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Schleicht, spielende Wellen (Glide, O sparkling waves and murmur softly), BWV 206,[a] is a secular cantata composed by Johann Sebastian Bach in Leipzig and first performed on 7 October 1736.
Bach composed this cantata for the birthday of Augustus III of Poland and Elector of Saxony. It was first performed in Leipzig, Saxony, on 7 October 1736. A second performance took place on 3 August 1740.[1]
The librettist of the work is unknown, but was likely Picander.[1] The cantata is counted among the works Bach wrote for celebrations of Leipzig University, Festmusiken zu Leipziger Universitätsfeiern.[2]
The cantata features four solo vocal parts, representing rivers: Pleiße (soprano), Donau (alto), Elbe (tenor), and Weichsel (bass).[b] The cantata is also scored for four-part choir, three flutes, two oboes, two oboes d'amore, three trumpets, timpani, 1st and 2nd violins, violas, and basso continuo.[3]
It has eleven movements:
- Chorus: Schleicht, spielende Wellen, und murmelt gelinde
- Recitative (bass): O glückliche Veränderung
- Aria (bass): Schleuß des Janustempels Türen
- Recitative (tenor): So recht! beglückter Weichselstrom
- Aria (tenor): Jede Woge meiner Wellen
- Recitative (alto): Ich nehm zugleich an deiner Freude teil
- Aria (alto): Reis von Habsburgs hohem Stamme
- Recitative (soprano): Verzeiht, Bemooste Häupter starker Ströme
- Aria (soprano): Hört doch! der sanften Flöten Chor
- Recitative (SATB): Ich muss, ich will gehorsam sein
- Chorus: Die himmlische Vorsicht der ewigen Güte
- Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, Ton Koopman. J.S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 5. Erato, 1996.
- Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart / Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Helmuth Rilling. Edition Bachakademie Vol. 64. Hänssler, 1994.
- Kammerchor Stuttgart / Concerto Köln, Frieder Bernius. J.S. Bach Secular Cantatas BWV 206 & 207a. Sony Classical, 1990.
- Ex Tempore Choir, Florian Heyerick / Musica Antiqua Köln, Reinhard Goebel BWV 36c, 201, 206, 207, Quodlibet BWV 524. Archiv Produktion 457 348-2, 1996 & 1997.
- "BWV" is Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, a thematic catalogue of Bach's works.
- The Pleiße flows through Leipzig into the Elbe, the Vistula (German: Weichsel) is the longest and largest river in Poland, and the Danube (Donau), flows through Austria, which Augustus later supported against Prussia in the War of the Austrian Succession.
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