{{Short description|Church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach}} {{Infobox Bach composition | name = {{lang|de|Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte}} | bwv = 174 | type = Church cantata | image = Thomaskirche Interior.jpg | caption = Thomaskirche, Leipzig | occasion = Pentecost Monday | performed = {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|1729|06|06|df=y}}|location=Leipzig}} | movements = 6 | text_poet = Picander | chorale = {{nowrap|Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr}} | vocal = {{plainlist| * {{abbr|SATB|soprano, alto, tenor and bass}} choir * solo: alto, tenor and bass }} | instrumental = {{hlist| 2 corni da caccia | 2 oboes | taille | 3 violins | 3 violas | 3 cellos | continuo }} }} '''{{lang|de|Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte}}''' (I love the Highest with my entire being),<ref name="Dellal" /> '''{{abbr|BWV|Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (catalogue of Bach's works)}}{{nbsp}}174''', is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed the cantata in Leipzig for the second day of Pentecost and first performed it on 6 June 1729.
== History and words == Bach wrote the cantata in Leipzig for Pentecost Monday.<ref name="Dürr" /> The prescribed readings for the feast day were from the Acts of the Apostles, the sermon of Peter for Cornelius ({{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Acts|chapter=10|verse=42|range=–48}}), and from the Gospel of John, "God loved the world so much ..." from the meeting of Jesus and Nicodemus ({{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=John|chapter=3|verse=16|range=–21}}). The cantata text was written by Picander and published in his collection of cantata texts for a year in 1728. Picander had written in the preface that he hoped "the lack of poetic elegance would be compensated for by the sweetness of the incomparable {{lang|de|Kapellmeister}} Bach, and that these songs will be sung {{lang|de|Lieder}} in the main churches of devout Leipzig." Nine of Bach's cantatas on his texts in that volume are extant. If Bach composed more, they are lost.<ref name="Wolff" /> In the first aria the poet considers the beginning of the gospel, "{{lang|de|Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt|italic=no}} ..." (For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life), and concludes that the Christian owes love to God in return for God's love. The gospel word is quoted and reflected in the following recitative. The last aria urges the congregation to seize the salvation offered by God's love.<ref name="Dürr" /> The closing chorale is the first stanza of Martin Schalling's hymn "{{lang|de|Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr|italic=no}}", expressing love for God.<ref name="chorale text" />
For the opening ''Sinfonia'', Bach added parts to a movement from his Brandenburg Concerto No. 3. He could employ many players as he had started to direct a {{lang|de|Collegium Musicum}}, a {{lang|de|Bürgervereinigung}} (an association of musically inclined burghers) who played his church music as well.<ref name="Wolff" /><ref name="Hofmann" /> Bach first performed the cantata on 6 June 1729; the year is noted in the original parts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bach digital - Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte BWV 174 |url=https://www.bach-digital.de/receive/BachDigitalWork_work_00000212 |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=www.bach-digital.de}}</ref>
== Scoring and structure == The cantata in five movements is "lavishly scored"<ref name="Wolff" /> for the feast day, for three soloists, alto, tenor and bass, a four-part choir only in the chorale, two corni da caccia, two oboes, taille (tenor oboe), three solo violins, three solo violas, three solo cellos and basso continuo.<ref name="Dürr" />
# Sinfonia # Aria (alto): {{lang|de|Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte|italic=no}} # Recitative (tenor): {{lang|de|O Liebe, welcher keine gleich|italic=no}} # Aria (bass): {{lang|de|Greifet zu, faßt das Heil|italic=no}} # Chorale: {{lang|de|Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr|italic=no}}
== Music == The cantata begins with a Sinfonia, which Bach derived from the first movement of his Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, possibly composed already in Weimar.<ref name="Hofmann" /> For the cantata, he added to the nine string parts two new parts for corno da caccia and a ripieno trio of oboe I and violin I, oboe II and violin II, taille and viola, parts that are also new, but reinforcing existing parts.<ref name="Dürr" /><ref name="Wolff" /> John Eliot Gardiner hears in the result the addition of "new-minted sheen and force to the original concerto movement, its colours and rhythms even sharper than before".<ref name="Gardiner" />
In the first aria, two obbligato oboes in imitation introduce themes which the voice picks up. "Gently rocking siciliano melodies, expressing spiritual tranquillity and compassion" appear in extended ritornellos.<ref name="Hofmann" /> The recitative is accompanied by three upper string parts, similar to the original Brandenburg concerto movement.<ref name="Gardiner" /> In the second aria, the violins and violas are combined to an obbligato part, "whose 'knocking' motif of repeated notes insistently underlines the urgency of the text".<ref name="Hofmann" /> The cantata is closed by a four-part chorale setting of the well-known melody which Bach used to conclude his ''St John Passion'' with the third stanza, "{{lang|de|Ach Herr, laß dein lieb Engelein|italic=no}}".<ref name="Dürr" />
