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Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist BWV 45 / BC A 113
Eighth Sunday after Trinity, August 11, 1726
This cantata, Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist BWV 45 (You have been told, man, what is good), originated in August 1726. It belongs to a series of twenty-five cantatas, partly by Johann Sebastian Bach and partly by his Meiningen cousin Johann Ludwig Bach, which were performed by the Thomaskantor between February and September 1726 in the main churches of Leipzig and whose texts share a common origin. All of these cantatas are drawn from an annual cycle of cantata libretti by an unknown author that was printed for the first time in 1704 and in at least two later editions, the last of which, coincidentally, appeared in 1726, although not in Leipzig but in Rudolstadt. It remains uncertain what caused Bach to fall back upon these rather old texts. It may be that his cousin Johann Ludwig delivered to him not only a series of his cantatas but also a complete copy of the associated annual cycle of libretti—probably in a reprint of 1719.1 Bach’s decision may have been encouraged by the fact that all the texts in the Meiningen annual cycle begin with a passage from the Hebrew Bible and present another one in the middle from the New Testament. This made the composition of cantatas in two parts easier; in Leipzig one part was customarily performed before the sermon, the second afterward.At the beginning of our cantata stands the word of law from the sixth chapter of the prophet Micah: “Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist und was der Herr von dir fordert: nämlich Gottes Wort halten und Liebe üben und demütig sein vor deinem Gott” (8; You have been told, man, what is good and what the Lord demands of you: namely, to keep to God’s word and to practice love and to be humble before your God). This verse from a judicial speech provides the Hebrew Bible counterpart to the Gospel reading for the eighth Sunday after Trinity, found in the seventh chapter of Matthew at the end of the Sermon on the Mount:
Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. By their fruits shall you recognize them. Can one gather grapes from among the thorns or figs from thistles? Thus any good tree brings forth good fruit, but a bad tree brings forth bad fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bring forth good fruit. Any tree that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire. Therefore, by their fruit you shall recognize them. Not all of those who say to me: Lord, Lord! enter the kingdom of heaven, rather those who do the will of my father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day: Lord, Lord! Have we not prophesied in your name, have we not in your name driven the devil out, have we not in your name done many good things? Then I will attest to them: I have not ever recognized you; go away from me all, you evildoers! (15–23)
The close of this Gospel reading was adopted by the librettist for the New Testament passage that begins the second half. The freely versified text of the first recitative first takes up the Hebrew Bible passage from Micah and praises its clear, directive statement:
Der Höchste läßt mich seinen Willen wissen
Und was ihm wohlgefällt;
Er hat sein Wort zur Richtschnur dargestellt,
Wornach mein Fuß soll sein geflissen
Allezeit einherzugehn
Mit Furcht, mit Demut und mit Liebe
Als Proben des Gehorsams,
Den ich übe,
Um als ein treuer Knecht dereinsten zu bestehn.
The Most High lets me know his will
And what pleases him;
He has presented his word as a plumb line
By which my foot shall be intent
At all times to proceed
With fear, with humility, and with love
As proof of the obedience
That I practice,
That one day I may prove to be a loyal servant.
The associated aria makes clear that the law’s clarity demands compliance, making possible an acquittal before the judgment seat of God:
Weiß ich Gottes Rechte,
Was ists, das mir helfen kann,
Wenn er mir als seinem Knechte
Fordert scharfe Rechnung an?
Seele, denke dich zu retten:
Auf Gehorsam folget Lohn;
Qual und Hohn
Drohet deinem Übertreten.
If I know God’s justice,
What is there that can help me
When he demands of me, as his servant,
A strict account?
Soul, think to save yourself:
Upon obedience follows reward;
Torment and scorn
Threaten you in your transgression.
The passage from the Sunday Gospel reading follows directly, warning against false confession.
The aria that follows repeats this warning with other words:
Wer Gott bekennt
Aus wahrem Herzensgrund,
Den will er auch bekennen;
Denn der muß ewig brennen,
Der einzig mit dem Mund
Ihn Herren nennt.
Whoever bears witness to God
Out of the true foundation of the heart,
He will also be acknowledged by him;
For he must burn eternally
Who merely with his mouth
Calls him Lord.
The last recitative summarizes:
So wird denn Herz und Mund selbst von mir Richter sein,
Und Gott will mir den Lohn nach meinem Sinn erteilen;
Trifft nun mein Wandel nicht nach seinen Worten ein,
Wer will hernach der Seelen Schaden heilen?
Then heart and mouth will themselves be judge of me,
And God will allot to me the reward according to my mind;
Were my action not to accord with his words,
Who would hereafter heal the loss of my soul?
The words of Jesus from the eighth chapter of Mark stand in the background here: “How would it help a person if he were to gain the entire world and suffer damage to his soul?” (36).
The second strophe of Johannes Heermann’s hymn O Gott du frommer Gott (O God, you pious God) concludes the cantata libretto in catechetical fashion:
Gib, daß ich tu mit Fleiß,
Was mir zu tun gebühret,
Wozu mich dein Befehl
In meinem Stande führet.
Gib, daß ichs tue bald,
Zu der Zeit, da ich soll,
Und wenn ichs tu, so gib,
Daß es gerate wohl.
Grant that I do with diligence
What is proper for me to do,
To which your command
Leads me in my station.
Grant that I do it soon
At the time when I should,
And when I do it, then grant
That it may turn out well.
Bach’s composition is dominated by the brilliant opening movement, which, with its clear construction, seems intended to reflect the clarity of the legal text delivered by Micah. The lively alla breve and the multilayered structure with the inclusion of concertante parts not only do not inhibit the prevailing tendency toward canonic work and fugal development but also help it to achieve greater clarity and a stronger profile. Obviously, for Bach the commitment and freedom regarding the immutability of the law could scarcely be represented any other way than with those most challenging and perfect of compositional forms in which commitment and freedom are inherent: canon and fugue.
With its rhythmic impetus and dance-like mien, the tenor aria “Weiß ich Gottes Rechte” (If I know God’s justice), accompanied by strings, seems to reflect the threatening undertone of the text inadequately. Obviously, the confidence of withstanding future judgment prevails here, so that even the “scharfe Rechnung” (severe judgment) in the text, treated with musical modulations, appears only as an episode. The closing, “Qual und Hohn / Drohet deinem Übertreten” (Torment and scorn / Threaten you in your transgression), indicates real danger, with sharp chromaticism followed by cessation of the violins, signaling abandonment.
The New Testament passage at the beginning of the second half is given to the bass, the vox Christi. The movement designation Arioso betrays no hint of the veritable aria filled with drama that follows, with rushing passages for violin and, near the end, building to a scornful “Weichet alle von mir, ihr Übeltäter!” (Away from me all, you evildoers!).
By contrast, the consoling alto aria is quite withdrawn: the voice is joined only by the transverse flute as an obbligato instrument. The last recitative also avoids distinctive features, and only the closing chorale on the melody O Gott du frommer Gott in the key of E major recalls the brilliance of the opening movement.