Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht (BWV 211) aka The Coffee Cantata

• Composed ca. 1732-35• Secular cantata• Librettist: Christian Friedrich Henrici aka Picander

Zimmermann’s Coffee House

Characters:Narrator (Tenor)Schlendrian (Bass)Lieschen (Soprano)

Instruments:• Flauto traverso• Two obbligato violins• Viola• Basso continuo

Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht (BWV 211) aka The Coffee Cantata

• Composed ca. 1732-35• Secular cantata• Librettist: Christian Friedrich Henrici aka Picander

Zimmermann’s Coffee House

Characters:Narrator (Tenor)Schlendrian (Bass)Lieschen (Soprano)

Instruments:• Flauto traverso• Two obbligato violins• Viola• Basso continuo

Happy St Patrick’s Day

Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht (BWV 211) aka The Coffee Cantata

• Composed ca. 1732-35• Secular cantata• Librettist: Christian Friedrich Henrici aka Picander

Zimmermann’s Coffee House

Characters:Narrator (Tenor)Schlendrian (Bass)Lieschen (Soprano)

Instruments:• Flauto traverso• Two obbligato violins• Viola• Basso continuo

1. Recitative: Schweigt stille (Narrator): The narrator tells the audience to quiet down and pay attention, before introducing Schlendrian and Lieschen.

2. Aria: Hat man nicht mit seinen Kindern (Schlendrian): Schlendrian sings in disgust of how his daughter refuses to listen to him, even after telling her 100,000 times.

3. Recitative: Du böses Kind (Schlendrian and Lieschen): Schlendrian asks his daughter again to stop drinking coffee, Lieschen defiantly tells her father to calm down.

4. Aria: Ei! Wie schmeckt der Kaffee süße: (Lieschen) Lieschen sings a love song to her coffee.

5. Recitative: Wenn du mir nicht den Kaffee läßt (Schlendrian and Lieschen): Schlendrian starts giving ultimatums to his daughter, threatening to take away her meals, clothes, and other pleasures. Lieschen doesn't seem to care.

6. Aria: Mädchen, die von harten Sinnen (Schlendrian): In this sung monologue, Schlendrian tries to figure out what his daughter's weak spot is, so she absolutely couldn't want to drink coffee again.

1 Recitative: Narrator [Tenor]

Continuo

Schweigt stille, plaudert nichtKeep quiet, don’t chatterUnd höret, was itzund geschicht:and hear what’s going on now:Da kömmt Herr Schlendrianhere comes Herr Schlendrian Mit seiner Tochter Liesgen her,with his daughter LiesgenEr brummt ja wie ein Zeidelbär;he’s growling like a honey-bear -Hört selber, was sie ihm getan!hear for yourselves what she has done to him.

2 Aria: Herr Schlendrian [Bass]

Violino I/II, Viola, Continuo

Hat man nicht mit seinen KindernDon’t we have with our childrenHunderttausend Hudelei!a hundred thousand muddles !Was ich immer alle TageWhat always every day IMeiner Tochter Liesgen sage,say to my daughter LiesgenGehet ohne Frucht vorbei.goes in one ear and out the other[lit. goes by without profit]

7. Recitative: Nun folge, was dein Vater spricht! (Schlendrian and Lieschen): Schlendrian threatens to prevent his daughter from marrying if she fails to give up coffee, Lieschen has a sudden change of heart.

8. Aria: Heute noch, lieber Vater (Lieschen): Lieschen thanks her father for offering to find her a husband, and vows to give up coffee if she can have a lover instead.

9. Recitative: Nun geht und sucht der alte Schlendrian (Narrator): The narrator states that while Schlendrian goes out to find a husband for his daughter, Lieschen secretly tells potential suitors that they must let her drink her coffee if they care to marry her.

10. Trio: Die Katze läßt das Mausen nicht (Tutti) All three characters sing the moral of the story, "drinking coffee is natural".

