Johann Sebastian Bach
Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ
“I call to you, Lord Jesus Christ”
(Cantata BWV 177)

The text for the cantata that Bach composed in 1732 for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity is based on a hymn/chorale written by Johann Agricola (1492–1566). The five stanzas of Agricola’s hymn comprise a sequence of entreaties to God: “Bestow your grace on me . . . do not let me despair . . . pardon me also at this hour . . . give me a new life . . . give me constancy until the end . . . if temptation now comes, Lord, defend me.” You may read the entire text of the hymn here.

The middle stanza of this hymn begins with a petition that links the text with the Gospel reading for this Sunday: “Grant that from the bottom of my heart I may forgive my enemies.”

Bach used all five stanzas of Agricola’s chorale, which was one of the most frequently sung hymns prescribed for use in Lutheran churches during Trinitytide. It was designated as Hymn of the Day for the 2nd, 19th, and 21st Sundays after Trinity and as a Communion Hymn on the 5th, 6th, 8th, and 22nd Sundays after Trinity. It was also sung in other Church seasons, being the Hymn of the Day for the Third Sunday after Epiphany, as well as for Septuagesima and Sexagesima Sundays. So we can assume that the text and the spirit of its pleas were familiar to the congregation in Leipzig where Bach’s cantata was first heard.

The first of the five movements of the work — a chorus — begins with an elaborately woven trio of a violin and two oboes, supported by a full string section. Then the three lower voices of the choir — alto, tenor, and bass — each entering in turn with the words “Ich ruf” [“I call”]. With each entrance, the singers begin with an upward musical leap of five or six steps, thereby capturing the sense of urgency in the petitions that follow: “I call to you, Lord Jesus Christ, I pray, hear my lamentation.” Before the sopranos enter singing a stretched-out melody, the three lower voices settle into a three-part tapestry of sound similar to that of the opening instrumental introduction. John Eliot Gardiner says of these opening measures: “Even by his [i.e., Bach’s] standards, the interweaving of the three lower voices is emotionally charged and poignant: penitential writing at its lyrical best.”

The opening chorus is followed by three arias — there are no recitatives in this cantata, which was rare for Bach at the time the work was composed. Alto, soprano, and tenor soloists each take a turn to continue the earnest entreaties of a hopeful believer. The highlight of the cantata is the soprano aria in the middle of the work. The text in this stanza of the hymn includes these words: “let your word always be my food with which to nourish my soul, to defend myself when misfortune comes upon me that might soon lead me astray.”

Julian Mincham describes this solo as possessing an all-enveloping sense of geniality and affection. “The one word that sums up this aria is warmth. Is it the warmth of the genuine Christian forgiving his enemies and nourishing his soul in the establishment of a new life? Or perhaps it is the warmth of the Divine Love which guides and defends us.”

The tenor aria is a plea for steadfastness and mercy, and the jaunty cheeriness in the music implies confidence that the prayers will be answered; after all, God’s grace is not dependent on our performance. “No man can inherit nor acquire through his works your grace that delivers us from dying.”

The concluding chorale is a strong and simple four-part harmonization of the tune traditionally sung with Agricola’s hymn. This tune was also present in the cantata’s opening chorus. Years before composing this cantata, Bach had written a chorale prelude based on this melody (you can hear it and learn more about it below). Here is the entire melody without any harmonization:

While this melody is predominantly set in a minor key, at two pivotal moments (cadences), Bach slips into a major key. Mincham writes: “This is noteworthy, considering the journey upon which the cantata has taken us. The realization that those things which the Lord can bestow upon us will lighten our condition, is all-important. Consequently, those moments of light shine through even the subtlest of details of the chorale harmonization.”

The entire cantata is performed here by the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir, conducted by Ton Koopman. The soloists are Sandrien Piau, soprano; Bogna Bartosz, alto; and Christoph Prégardien, tenor.

An organ rendition of the hymn behind this cantata: Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 639

Below is organist Leo van Doeselaar playing the chorale prelude Bach composed on the melody sung with Agricola’s hymn.

Leo van Doeselaar talks about the sense of sadness present in this work in the video below.