Bach: Siehe zu, daß deine Gottesfurcht nicht Heuchelei sei, BWV 179

Description

The cantata Seihe zu, dass deine Gottesfurcht nicht Heuchelei sei (See to it that your fear of God be not hypocrisy), BWV 179 opens with a motet-like chorus in the old style without obbligato instruments. This is initially a counter-fugue, i.e., each subject entry is the inversion of its predecessor. Immediately striking is the chromatic treatment (often interwoven in more than one voice) of the word "falschem" (false). The emotional climax of the cantata is the second aria, "Liebster Gott, erbarme dich", accompanied by two oboes da caccia and bc, whose soprano melody unfolds over the flowing lines of the two oboes. The cantata ends with the song "Ich armer Mensch, ich armer Sünder", arranged with unusually independent, rhythmically accented lower voices.