Cantata BWV 69
2011, May 12
JS Bach Cantata BWV 69: Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele
(Praise the Lord, my soul)
12th Sunday after Trinity August 26, 1748
Scoring: Trumpet I,II,III, timpani, oboe d'amore, oboe I,II,III, bassoon, violin I,II, viola, Continuo
Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass
Bärenreiter vol 13; p 377
Words: Unknown librettist
Bach Bibliography
Recordings
Discussion
Literature
Dürr p 737-740
Whittaker vol 1 p 600-607
Green p 157-158
Terry vol 2 p 271
Boyd p 270
This cantata is revised from BWV 69a. Some parts were used as written, others were altered. Bach did this work, mostly revising the recitatives in the last years of his life.
1 Chorus: Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele, und vergiß
The opening chorus is the same as in BWV 69a.
2 Soprano recitative: Wie groß ist Gottes Güte doch!
A general statement of praise.
3 Alto aria: Meine Seele, Auf! erzähle
An exposed solo for oboe da caccia and recorder (Green). This is the longest movement in the cantata,
4 Tenor recitative: Der Herr hat große Ding an uns getan.
The most elaborate of the recitatives, this piece is in three phases; the first a general deliberation, the second accompanied by strings, reflecting on the town government, and the third an arioso prayer for future assistance.
5 Bass aria: Mein Erlöser und Erhalter
This aria is the same as BWV 69a.5.
6 Chorale: Es danke, Gott, und lobe dich, third verse of Es woll uns Gott genädig sein
A different chorale closes this cantata, with an independent part for the three trumpets, in keeping with the celebration of the council inauguration.
Charles S. Terry (p271) discusses the origins of this final chorale melody.
Final chorale melody notes from Bach cantatas.com
The music
BWV 69 parts 1 2 3 Koopman
BWV 69 parts 4 5 6 Koopman
Complete cantata in old clefs, PDF
Instruments and voices for each part
| Section | Instruments, voices |
|---|---|
| 1 | Chorus, SATB, trumpet I,II,III, timpani, oboe I,II,III, bassoon, violin I,II, viola, continuo |
| 2 | Soprano recitative, continuo (NBA: bassoon and keyboard) |
| 3 | Alto aria, oboe I, violin I, continuo (NBA: bassoon and keyboard) |
| 4 | Tenor recitative, violin I,II, viola, bassoon obbligato, continuo (NBA: keyboard) |
| 5 | Bass aria, obbligato oboe d'amore, violin I,II, viola, continuo (NBA: bassoon and keyboard) |
| 6 | Chorale: Trumpet I,II,III, timpani; Soprano c oboe I,II,III, violin I; Alto c violin II; Tenor c viola, Bass, continuo (NBA: bassoon and keyboard) |
Biblical references for each part
References for the text: King James Bible
| Scripture | Text | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 103:2 | Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits |
References for the text: Luther's German Bible
| Scripture | Text | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 103:2 | Lobe den Herrn, meine Seele, und vergiß nicht, was er dir Gutes getan hat |
References
Emmanuel Notes BWV 69.
Emmanuel Translation BWV 69.
Discussion from Bach Cantatas Website.
Recordingsfrom Bach Cantatas Website.
Classical.net discussion, Simon Crouch.
Discussion from Julian Mincham.
