Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist, BWV 45

*Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist*
Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist
BWV 45
Church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach
	Thomaskirche, Leipzig
English	It has been told to you, man, what is good
Occasion	Eighth Sunday after Trinity
Bible text	Micah 6:8; Matthew 7:22;
Chorale	by Johann Heermann
Performed	11 August 1726: Leipzig
Movements	7 in two parts
Vocal	SATB choir; Solo: alto, tenor and bass;
Instrumental	2 flauti traversi; 2 oboes; 2 violins; viola; continuo;

Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist (It has been told to you, man, what is good),^[1] BWV 45 is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed it in Leipzig for the eighth Sunday after Trinity and first performed it on 11 August 1726.

History and words

Bach composed the cantata in Leipzig for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity.^[2] It is part of his third cantata cycle.^[3]

The prescribed readings for the Sunday are from the Epistle to the Romans, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Romans 8:12–17), and from the Gospel of Matthew, the warning of false prophets from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:15–23). Here and in Siehe, ich will viel Fischer aussenden, BWV 88, composed three weeks before, the text is similar in structure and content to cantatas of Johann Ludwig Bach. The text is attributed to Ernst Ludwig, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, published in a 1705 collection.^[3] The poet chose for the opening a verse of the prophet Micah, "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8), which is related to the famous saying of Jesus "Ye shall know them by their fruits", and "but he that doeth the will of my Father" from the Gospel. The poet connected to the image of the servant as mentioned in the Gospel of Luke, Luke 12:42–47 and Luke 16:1–9. The central movement, opening the second part (marked Parte seconda) to be performed after the sermon, is a quotation of verse 22 from the Gospel, "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?". The following aria is a paraphrase of Matthew 10:32. The cantata is closed by the second stanza of Johann Heermann's hymn "O Gott, du frommer Gott" (1630).^[2]^[4] The cantata is a symmetrical structure around the central Gospel quotation, beginning with the Old Testament and leading to the chorale.

Bach first performed the cantata on 11 August 1726.^[2]

Scoring and structure

The cantata in seven movements is scored for three vocal soloists (alto, tenor, and bass), a four-part choir, two flauti traversi, two oboes, two violins, viola and basso continuo.^[2]

Movements of *Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist*, BWV 45, Part I
No.	Title	Type	Vocal	Winds	Strings	Key	Time
1	Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist	Chorus	SATB	2Fl, 2Ob	2Vl, Va, Bc	E major
2	Der Höchste läßt mich seinen Willen wissen	Recitative	Tenor		Bc
3	Weiß ich Gottes Rechte	Aria	Tenor		2Vl, Va, Bc	C♯ minor	3/8

Movements of *Es ist dir gesagt, Mensch, was gut ist*, BWV 45, Part II
No.	Title	Type	Vocal	Winds	Strings	Key
4	Es werden viele zu mir sagen an jenem Tage	Arioso	Bass		2Vl, Va, Bc	A major
5	Wer Gott bekennt aus wahrem Herzensgrund	Aria	Alto	1Fl	Bc	F♯ minor
6	So wird denn Herz und Mund selbst von mir Richter sein	Recitative	Alto		Bc
7	Gib, daß ich tu mit Fleiß	Chorale	SATB	2Fl (col Soprano), 2Ob (col Soprano)	1Vl (col Soprano), 1Vl (coll'Alto), Va (col Tenore), Bc	E major

Music

The opening chorus is a complex structure, beginning with an extended instrumental section, then alternating fugal sections with others in which the vocal parts are embedded in the orchestral concerto. The tenor aria, preceded by secco recitative, is of a dance-like character and is accompanied by the strings.^[2]

The central movement, the quotation from the Gospel, is given to the bass as the vox Christi (voice of Christ). Bach marks it Arioso and has the strings play in vivid movement, to passionately emphasize the words. The strings open the movement and repeat that music four times in different keys, the bass part showing bold leaps and rich coloraturas.^[2] John Eliot Gardiner observes:

The second part of the cantata opens with a movement for bass and strings marked arioso – deceptively so (it is Bach’s way of flagging up utterances by Christ in person as distinct from passages of indirect speech), as in truth this is a full blown, highly virtuosic aria, half Vivaldian concerto, half operatic scena.^[5]

The figuration is similar in the following alto aria, but mellow in the solo flute with continuo, matching the consoling words. Another secco recitative introduces the closing chorale on a melody by Ahasverus Fritsch,^[6] set in four parts.^[2]