And the catholic faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity. . . .
— The Athanasian Creed
Helmuth Rilling, one of the most respected conductors, scholars, and teachers of the music of J. S. Bach (1685-1750), describes the importance of Bach’s cantatas: “J. S. Bach’s church cantatas are the center of his lifework . . . to know Bach, one must study his cantatas” (quoted in the Foreword to Melvin P. Unger, Handbook to Bach’s Sacred Cantata Texts). This is most certainly true. The passions and oratorios were performed for festive occasions, but Bach was obligated to provide (not necessarily compose) a cantata for every Sunday and feast day of the church year during his Leipzig tenure, except for a few Sundays in Lent and Advent. In the interest of exploring the vast treasure of Bach’s 200 extant cantatas (another 100 were lost), I am pleased to introduce my occasional column, “Cantatas Over Coffee,” beginning with Cantata 129, “The Lord, My God, be Praised,” originally written for Trinity Sunday.
The text of Cantata 129 is one of only a handful of cantatas that exclusively uses the hymn text, with no other poetry. The hymn text is by the Lutheran court preacher of Halle, Johann Olearius (1611-1684), who came from a long line of esteemed theologians, hymn writers, and churchmen in Saxony. It is therefore no surprise that his 300 hymnological treasures include texts such as “Comfort, Comfort, ye My People,” “Oh, How Great is Your Compassion,” “God Loved the World so that He Gave,” and “Lord, Open Now My Heart to Hear.” (It seems fitting that Olearius died one year before Bach was born and wrote 300 hymn texts. Bach, in turn, wrote 300 cantatas, mostly in Leipzig, the same city where the primary devotional works of Olearius were published.)
1. Chorus
The Lord, my God, be praised, My light, my life from heaven;
My maker, who to me / Hath soul and body given;
My Father, who doth shield / And keep me day by day,
Doth make each moment yield / New blessings on my way.
2. Bass Aria
The Lord, my God, be praised, My trust, my life from heaven,
The Father's own dear Son, Whose life for me was given;
Who for me sin atoned / With His most precious blood,
Who giveth me by faith / The highest heav'nly good.
3. Soprano Aria
The Lord, my God, be praised, My hope, my life from heaven,
The Spirit, whom the Son / In love to me hath given.
'Tis He revives my heart, / 'Tis He that gives me pow'r,
Help, comfort, and support / In sorrow's gloomy hour.
4. Alto Aria
The Lord, my God, be praised, My God, who ever liveth,
To whom the heavenly host / All praise and honor giveth.
The Lord, my God, be praised, In whose great name I boast,
God Father, God the Son, And God the Holy Ghost.
5. Chorale
To Him with joyful song / Our praises we are bringing
And with the angel throng / Thrice "Holy" we are singing.
With one united voice / The Church doth Him adore.
The Lord, my God, be praised / Now and forevermore.
(Text: from The Lutheran Hymnal #38, translation by August Crull)
A quick survey of the German text of this Cantata reveals an emphasis on the word “blessed” (gelobet). The opening phrase, for example, is verbatim from Luther’s translation of I Kings 8:56, “Blessed be the Lord” (Gelobet sei der Herr), following a common Old Testament pattern of beginning prayers by extolling God for His gifts. Similar phraseology is found in numerous Psalm texts and of course in the opening phrase of the Benedictus (Lk 1:69). The word “blessed” occurs in each stanza, usually as the first word of the stanza, thereby placing the work of the triune God first and foremost on the mouths of the faithful.
The text also rehearses the work of the Trinity, including one stanza devoted to each person of the Godhead (stanza 1 for the Father, stanza 2 for the Son, stanza 3 for the Spirit, and stanzas 4-5 for the entire Trinity). This is fitting for Trinity Sunday and its appointed lessons, Romans 11:33-36 (the mysteries of the work of the Trinity) and St. John 3:1-15 (Baptism as new birth in the Trinity). In both Scriptures lessons and in this hymn text, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are named, preached, and pictured as working for us and for our salvation: “My (mein) Father,” “My God,” “My light, my life from heaven,” etc. Here the church sings of all the gifts of grace, for all Christendom, and for all eternity (st. 5).
Most worshipers today are accustomed to singing the text to the same tune that is usually sung with the text, “Now Thank We All Our God,” but the tune used in Bach’s day is the one now usually sung to the text, “Awake, Thou Wintry Earth.” The tune lends itself to the majesty of trumpets, the brilliance of woodwinds, and the rhythmic vitality and inherent flexibility of the Baroque chamber orchestra.
The first movement is buoyant, brilliant, and elaborate. The presence of timpani and three trumpets signals “a festival cantata with a large and bright orchestration” (Jonathan D. Green, A Conductor’s Guide to the Choral-Orchestral Works of J. S. Bach, p. 287). Amidst the perpetual motion in the orchestra, listen carefully for the melody or cantus firmus in the soprano line, complemented by the other voices.
1. Chorus
The Lord, my God, be praised, My light, my life from heaven;
My maker, who to me / Hath soul and body given;
My Father, who doth shield / And keep me day by day,
Doth make each moment yield / New blessings on my way.
2. Bass Aria
The Lord, my God, be praised, My trust, my life from heaven,
The Father's own dear Son, Whose life for me was given;
Who for me sin atoned / With His most precious blood,
Who giveth me by faith / The highest heav'nly good.
3. Soprano Aria
The Lord, my God, be praised, My hope, my life from heaven,
The Spirit, whom the Son / In love to me hath given.
