Pamela Dellal, mezzo soprano
uncommon intelligence, imagination and textual
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Bach Cantata Notes
BWV 181
Bach’s take on the parable from Luke is speculative and rather abstract.
He immediately jumps into the question of why, when given the choice
between the wise and the foolish, the good and the bad, man will make
the wrong choice. The German word “Flattergeister” is sometimes translated
as “flibbertigibbet.” The aria that opens with that phrase is one of
the few overtly humorous things in the Bach sacred cantatas. The wonderfully
patchy orchestration and the bouncy, un-centered vocal line is the perfect
portrayal of vacuous self-satisfaction. The sinister entrance of “Belial,”
always with the most unexpected harmonic turns, makes the flibbertigibbet
an easy and fair target. The serious and detailed alto recitative makes
clear that the results of this behavior are disastrous.
This cantata comes down to us in a broken and incomplete form. The violin
obbligato for the literally thorny tenor aria is missing. John Harbison
has provided the suitably spiky and virtuosic violin part. The soprano
recitative provides a change of tone, introducing the positive affect of the following chorus.
Embedded in the chorus is an elaborate and richly detailed duet for
soprano and alto. In keeping with the cantata's fragmentary nature, there is no concluding chorale.
©Craig Smith, additions by Pamela Dellal
Bach’s take on the parable from Luke is speculative and rather abstract.
He immediately jumps into the question of why, when given the choice
between the wise and the foolish, the good and the bad, man will make
the wrong choice. The German word “Flattergeister” is sometimes translated
as “flibbertigibbet.” The aria that opens with that phrase is one of
the few overtly humorous things in the Bach sacred cantatas. The wonderfully
patchy orchestration and the bouncy, un-centered vocal line is the perfect
portrayal of vacuous self-satisfaction. The sinister entrance of “Belial,”
always with the most unexpected harmonic turns, makes the flibbertigibbet
an easy and fair target. The serious and detailed alto recitative makes
clear that the results of this behavior are disastrous.
This cantata comes down to us in a broken and incomplete form. The violin
obbligato for the literally thorny tenor aria is missing. John Harbison
has provided the suitably spiky and virtuosic violin part. The soprano
recitative provides a change of tone to the positive affect of the chorus.
Embedded in the chorus is an elaborate and richly detailed duet for
soprano and alto. Due to the fragmentary nature of this cantata we have
added a setting of the first verse of the chorale “Wer nur den lieben
Gott” that is found in the collection of chorale settings but has no
known cantata source. It is one of the great chorale harmonizations
in all of Bach and brings our cantata to a suitable and serious close.
©Craig Smith