: "Mein Gott und Richter" for bass and continuo.
3. Aria: "Wie furchtsam wankten meine Schritte" for altus, strings, and continuo.
4. Recitativo: "Mein Gott, verwirf mich nicht" for tenor and continuo.
5. Aria (Duetto): "Gott, der du die Liebe heißt" for tenor and bass, oboes, and continuo.
6. Chorale: "Ehr sei Gott in dem höchsten Thron" for choral and orchestral tutti colle parti.

Recordings

• J.S. Bach: Cantatas BWV 33 & BWV 95, Hans Heintze, Domchor & Bremer Bach-Orchester, Eva Bornemann, Georg Jelden, Roland Kunz, Cantate/Vanguard
• J.S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk – Sacred Cantatas Vol. 2, Gustav Leonhardt, Knabenchor Hannover, Leonhardt-Consort, René Jacobs, Marius van Altena, Max van Egmond, Teldec
• Bach Cantatas Vol. 4 – Sundays after Trinity I, Karl Richter, Münchener Bach-Chor, Münchener Bach-Orchester, Julia Hamari, Peter Schreier, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Archiv Produktion
• Die Bach Kantate Vol. 49, Helmuth Rilling, Gächinger Kantorei, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Helen Watts, Frieder Lang. Philippe Huttenlocher, Hänssler
• Bach Cantatas Vol. 6: Köthen/Frankfurt, John Eliot Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, Nathalie Stutzmann, Christoph Genz, Jonathan Brown, Soli Deo Gloria
• Bach Edition Vol. 4 – Cantatas Vol. 1, Pieter Jan Leusink, Holland Boys Choir, Netherlands Bach Collegium, Sytse Buwalda, Knut Schoch, Bas Ramselaar, Brilliant Classics
• J.S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 13, Ton Koopman, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, Franziska Gottwald, Paul Agnew, Klaus Mertens, Antoine Marchand
• J.S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 24 – Cantatas from Leipzig 1724, Masaaki Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan, Robin Blaze, Gerd Türk, Peter Kooy, BIS

References

Sources

• Craig Smith, Programme notes – BWV 33, Emmanuel Music.
• Walter F. Bischof, Text and orchestration for BWV 33, Bach Cantatas, University of Alberta.
• Alfred Dürr: Johann Sebastian Bach: Die Kantaten. Bärenreiter, Kassel 1999, ISBN 3-7618-1476-3
• Alfred Dürr: The Cantatas of J.S. Bach, Oxford University Press, 2006. ISBN 0-19-929776-2
• Werner Neumann: Handbuch der Kantaten J.S.Bachs, 1947, 5th Ed. 1984, ISBN 3-7651-0054-4
• Hans-Joachim Schulze: Die Bach-Kantaten: Einführungen zu sämtlichen Kantaten Johann Sebastian Bachs. Leipzig: Evangelische Verlags-Anstalt; Stuttgart: Carus-Verlag 2006 (Edition Bach-Archiv Leipzig) ISBN 3-374-02390-8 (Evang. Verl.-Anst.), ISBN 3-89948-073-2 (Carus-Verl.)
• Christoph Wolff/Ton Koopman (Eds.): Die Welt der Bach-Kantaten, Metzler/Bärenreiter, Stuttgart und Kassel, 3 Bände Sonderausgabe 2006 ISBN 3-476-02127-0
• Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini. Studi sui testi delle Cantate sacre di J. S. Bach. Università di Padova, pubblicazioni della Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia, vol. XXXI, Padova & Kassel, 1956, xv-291.
• Geoffrey Turner. Singing The Word: The Cantatas of J S Bach. New Blackfriars, volume 87, issue 1008, pages 144–154.
• J. C. J. Day. The texts of Bach's Church cantatas: some observations. German Life and Letters, volume 13 (1960), num. 2, pages 137–144.
• Harald Streck. Die Verskunst in den poetischen Texten zu den Kantaten J. S. Bachs. Dissertation: Universität Hamburg 1971, 214 pages.

External links

• Piano & vocal score of BWV 33 on bach-cantatas.com
• Discussion of the work on bach-cantatas.com

v t e Lutheran Hymnody Hymns A Mighty Fortress Is Our God Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir Christ Lay in Death's Bonds Es ist das Heil uns kommen her Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ God's Word Is Our Great Heritage How Lovely Shines the Morning Star In Thee alone, O Christ, my Lord Jesus Loves Me Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist Now come, Saviour of the gentiles Now Thank We All Our God O Lord, Look Down from Heaven O Dearest Jesus, What Law Hast Thou Broken O Sacred Head, Now Wounded Passion Hymns Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying Was willst du dich betrüben Hymnals Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary Evangelical Lutheran Worship First Lutheran hymnal Hymns of Zion Lutheran Book of Worship Lutheran Hymnal Lutheran Hymnal with Supplement Lutheran Service Book Lutheran Worship Service Book and Hymnal Topics Cantata Chorale Chorale prelude Hymn of the day Passion music People Johann Sebastian Bach Dieterich Buxtehude Johann Crüger Simon Dach Claus Harms Paul Gerhardt Nikolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig Johann Heermann Martin Luther Felix Mendelssohn Philipp Nicolai Johann Pachelbel Hallgrímur Pétursson Michael Praetorius Sigfrid Karg-Elert Martin Rinkart Johann von Rist Carl Schalk Paul Speratus N. Samuel of Tranquebar Jaroslav Vajda Johann Walter Catherine Winkworth Johannes Zahn