Nun danket alle Gott
BWV 192 performed by the Netherlands Bach Society
conducted by Shunske Sato
Philharmonie, Haarlem
Behind the music
Story
Story
Texts
Texts
Credits
Credits
Complete and utter spectacle
A micro-cantata with a lavish sound
This may be Bach’s shortest cantata of all, but it is also one of his most festive. This festivity is prompted by a cheerful text: Martin Rinkart’s chorale Nun danket alle Gott. This call for gratitude is unusual, in view of the context in which the chorale was created. The lyricist wrote the words during the Thirty Years’ War, a ruthless showdown between Catholic and Protestant states, in which countless citizens lost their lives. This piece of history lends extra strength to Bach’s cheerful musical setting.
The cantata lasts around eleven minutes, but in that space of time Bach pulls out all the stops. Alongside the strings, Bach also wrote parts for two oboes and two flutes, which creates a lavish sound. It may even be the case that more instruments played at the premiere, as the score has not survived, and a tenor part is missing straight away among the other parts. It is easy to imagine that Bach also used brass instruments for such a grand micro-cantata.
Here, violinist and leader Shunske Sato has chosen to supplement just the tenor part, in accordance with a recent reconstruction that takes account of all the sources and previous editions. The relatively modest instrumentation allows Bach’s brilliant vocal parts to come to the fore.
The opening chorus is a complete and utter spectacle. When the voices enter, the tenor immediately breaks away from the choir sound. He leads the way with a rising line: ‘Dankt allen God!’ The thread is picked up straight away by the bass, and shortly afterwards by the alto as well. It is only after a mischievous fugato (‘in fugue style’) that the soprano steps forward. While the other voices tumble over one another, dancing in a circle, the notes of Rinkart’s hymn rise to ever-increasing heights in the firmament. And the festivities continue uninterrupted in the subsequent duet for soprano and bass, and in the energetic closing chorale.
- BWV
- 192
- Title
- Nun danket alle Gott
- Genre
- cantatas
- Year
- 1730
- City
- Leipzig
- Lyricist
- Martin Rinkart
- Occasion
- Unknown
With support from
Extra videos
Vocal texts
Original
1. Chor
Nun danket alle Gott
mit Herzen, Mund und Händen,
der große Dinge tut
an uns und allen Enden,
der uns von Mutterleib
und Kindesbeinen an
unzählig viel zugut
und noch jetzund getan.
2. Duett
Der ewig reiche Gott
woll uns bei unserm Leben
ein immer fröhlich Herz
und edlen Frieden geben
und uns in seiner Gnad
erhalten fort und fort
und uns aus aller Not
erlösen hier und dort.
3. Chor
Lob, Ehr und Preis sei Gott,
dem Vater und dem Sohne
und dem, der beiden gleich
im hohen Himmelsthrone,
dem dreieinigen Gott,
als der ursprünglich war
und ist und bleiben wird
jetzund und immerdar.
Translation
1. Chorus
Now thank we all our God,
with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done,
in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms
has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today.
2. Duet
O may this bounteous God
through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts
and blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace,
and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills,
in this world and the next!
3. Chorus
All praise and thanks to God
the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns
with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God,
whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now,
and shall be evermore.
translation © Catherine Winkworth
Credits
-
- Release date
- 5 October 2023
-
- Recording date
- 20 June 2022
-
- Location
- Philharmonie, Haarlem
-
- Violin and director
- Shunske Sato
-
- Soprano
- Isabel Schicketanz
-
- Bass
- Wolf Matthias Friederich
-
- Ripieno soprano
- Lauren Armishaw, Marta Paklar
-
- Ripieno alto
- Franz Vitzthum, Sofia Gvirts, Bernadett Nagy
-
- Ripieno tenor
- Thomas Hobbs, Adriaan de Koster, João Moreira
-
- Ripieno bass
- Matthew Baker, Pierre-Guy Le Gall White, Jaap van der Wel
-
- Violin 1
- Sayuri Yamagata, Kano Imada, Femke Huizinga
-
- Violin 2
- Pieter Affourtit, Lucia Giraudo, Annelies van der Vegt
-
- Viola
- Staas Swierstra, Deirdre Dowling
-
- Cello
- Lucia Swarts, Barbara Kernig
-
- Double bass
- Robert Franenberg
-
- Traverso
- Marten Root, Doretthe Janssens
-
- Oboe
- Ivan Podyomov, Rodrigo Lopez Paz
-
- Bassoon
- Benny Aghassi
-
- Harpsichord
- Siebe Henstra
-
- Organ
- Leo van Doeselaar
-
- Director and editor
- Bas Wielenga
-
- Music recording
- Guido Tichelman, Pim van der Lee, Lilita Dunska
-
- Music edit and mix
- Guido Tichelman
-
- Camera
- Martijn Struijf, Jesper Blok, Rob van der Gragt, Matthijs Notten, Lisa Xiu Kok
-
- Lights
- Zen Bloot, Dirk Zijlstra, Nick Fadieiev
-
- Grip
- Rinco Ederveen, Ferenc Soeteman
-
- Set technique
- Justin Mutsaers
-
- Data handling
- Jesper Blok
-
- Assistant music recording
- Marloes Biermans
-
- Producer concert
- Marco Meijdam
-
- Producer film
- Marieke de Blaay
-
- With support from
- MWH4impact
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