Cantata No. 140, “Wachet auf”

This cantata is based on the Parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25:1-13, the reading for the day in the Lutheran lectionary, “Wachet auf” tells the story of ten women who retired for the evening—five with oil in their lamps, and five without. Because one never knows when Christ will appear, one’s soul must always be ready to meet him. Thus, when during the night Christ, portrayed as a bridegroom, appeared to the virgins, only the five women who were prepared became his brides.

It is easy to hear why Cantata 140 has become a perennial favorite. The opening chorus is actually a chorale fantasia—a movement constructed around a chorale tune, heard in the soprano, which becomes a sort of musical foundation. In the duet with violin obbligato which follows a short tenor recitative, the soprano represents the soul, while the baritone is the voice of Christ.

The fourth movement features segments of the earlier chorale cast against a famous melody heard in the strings. (Bach did not actually compose this tune, but rather borrowed it from a Lutheran pastor named Philipp Nicolai.) A recitative for baritone depicting the unification of Christ, the bridegroom, with his “chosen bride” leads to another duet for the soul (soprano) and Christ (baritone), this time with oboe accompaniment. The cantata closes with the entire choir singing the third verse of the chorale.