Cantata BWV 170: “Andante” (arr. Tarkmann)

• This an arrangement of the opening aria from Bach’s solo cantata for alto, BWV 170, Vergnügte Ruh’, beliebte Seelenlust (“Contented Rest, Beloved Inner Joy,” composed 1726).¹
• This movement was arranged by Andreas N. Tarkmann. It is an excerpt from his pastiche concerto based on Bach cantata arias.²
• Theme of the aria: peace and contentment.³

“Contented peace, beloved delight of the soul, you cannot be found among the sins of hell, but only where there is heavenly harmony.”

From the aria’s text⁴

1. Christoph Wolff and Walter Emery, “Bach, Johann Sebastian,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed July 15, 2019, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-6002278195.
2. Harald Reiter, liner notes to Albrecht Mayer: Voices of Bach, Albrecht Mayer, English Concert, Trinity Baroque London/Decca 4781517, CD, 2010.
3. Francis Browne, “Cantata BWV 170 Vergnügte Ruh’, beliebte Seelenlust English Translation in Interlinear Format,” Bach Cantatas Website (2007), accessed July 15, 2019, https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/BWV170-Eng3.htm.
4. Ibid.