Cantata 81 belongs to Bach’s first yearly cycle of cantatas for Leipzig. It was composed for the 4th Sunday after Epiphany in 1724, which fell on January 30th.
Like most cantatas of this period, its libretto was authored by an unknown poet, who centered their work on the Gospel of the day, Matthew 8: 23-27. The short episode narrates the story of Jesus and his disciples being surprised by a big storm while in a boat at sea. Jesus is asleep at first, and the disciples get scared. They wake him up, and he quiets the storm, not before admonishing them for their lack of faith.
Even though they map to very different Gospel stories, there is strong similarity between this libretto’s story arc and the one for Cantata 154, presented three weeks before, on the first Sunday after Epiphany. In both we encounter a confused, lost and fearful Christian looking for an absent Jesus, who manifests halfway through the text via a literal quote from the Gospel, causing the believer to rejoice.
This libretto is perfectly symmetrical, with Jesus absent in the first three movements, manifesting in the fourth, and present in the last three. The piece starts with the Christian fearing imminent death and lamenting the apparent absence of Jesus. The second movement touches on the Epiphany story, with a reference to the star that guided the three Kings to the manger. Interestingly, the Kings are described as “newly converted”, which seems to contrast with a more learned reflection on the duty of a Christian (to “stand like a rock”) expressed in the third movement. Movement 4 is the Gospel dictum, in which Jesus reveals his presence. In movement 5 he calms the storm, and in movement 6 the Christian realizes and rejoices on Jesus’ presence. Movement 7, a hymn stanza by Johann Franck of 1650, was clearly picked for its references to storms and Jesus’ protection from foes.
The cantata is scored for 2 recorders, 2 oboes d’amore, strings, and continuo. From a vocal perspective it requires three soloists (alto, tenor and bass) plus a soprano for the closing chorale only.
In a way reminiscent of the opening tenor aria of Cantata 90, presented a couple of months before, this work features three highly theatrical arias. One can’t but think how Bach was really pushing the boundaries of what he had committed to when appointed Cantor – “to arrange music that shall be of such nature as not to make an operatic impression”. All three arias share the same architecture: they refer to the Gospel episode quite literally in the A section, and then interpret the story from the point of view of the believer in section B. Bach writes music that is truly illustrative of the story itself, depicting Jesus sleeping, then the storm raging, and finally Jesus calming it. As the text for each aria diverts from the pure narrative elements, going into section B, Bach’s music borrows from itself to set the additional verses.
The first aria, for the alto, creates a vivid image of a sleeping Jesus, using recorders paired with strings (a typical instrumental color to represent slumber), a slow tempo, and low, sustained notes for the voice. The constant sighing motifs depict the desolate Christian looking for answers and consolation.
The tenor then gets a recitative / aria pair. The recitative, set as secco, is impassioned and dramatic with its exclamations on high notes (“Herr”, “Ach”), pleas, and the unorthodox comparison between the believer and the three Magi of the Epiphany story. The aria that follows is an incredibly vivid portrayal of the raging storm that catches the boat in the Gospel story, with unmistakable waves painted in relentless runs of 32nd notes on top of pulsating lines on the bass and lower strings. It’s notable how Bach, as a word-painting device, introduces 32nd notes for the vocal line on the word “verdoppeln” (“redouble”). In the B section of the aria, he suddenly changes the meter and creates moments of calm as the text describes the duties of a Christian, only to give even more strength to the subsequent onslaught of waves.
This leads to Jesus “waking up”, or manifesting, via the Matthew dictum. Bach sets these words, as usual, to an arioso for the bass. The continuo line and the voice are set up imitatively and move in constant eighths, giving emphasis and solemnity to Jesus’ utterance, made even more impactful by manifold repetition.
The bass continues to impersonate Jesus in the following aria, which is richly orchestrated with the two oboes d’amore in addition to the strings and continuo. Are the oboes, with their longer held notes, illustrating the sun coming out between parting clouds? We still have the raging waves, depicted by the strings moving in passages of fast sixteens, but as Jesus orders them to calm down (“Schweig!”, “Verstumme!”), they gradually comply until the storm is gone. Section B seems to be set in this relatively quiet weather, but, curiously, this is a strict da-capo aria, so we get to witness Jesus’ miracle in its entirety for a second time.
The alto comes back with a short secco recitative, acknowledging the awakening of Jesus and celebrating the end of the “storm of waves”, “night of misfortune”, and “all sorrow”. The cantata closes with Franck’s text, expertly chosen for its references to storms and “crash and flash”, set as a four-part chorale with the oboes and first violins supporting the tune.
