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Subject Area: Music
Subject Area: Religion

Cantata LXIX.: Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele. Twelfth Sunday after Trinity 2 (? 1724) - Johann Sebastian Bach, Bach’s Chorals, vol. 2 The Hymns and Hymn Melodies of the Cantatas and Motetts [1917]

Edition used:

Bach’s Chorals. Part I: 2 The Hymns and Hymn Melodies of the Cantatas and Motetts, by Charles Sanford Terry (Cambridge University Press, 1915-1921). 3 vols. Vol. 2.

Part of: Bach’s Chorals, 3 vols.

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Cantata LXIX.

Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele. Twelfth Sunday after Trinity2 (? 1724)

lf1393-02_figure_145

Melody: “Es woll’ uns Gott genadig sein”

Anon. 1525

(a)

The words and melody of the concluding Choral are those of Luther’s version of Psalm lxvii, “Es woll’ uns Gott genädig sein,” published originally in Luther’s Ein weise christlich Mess zuhaltē (Wittenberg, 1524). It is also in Walther’s Geystliche gesangk Buchleyn of that year, but is set there to the melody better known as “Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam” (see Cantata 7). Along with the melody printed above—which Erk, No. 201, tentatively attributes to Matthaus Greitter (d. c. 1550)—the Hymn was published in the Strassburg Ordnung des Herren Nachtmal (1525) and in the Strassburg Kirchēampt mit lobgsengen (1525).

The melody occurs also in Cantata 76, and there are other harmonisations of it in the Choralgesange, Nos. 95, 96.

The words of the Choral are the third stanza of the Hymn:

  • Es danke, Gott, und lobe dich
  • Das Volk in guten Thaten.
  • Das Land bringt Frucht und bessert sich;
  • Dein Wort ist wohl gerathen.
  • Uns segne Vater und der Sohn,
  • Uns segne Gott, der heil’ge Geist;
  • Dem alle Welt die Ehre thu’,
  • Vor ihm sich furchte allermeist,
  • Und1 sprecht von Herzen: Amen!

  • B.G. xvi. 325.

Translations of the Hymn into English are noted in the Dictionary of Hymnology, p. 355.

Form. Embellished (3 Trombe, Timpani, 3 Ob., Fagotto, Strings, Continuo). Choralgesange, No. 97.

(b)

Spitta points out1 that about 1730 Bach remodelled the Cantata for use at a Rathswahl service. The Appendix to the Bach-Gesellschaft volume contains the following additional number. It is not in the vocal score.

The words are the sixth stanza of Samuel Rodigast’s “Was Gott thut, das ist wohlgethan” and the melody is that of the Hymn (see Cantata 12):

  • Was Gott thut, das ist wohlgethan,
  • Dabei will ich verbleiben.
  • Es mag mich auf die rauhe Bahn
  • Noth, Tod und Elend treiben:
  • So wird Gott mich ganz vaterlich
  • In seinen Armen halten;
  • Drum lass’ ich ihn nur walten.

  • B.G. xvi. 379.

Form. Embellished (Tromba, 3 Ob., Fagotto, Strings, Continuo). Erk, No. 301.

[2 ] Also adapted c. 1730 for use as a Rathswahl Cantata. Hence its festival character.

[1 ] 1524 Nu.

[1 ]ii. 692.