Gelobet sei der Herr, mein Gott (Praised be the Lord,
my God), BWV 129, is a church cantata by Johann
Sebastian Bach. Bach composed the chorale cantata in
Leipzig for Trinity Sunday and possibly first performed
it on 16 June 1726. It is a general praise of the
Trinity, without a reference to a specific gospel
reading. Addressing God the Creator, the Saviour and
the Comforter, it could be used for other occasions
such as Reformation Day. The cantata is festively
scored and ends in a chorale fanta...(+)
Gelobet sei der Herr, mein Gott (Praised be the Lord,
my God), BWV 129, is a church cantata by Johann
Sebastian Bach. Bach composed the chorale cantata in
Leipzig for Trinity Sunday and possibly first performed
it on 16 June 1726. It is a general praise of the
Trinity, without a reference to a specific gospel
reading. Addressing God the Creator, the Saviour and
the Comforter, it could be used for other occasions
such as Reformation Day. The cantata is festively
scored and ends in a chorale fantasia, like the
Christmas Oratorio. It is the conclusion of Bach's
second annual cycle of cantatas, containing chorale
cantatas.
Bach composed the cantata in Leipzig for Trinity
Sunday, the earliest in 1726. In his second year Bach
had composed chorale cantatas between the first Sunday
after Trinity of 1724 and Palm Sunday, but for Easter
had returned to cantatas on more varied texts, possibly
because he lost his librettist. Later Bach composed
again chorale cantatas to complete his second annual
cycle. This cantata is one of the completing works. It
is based entirely on the unchanged words on the chorale
Gelobet sei der Herr, mein Gott (1665) by Johann
Olearius and celebrates the Trinity in five
stanzas.
The opening chorus on the first stanza of the chorale
begins with a concerto of all the instruments as a
ritornello. The trumpets highlight occasionally the
interplay of strings and woodwinds. The cantus firmus,
a melody of O Gott, du frommer Gott by Ahasverus
Fritsch (1679), is sung by the soprano, while the other
voices sing sometimes in imitation, sometimes in
homophony. The text is a praise of the God the
Creator.
The following three movements are all arias. In the
first aria the bass praises God the Saviour,
accompanied only by the continuo. Bach may have thought
of the vox Christi (voice of Christ), and of his
humility. The word "Gelobet" (praised) is set as an
expressive melisma. In the second aria the soprano,
accompanied by flute and violin, praises God the
Comforter. In the third aria the alto is accompanied by
an oboe d'amore in song-like general praise. John Eliot
Gardiner suggests that the "pastoral dance" was
"inspired, perhaps in its imagery, by the concept of
"den alles lobet, was in allen Lüften schwebet"
(praised by all things that move in the air). The final
chorale is set in a joyful concerto of the instruments,
similar to the conclusions of Bach's Christmas Oratorio
and Ascension Oratorio. Gardiner calls it "punctuated
by brass and orchestral fanfares." By this festive
ending Bach marked Trinity Sunday as the conclusion of
the first part of the liturgical year.
The cantata in five movements is festively scored for
three soloists, soprano, alto and bass, a four-part
choir, three trumpets, timpani, flauto traverso, two
oboes, oboe d'amore, two violins, viola, and basso
continuo.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelobet_sei_der_Herr,_me
in_Gott,_BWV_129).
I created this arrangement of the first Aria "Gelobet
sei der Herr, Mein Gott, mein Heil, mein Leben"
(Praised be the Lord, my God, my light, my life) for
Viola Duet.
SHEET MUSIC