Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works
Du geballtes Weltgebaude

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

Melody & Text:

The melody and words of the concluding Choral of Cantata BWV 56 are from Johann Franck’s Hymn, “Du, O schones Weltgebaude.” The melody was first published, with the first stanza only of J. Franck’s Hymn (but with the first line as, “Du geballtes Weltgebaude”), in Johann Crüger’s Geistliche Kirchen-Melodien (Leipzig, 1649).
The melody does not appear elsewhere in the Cantatas or Oratorios. Another harmonisation of it is in the Choralgesange, No. 71 (BWV 301).
The complete text of it was first published, along with the melody, in Christoph Runge’s edition of J. Crüger’s Praxis Pietatis Melica (Berlin, 1653).
Source: Charles Sanford Terry: Johann Sebastian Bach, Bach’s Chorals, vol. 2 The Hymns and Hymn Melodies of the Cantatas and Motetts [1917], pp 277-278:

Melody: Zahn 6773
Composer: Johann Crüger (1649)

Text: Du, o schönes Weltgebäude (NLGB 385)
Author: Johann Franck (1653)

Hymnal versions Bach may have known:

Melody & text of Du geballtes Weltgebaude (NLGB 385) from the Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch, pp 980-982

Use of the Chorale Melody by Bach:

Text:

Chorale Komm, o Tod (Mvt. 5) from Cantata BWV 56 (verse 5)
Re: RE 87; BR 86; KE 72; BC A146:5

The words of the concluding Choral are the sixth stanza of J. Franck’s Hymn.

Chorale Du, o schoönes Weltgebäude, BWV 301
Ref: RE 134; Br 137; KE 71; Birnstiel 141; AmB 46II p.124; Penzel 164; BGA 48; BC F50.1; CST 74

Use of the Chorale Melody by other composers:

Sources: Bach Digital; BGA; Zahn
Photos from Gottfried Vopelius Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch (Vopelius 1682), were taken from a digital copy of the book downloaded from Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München. This copy is Out of copyright - non commercial re-use (Europeana Rights).
Prepared by Aryeh Oron (October 2018)