Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 177

{{Short description|Chorale cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach}} {{Infobox Bach composition | name = {{lang|de|Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ}} | bwv = 177 | type = Chorale cantata | image = Johannes-Agricola-Eisleben-.jpg | caption = Johann Agricola, author of the chorale | occasion = {{nowrap|Fourth Sunday after Trinity}} | performed = {{Timeline-event|date={{Start date|1732|07|06|df=y}}|location=Leipzig}} | movements = 5 | chorale = by Johann Agricola | vocal = {{plainlist| * {{abbr|SATB|soprano, alto, tenor and bass}} choir * solo: soprano, alto and tenor }} | instrumental = {{hlist | 2 oboes | 2 oboes da caccia | bassoon | 2 violins | viola | continuo }} }} Johann Sebastian Bach composed the church cantata '''{{lang|de|Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ}}''' (I call to You, Lord Jesus Christ),<ref name="Dellal" /> '''{{abbr|BWV|Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis (catalogue of Bach's works)}}{{nbsp}}177'''. He wrote the chorale cantata in Leipzig for the fourth Sunday after Trinity and first performed it on 6 July 1732. The cantata text is formed by the unchanged five stanzas of Johann Agricola's hymn.

== History and words == Bach composed the cantata in Leipzig as late as 1732 in order to complete his second annual cycle of chorale cantatas of 1724/25, which lacked a cantata for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity because that Sunday had been the Feast of Visitation in 1725, celebrated then by {{lang|de|''Meine Seel erhebt den Herren'', BWV 10 |italic=unset}}.

The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from the Epistle to the Romans, "For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God" ({{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Romans|chapter=8|verse=18|range=–23}}), and from the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Luke: the admonition to "be merciful", "judge not" ({{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Luke|chapter=6|verse=36|range=–42}}). The cantata text is formed by the unchanged five stanzas of Johann Agricola's chorale (ca. 1530), a main hymn for the Sunday, used also in Bach's cantata {{lang|de|''Barmherziges Herze der ewigen Liebe'', BWV 185 |italic=unset}}, written in Weimar. In {{lang|de|''Gelobet sei der Herr, mein Gott'', BWV 129 |italic=unset}}, also composed to complete the second annual cycle of chorale cantatas, Bach also used the unchanged words of the chorale, different from the cantatas originally composed for the cycle.<ref name="Dürr" />

Bach first performed the cantata on 6 July 1732.<ref name="Dürr" /><ref name="Mincham" />

== Scoring and structure == The cantata in five movement is scored for three soloists (soprano, alto and tenor), a four-part choir, two oboes, two oboes da caccia, two violins, viola, basso continuo, an obbligato violin and an obbligato bassoon.<ref name="Dürr" />

# ''Chorus'': {{lang|de|Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ|italic=no}} # ''Versus 2'' (alto): {{lang|de|Ich bitt noch mehr, o Herre Gott|italic=no}} # ''Versus 3'' (soprano): {{lang|de|Verleih, daß ich aus Herzensgrund|italic=no}} # ''Versus 4'' (tenor): {{lang|de|Laß mich kein Lust noch Furcht von dir|italic=no}} # ''Versus 5'' (chorale): {{lang|de|Ich lieg im Streit und widerstreb|italic=no}}

== Music == Similar to most chorale cantatas, the opening chorus is a chorale fantasia, presenting the chorale line by line, the cantus firmus here sung by the soprano. Most of the lines are preceded by entries of the other voices in imitation of motifs independent of the chorale melody. In line 6 the imitation motive is taken from the chorale. In the two last lines 8 and 9 the lower voices enter together with the soprano. The vocal structure is embedded in a concerto of solo violin and two oboes which play the cantus firmus colla parte with the soprano, strings and continuo.<ref name="Dürr" />

The three arias for the following verses show increasing instrumental complexity. Verse 2 is accompanied by continuo only, verse 3 by oboe da caccia, verse 4 by the rare combination of violin and bassoon. The musicologist Julian Mincham observes a "journey from uncertainty and doubt to warmth and acceptance and finally to rejoicing and jubilation".<ref name="Mincham" />

In the finale chorale Bach used ornamentation for expressiveness.<ref name="Mincham" />

== Recordings == The listing is taken from the selection on the Bach Cantatas Website.<ref name="Oron" />

* ''Die Bach Kantate Vol. 41'', Helmuth Rilling, Gächinger Kantorei, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Arleen Augér, Julia Hamari, Peter Schreier, Hänssler 1981 * ''J. S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk – Sacred Cantatas Vol. 9'', Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Tölzer Knabenchor, Concentus Musicus Wien, soloists of the Tölzer Knabenchor, Kurt Equiluz, Teldec 1988 * ''Bach Cantatas Vol. 3'', John Eliot Gardiner, Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, Magdalena Kožená, Nathalie Stutzmann, Paul Agnew, conductor Soli Deo Gloria 2000 * ''J. S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 21'', Ton Koopman, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, Sandrine Piau, Bogna Bartosz, Christoph Prégardien, Antoine Marchand 2003 * ''J. S. Bach: Cantatas for the Complete Liturgical Year Vol. 2'', Sigiswald Kuijken, La Petite Bande, Siri Thornhill, Petra Noskaiová, Christoph Genz, Accent 2005

== See also == * ''Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ'', BWV 639. This work is a chorale prelude which Bach included in the Orgelbüchlein.

== 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-177 | title = BWV 177 – "Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ" | 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 = [https://archive.org/details/diekantatenvonjo0002durr/page/355 355–357] | language = de | url = https://archive.org/details/diekantatenvonjo0002durr/page/355 }}</ref>

<ref name="Mincham">{{cite web | last = Mincham | first = Julian | url = https://www.jsbachcantatas.com/documents/chapter-56-bwv-177 | title = Chapter 56 BWV 177 Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ. / I call Thee, Lord Jesus Christ. | year = 2010 | access-date = 7 September 2022 | publisher = jsbachcantatas.com }}</ref>

<ref name="Oron">{{cite web | last = Oron | first = Aryeh | url = http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV177.htm | title = Cantata BWV 177 Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ | publisher = Bach Cantatas Website | year = 2014 | access-date = 23 June 2015 }}</ref>

}}

== Sources == * {{IMSLP2|work=Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 177 (Bach, Johann Sebastian)|cname=Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 177}} * [http://www.bach-digital.de/receive/BachDigitalWork_work_00000215?lang=en Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ BWV 177; BC A 103 / Chorale cantata (4th Sunday after Trinity)], Bach Digital * [http://www.uvm.edu/~classics/faculty/bach/BWV177.html BWV 177 Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ] English translation, University of Vermont * [http://webdocs.cs.ualberta.ca/~wfb/cantatas/177.html BWV 177 Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ] text, scoring, University of Alberta * {{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_SDG141 | title = Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) / Cantatas Nos 24, 71, 88, 93, 131, 177 & 185 (Cantatas Vol 3) | publisher = Soli Deo Gloria (at Hyperion Records website) | year = 2008 | access-date = 11 August 2018 }} * Luke Dahn: [http://www.bach-chorales.com/BWV0177_5.htm BWV 177.5] bach-chorales.com

Category:Church cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach Category:1732 compositions Category:Chorale cantatas