Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works
Gott hat das Evangelium

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

Melody & Text:

”Gott hat das Evangelium gegeben” (God gave us the Gospel) (Mat. 24), NLGB 390, Judgment Day, text and melody, Erasmus Alber, Wittenberg, 14 stanzas, is listed as Communion Hymn for the 25^th Sunday after Trinty (melody Zahn 1788). J.S. Bach’s only extant use is as a plain chorale, BWV 319, in E minor (http://www.bach-chorales.com/BWV0319.htm, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKf3VkGeKBY),
German text, https://hymnary.org/text/gott_hat_das_evangelium_gegeben; English (on-line) translation, https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=https://hymnary.org/text/gott_hat_das_evangelium_gegeben&prev=search). ”Gott hat das Evangelium gegeben” is listed in J.S. Bach’s Orgelbüchlein chorale preludes under “Death and the Grave” (/Dying, Death & Eternity),” as No. 141 (Last Days) but not set by J.S. Bach. It also is found in the Sebastian Bach Choral-Buch (SBCB), Page 253 (Zahn 1788), as a Last Judgement hymn. There are two organ chorale settings of ”Gott hat das Evangelium gegeben” (both in A Major) in the complete Neumeister Collection in the Christmas section that are now attributed to Johann Michael Bach (1648-1694): JMB 6 (I, Page 10, no concordances), and JMB 7 (II, concordances previously attributed to Johann Pachelbel as PWC 174). They are published in J.M. Bach The Complete Organ Chorales with the Christoph Wolff “Preface” (Hänssler Verlag, Neuhausen Stuttgart, HE 30.650, 1988). Recording (JMB7/PWC174), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg_dyRmjq-A
Source: Eschatological Chorales, Coming in Judgement (William L. Hoffman, December 24, 2017)

Melody: Zahn 1788
Composer: Erasmus Alberus (1548)

Text: Gott hat das Evangelium (NLGB 390; KGEL 442)
Author: Erasmus Alberus (1548)

Hymnal versions Bach may have known:

Melody & text of Gott hat das Evangelium (NLGB 390) from the Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch, pp 992-995

Use of the Chorale Melody by Bach:

Text: Gott hat das Evangelium

Chorale Gott hat das Evangelium, BWV 319
Ref: RE 181; Br 181; KE 116; Birnstiel 184; AmB 46II p.97 & p.153; Penzel 116; BGA 66; BC F74.1; CST 120

Use of the Chorale Melody by other composers:

Sources: Bach Digital; BGA; Zahn; BCML discussions on BCW; Charles Sanford Terry's Bach Chorals books
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)