Aria “Wo wird in diesem Jammerthale” from Cantata 114

from: J.S. Bach - Cantatas

Second number in the cantata. Originally for tenor, flute and basso continuo in d minor, transposed here to g. Contains some optional high F#'s for the recorder—with a recommended alternative fingering—that are not easy but that are doable, and an optional high A. N.B.: the last four notes of measure 10, just before the climax of the opening, spell out—in the original key—B-A-C-H. The first line of the text in English: “Where in this vale of tears will be the refuge for my spirit?” My dad William H. Scheide—a musicologist specializing in Bach whose Bach Aria Group played this number regularly—avowed that this was his favorite of all the music they played, i.e., probably for him the greatest music ever. Revised May 11, 2020.

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