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Herr, wenn die stolzen Feinde schnauben (Lord, when our insolent enemies snort),^[1] BWV 248^VI (also written as BWV 248 VI), is a church cantata for Epiphany, which Johann Sebastian Bach composed as the sixth part of his Christmas Oratorio, written for the Christmas season of 1734–35 in Leipzig.^[2] The cantata was first performed on 6 January 1735.^[2]

History

Bach had been presenting church cantatas for the Christmas season in the Thomaskirche (St. Thomas) and Nikolaikirche (St. Nicholas) since his appointment as director musices in Leipzig in 1723, including these cantatas for Epiphany:^[3]^[4]^[5]

As part of his first cantata cycle: Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen, BWV 65, first performed in 1724.^[6]
As part of his second cantata cycle: Liebster Immanuel, Herzog der Frommen, BWV 123, first performed in 1725.^[7]

Cantata fragment BWV 248 VI a

BWV 248 VI a, also indicated as BWV 248a, is a fragment of a cantata, transmitted without text, the opening chorus of which Bach likely borrowed from So kämpfet nur, ihr muntern Töne, BWV 1160, one of his secular cantatas. Picander wrote the libretto of the BWV 1160 cantata (also known as BWV Anh. 10), which otherwise, that is, apart from the likely borrowed opening chorus, survived without music. It was first performed on 25 August 1731, for the birthday of Joachim Friedrich von Flemming [de].^[8]^[9]^[10]

The cantata transmitted in the BWV 248a fragment, consisting of four revised performance parts in the bundle of contemporary performance material for BWV 248 VI, is a sacred cantata for Michaelmas (29 September), likely first performed in 1734. While nothing more survives of the Michaelmas cantata as such, the four revised performance parts show that most of its music, including the music of its opening chorus and recitatives, was parodied in Part VI of the Christmas Oratorio.^[8]^[9]^[10]

Music and content

BWV 248 VI is scored for 3 trumpets, timpani, 2 oboes, 2 oboes d'amore, 2 violin parts, 1 viola part and continuo.^[2]

*Christmas Oratorio* Part VI: For the Feast of Epiphany
No.		Key	Time	First line	Scoring	Source
54	Chorus	D major	3/8	Herr, wenn die stolzen Feinde schnauben	Trumpet I, II, III, timpani, oboe I, II, strings, continuo	opening chorus of BWV 248a^[11] (1734?), which was likely based on the opening chorus of BWV 1160 (1731)^[10]
55	Recitative (Evangelist, tenor; Herod, bass)			Da berief Herodes die Weisen heimlich Ziehet hin und forschet fleißig	Continuo	Matthew 2:7-8
56	Recitative (soprano)			Du Falscher, suche nur den Herrn zu fällen	Strings, continuo	BWV 248a^[11] (1734?)^[10]
57	Aria (soprano)	A maj/F♯ min/A maj	3/4	Nur ein Wink von seinen Händen	Oboe d'amore I, strings, continuo	BWV 248a^[11] (1734?)^[10]
58	Recitative (Evangelist, tenor)			Als sie nun den König gehöret hatten	Continuo	Matthew 2:9-11
59	Chorale	G major	Common	Ich steh an deiner Krippen hier	Oboe I, II, strings, continuo	Words: Paul Gerhardt, 1656
60	Recitative (Evangelist, tenor)			Und Gott befahl ihnen im Traum'	Continuo	Matthew 2:12
61	Recitative (tenor)			So geht! Genug, mein Schatz geht nicht von hier	Oboe d'amore I, II, continuo	BWV 248a^[11] (1734?)^[10]
62	Aria (tenor)	B minor	2/4	Nun mögt ihr stolzen Feinde schrecken	Oboe d'amore I, II, continuo	BWV 248a^[11] (1734?)^[10]
63	Recitative (soprano, alto, tenor, bass)			Was will der Höllen Schrecken nun	Continuo	BWV 248a^[11] (1734?)^[10]
64	Chorale	D major	Common	Nun seid ihr wohl gerochen	Trumpet I, II, III, timpani, oboe I, II, strings, continuo	BWV 248a^[11] (1734?);^[10] Words: Georg Werner, 1648