== Recordings == * ''Die Bach Kantate Vol. 5'', Helmuth Rilling, Gächinger Kantorei, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Julia Hamari, Aldo Baldin, Wolfgang Schöne, Hänssler 1984 * ''J. S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk · Complete Cantatas · Les Cantates, Folge / Vol. 40'', Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Tölzer Knabenchor, Concentus Musicus Wien, soloist of the Tölzer Knabenchor, Kurt Equiluz, Robert Holl, Teldec 1987 * ''Bach Cantatas Vol. 26: Long Melford For Whit Sunday For Whit Monday'', John Eliot Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, Nathalie Stutzmann, Christoph Genz, Panajotis Iconomou, Soli Deo Gloria 2000 * ''Bach Edition Vol. 21 – Cantatas Vol. 12'', Pieter Jan Leusink, Holland Boys Choir, Netherlands Bach Collegium, Sytse Buwalda, Nico van der Meel, Bas Ramselaar, Brilliant Classics 2000 * ''J. S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 19'', Ton Koopman, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, Bogna Bartosz, Christoph Prégardien, Klaus Mertens, Antoine Marchand 2003 * ''J. S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 50 – Man singet mit Freuden, Cantatas · 49 · 145 · 149 · 174 (Cantatas from Leipzig 1726–29)'', Masaaki Suzuki, Bach Collegium Japan, Robin Blaze, Gerd Türk, Peter Kooy, BIS 2011
== References == {{Reflist | 30em | refs =
<ref name="Dellal">{{cite web | last = Dellal | first = Pamela | author-link = Pamela Dellal | url = https://www.emmanuelmusic.org/bach-translations/bwv-174 | title = BWV 174 – "Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte" | publisher = Emmanuel Music | access-date = 7 September 2022 }}</ref>
<ref name="Dürr">{{cite book | last = Dürr | first = Alfred | author-link = Alfred Dürr | title = Die Kantaten von Johann Sebastian Bach | year = 1981 | publisher = Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag | isbn = 3-423-04080-7 | volume = 1 | edition = 4 | pages = 310–311 | language = de | url = https://archive.org/details/diekantatenvonjo0002durr | url-access = registration }}</ref>
<ref name="Gardiner">{{Cite AV media notes | last = Gardiner | first = John Eliot | author-link = John Eliot Gardiner | url = https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_SDG121 | title = Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) / Cantatas Nos 34, 59, 68, 74, 172, 173 & 174 | publisher = Soli Deo Gloria (at Hyperion Records website) | year = 2006 | access-date = 8 June 2019 }}</ref>
<ref name="Hofmann">{{cite web | last = Hofmann | first = Klaus | author-link = Klaus Hofmann | url = https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Pic-Rec-BIG/Suzuki-C50c%5BBIS-SACD1941%5D.pdf | title = Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte / (I Love the Highest With All My Heart), BWV 174 | page = 7 | website = Bach Cantatas Website | year = 2011 | access-date = 21 May 2012 }}</ref>
<ref name="Wolff">{{cite web | url = https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Pic-Rec-BIG/Koopman-C19c%5BAM-3CD%5D.pdf | title = The cantatas of the period 1726–1731 and of the Picander cycle (1728–29) | year = 2003 | author = Christoph Wolff | author-link = Christoph Wolff | website = Bach Cantatas Website | pages = 12–13 | access-date = 21 May 2012 }}</ref>
<ref name="chorale text">{{cite web | url = https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/Chorale006-Eng3.htm | title = Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr / Text and Translation of Chorale | website = Bach Cantatas Website | year = 2003 | access-date = 20 May 2012 }}</ref>
}}
== Sources == * {{IMSLP2|work=Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte, BWV 174 (Bach, Johann Sebastian)|cname=Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte, BWV 174}} * [http://www.bach-digital.de/receive/BachDigitalWork_work_00000212?lang=en Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte BWV 174; BC A 87 / Sacred cantata (2nd Day of Pentecost)] Leipzig University * [https://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV174.htm Cantata BWV 174 Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte]: history, scoring, sources for text and music, translations to various languages, discography, discussion, Bach Cantatas Website * [https://www.uvm.edu/~classics/faculty/bach/BWV174.html BWV 174 Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte]: English translation, University of Vermont * [https://webdocs.cs.ualberta.ca/~wfb/cantatas/174.html BWV 174 Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte]: text, scoring, University of Alberta {{in lang|de}} * {{cite web | url = https://www.jsbachcantatas.com/documents/chapter-43-bwv-174l | title = Chapter 43 BWV 174 Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte | author = Julian Mincham | year = 2010 | website = The Cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach }}
{{Bach's third cantata cycle and later}} {{Bach cantatas}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte'', BWV 174}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ich Liebe Den Hochsten Von Ganzem Gemute BWV 174}} Category:Church cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach Category:1729 compositions Category:Libretti by Picander