Johann Sebastian Bach - "Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte" BWV 174 (audio + sheet music)

Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte (I love the Highest with my entire being), BWV 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.
Bach wrote the cantata in Leipzig for Pentecost Monday. The prescribed readings for the feast day were from the Acts of the Apostles, the sermon of Peter for Cornelius (Acts 10:42-48), and from the Gospel of John, "God loved the world so much ..." from the meeting of Jesus and Nicodemus (John 3:16-21). 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 Kapellmeister Bach, and that these songs will be sung 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. In the first aria the poet considers the beginning of the gospel, "Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt ..." (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. The closing chorale is the first stanza of Martin Schalling's hymn "Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr", expressing love for God.
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 Collegium Musicum, a Bürgervereinigung (an association of musically inclined burghers) who played his church music as well. Bach first performed the cantata on 6 June 1729; he noted the year in the score.
The cantata in five movements is "lavishly scored" 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: Sinfonia; Aria (alto): Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte; Recitative (tenor): O Liebe, welcher keine gleich; Aria (bass): Greifet zu, faßt das Heil; and Chorale: Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr.
The cantata begins with a Sinfonia, which Bach derived from the first movement of his Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, possibly composed already in Weimar. 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. 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".
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. The recitative is accompanied by three upper string parts, similar to the original Brandenburg concerto movement. 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". 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, "Ach Herr, laß dein lieb Engelein".
(Wikipedia)
Please take note that the audio AND sheet music ARE NOT mine. Feel free to change the video quality to a minimum of 480p for the best watching experience.
Original audio: Bogna Bartosz (alto), Christoph Prégardien (tenor), Klaus Mertens (bass), Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir (dir. Ton Koopman)
(Challenge Classics, 2007)
( • J. S. Bach: Ich liebe... )
Original sheet music: imslp.org/wiki/Ich_liebe_den_H%C3%B6chsten_von_ganzem_Gem%C3%BCte,_BWV_174_(Bach,_Johann_Sebastian) (Breitkopf und Härtel, 1888)

[@lordlouckster2315]

Technically, it was a copyist known as Anon. IVa who wrote the closing note "Fine d: 5 Junii 1729. Lipsiae" in the original alto part.

[@lordlouckster2315]

Addenda to the score: There exist separate violin 1&2 and viola ripieni parts, which double the oboes and the taille in the opening sinfonia and the final chorale. Two cellos double the continuo in all movements after the sinfonia. The third cello part is incomplete, as it stops after the sinfonia, there are no tacet marks to explicitly state not to play in the other movements. (The copyists were likely in a hurry, and having all three cellos play the same part probably wasn't necessary, possibly even detrimental to the balance with treble instruments.)

[@vincenthuang5635]

What's taille?

[@lordlouckster2315]

​@@vincenthuang5635 The taille is a Baroque tenor oboe pitched in F, but for Bach, "taille" is just a part-designation for the third oboe, in the same way as "Principale" means the third trumpet. After Bach moved to Leipzig, whenever he called for a taille, he meant the oboe da caccia. Compared to the taille, which has a straight body, oboe da caccia has a curved tube and a brass bell. Its modern-day equivalent would be the English horn.

[@aramkhachaturian8043]

4:06

[@louis-marieokolo41]

Omg, I recognize this from Thug Notes 😂

[@yosoydeyarumal]

What this shit? A bad under/re make of the 3th Brandemburg intro with God screaming ladies after it!!!????

[@lordlouckster2315]

How can you call it an "under/re make" when it literally has more instruments than Brandenburg 3?

[@yosoydeyarumal]

@@lordlouckster2315 course!!! Ever heard "Joy To the World" with UUUuuuuuHuuuuuHuuuú and trumpets and even bagpipes???

[@yosoydeyarumal]

It was written lots before B3. Y prefer B3 and R2D2 just as classic as possibooool

[@lordlouckster2315]

​@@yosoydeyarumal Joy to the World was written in 1719, very close to Brandenburg 3 (before 24 March 1721).

[@yosoydeyarumal]

@@lordlouckster2315 you r soooo smarto.... how many times have you directed the Brandemburg 3? I did it 6 times while studying and then 9 more times....

[@aramkhachaturian8043]

3:00