'Tis He revives my heart, / 'Tis He that gives me pow'r,
Help, comfort, and support / In sorrow's gloomy hour.
4. Alto Aria
The Lord, my God, be praised, My God, who ever liveth,
To whom the heavenly host / All praise and honor giveth.
The Lord, my God, be praised, In whose great name I boast,
God Father, God the Son, And God the Holy Ghost.
5. Chorale
To Him with joyful song / Our praises we are bringing
And with the angel throng / Thrice "Holy" we are singing.
With one united voice / The Church doth Him adore.
The Lord, my God, be praised / Now and forevermore.
(Text: from The Lutheran Hymnal #38, translation by August Crull)
A quick survey of the German text of this Cantata reveals an emphasis on the word “blessed” (gelobet). The opening phrase, for example, is verbatim from Luther’s translation of I Kings 8:56, “Blessed be the Lord” (Gelobet sei der Herr), following a common Old Testament pattern of beginning prayers by extolling God for His gifts. Similar phraseology is found in numerous Psalm texts and of course in the opening phrase of the Benedictus (Lk 1:69). The word “blessed” occurs in each stanza, usually as the first word of the stanza, thereby placing the work of the triune God first and foremost on the mouths of the faithful.
The text also rehearses the work of the Trinity, including one stanza devoted to each person of the Godhead (stanza 1 for the Father, stanza 2 for the Son, stanza 3 for the Spirit, and stanzas 4-5 for the entire Trinity). This is fitting for Trinity Sunday and its appointed lessons, Romans 11:33-36 (the mysteries of the work of the Trinity) and St. John 3:1-15 (Baptism as new birth in the Trinity). In both Scriptures lessons and in this hymn text, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are named, preached, and pictured as working for us and for our salvation: “My (mein) Father,” “My God,” “My light, my life from heaven,” etc. Here the church sings of all the gifts of grace, for all Christendom, and for all eternity (st. 5).
Most worshipers today are accustomed to singing the text to the same tune that is usually sung with the text, “Now Thank We All Our God,” but the tune used in Bach’s day is the one now usually sung to the text, “Awake, Thou Wintry Earth.” The tune lends itself to the majesty of trumpets, the brilliance of woodwinds, and the rhythmic vitality and inherent flexibility of the Baroque chamber orchestra.
The first movement is buoyant, brilliant, and elaborate. The presence of timpani and three trumpets signals “a festival cantata with a large and bright orchestration” (Jonathan D. Green, A Conductor’s Guide to the Choral-Orchestral Works of J. S. Bach, p. 287). Amidst the perpetual motion in the orchestra, listen carefully for the melody or cantus firmus in the soprano line, complemented by the other voices.
| Chorus The Lord, my God, by praised, My light, my life from heaven; My maker, who to me / Hath soul and body given; My Father, who doth shield / And keep me day by day, Doth make each moment yield / New blessings on my way |
Of the three arias (movements 2-4), the third and central movement of the cantata seems to have found the most lasting place in the vocal repertoire. The forces are lean, especially in contrast to the first and fifth movements. The use of the flute is appropriate for a stanza on the Holy Spirit, since the Spirit in Hebrew is literally the breath or wind of God. The flute plays an equal role with the violin, which, with the soprano, seems to form a musical trinity.
| Soprano Aria The Lord, my God, be praised, My hope, my life from heaven, The Spirit, whom the Son / In love to me hath given. 'Tis He revives my heart, / 'Tis He that gives me pow'r, Help, comfort, and support / In sorrow's gloomy hour. |
The final movement resembles the first movement in instrumentation and style. The entire chamber orchestra performs, including the timpani and three (trinitarian?) trumpets. The music is buoyant and brassy. J. S. Bach later used this same accompaniment in the conclusion of his Christmas Oratorio, which also explains why this tune is often sung with the Christmas text, “Awake, Thou Wintry Earth.”
| Chorale To Him with joyful song / Our praises we are bringing And with the angel throng / Thrice "Holy" we are singing. With one united voice / The Church doth Him adore. The Lord, my God, be praised / Now and forevermore. |
Having explored the entire hymn text and sampled 3 of 5 movements, I invite you, the reader, to grab a cup of coffee (I suggest Arabian brew, a perennial favorite of Saxons), and follow the link below (this video cannot be played on third party websites) to enjoy Cantata 129 in its entirety. The ensemble I have chosen to share with you is the chorus and orchestra of the J. S. Bach Foundation, with their stylish period instruments and genuine Baroque performance practice.
Perhaps you will agree with the author who said, “This hymn does us the service of declaring not just the person of the Holy Trinity but also the work of the Holy Trinity for our life and salvation” (Lutheran Service Book: Companion to the Hymns, I:794). The text and music of Cantata 129 are fitting for Trinity Sunday and for general praise and adoration. And yet, the text offers more than dogmatic statements for one of the “idea festivals” (Ideenfesten) of the church year, i.e., those festival that speak to who God is. It is also a doxological proclamation of the work of God for us, that we may “worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity” (Athanasian Creed) with the angel throng and be preserved from all false and pernicious doctrine. As the Collect for Trinity Sunday puts it:
| Almighty and everlasting God, who hast given unto us, Thy servants, grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity and the in power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity : we beseech Thee that Thou wouldst keep us steadfast in this faith, and evermore defend us from all adversities; who livest and reignest, ever one God : world without end. Amen. (The Brotherhood Prayer Book, p. 483) |
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