Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele, BWV 143

History and text#

Bach wrote the cantata for New Year’s Day, which is also the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ. The prescribed readings for the day were from the Epistle to the Galatians, “by faith we inherit” (), and from the Gospel of Luke, the circumcision and naming of Jesus eight days after his birth. However, most of the text for the cantata was taken by the unknown librettist from , and from Jakob Ebert’s hymn “”, written in 1601. and two stanzas from the hymn, the first as movement 2, the third as the final movement. Alternatively, part of the cantata may have been written by Bach, while other parts (likely the choruses and the bass aria) were added or amended by other composers. Bach’s 19th-century biographer Philipp Spitta proposed that the cantata was first performed on New Year’s Day of 1735. However, according to more recent research, the piece performed that day was Part IV of the Christmas Oratorio.

Scoring and structure#

The cantata is scored festively for three vocal soloists (soprano (S), tenor (T), and bass (B)), a four-part choir, and a Baroque instrumental ensemble of three corni da caccia (Co), timpani (Ti, listed with the winds), bassoon (Fg), two violins (Vl), viola (Va) and basso continuo. It is the only Bach cantata to combine three corni da caccia with timpani. The cantata is structured in seven movements. It begins with a chorus on a verse from the psalm, followed by the first stanza from the hymn, sung by the soprano. Another psalm verse is rendered as a tenor recitative, followed by a tenor aria on free poetry. A third psalm verse is set as a bass aria, answered by another tenor aria on free poetry with an instrumental quotation of the hymn tune. The cantata is closed by a hybrid movement which combines like a chorale fantasia the third stanza of the hymn as cantus firmus with a vivid counterpoint of “Hallelujah” closing the psalm. In the following table of the movements, the scoring follows the Neue Bach-Ausgabe. The keys and time signatures are taken from Alfred Dürr, using the symbol for common time (4/4). The continuo, playing throughout, is not shown.

Music#

The opening chorus on the first verse of the psalm, "" (Praise the Lord, my soul.), The voices sing mostly in homophony. The soprano chorale, "" (O Prince of peace, Lord Jesus Christ), is accompanied by a violin obbligato. Although the vocal line is mostly undecorated, it is accompanied by a rhythmically active violin counterpoint following the circle of fifths. The obbligato line reaches a double cadence before the soprano entrance. The tenor recitative on another verse from the psalm, "" (It is fortunate for him, whose help the God of Jacob is), is quite short and is considered unremarkable. The fourth movement is a tenor aria in free verse, "" (Thousand-fold misfortune, terror). The vocal line is “convoluted and angular”, reflecting the themes of misfortune, fear and death. The musicologist Julian Mincham suggests that these themes suggest that Salomon Franck may be the poet, as these were recurrent images in his texts, but also notes a lack of integration atypical of Franck’s oeuvre. The bass aria on the tenth verse from the psalm, "" (The Lord is King eternally), employs a triadic motif similar to that of Gott ist mein König, BWV 71. It is short and has a limited range of tonal development or chromatic variation. The voice is accompanied by the horns and timpani, without strings, illustrating God’s power. The sixth movement is another tenor aria on free poetry, "" (Jesus, saver of Your flock), characterized by the layered scale figuration in the instrumental accompaniment. The voice, bassoon and continuo perform as a trio, while the chorale tune is heard in the violins. The closing chorus employs the third stanza of the chorale, "" (Think, Lord, at this time on Your office), as a cantus firmus in the soprano. It is not composed as the typical four-part setting, but the lower voices sing lively contrasting Alleluias, derived from the psalm.

Recordings#

• Frankfurter Kantorei / Bach-Collegium Stuttgart. Die Bach Kantate. Hänssler, 1975.
• Thomanerchor / Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum. Kantaten / Mit Corno da Caccia. Eterna, 1984.
• Monteverdi Choir / English Baroque Soloists. Bach Cantatas vol. 17. Soli deo Gloria, 2000.
• Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir. J.S. Bach: Complete Cantatas. Antoine Marchand, 2001.

External links#

• Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele BWV 143; BC T 99 / Sacred cantata (New Year/Circumcision) Leipzig University on Bach digital
• BWV 143 Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele: English translation, University of Vermont