Chorale Melody - Machs mit mir, Gott, nach deiner Gut

Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works Machs mit mir, Gott, nach deiner Güt
Melody & Text \| Use of the CM by Bach \| Use of the CM by other composers \| English Hymnals using the German CM

Melody & Text: Zahn: 2383 \| EKG: 321
Text: Machs mit mir, Gott, nach deiner Güt
The five verses that appeared on the broadside described below apparently are also by Johann Hermann Schein, the composer of the melody. The text is noteworthy for its use of subjective “I”. Schein and Ludwig Helmbold (Von Gott will ich nicht lassen) are considered to be precursors to a new form of expression in chorale texts which Paul Gerhardt brought to full fruition a few decades later in such texts as Fröhlich soll mein Herze springen and Auf, auf, mein Herz, mit Freuden.

Melody:
Melody composed by Johann Hermann Schein and appeared on a broadside as: „Trostliedlein a 5.Vber seligen Hintritt der Frawen Margariten, Des Herrn Caspar Werners Eheliche Hausfrawen”, Leipzig 1628. The title translated is „A little song of comfort set for 5 voices. On the occasion of the ‘blessed stepping onward out of life into death’ of Mrs. Margarita Werner, the lawfully wedded housewife of Mr. Caspar Werner.”

Original Setting:
Here is the original setting by Schein as it appeared in 1628:


Alternate Texts:
Durch dein Gefängnis, Gottes Sohn by C. H. Postel?, not documented as yet as a chorale text that appears in any hymnal. Wohl dem, der sich auf seinen Gott by Johann Christoph Rube (1692).

Use of the Chorale Melody by Bach:
Text 1: Machs mit mir, Gott, nach deiner Güt \| EKG: 321 Author: Johann Hermann Schein (1628)
Ver	Work	Mvt.	Year	Br	RE	KE	Di	BC	Score		Music Examples
1	BWV 156	Mvt. 2	1729?	-	-	-	-	A38:2	-		Mvt. 2 (Leusink) [ram]
-	BWV 377	-	?	44	237	44	-	F137.1	PDF		Chorale (MG) [midi]



Text 2: Durch dein Gefängnis, Gottes Sohn \| EKG: Author: C. H. Postel?
Ver	Work	Mvt.	Year	Br	RE	KE	Di	BC	Score		Music Examples
?	BWV 245	Mvt. 22	1724	309	239	310	-	D2:22	PDF		Mvt. 22 (MG) [midi]


Text 3: Wohl dem, der sich auf seinen Gott \| EKG: Author: Johann Christoph Rube (1692)
Ver	Work	Mvt.	Year	Br	RE	KE	Di	BC	Score		Music Examples
1	BWV 139	Mvt. 1	1724	-	-	-	-	A159:1	-		Mvt. 1 (Leusink) [ram]
5	BWV 139	Mvt. 6	1724	-	238	-	-	A159:6	PDF		Mvt. 6 (MG) [midi] \| Mvt. 6 (Leusink) [ram]



Untexted:
Ver	Work	Mvt.	Year	Br	RE	KE	Di	BC	Score	Music Examples
-	BWV 957	-	b 1710	-	-	-	-	K191	-
BWV 957: The first half of a chorale prelude is a “Fugue in G major” (title used by the BWV Verzeichnis) which leads, as a conclusion, into the statement of this chorale.


Use of the Chorale Melody by other composers:
Johann Hermann Schein (1586-1630): Machs mit mir, Gott, nach deiner Güt, hymn for 5 voices (& continuo) (Cantional...) (1628). See: Score
Johann Gottfried Walther (1684-1748): Machs mit mir, Gott, nach deiner Güt, 3 Chorale Preludes for Organ


Johann Ludwig Krebs (1713-1780): Machs mit mir, Gott, nach deiner Güt per Canonem, et quidem per Diminutionem, Chorale Prelude for Organ
Johann Christoph Oley (1738-1789): Mach's mir Gott nach deim Deiner, Chorale Prelude for Organ
Carl Loewe (1796-1869): Machs mit mir, Gott, Chorale for Organ
Max Reger (1873-1916): Machs mit mir, Gott, Chorale Prelude for Organ, Op. 67/27 (1902)

English Hymnals using the German Chorale Melody
New English Hymnal: Lo! God is here! (tune Mach's mit mir Gott after J.H. Schein), No. 209 Thou hallowed chosen morn of praise (tune Mach's mit mir Gott after J.H. Schein), No. 122
In the 1933 New Edition edited by Ralph Vaughan Williams, the numbering for this chorale as a hymn-tune in the version circulating in the Church of England is 138 and 459. The first is given as "Mach's mit mir Gott", the second as "Eisenach", differentiating the 87.87.88 metre from the truncated LM measure 87.88 of the latter version, the incipits being "Thou hallowed chosen morn of praise" after St John Damascus; and "O Love, how deep, how broad, how high!" after the 15^th century "O Amor, quam ecstaticus". The tunes are marked "Adapted from a melody by J. H.Schein, 1586-1630. Harmony from J.S. Bach". Nota bene, the NEH states not "by" Bach, but "from". RVW adapted the setting in BWV 245 for the opening lines, thereby securing the striking inverted diminished seventh which emphasises "Gefaegnis" in the SJP, in the second English version, the word "Deep" . However , RVW skilfully then concludes the hymn setting by splicing it with the harmonisation of BWV 377, which Reimenschneider (No.44) states is from a lost Cantata." This compositional method illustrates the problems RVW had in carrying forward his advocacy of Bach's most advanced harmonisations in the world of amateur choirs and congegational singing. His policy was as set out in the New English Hymnal: "It has been thought advisable occasionally to introduce harmonisations (especially those of J.S. Bach) rather more elaborate than usual. These will no doubt add greatly to the beauty and popularity of the tunes....Choirs would be much better occupied in learning these beautiful settings of Bach (which are not hard if practised a little) than in rehearsing vulgar anthems by indifferent composers". It would appear that nevertheless RVW found the the intricacy of the latter part of SJP BWV 245/22 too complex, with its high tenor G's followed by an inverted low-pitch passus duriusculus in the bass and tenor. He therefore contrived a hybrid by pasting on the conclusion of the lost Cantata's chorale. Contributed by Peter Smaill (November 5, 2006)

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 (May 2006)

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Last update: ýMay 24, 2006 ý19:34:45