Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust, BWV 170

*Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust*
Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust
BWV 170
Church cantata by J. S. Bach
	Georg Christian Lehms, author of the text
Occasion	Sixth Sunday after Trinity
Cantata text	Georg Christian Lehms
Performed	28 July 1726: Leipzig
Movements	5
Vocal	alto
Instrumental	oboe d'amore; 2 violins; viola; organ; continuo;

Johann Sebastian Bach composed Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust (Delightful rest, beloved pleasure of the soul),^[1] BWV 170, a church cantata for the sixth Sunday after Trinity in Leipzig. It is a solo cantata for alto that he first performed on 28 July 1726.

Due to circumstances during Bach's first years as Thomaskantor in Leipzig, the cantata became his first extant contribution for the occasion, as part of his third cantata cycle. He took the text from Georg Christian Lehms' 1711 collection Gottgefälliges Kirchen-Opfer, which paraphrases the prescribed Gospel from the Sermon on the Mount. He set it in five movements, alternating arias and recitatives. A small Baroque ensemble features oboe d'amore and an obbligato organ besides strings and basso continuo.

History and words

Bach composed the cantata in Leipzig for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity.^[2] The prescribed readings for the Sunday are from the Epistle to the Romans, "By Christ's death we are dead for sin" (Romans 6:3–11), and from the Gospel of Matthew a passage from the Sermon on the Mount about better justice than the justice of merely observing laws and rules (Matthew 5:20–26).^[3] The text of the cantata is drawn from Georg Christian Lehms' Gottgefälliges Kirchen-Opfer (1711)^[2]^[4] and speaks of the desire to lead a virtuous life and so enter heaven and avoid hell.^[5]

Bach first performed the cantata on 28 July 1726.^[2]^[4] It is regarded as part of Bach's third cantata cycle.^[2]^[4]^[6] Its brevity, compared to the cantatas in two parts written before and after, such as Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot, BWV 39, can be explained by assuming that in the same service another cantata Ich will meinen Geist in euch geben, JLB 7, by Johann Ludwig Bach was also performed.^[7]

Bach performed the cantata again around 1746.^[2] Bach's son Wilhelm Friedemann Bach performed the first movement around 1752 in Halle.^[2]^[8]

Music

Structure and scoring

The cantata is one of three Bach cantatas written in Leipzig in the summer and autumn of 1726, in which an alto soloist is the only singer, the others being Geist und Seele wird verwirret, BWV 35, and Gott soll allein mein Herze haben, BWV 169. It seems likely that Bach had a capable alto singer at his disposal during this period.^[5]

Bach structured the cantata in five movements, alternating arias and recitatives.^[9] He scored the work for an alto soloist and a small ensemble of oboe d'amore (Oa), two violins (Vl), viola (Va), obbligato organ (Org) and basso continuo (BC).^[2]^[3]^[10] Alfred Dürr gave the duration of the cantata as 24 minutes in his book Die Kantaten von Johann Sebastian Bach.^[3]

In the following table of the movements, the scoring follows the Neue Bach-Ausgabe.^[10] The keys and time signatures are taken from Dürr, using the symbol for common time (4/4).^[9]

Movements of *Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust*
No.	Title	Text	Type	Vocal	Winds	Strings	continuo	Key	Time
1	Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust	Lehms	Aria	A	Oa	2Vl Va	BC	D major	12/8
2	Die Welt, das Sündenhaus	Lehms	Recitative	A			BC
3	Wie jammern mich doch die verkehrten Herzen	Lehms	Aria	A	Org	2Vl Va (unis.)		F-sharp minor
4	Wer sollte sich demnach wohl hier zu leben wünschen	Lehms	Recitative	A		2Vl Va	BC	D major
5	Mir ekelt mehr zu leben	Lehms	Aria	A	Org Oa	2Vl Va	BC	D major

Movements

1

The first aria, "Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust" (Delightful rest, beloved pleasure of the soul),^[1] is a da capo aria in a pastoral rhythm.^[5] The musicologist Julian Mincham notes: "The first stanza is enigmatically poetic and its essence is an evocation of that peace and inner contentment".^[11] The Bach scholar Alfred Dürr describes the mood as contemplative, and the melody of the voice as expansive, on a background of repeated quavers in the instruments.^[5]

2

The first recitative, "Die Welt, das Sündenhaus, bricht nur in Höllenlieder aus" (The world, that house of sin, erupts only in hellish songs),^[1] is secco, only accompanied by the continuo.^[5] John Eliot Gardiner, who conducted the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage in 2000, describes the librettist as a "vigorous and impassioned wordsmith" who uses Baroque language to paraphrase the Gospel reading, and he credits Bach with following the "declamatory gesture and expressive nuance".^[8]