Excerpts

Suite No. 1 in C major, BWV 1066 (1724-25)Ouverture Courante Gavotte I/II ForlaneMenuet I/IIBourée I/IIPassepied I/II

Suite No. 2 in B minor, BWV 1067 (1738-39)

Ouverture RondeauSarabande Bourrée I/IIPolonaise Menuet Badinerie

Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068 (1730)

Ouverture (1 and 2)Air (1 and 2 and 3)Gavotte I/IIBourrée Gigue

Suite No. 4 in D major, BWV 1069 (1730)

Ouverture Bourrée I/IIGavotte Menuet Réjouissance

Orchestral Suites / Ouvertüren

Goldberg Variations (Clavier-Übung) (BWV 988) (1741)

[For this work] we have to thank the instigation of the former Russian ambassador to the electoral court of Saxony, Count Kaiserling, who often stopped in Leipzig and brought there with him the aforementioned Goldberg, in order to have him given musical instruction by Bach. The Count was often ill and had sleepless nights. At such times, Goldberg, who lived in his house, had to spend the night in an antechamber, so as to play for him during his insomnia. … Once the Count mentioned in Bach's presence that he would like to have some clavier pieces for Goldberg, which should be of such a smooth and somewhat lively character that he might be a little cheered up by them in his sleepless nights. Bach thought himself best able to fulfill this wish by means of Variations, the writing of which he had until then considered an ungrateful task on account of the repeatedly similar harmonic foundation. But since at this time all his works were already models of art, such also these variations became under his hand. Yet he produced only a single work of this kind. Thereafter the Count always called them his variations. He never tired of them, and for a long time sleepless nights meant: 'Dear Goldberg, do play me one of my variations.' Bach was perhaps never so rewarded for one of his works as for this. The Count presented him with a golden goblet filled with 100 louis-d'or. Nevertheless, even had the gift been a thousand times larger, their artistic value would not yet have been paid for.

Johann Nikolaus Forkel (1802)

1 Aria2 Variatio 1. a 1 Clav.3 Variatio 2. a 1 Clav.4 Variatio 3. Canone all’Unisono. a 1 Clav.5 Variatio 4. a 1 Clav.6 Variatio 5. a 1 ô vero 2 Clav.7 Variatio 6. Canone alla Seconda. a 1 Clav.8 Variatio 7. a 1 ô vero 2 Clav. al tempo di Giga9 Variatio 8. a 2 Clav.10 Variatio 9. Canone alla Terza. a 1 Clav.11 Variatio 10. Fughetta. a 1 Clav.12 Variatio 11. a 2 Clav.13 Variatio 12 a 1 Clav. Canone alla Quarta in moto contrario14 Variatio 13. a 2 Clav.15 Variatio 1 a 2 Clav.16 Variatio 15. Canone alla Quinta. a 1 Clav.: Andante17 Variatio 16. Ouverture. a 1 Clav.18 Variatio 17. a 2 Clav.19 Variatio 18. Canone alla Sesta. a 1 Clav.20 Variatio 19. a 1 Clav.21 Variatio 20. a 2 Clav.

22 Variatio 21. Canone alla Settima23 Variatio 22. a 1 Clav. alla breve24 Variatio 23. a 2 Clav.25 Variatio 24 Canone all'Ottava. a 1 Clav.26 Variatio 25. a 2 Clav. adagio27 Variatio 26. a 2 Clav.28 Variatio 27. Canone alla Nona. a 2 Clav.29 Variatio 28. a 2 Clav. (Andreas Staier)30 Variatio 29. a 1 ô vero 2 Clav.31 Variatio 30. a 1 Clav. Quodlibet32 Aria da Capo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb_1BxVse9Y

Concerto nach Italienischem Gusto (Italian Concerto) (BWV 971) (pub’d 1735), Clavier-Übung II (first half)

1. No tempo indication2. Andante3. Presto

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