Johann Sebastian Bach composed Entfliehet, verschwindet, entweichet, ihr Sorgen (Flee, dissolve, fade away, you cares),[1] BWV 249a,[a] later BWV 249.1, as a secular cantata for the birthday of Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, and performed on 23 February 1725. The work is also known as Shepherd Cantata or Shepherds' Cantata (German: Schäferkantate). It was titled Tafel-Music in the publication of the libretto, by Picander, in 1727, suggesting a scenic performance. The score is lost, but could be reconstructed, because Bach used it again in his Easter Oratorio. The work in ten movements is scored for four vocal soloists representing shepherds, a four-part choir and a festive Baroque instrumental ensemble of three trumpets, timpani, two oboes, oboe d'amore, bassoon, two recorders, transverse flute, strings and continuo.

History

Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels

Bach composed Entfliehet, verschwindet, entweichet, ihr Sorgen in 1725 for the 43rd birthday of his patron, Christian, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, after having written Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd, BWV 208, for his 31st birthday.[2] It was first performed at Schloss Neu-Augustusburg [de] on 23 February 1725.[3][4]

In 1725 Bach was working as the Thomaskantor in Leipzig. The text was written by Picander,[4][5] a librettist he met there; it is their first documented collaboration.[2] The work, as the earlier cantata, is festively scored, the characters are mythological figures, and the libretto is influenced by the contemporary shepherds' poetry which was popular at courts. Picander published the piece 1727 as Tafel-Music, suggesting that it was to be performed as theatre in shepherd costumes during a meal.[2][6]

While the text survived, the music is lost. It can be reconstructed, because Bach used it again, in a cantata for Easter Sunday first performed the same year,[7] and performed again several times, always polishing details.[8] The version performed in 1738 was named Easter Oratorio.[7][8] It seems likely that Bach had planned to use the music for both purposes from the start.[8]

The German Bach scholar Friedrich Smend determined that the order of movements was not changed in the derived work, and that therefore the music of the Shepherd Cantata could be reconstructed.[2][4] Addition of the missing recitatives has been tried by musicologist Hermann Keller and by Alexander Grychtolik.[2] It is not known if the two instrumental movements opening the oratorio were already part of the cantata.

Plot, scoring and structure

The shepherds Damoetas (bass) and Menalcas (tenor) chase away their sorrows to deliver with the shepherds Doris (soprano) and Sylvia (alto) their birthday wishes to the Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels. The orchestra is festively scored for three trumpets, timpani, two oboes, bassoon, two recorders, transverse flute, two violins, viola, and basso continuo.[4][8]

The music is structure in ten movements:

  1. Sinfonia: Allegro – Adagio
  2. Aria à duetto (tenor, bass; da capo: soprano, alto): Entfliehet, verschwindet, entweichet, ihr Sorgen
  3. Recitative (soprano, alto, tenor, bass): Was hör ich da? Wer unterbricht uns hier
  4. Aria (soprano): Hundertausend Schmeicheleien
  5. Recitative (soprano, alto, tenor, bass): Wie aber, schönste Schäferin
  6. Aria (tenor): Wieget euch, ihr satten Schafe
  7. Recitative (alto, bass): Wohlan! Geliebte Schäferinnen
  8. Aria (alto): Komm doch, Flora, komm geschwinde
  9. Recitative (bass): Was sorgt ihr viel, die Flora zu beschweren
  10. Aria à Quartetto (soprano, alto, tenor, bass): Glück und Heil bleibe dein beständig Teil

Music

The tenor aria is accompanied by muted violins doubled by recorders, suggesting a lullaby as well as pastoral music.

Recordings

The recordings are taken from the listing on the Bach Cantatas website.[9]

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ^ "BWV" is Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, a thematic catalogue of Bach's works.

References

  1. ^ Dellal 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e Grychtolik 2019.
  3. ^ Wolf 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d Bach Digital 2025.
  5. ^ Dürr & Jones 2006, pp. 273–274.
  6. ^ a b Funk 2025.
  7. ^ a b Dürr & Jones 2006, p. 44.
  8. ^ a b c d Leisinger 2003.
  9. ^ Oron 2024.

Cited sources

Further reading

  • Markus Rathey: Bach's Major Vocal Works: Music-Drama-Liturgy. London: Yale University Press, 2016, 138–165
  • Christoph Wolff, Ton Koopman: Die Welt der Bach-Kantaten. Verlag J. B. Metzler, Stuttgart, Weimar 2006 (in German)
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BWV_249a
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