3

The second aria, "Wie jammern mich doch die verkehrten Herzen, die dir, mein Gott, so sehr zuwider sein" (How the perverted hearts afflict me, which are so sorely, my God, set against you),^[1] is set without continuo, rare in Bach's compositions, and symbolic of the lack of direction in the lives of those who ignore the word of God. The organ plays the upper parts, while the violins and viola in unison form the lowest part.^[5] Gardiner notes that the two organ lines intertwine in fugal chromaticism for most of the aria, but turn to diatonic music for the mentioning of "Rach und Hass'" (revenge and hate) in the A section and "frech verlacht" (boldly flout) in the B section.^[8]

4

The second recitative, "Wer sollte sich demnach wohl hier zu leben wünschen" (Who should hereafter wish, indeed, to live here),^[1] is accompanied by the strings and continuo. The strings play mostly long chords but illustrate the words "bei Gott zu leben, der selbst die Liebe heißt" (to live with God, whose name is love)^[1] by more lively movement.^[5]^[8]

5

The final aria, "Mir ekelt mehr zu leben, drum nimm mich, Jesu, hin!" (It sickens me to live longer, therefore take me away, Jesus!),^[1] is a triumphant song about turning away from the world and desiring heaven. The words "Mir ekelt" (I feel revulsion)^[1] are expressed by an unusual tritone opening the melody.^[12] The voice is ornamented by figuration in the organ, which Bach set for flauto traverso for a performance in his last years.^[2]^[8]^[12]

Manuscripts and publication

The manuscripts of both the score and parts survive. There is no extra part for the organ in the set of parts.^[4]

The first critical edition of the cantata, edited by Franz Wüllner, was published by the Bach Gesellschaft in 1886 as part of its complete edition of Bach's works. In the Neue Bach-Ausgabe, the second edition of Bach's works, the cantata was published in 1993, edited by Reinmar Emans.^[4]

Carus published a critical edition in German and English as part of its Stuttgarter Bach-Ausgaben in 2011, edited by Daniela Wissemann.^[4] In the 21st century, Bach Digital published high-resolution facsimile images of the manuscript parts from the first quarter of the 18th century.^[2]

Recordings

The selection is taken from the listing provided by Bach Cantatas Website.^[13] Notable singers in the alto range recorded the cantata, male (as in Bach's time, also called altus or countertenor) and female (contralto or mezzo-soprano), including Alfred Deller, Maureen Forrester, Aafje Heynis, Jochen Kowalski, Nathalie Stutzmann, and Guillemette Laurens.^[13] In the following table, ensembles playing on period instruments in historically informed performance are marked by a green background under the header Instr.

Recordings of *Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust*
Title	Conductor / Choir / Orchestra	Soloists	Label	Year	Instr.
J. S. Bach: Cantatas BWV 170 & BWV 189	Fritz Lehmann Bavarian State Orchestra	Elisabeth Höngen	Deutsche Grammophon	1951 (1951)
J. S. Bach: Cantatas – Kantaten	Neville Marriner Academy of St Martin in the Fields	Janet Baker	Decca	1966 (1966)
J.S. Bach: Cantatas BWV 161, 170 & 177	Hans-Martin Linde Linde Consort	René Jacobs	Virgin Veritas	1980 (1980)
Die Bach Kantate Vol. 42	Helmuth Rilling Bach-Collegium Stuttgart	Julia Hamari	Hänssler	1982 (1982)
J. S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk Vol. 40	Gustav Leonhardt Leonhardt Consort	Paul Esswood	Teldec	1985	Period
Bach Edition Vol. 4 - Cantatas Vol. 1	Pieter Jan Leusink Netherlands Bach Collegium	Sytse Buwalda	Brillant Classics	1999 (1999)	Period
Bach Cantatas Vol. 4: Ansbach/Haddinton	John Eliot Gardiner English Baroque Soloists	Michael Chance	Soli Deo Gloria	2000 (2000)	Period
J. S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 16	Ton Koopman Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra	Bogna Bartosz	Antoine Marchand	2003 (2003)	Period
Lamento	Reinhard Goebel Musica Antiqua Köln	Magdalena Kožená	Archiv Produktion	2005 (2005)	Period
J. S. Bach Cantatas Vol. 37	Masaaki Suzuki Bach Collegium Japan	Robin Blaze	BIS	2005 (2005)	Period
J.S. Bach: Kantate BWV 170 "Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust"	Rudolf Lutz Orchestra of the J. S. Bach-Stiftung	Andreas Scholl	J. S. Bach-Stiftung	2013 (2013)	Period
Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust - Cantata, BWV 170	Jos van Veldhoven Nederlandse Bachvereniging	Alex Potter	All of Bach	2016 (2016)	Period

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Dellal 2020.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Bach Digital 2026.
1 2 3 Dürr & Jones 2006, p. 433.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Wissemann 2011.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dürr & Jones 2006, p. 435.
↑ Wolff 2002.
↑ Dürr & Jones 2006, p. 434.
1 2 3 4 5 Gardiner 2009.
1 2 Dürr & Jones 2006, pp. 433–435.
1 2 Bischof 2020.
↑ Mincham 2010.
1 2 Dürr & Jones 2006, pp. 435–436.
1 2 Oron 2026.

