Beschränkt, ihr Weisen dieser Welt
BWV 443 performed by Daniel Johannsen and Leo van Doeselaar
Walburgiskerk, Zutphen
Behind the music
Story
Story
Extra videos
Extra videos
Texts
Texts
Credits
Credits
Incomparable love
A song from the Schemelli Gesangbuch about God’s unconditional friendship
Human interaction is not always unconditional and selfless, since not seldom we expect something in return from those we connect with. How different is the divine love, also according for example the poet of this Schemelli song, theologist Christoph Wegleiter (1659–1706). He points out that God bestows his friendship upon people who could never return such grace. Jesus engaged with the ‘underdogs’ of his time – tax collectors, prostitutes, outcasts – and by even sharing meals with them, he knowingly defied Jewish purity laws, thereby giving a powerful example of universal and unconditional love.
According to Wegleiter, the due human response to the divine covenant between heaven and earth could be love, faithfulness and worship. The poet gives beautiful images of this love and worship, and he counts the most radiant ‘pet names’ attributed to Jesus, all referring to Biblical topics: Goël (redeemer, ransom payer), Immanuel (God with us), Salomo (friend of wisdom, literally meaning ‘man of peace’), Jonathan (true friend to David); Bräutigam (groom) and Mann (husband).
The prayer sung in BWV 443 concludes boldly and with confidence: no enemy will ever be able to part us from Jesus. As the utmost proof of faithfulness the wonderful refrain and slogan at the end of every single verse will also be found on the believer’s tombstone: ‘My friend is mine, and I am his.’ This quotation from the Song of Songs is also the text of the lovely duet in Bach’s cantata Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (BWV 140).
Musicalisches Gesang-Buch G.C. Schemelli
In the eighteenth century, sacred songbooks for private use were an important aid in simple, domestic devotion. For example, no fewer than 17 editions of Johann Freylinghausen’s Geistreiches Gesangbuch were published between 1704 and 1734. Two years later, pietist Georg Christian Schemmel, alias Schemelli, launched his own songbook, containing no fewer than 954 songs, 69 of which included melody, text incipit and figured bass. In order to outdo the competition, he involved probably the most famous music consultant of all time, who happened to be his son’s music teacher: Bach. Following intensive research, only three of the 21 original melodies in the collection (BWV 439-509) can be attributed with certainty to the cantor at the Thomasschule: BWV 452, 478 and 505. The others are accompaniments, revisions and improvements. Bach’s precise role in Schemelli’s Gesangbuch will probably always remain a mystery.
- BWV
- 443
- Title
- Beschränkt, ihr Weisen dieser Welt
- Instrument
- tenor
- Genre
- songs and arias
- Serie
- Schemelli's Musicalisches Gesang-Buch
- Year
- before April 1736
- Lyricist
- Christoph Wegleiter
Extra videos
Vocal texts
Original
Beschränkt, ihr Weisen dieser Welt,
die Freundschaft immer auf die gleichen
und leugnet, dass sich Gott gesellt
mit denen, die ihn nicht erreichen;
ist Gott schon alles, und ich nichts,
ich Schatten, er die Quell des Lichts,
er noch so stark, ich noch zu blöde,
er noch so rein, ich noch zu schnöde,
er noch so groß, ich noch so klein.
Mein Freund ist mein, und ich bin sein
Mein Goel, mein Immanuel,
mein Mittler konnte Mittel finden,
sich meiner hocherhebten Seel,
die ihn herabzog, zu verbinden;
mein Salomo, mein Jonathan,
mein Bräutigam, mein Gott und Mann
kam von dem Himmel auf die Erden,
mein Mut und Blutesfreund zu werden,
an Leib und Geist, mein Fleisch und Bein.
Mein Freund ist mein, und ich bin sein.
Es zürn’ und stürme jeder Feind,
er macht nicht, dass ich viel erstaune,
der Richter ist mein bester Freund,
drum schreckt mich nicht die Weckposaune;
ob Erd und Himmel bricht und kracht,
ob Leib und Seele mir verschmacht’,
wann meine Beine schon verwesen,
so wird mein Wahlspruch doch zu lesen
noch haften an dem Grabesstein:
Mein Freund ist mein, und ich bin sein!
Translation
O wise ones of this world, take care
to keep always the selfsame friendships
denying that God his presence shares
with those who cannot comprehend Him;
if God be all, and I be naught,
Mere shadow I; He source of light,
As he is strong, so I am foolish.
As he is pure, so I am brutish,
As he is great, so I am small.
My friend is mine, and I belong.
Redeemer and Emmanuel,
my mediator, who found a way
to bind with my exalted soul,
which drew him down here to earth one day;
my Solomon, my Jonathan,
my bridegroom, spouse, my God-in-Man,
came down to earth for me from Heaven,
to be my friend through thick and thin,
and in body, spirit, flesh and bone.
My friend is mine, and I belong.
Though enemies may rage and storm,
They can do nothing that can shock me
the Judge of all is my best friend,
so the Last Trumpet does not rock me;
if earth and heaven break and crash,
if soul and body fall to ash,
yet when my limbs are long decayed,
my motto will yet be displayed
so one can read it on my tomb:
My friend is mine, and I belong!
translation © Ruth van Baak Griffioen, 2025
Credits
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- Release date
- 3 July 2025
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- Recording date
- 28 May 2024
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- Location
- Walburgiskerk, Zutphen
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- Tenor
- Daniel Johannsen
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- Organ
- Leo van Doeselaar
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- Instrument
- Henrick Bader, 1639/1643
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- Director and editor
- Gijs Besseling
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- Music recording
- Guido Tichelman, Pim van der Lee
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- Music edit and mix
- Guido Tichelman
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- Camera
- Danny Noordanus, Manon Hoskens, Remco van Leest
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- Grip
- Wouter Visser
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- Assistant music recording
- Marloes Biermans
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- Producer
- Lisanne Marlou de Kok
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