Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust, BWV 170: 1. Aria (piano transcription)

Dedicated to a colleague The pastoral mood captures the essence of "delightful rest, beloved pleasure of the soul." Nobody knows what Himmelseintracht ("concord of heaven") is like, but Bach gives us a glimpse of it in this piece. The word itself only occurs once - it is "found" when D resolves to C♯ so satisfyingly in b.19. The 4-3 suspension occurs once more in the tonic key at the very end. I interpret this as a symbolic echo of Himmelseintracht and hence I end the piece triumphantly with octaves in both hands. In my faithful transcription for piano solo, the challenge is to maintain composure amidst five-part counterpoint. Printed in small font is my figured bass realization, which merely serves as a suggestion. I saved the bass octaves until the last section. Right hand octaves in the last bar are optional, especially if the performer disagrees with my aforementioned interpretation. Special thanks to ‪@moreira7daniel‬ and ‪@clawclamzz5136‬ for recommending this piece to me. ~~~~~~~~~~ Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust, BWV 170 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) 1. Aria Arr.: Ruoshi Sun (2025) Piano: Ruoshi Sun (2025) on CLP-785 Temperament: Werckmeister ~~~~~~~~~~ Score purchase   / vergnugte-ruh-1-136684149