Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme

Text No. 1, 4, 7
Philipp Nicolai, 1599

Text No. 2, 3, 5, 6
Poet unknown

First performance
Twenty-seventh Sunday after Trinity,
25 November 1731

Cantata BWV 140 is a perfect example of this type of compositional approach. Three verses of Philipp Nicolai’s hymn of 1599 “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme” (Wake, arise, the voices call us) function as the underpinnings of the entire work by marking the vibrant E flat major introductory, middle and closing movements respectively. Of particular effect is the monumental introductory chorus, richly scored with four vocal parts, three oboes, strings, horn and continuo. Its chorale melody is sustained in long tones by the soprano voice over a hive of activity in the remaining parts. This creates an effect often described as a musical “awakening”, but that is equally characteristic of a processional (“go forth to meet him as he comes!”). In the same vein, it is possible to interpret the juxtaposed oboe and string parts as representing the ten wise and foolish virgins, or alternatively, as the midnight call and answer recalled in the text. A moment of rapture then emerges in the virtuosic setting of the hallelujah lines – a mood that likewise pervades the cantata’s solo movements.
The tenor recitative “He comes, he comes, the bridegroom comes!” brings the work from biblical times into the present and the world of Christian bridal theology inspired by the Song of Solomon. Bach musically interprets this book of the Bible as a dialogue between Jesus (bass) and the faithful soul (soprano). Nonetheless, their two aria duets (movements 3 and 6) could hardly be more at variance. In a dark C minor, the first aria (“When com’st thou, my Saviour? I’m coming, thy share”) is shaped by questioning pauses and a fragile cantilena from the violino piccolo (which sounds a third higher than a violin) to create a nocturnal adagio serenade pregnant with doubt and uncertainty. In contrast, the second aria, “My friend is mine/And I am thine” – in a bright B flat major and with an obbligato oboe accompaniment – revels in sumptuous consonances and recounts an all-enduring love with infectious joy. It is precluded by a bass recitative (“So come within to me”) that presents the promise of the Highest not as a worn, dogmatic statement, but as a tender avowal of love. As such, the accompanying strings do not impart the glory of the Passion, but rather the glow of enchantment in the eyes of the beloved.
In the chorale trio no. 4, the tenor embodies the veritable “watchman”, who – supported by the lower unison strings – employs the hymn’s simple triadic motive to express the daughter of Zion’s joy about her bridegroom. It is a festive movement that enjoys enduring popularity, particularly in its arrangement for organ (BWV 645) published by Johann Georg Schübler around 1748.
The closing chorale no. 7, “Gloria to thee be sung now”, numbers among those sublime Bach chorale settings which are so genuinely inspiring it seems unthinkable that the congregation could have resisted joining in the singing.