The BACH ENTWURFF PROJECT
Recorded
11 March 2025
Himmelfahrtskirche, Munich, Germany
In this live concert video, Henrik Brandstetter (S) and Iker Jahn Valenzuela (A) sing the effervescent duetto “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten” from Bach Cantata BWV 78 “Jesu, der du meine Seele”. Not only do these young singers display striking vocal technique and expressive declaration of text, but also incorporate nuanced scholarly details.
This performance is informed by the insights of Bach scholars Michael Marissen and Daniel R. Melamed*. As they explain:
“In Bach’s cantata duet, Luke’s language is taken up by the ‘ailing and erring,’ who ‘raise their voices’ to Jesus and call him ‘master.’ But they also apply to Jesus an extended savior designation that has been eliminated, by mistake, in many modern editions of Cantata 78. These editions read: ‘Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten, o Jesu, o Meister, zu helfen zu dir’ (“We hasten with weak but diligent steps, oh Jesus, oh master, to [be of] help to you”). This is doctrinally topsy-turvy. Lutheran poetry would never rightly say that ‘the erring’ can ‘help’ Jesus, and many translators of this libretto have simply emended this passage without necessarily realizing that they have done so.
The misconstrued phrase ‘Meister, zu helfen zu dir’ should read “Meister zu helfen, zu dir” (that is, with its comma placed two words later). ‘Meister zu helfen’ (“Master of Salvation”; literally, ‘master of help’) was a commonplace title for Jesus in the Lutheran discourse of Bach’s day … And so, while Cantata 78’s duet may at first glance appear to be a simple plea for God’s everyday help and assistance, it is, in fact, a prayer for eternal salvation.”
Following this insight, the singers phrase “Meister zu helfen, zu dir” with the proper comma placement identified by translators Melamed and Marissen. A small detail. But it shows a scrupulous attention to nuances of language, theology and meaning.
Christian Fliegner is Artistic Director of the Tölzer Knabenchor; Ursula Richter is Chief Voice Pedagogue.
ORCHESTRA
Violoncello
Anderson Fiorelli
Kontrabass
Simon Hartmann
Bassoon
Makiko Kurabayashi
Orgel Positiv
Johannes Berger
Video Producer: Christoph Engel (Projekt-Engel)
Audio Engineers: Christian Jaeger
*Commentary by Michael Marissen and Daniel R. Melamed. https://bachcantatatexts.org/BWV78.htm
Please visit their website at BachCantataTexts.org
The BACH ENTWURFF PROJECT
The BACH ENTWURFF PROJECT produces Modern World Premieres of Bach Cantatas Performed to the Exact Specifications of JS Bach’s 1730 Memorandum (“Entwurff”) on the proper performance of his cantatas. Bach asks for a choir of men and boys, three or four on a part. Soprano and alto solos are sung by boys; and all soloists sing as part of the choir ensemble. The Entwurff orchestra consists of at least 18 instrumentalists playing baroque instruments, plus additional members (such as trumpets) as required in the score. The Bach-Lehman tuning is used in the Entwurff series of performances and recordings.
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