Blessing & Thanks Hymns as Chorales at Meals; Tafelmusik

Blessing & Thanks Hymns as Chorales at Meals; Tafelmusik

William L. Hoffman wrote (December 21, 2017):
Bach’s free-standing chorales and two-part soprano-bass settings of sacred songs formed part of a well-regulated church music dating to the 1730s which was intended for wide consumption in church and in the home. At the same time, many of these sacred song settings

emphasized the new devotional spirituality beyond the academic theology, that increasingly infused these hymns since the beginning of the Reformation, beginning about 1600, observes Robin A. Leaver in “Religion and Religious Currents.” A special category of hymns were those of blessing and thanksgiving at meals, instituted by Martin Luther and most appropriate at home, complemented by the rich profane tradition of baroque Tafelmusik, celebrated at courts and municipalities.

As Bach proceeded through the hymnbooks which provide a well-ordered template of the Church Year, from Advent to the Trinity (Pentecost) Time, he increasingly saw opportunities in the later hymns dealing with the omnes tempore (Ordinary Time) themes such as morning and evening prayers to set to music hymns based on Martin Luther’s Small Catechism addressing individual, personal concerns. By the time of the Schemelli Songbook of 1736, Bach as music editor prepared 69 settings (BWV 439-507) of newer, pietistic devotional prayers with mostly newer melodies “representative of the more-recent free style of chorale tune,” says Leaver in “Bach’s Earliest Chorale Repertory.”²

Grace at Meals Hymns

The Tisch-Gesänge or Grace at Meals were instituted by Martin Luther in his Small Catechism as Daily Table Prayers, citing passages from Psalms, before the meal, Asking a Blessing, and after the meal, Returning Thanks. They appear as hymns in Das Neu Leipzgier Gesangbuch (NLGB) of 1682 under the rubric Vor dem Essen (NLGB nos. 213-217, none set by Bach) and Nach dem Essen (nos. 218-228), and in the c1714 Weimar Orgelbüchlein (Ob.) as After Meals (nos. 152-155). Bach’s hymn source for the Orgelbüchlein was Psalmodia sacra (Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, 1715; Tisch-Gesänge (449-461), edited by Christian Friedrich Witt, Capellmeister at Gotha, says Charles S. Terry (see below, “Two Flittner Jesus Songs”). There apparently are no settings in the Schemelli Gesangbuch under this rubric.

¹ Charles S. Terry, Bach’s Chorals, Part III: The Hymns and Hymn Melodies of the Organ Works (Cambridge University Press, 2017. http://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/2057: 38, 62).

In 1730 in Hamburg Georg Philipp Telemann published his settings of Fast allgemeines Evangelisch-Musicalisches Lieder-Buch, 433 chorales in church-year order with melody and figured bass but with no text.³ Meanwhile, “Telemann’s Musique de table of 1733 is not only the composer’s best known collection of music, but also has become emblematic of a long and rich Tafelmusik tradition in which music accompanied meals of all types, from devotional hymns sung during lunches and dinners in private homes to orchestrally scored suites and serenatas entertaining distinguished guests at lavish banquets held by courts or municipalities,” says Steven D. Zohn.⁴ Bach’s contribution was the serenade at the Cöthen and Weissenfels Courts, later parodied as sacred cantatas or oratorios for sacred festivals in Leipzig, along with drammi per musica sometimes at Zimmermann’s Coffeehouse, some also parodied as oratorios.⁵

Bach set four plain chorales for Grace at Meals: “Nun lasst uns Gott, dem Herien” in Cantatas 79 and 165; “Singen wir aus Herzensgrund” in Cantata 187, and free-standing chorales “Danket dem Herrn, denn er ist sehr freundlich” (Psalm 136), BWV 296, and “Lobet den Herrn, denn er ist sehr freundlich” (Psalm 147), BWV 374. Most were written in the Early Reformation, often have connections to the Bohemian Brethren movement and were variously attributed to Ludwig Helmbold, Nickolaus Selnicker and others. They were set variously by Michael Praetorius, Dietrich Buxtehude, Johann Michael Bach, and Johann Pachebel. They are found in Helmut Rilling’s in Ein Choralebuch für Johann Sebastian, Vol. 82 as Psalm Songs or in other recordings (http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Vocal/BWV250-438-Rilling.htm, CH-9).

