Melody & Text | Use of the CM by Bach | Use of the CM by other composers | Arrangements/Transcriptions

Melody & Text: Zahn: 6551 | EKG:

Melody:

Chorale melody composed by Johann Schop and first appeared in his Himlische Lieder (Drittes Zehn), Lüneburg, 1642.

Also appear in a later printing in 1661 ascribed to the Böhmische Brüder.

Text:

Chorale Text for Werde munter mein Gemüte was written by Johann Rist who often collaborated with Schop

Hymnal versions Bach may have known:

The editors of the NBA believe that Bach was acquainted with at least this version of the chorale melody:

Use of the Chorale Melody by Bach:

Text 1: Werde munter mein Gemüte | EKG:
Author: Johann Rist

Ver

Work

Mvt.

Year

Br

RE

KE

Di

BC

Score

Music Examples

6

BWV 55

Mvt. 5

1726

95

95

362

-

A157:5

PDF

Mvt. 5 (MG) [midi] | Mvt. 5 (Leusink) [ram]

6

BWV 244

Mvt. 40

1727/9

121

361

121

139

D3:40

PDF

Mvt. 10 (MG) [midi]

Text 2: Jesu, meiner Seelen Wonne | EKG:
Author: Martin Jahn (1661)

Ver

Work

Mvt.

Year

Br

RE

KE

Di

BC

Score

Music Examples

6

BWV 147

Mvt. 6

1723

-

-

-

-

A174:6

PDF

Mvt. 6 (MG) [midi] | Mvt. 6 (YFM) [midi] | Mvt. 6 (RTM) [midi] | Mvt. 6 (Leusink) [ram]

16

BWV 147

Mvt. 10

1723

-

-

-

-

A174:10

PDF

Mvt. 10 (MG) [midi] | Mvt. 10 (Leusink) [ram]

2

BWV 154

Mvt. 3

1724

233

365

233

127

A29:3

PDF

Mvt. 3 (MG) [midi] | Mvt. 3 (Leusink) [ram]

Untexted:

Ver

Work

Mvt.

Year

Br

RE

KE

Di

BC

Score

Music Examples

-

BWV 146

Mvt. 8

1726

-

360

-

-

A70:8

PDF

Mvt. 8 (MG) [midi] | Mvt. 5 (Leusink) [ram]

-

BWV 359

-

?

364

363

365

-

F206.1

PDF

Chorale (MG) [midi]

-

BWV 360

-

?

349

364

350

104

F206.2

PDF

Chorale (MG) [midi]

-

BWV 1118

-

?

-

-

-

-

K192

PDF

Chorale (MG) [midi]

BWV 146/8 must have had a text associated with when Bach performed it. The text simply did not make it down to us.

Use of the Chorale Melody by other composers:

Christian Flor (1626-1697):
Werde munter, mein Gemüte, for organ

Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706):
Chorale Variations (Chorale Partita with 4 variations) on Werde munter, mein Gemüte for keyboard instrument, T. 86 (before 1700)

Johann Mattheson (1681-1764):
Fugue on Werde munter, mein Gemüte from his Die wol-klingende Finger-Sprache for a keyboard instrument

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767):
Sacred Cantata Werde munter, mein Gemüte for chorus, strings and basso continuo, TWV 1:1576 (before 1760)

Johann Gottfried Walther (1684-1748):
One of Walther’s 290 chorale preludes that has come down to us is Werde munter, mein Gemüte for organ with 3 separate settings/verses (but not directly related to the text of any given verse) – two of them are manualiter and one is with pedal.where the cantus firmus is at times in the pedal, at other times in the descant.

Max Reger (1873-1916):
Werde munter, mein Gemüte, Chorale Prelude for Organ, Op. 67/49 (1902)

Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877-1933):
Werde munter, mein Gemüte, chorale improvisation for organ, Op. 65/54 (1908-1910)

Arrangements/Transcriptions of Bach's use of the Chorale Melody:

Myra Hess (1890-1965)
Arrangement for piano of the chorale Jesus bleibet meine Freude (Mvt. 10) from Cantata BWV 147 (Early 1920's?).

There are numerous arrangements/transcriptions of this famous chorale to almost any possible combination of instruments. See: Recordings of Individual Movements from Cantata BWV 147: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Sources: NBA, vols. III/2.1 & 2.2 in particular [Bärenreiter, 1954 to present] and the BWV ("Bach Werke Verzeichnis") [Breitkopf & Härtel, 1998]
The PDF files of the Chorales were contributed by Margaret Greentree J.S. Bach Chorales
Software: Capella 2004 Software, version 5.1.
Prepared by Thomas Braatz & Aryeh Oron (August 2005)