| Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele | |
|---|---|
| Church cantata byJ. S. Bach | |
 Thomaskirche, Leipzig | |
| Catalogue |
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| Related | basis forBWV 69 (= BWV 69.2) |
| Occasion | Twelfth Sunday afterTrinity |
| Cantata text | anonymous |
| Bible text | Psalms 103:2 |
| Chorale | "Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan" |
| Performed | 15 August 1723 (1723-08-15):Leipzig |
| Movements | six |
| Vocal | SATB choir and solo |
| Instrumental |
|
Johann Sebastian Bach composed thechurch cantataLobe den Herrn, meine Seele (Praise the Lord, my soul),[1]BWV 69a, also BWV 69.1,[2] inLeipzig for the twelfth Sunday afterTrinity and first performed it on 15 August 1723. It is part of hisfirst cantata cycle.
Bach wrote the cantata in his first year in Leipzig, which he had started after Trinity of 1723, for theTwelfth Sunday after Trinity.[3] The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from theSecond Epistle to the Corinthians, the ministry of the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:4–11), and from theGospel of Mark, thehealing of a deaf mute man (Mark 7:31–37). The unknown poet referred to the gospel, but saw God constantly doing good for man in the healing more generally. The opening chorus is therefore taken fromPsalm 103:2, "Praise the Lord, my soul, and do not forget the good He has done for you". The poetry refers to "telling" several times, related to the healed man's ability to speak: "Ah, that I had a thousand tongues!"[1] (movement 2), "My soul, arise! tell"[1] (movement 3) and "My mouth is weak, my tongue mute to speak Your praise and honor"[1] (movement 4). Several movements rely on words of a cantata byJohann Oswald Knauer, published in 1720 inGott-geheiligtes Singen und Spielen des Friedensteinischen Zions in Gotha.[4] The closingchorale picks up the theme in the sixth verse ofSamuel Rodigast'shymn "Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan" (What God does, is done well)[1] (1675).[3]
Bach first performed the cantata on 15 August 1723.[2] He performed it again around 1727, revised the instrumentation of an aria, and used it in his last years for a cantata for aRatswahl ceremony, the inauguration of the town council at church,Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele, BWV 69.2.[3]
To express the praise of the words, the cantata is festively scored forsoprano,alto,tenor andbass soloists, afour-part choir, and aBaroque instrumental ensemble of threetrumpets,timpani, threeoboes,oboe da caccia,oboe d'amore,recorder,bassoon, twoviolins,viola, andbasso continuo.[3]
The cantata is in sixmovements:
Bach reflected the duality within the words of the psalm in the opening chorus by creating adouble fugue. Boththemes of the movement inD Major are handled separately and then combined. In the firstaria, apastoral movement, the tenor is accompanied by oboe da caccia, recorder and bassoon.[5] In a later version, around 1727, Bach changed the instrumentation to alto, oboe and violin, possibly because he did not have players at hand for the first woodwind setting. In the second aria the contrast ofLeiden (suffering) andFreuden (joy) is expressed bychromatic, first down, then up, and vividcoloraturas. The closing hymn is the same as the one ofWeinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV 12, of 1714, but for no apparent reason without theobbligato violin.[3]
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