Nun lasst uns Gott, dem Herien”

“Nun lasst uns Gott, dem Herien” (Now let us to God the Lord) is the After Meal Blessing of the Reformation writer Ludwig Helmbold (1532-1598), in eight 4-line stanzas written in 1575 in Mülhausen.⁶ It is set to the associated melody (Zahn 159, EKG 227, EG 320) of Nikolaus Selnecker (1532-1592), published in his Christliche Psalmen (Leipzig, 1587) and in the NLGB No. 222, After Meals (https://books.google.de/books?id=UmVkAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA594#v=onepage&q&f=false). It also is listed in Bach’s Orgelbüchlein (Ob. 153, from Gotha-Witt Hymmnbook No. 455), in the Telemann 1730 chorale book, No. 145, ?Christian Life and Conduct; and in the collection Harmonischer Lieder-Schatz by Johann Balthasar König, Telemann librettist, in 1738 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Balthasar_König).

Bach set “Nun lasst uns Gott, dem Herien” (http://www.bach-chorales.com/BWV0079_6.htm) as plain chorale closing Cantatas 79 and 165 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8AoE7sDCzU): closing Stanza 8, “Erhalt uns in der Wahrheit” (Keep us in the truth), as the closing chorale (no. 6, http://www.bach-chorales.com/BWV0079_6.htm) in Cantata 79, “Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild” (God the Lord is sun and shield) for the Reformation Festival of 1725 and reperformance in 1730. Bach also used Stanza 5, “Sein Wort, sein Tauf, sein Nachtmahl” (His word, his baptism, his supper), to close Cantata 165, “O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad” (O sacred bath of water and the Spirit, http://www.bach-chorales.com/BWV0165_6.htm), for the Trinity Sunday Festival in 1715 in 1715 and reperformance in c.1724 in Leipzig. Bach also used the Selnecker melody (Zahn 159) to a different text as a plain chorale (no 12, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKHwcB2EMco) closing Cantata 194, “Höchsterwünschtes Freudenfest” (Most greatly longed for feast of joy) for Trinity Sunday or Reformation Festivals in 1724, 1726, and 1731.

This chorale of blessing was set by Dietrich Buxtehude as a cantata, BuxWV 81 (http://imslp.org/wiki/Nun_lasst_uns_Gott_dem_Herren_Dank_sagen%2C_BuxWV_81_(Buxtehude%2C_Dietrich), as well as a Johann Crüger 1647 setting (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1GGQBQYyX0).

Other composers settings include Heinrich Schütz (1587-1672, Setting for 6 voices; Johann Michael Bach (1648-1694), Chorale for Organ; and Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706), Chorale Prelude for Organ, T. 59. It is found in the Free Lutheran Chorale-Book (http://www.lutheranchoralebook.com/tunes/nun-lasst-uns-gott-dem-herren/) as “Now let us to the Lord God.”

“Singen wir aus Herzensgrund”

“Singen wir aus Herzensgrund” (Let us sing from the depths of our hearts) is an After Meal Blessing of Hans Vogel (d. 1565) in six 7-line stanzas (Wackernagel's Das Deutsche Kirchenlied iv: 579 and Tucher i: 600), composed in 1554 to “Das Christus geboren war” (The Christ was born), Bohemian Brethren (1544), based on a 15th century Latin Christmas song, In natali Domini (Zahn 4816).⁷ “It appeared first as a broadsheet c. 1560 and later in Hundert Christenliche Haussges(Nürnberg, 1569) and in Johann Eichorn's Geistliche Lieder (Frankfort/Oder, 1569),” says Charles S. Terry. “In the 1589 edition of the latter Hymn book the Hymn is associated with the tune "Da Christus geboren war.” It was once attributed variously to Selnecker, Ringwaldt, Erasmus Alber, and D.G. Zäumann. There is a Michael Praetorius setting (SAB), https://www.carus-verlag.com/en/choir/sacred-choral-music/michael-praetorius-singen-wir-aus-herzensgrund.html.

Bach set “Singen wir aus Herzensgrund” as a plain chorale closing (no. 7) Cantata 187, “Es wartet alles auf dich” (Everything depends on you, Psalm 124:7), for the 7th Sunday after Trinity in 1726, repeated in 1735-40 and 1749,⁸ using stanzas 4 and 6: “Gott hat die Erde zugericht” (God has set up the earth in such a way), and Wir danken sehr und bitten ihn” (We give great thanks and pray to him), (http://www.bach-chorales.com/BWV0187_7.htm, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEMv1OX1aAE. It is found in the NLGB as No. 220, After Meal, in the Orgelbüchlein, No. 153, After Meal (from Gotha-Witt Hymnbook No. 457), and in the Telemann 1730 chorale book, No. 78, Christmas.

