Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works
Lob sei dir, gütiger Gott

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

Melody & Text:

“Herr, ich denk an jene Zeit” (Lord, I think of that time) is a seven 7-line stanza hymn in BAR form with a text of Georg Mylius (1548-1607), published in 1640, and the melody “Lob sei dir, gütiger Gott,” a Death Song of Petrus Herbert in the Bohemian Brethren Songbuch (1566, Zahn 4840). Three stanzas are found in the Anthology of Christian Gesanche by Rambach (1720). J.S. Bach set the hymn as a plain-chorale, BWV 329 (http://www.bach-chorales.com/BWV0329.htm, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=napHQKsIt80).
Source: Trinity 21-23, Death & Dying Chorales (William L. Hoffman, December 3, 2017)

Melody: Zahn 4840
Composer: Anon (Bohemian Brethren,1566)

Text 1: Lob sei dir, gütiger Gott
Author: Petrus Herbert (1566)

Text 2: Herr, ich denk an jene Zeit
Author: Georg Mylius (1639)

Hymnal versions Bach may have known:

Use of the Chorale Melody by Bach:

Text 1: Lob sei dir, gütiger Gott

Not used in J.S. Bach's vocal works.

Text 2: Herr, ich denk an jene Zeit

Chorale, Herr, ich denk an jene Zeit, BWV 329
Ref: RE 212; Br 212; KE 136; AmB 46II p.167; BGA 76; BC F134.1; CST 139

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) & Christian Friedrich Witt: Psalmodia Sacra, Oder: Andächtige und schöne Gesänge… (Gotha Hymnal, 1715), were taken from digital copies of the books downloaded from Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München. These copies are Out of copyright - non commercial re-use (Europeana Rights).
Prepared by Aryeh Oron (October 2018)