page_title: Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen, BWV 56
hierarchical_section_title: Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen, BWV 56
caption_attribution_description: First page of autograph manuscript of opening Bass aria from Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen, BWV 56
context_page_description: Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen, BWV 56, is a church cantata which Johann Sebastian Bach composed for the 19th Sunday after Trinity. It was first performed in Leipzig on 27 October 1726, and is part of Bach's third cantata cycle. The composition is indicated as solo cantata while it requires only a single vocal soloist, in this case a bass. Bach rarely used the word cantata to refer to a composition: the autograph score of BWV 56 is one of a few cases where he did.
  The text, by Christoph Birkmann, describes the Christian life as a voluntary journey "carrying the cross" as a follower of Jesus. The words indirectly refer to the prescribed Gospel reading, which says that Jesus traveled by boat. The poet compares life to a sea voyage, and at the end yearns for death as the ultimate destination. This final desire for death is reinforced by the closing chorale: the stanza "Komm, o Tod, du Schlafes Bruder" from Johann Franck's 1653 hymn "Du, o schönes Weltgebäude", which also uses the imagery of a sea voyage.
  Bach composed the cantata in his fourth year as Thomaskantor in Leipzig.
context_section_description: Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen (lit. "I will gladly carry the cross-staff"), BWV 56, is a church cantata which Johann Sebastian Bach composed for the 19th Sunday after Trinity. It was first performed in Leipzig on 27 October 1726, and is part of Bach's third cantata cycle. The composition is indicated as solo cantata (German: Solokantate) while it requires only a single vocal soloist, in this case a bass. Bach rarely used the word cantata to refer to a composition: the autograph score of BWV 56 is one of a few cases where he did.
  The text, by Christoph Birkmann, describes the Christian life as a voluntary journey "carrying the cross" as a follower of Jesus. The words indirectly refer to the prescribed Gospel reading, which says that Jesus traveled by boat. The poet compares life to a sea voyage, and at the end yearns for death as the ultimate destination. This final desire for death is reinforced by the closing chorale: the stanza "Komm, o Tod, du Schlafes Bruder" ("Come, o death, you brother of sleep") from Johann Franck's 1653 hymn "Du, o schönes Weltgebäude", which also uses the imagery of a sea voyage.
  Bach composed the cantata in his fourth year as Thomaskantor in Leipzig. It is structured in five movements, alternating arias and recitatives for a bass soloist and closing with a four-part chorale. He scored the work for a Baroque instrumental ensemble of three woodwind instruments (two oboes and taille), three string instruments (two violins and a viola) and continuo. An obbligato cello features in the first recitative and an obbligato oboe in the second aria, resulting in different timbres in the four movements for the same voice part.
  The cantata was recorded early and often. Albert Schweitzer wrote in his book about the composer, "This is one of the most splendid of Bach's works." The closing chorale appears in Robert Schneider's 1992 novel, Schlafes Bruder, and its film adaption Brother of Sleep.
caption: First page of the autograph score of BWV 56. The header reads: "J. J. Do(min)ica 19 post Trinitatis. Cantata à Voce Sola. è Stromenti."[1] ("J(esu) J(uva) 19th Sunday after Trinity. Cantata for solo voice, and instruments.")
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