“Danket dem Herrn, denn er ist sehr freundlich”

“Danket dem Herrn, denn er ist sehr freundlich” (Thank the Lord, for he is good, Psalm 107) is an After Meal hymn by Johann Horn (Jan Roh, 1487-1547;⁹ sometimes attributed to Michael Weisse) to the associated melody (Nürnberg 1544), found in the tenor Vitam quae faciunt and Vivamus mea Lesba by Ludwig Senfl (1534) (Zahn 12), text in six 8-line stanzas, from a Thanks to God song in Ein Gesangbuch der Brüder inn Behemen und Merherrn (Nürnberg 1544), based on Psalm 136. It is found in the NLGB as No. 218, in the Orgelbüchlein, No. 154 (from Gotha-Witt Hymnbook No. 452), and in the Telemann 1730 chorale book, No. 164, Christian Life, and No. 235, ?Prayer of Thanksgiving. Bach set it as a plain chorale, BWV 286 (http://www.bach-chorales.com/BWV0286.htm, http://www.bach-chorales.com/BWV0286.htm, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jym3ueiIln8

“Lobet den Herrn, denn er ist sehr freundlich”

“Lobet den Herrn, denn er ist sehr freundlich” (Praise the Lord, for he is good) is a paraphrase of Psalm 147, to an anonymous text before 1579,¹⁰ set to the associated melody (Zahn 975, EG 304) of Antonio Scandello (http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Scandello-Antonio.htm)

in Newe Teutsche Geistliche Liedlein (New German Hymns; Nuremberg 1568). Set in six 7-line stanzas, it is an After Meal hymn that is found in the NLGB as No. 223, in the Orgelbüchlein, No. 154 (from Gotha-Witt Hymnbook No. 456), and in the Telemann 1730 chorale book, No 166, Christian Life. Bach set it as plain chorale, BWV 374 (http://www.bach-chorales.com/BWV0374.htm, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrOS5geolAQ.

FOOTNOTES

¹ Robin A. Leaver, “Pre-Pietism,” Chapter 2, The Worlds of Johann Sebastian Bach, ed. Raymond Erickson (New York: Amadeus Press, 2009: 124.
² Leaver, Chapter 14, “Chorales,” The Routledge Research Companion to Johann Sebastian Bach, ed. Robin A. Leaver (London & New York: Routledge, 2017: 369)
³ Telemann Chorale Book, (https://books.google.com/books?id=lr9IAAAAcAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ViewAPI#v=onepage&q&f=false).
⁴ Steven D. Zohn, “Telemann’s Musique de table and the Tafelmusik Tradition: Apr. 2016, http://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199935321.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199935321-e-120.
⁵ See: “Royal Court at Köthen: Serenades,” “Leipzig: More Serenades,” and Bach’s Drammi per Musica,” in Bach’s Dramatic Music: Serenades, Drammi per Musica, Oratorios (2008), http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Articles/HoffmanBachDramaII.htm#P5.
⁶ Ludwig Helmbold biography, http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Helmbold.htm; German text and Francis Browne English translation, http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/Chorale047-Eng3.htm; Nikolaus Selnecker biography, melody information, variant texts & other composers uses, http://www.bach-cantatas.com/CM/Nun-lasst-uns-Gott.htm.
⁷ Hans Vogel biography; German text and Francis Browne English translation, BCW http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/Chorale139-Eng3.htm; further details and texts, http://matthaeusglyptes.blogspot.com/2011/09/singen-wir-aus-herzensgrund.html.
⁸ Charles S. Terry, Bach’s Chorals, vol. 2 The Hymns and Hymn Melodies of the Cantatas and Motetts (Cambridge University Press, 1917), http://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/2056, Cantata CLXXXVII.
⁹ Johann Horn (Jon Roh) biography, https://hymnary.org/person/Roh_Jan; German text, https://www.bach-digital.de/receive/BachDigitalWork_work_00000356;jsessionid=4E5DA2F0CD32596A83D6E00AE8E8DF9D?XSL.Style=detail; English (on-line) translation, https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=https://www.bach-digital.de/receive/BachDigitalWork_work_00000356&prev=search.
¹⁰ German text, https://www.bach-digital.de/receive/BachDigitalWork_work_00000444?XSL.Style=detail; English (on-line) translation, https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=https://www.bach-digital.de/receive/BachDigitalWork_work_00000444&prev=search.

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To Come: Eschatological chorales, three-fold meaning of Christmas.