Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works
Das walt mein Gott, Vater, Sohn und heilger Geist

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

Melody & Text:

"Das walt’ mein Gott, Vater, Sohn und heiliger Geist" (So rules my God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit) is a Morning Song in eight 6-line stanzas by writer and pastor Basilius Förtsch (d 1619) to the associated melody (Zahn 4217) and found in the Cantionale sacrum, Part 2 (Gotha 1648). It is found in the NLGB as No. 201, Morning Song, and listed in the Orgelbüchlein as Ob. 147 but not set. Bach set the hymn as a plain chorale, BWV 291 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i5O5_e43Jc, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUReSpLBc74). A similar melody with no text setting is catalogued as BWV 520, but now considered spurious, along with Sacred Songs, BWV 517-23. The two-part setting with figured bass is printed in Terry’s Four-Part Chorales of J. S. Bach (Ibid.), No. 414, text by David von Schweinitz in 12 seven-line stanzas (1650), with the melody found in Bach student Johann Ludwig Krebs’ manuscript of five hymn-settings.
Source: Devotional Hymns: Morning, Evening Songs (William L. Hoffman, December 14, 2017)

Melody: Zahn 4217
Composer: Anon (Gotha, 1648)

Text: Das walt mein Gott, Vater, Sohn und Heilger Geist (NLGB 201)
Author: attributed to Basilius Förtsch (1613)

Hymnal versions Bach may have known:

3 pages of melody & text of Das walt’ mein Gott, Vater, Sohn und heiliger Geist from the Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch, pp 561-563

Use of the Chorale Melody by Bach:

Text: Das walt mein Gott, Vater, Sohn und Heilger Geist

Chorale Das walt mein Gott, Vater, Sohn, BWV 291
Ref: RE 75; Br 75; KE 59; Birnstiel 80; AmB 46II p.193; Levy–Mendelssohn 70; Fasch p.126; BGA 38; BC F39.1

Sacred Song Das walt mein Gott, Gott Vater, Sohn und heilger Geist, BWV 520 (spurious)

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)