Cited sources

Bach Digital

"Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust BWV 170; BC A 106 / Sacred cantata (6th Sunday after Trinity)". Bach Digital. 2026. Retrieved 25 October 2020.

Books

Dürr, Alfred; Jones, Richard D. P. (2006). "2.6 Sixth Sunday after Trinity / Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust, BWV 170". The Cantatas of J. S. Bach: With Their Librettos in German-English Parallel Text. Oxford University Press. pp. 433–436. ISBN 978-0-19-929776-4.
Wissemann, Daniela (Summer 2011). Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust / O blessed rest, O welcome, soul's delight / BWV 170 (PDF). Translated by Kosviner, David. Carus-Verlag. pp. 1–4. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
Wolff, Christoph (2002). Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician. W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 282–283. ISBN 978-0-393-32256-9.

Online sources

Bischof, Walter F. (2020). "BWV 170 Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust". University of Alberta. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
Dellal, Pamela (2020). "BWV 170 – Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust". Emmanuel Music. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
Gardiner, John Eliot (2009). For the Sixth Sunday after Trinity (Media notes). Hyperion Records. pp. 14–15. Archived from the original on 16 May 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
Mincham, Julian (2010). "Chapter 19 BWV 170 Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust / Rest contented, beloved Soul". jsbachcantatas.com. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
Oron, Aryeh (2026). "Cantata BWV 170 Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust". Bach Cantatas. Retrieved 13 July 2026.

External links

Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust, BWV 170: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
BWV 170 Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust, English translation, University of Vermont
Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust, BWV 170: performance by the Netherlands Bach Society (video and background information)

[FOOTNOTEDellal2020-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Dellal 2020.

[FOOTNOTE''Bach_Digital''2026-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Bach Digital 2026.

[FOOTNOTEDürrJones2006433-3] 1 2 3 Dürr & Jones 2006, p. 433.

[FOOTNOTEWissemann2011-4] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Wissemann 2011.

[FOOTNOTEDürrJones2006435-5] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dürr & Jones 2006, p. 435.

[FOOTNOTEWolff2002-6] Wolff 2002.

[FOOTNOTEDürrJones2006434-7] Dürr & Jones 2006, p. 434.

[FOOTNOTEGardiner2009-8] 1 2 3 4 5 Gardiner 2009.

[FOOTNOTEDürrJones2006433–435-9] 1 2 Dürr & Jones 2006, pp. 433–435.

[FOOTNOTEBischof2020-10] 1 2 Bischof 2020.

[FOOTNOTEMincham2010-11] Mincham 2010.

[FOOTNOTEDürrJones2006435–436-12] 1 2 Dürr & Jones 2006, pp. 435–436.

[FOOTNOTEOron2026-13] 1 2 Oron 2026.

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v t e Church cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach
Before Leipzig	Early: BWV 4 131 71 1138.1 & .2 106 196 150 143 Weimar: BWV 61 70a 186a 132 147a 63 152 155 18 54 80a 182 31 12 172 165 21 185 199 161 162 163 Köthen: BWV Anh. 5
First cycle (1723–24)	Between Trinity and Advent: BWV 75 76 24 167 147 186 136 105 46 179 69a 77 25 138 95 148 48 109 89 60 90 70 From Advent to Trinity: BWV 40 64 190 153 65 154 73 81 83 144 181 22 23 66 134 67 104 166 86 37 44 59 184
Second cycle (and chorale cantatas)	Chorale cantatas between Trinity and Easter: BWV 20 2 7 135 10 93 107 178 94 101 113 33 78 99 8 130 114 96 5 180 38 115 139 26 116 62 91 121 133 122 41 123 124 3 111 92 125 126 127 1 Continuation of the second cycle: BWV 6 42 85 103 108 87 128 183 74 68 175 176 Later additions to the chorale cantata cycle: BWV 80 137 129 58 112 140 177 9 14 Other late chorale cantatas: BWV 117 192 100 97
Third cycle	After Trinity 1725: BWV 168 164 79 Liturgical year 1725–26: BWV 110 57 151 28 16 32 13 72 146 43 39 88 170 187 45 102 35 17 19 27 47 169 56 49 98 55 52 1727: BWV 82 84 34 173
Later and other	Picander cycle: BWV 149 188 197a 171 156 159 145 174 Late parodies: BWV 36 30 191 200 248 (I, II, III, IV, V, VI) 1083 Council election (Leipzig): BWV 119 193 29 120 69 (lost: 1139.1, 1140–1141) Wedding: BWV 34a 195 120a 197 Funeral: 157 244a Other: 194 190a 120b 51 158 50 Doubtful: 53 142 189 217 220 221 223 224
Bach cantata List of Bach cantatas Discography: Monteverdi Choir/Koopman/Teldec

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