Buxtehude: Jesu Meine Freude, BuxWV 60 - III,IV, V, VI, VII

Dietrich Buxtehude
Jesu Meine Freude, BuxWV 60

Mvt.III: Unter deinem Schirmen (soprano solo)
Mvt.IV: Trotz dem alten Drachen (bass solo)
Mvt.V: Weg mit allen Schätzen (S-S-B)
Mvt.VI: Gute Nacht, o Wesen (soprano solo)
Mvt.VII: Weicht, ihr Trauergeister (S-S-B)


About the score:

The only score I could find is this low edition in D minor.. What you hear in the video is I believe one full step higher than this, in E minor..

About the work:

Jesu meine is a setting of the verses of a Lutheran chorale. In Jesu meine freude, Buxtehude sets verses 1, 4 and 6 for full forces - two sopranos and bass, two violins, bass and continuo - using the mid-17th century tune in realtively unadorned form. Verses 2, 3 and 5 are solos for each of the three voices in turn, and are not obvious settings of the chorale tune, though soprano line in verse 5 outlines the tune in subtle ways. The work begins with an extended three-movement sonata.


German Texts:

Mvt III:

Unter deinem Schirmen
Bin ich vor den Stürmen
Aller Feinde frei.
Laß den Satan wittern,
Laß den Feind erbittern,
Mir steht Jesus bei.
Ob es jetzt gleich kracht und blitzt,
Ob gleich Sünd und Hölle schrecken:
Jesus will mich decken.

Mvt IV:

Trotz dem alten Drachen,
Trotz des Todes Rachen,
Trotz der Furcht darzu!
Tobe, Welt, und springe,
Ich steh hier und singe
In gar sichrer Ruh.
Gottes Macht hält mich in acht;
Erd und Abgrund muss verstummen,
Ob sie noch so brummen.

Mvt. V:

Weg mit allen Schätzen!
Du bist mein Ergötzen,
Jesu, meine Lust !
Weg ihr eitlen Ehren,
Ich mag euch nicht hören,
Bleibt mir unbewusst!
Elend, Not, Kreuz, Schmach und Tod
Soll mich, ob ich viel muss leiden,
Nicht von Jesu scheiden.

Mvt VI:

Gute Nacht, o Wesen,
Das die Welt erlesen,
Mir gefällst du nicht.
Gute Nacht, ihr Sünden,
Bleibet weit dahinten,
Kommt nicht mehr ans Licht!
Gute Nacht, du Stolz und Pracht!
Dir sei ganz, du Lasterleben,
Gute Nacht gegeben.

Mvt VII:

Weicht, ihr Trauergeister,
Denn mein Freudenmeister,
Jesus, tritt herein.
Denen, die Gott lieben,
Muß auch ihr Betrüben
Lauter Zucker sein.
Duld ich schon hier Spott und Hohn,
Dennoch bleibst du auch im Leide,
Jesu, meine Freude.

English Translations:

Beneath your protection
I am free from the attacks
of all my enemies.
Let Satan track me down,
let my enemy be exasperated --
Jesus stands by me.
Even if there is thunder and lightning,
even if sin and hell spread terror
Jesus will protect me .

I defy the old dragon,
I defy the jaws of death,
I defy fear as well!
Rage, World, and spring to attack:
I stand here and sing
in secure peace.
God's might takes care of me;
earth and abyss must fall silent,
however much they rumble on.

Away with all treasures!
You are my delight,
Jesus, my joy!
Away with empty honours,
I'm not going to listen to you,
remain unknown to me!
Misery, distress, affliction, disgrace and death,
even if I must endure much suffering,
will not separate me from Jesus.


Good night, existence
chosen by the world,
you do not please me.
Good night , you sins,
stay far behind me.
Come no more to the light!
Good night , pride and splendour,
once and for all, sinful existence,
I bid you good night.

Go away, mournful spirits,
for my joyful master,
Jesus, now enters in.
For those who love God
even their afflictions
become pure sweetness.
Even if here I must endure shame and disgrace,
even in suffering you remain,
Jesus, my joy

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Dietrich
• Buxtehude
• BuxWV
• 60
• Jesu
• meine
• freude
• sacred
• cantata
• german
• baroque
• Emma
• Kirkby
• Suzie
• LeBlanc
• Peter
• Harvey

[clubindahol]

Bella idea! Nice idea the score walking along with the music! The voice seems to belong to Emma Kirkby. Grazie 1000!!:)

[civileso]

It is Kirkby's voice. There is also Suzie LeBlanc and Peter Harvey singing the other parts.

[oli7689]

really fantastic music and voices...does anybody have this song in mp3 file??

[civileso]

I do:))

[EvelynCor]

Buxtehude's works are very interesting... he should be more famous than he is ;) I appreciate your vids, civileso :) How about Bach's setting of this (BWV 227)?

[civileso]

Nice suggestion.. I can do it next.. Do you have a certain performer in mind?

[dis0guise]

I liked this so much, I bought the CD. Honestly. Yes, I have another performace of it on another CD, but this is better. Buxtehude has a naive, almost idiotic capacity for sheer joy that Bach could rarely match. This is little more than an ornate hymn setting, but look what he did with it: one gets a taste of that joy already. Try "Mein Herz ist Bereit" or "O Gottes Stadt" for a jolt of it in a solo cantata, or "Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr" (BuxWV 41) for choral/hymn setting.

[KasiaBrzozowska]

I love this harmony and this atmosphere! Beautiful ornaments. Fantastic rhytms. That's why I love Buxtehude :D

[funion987]

Beautiful

[Maxi777ize]

Es heißt doch aber im Original "Lauter Zucker sein" -was ja auch gesungen wird- Warum steht dann im Video die neuere Version "Lauter Freude sein"?

[peacemaker2020]

Very nice.............

[GothicalSOberhauser]

@Esosphere Buxtehude was a man with very deep faith, so he probably composed this because of his love for God.

[GothicalSOberhauser]

I find this piece so touching. Not only because of the intrinsec beauty of the piece, but also because of Buxtehude's faith. Lovely :)

[Nachtmarchen]

@b0ttomzone The artificial distinction between the natural, harmonic and melodic minor scale was unheard of during the Baroque period (like many other contemporary aspects of music theory). And yes, the diminished triads built on the raised sixth scale degree may be in fact remnants of the older modal style - Bach also makes extensive use of the raised sixth, though in his music it's usually part of the major subdominant chord.

[Nachtmarchen]

@1401JSC I'm a native speaker, their German is near-flawless - they even use the Baroque "itzt" rather than the modern "jetzt".

[jezHB333]

my only complaint (as it is really beautiful) is that it sounds a whole tone higher than as displayed on the score. But is lovely singing for what worth of my opinion :-)

[b0ttomzone]

Has anyone else noticed that Buxtehude uses the raised sixth of the melodic minor scale quite a bit in this piece, and that he even harmonizes with it? Dominant chords sound almost as if they were tonic major chords, which sounds like the "naive joy" which dis0guise had mentioned. I've also noticed that Bach's harmonies do not use the melodic scale quite so much... Is this difference accounted for by the fact that Buxtehude was one generation before Bach?

[paripe]

Maravillosa obra de un maravilloso compositor. Se respira paz, alegría y esperanza¡