In J. S. Bach’s time, two-thirds of children died before the age of 5 and adults rarely expected to live beyond their 30s. Unlike our own time, there was no common expectation that life would lead to old age. Death was more commonly discussed, and minds were focused on it.
In Bach’s Cantata BWV 82, Ich habe genug (It is enough), the text reflects the consoling Lutheran belief that devout Christians would be reunited body and soul after death with Jesus. In Christoph Birkmann’s poem, that event is presented with joyful expectation, as evident in these words from the final chorus:
Ich freue mich auf meinen Tod,
I greet death with joy,
Ach, hätt er sich schon eingefunden
Oh, would that it had already come.
Da entcomm ich aller Not,
For then I shall escape the suffering
Die mich noch auf der Welt gebunden
That ties me to the world.
Earlier this month Arts Denman/Concerts Denman presented two Bach cantatas in the Denman Island Community Hall, including BWV 82, Ich habe genug (It is enough) and BWV 56, Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen (I would gladly carry the Cross staff). They were performed by Razvan Georgescu (bass baritone), Bogdan Dulu (harpsichord), Elizabeth Eccleston (oboe) and Martin Bonham (cello). Between the cantatas, Martin played excerpts from Bach’s d minor Suite #2 for unaccompanied cello. The ensemble also performed this program in Cumberland and Salt Spring Island.
I was honored by these professional musicians when they enthusiastically approved my proposal to recite both poems by Birkmann in English translation. I think that helped to convey to the audience the meaning of the poems that might be lost on those who don’t know German.
In this genre I like best the equal marriage between words and music. Some recordings I find on YouTube are performed brilliantly but too fast at the expense of conveying meaning. As with German Lieder, I look for a quality of intimate mental reverie, something Germans call Innigkeit. Judge for yourself how well we did. Regardless, it induced me to listen to more Bach. It was fun to tour with musicians, and I will look for more opportunities to learn and perform spoken-word, perhaps to recite poetry or participate in a play.