J.S. Bach: Erhöhtes Fleisch und Blut, BWV 173 - The Church Cantatas, Vol. 183

Cantata 173 ‘Erhöhtes Fleisch und Blut’ is a work for the second day of Pentecost, probably 29 May 1724; there is also evidence of later performances. The cantata is really a remodelled version of the earlier Cantata BWV173a ‘Durchlauchtster Leopold’, written for the birthday of Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Köthen on 10 December 1717 or 1722. The sixmovement work includes two recitatives, three arias and a final chorus; a chorale is omitted, and it is therefore two movements shorter than the original version. Bach has occasionally adapted the texture and distribution of parts. In BWV173 the first recitative ‘Erhöhtes Fleisch und Blut’ is sung by the tenor, while in the birthday cantata BWV173a it is for the soprano. Remarkable is the apparent ease with which Bach replaced the final chorus text ‘Nimm auch, grosser Fürst, uns auf’ in the birthday cantata by the sacred text ‘Rühre, Höchster, unser Geist’. Listening to the music rather than the text, one hears in both cases a light, danc