Johann Sebastian Bach
Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren
“Praise the Lord, the mighty king of honour”
(Cantata BWV 137) 

First performed on the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity in 1725, Bach’s cantata BWV 137 is a jaunty, jazzy, and joyous expression of praise. As John Eliot Gardiner explains, “It is based entirely on the five stanzas of Joachim Neander’s thanksgiving hymn of 1680 and its associated melody. This means that there are no recitatives, no biblical quotes, no poetic commentary; but on the other hand, this being one of the most glorious of all hymn tunes, familiar to English congregations as ‘Praise ye the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation,’ there are immense and satisfying music delights.”

Just to demonstrate how glorious this hymn tune — and its text — can be in one of the most English of ceremonial settings, listen to the singing of Neander’s five stanzas as sung at the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey, on Monday March 9th, 2020.

Joachim Neander (1650–1680) based his hymn on Psalm 103:1-6 and Psalm 150, two expansive Psalms of praise. When Bach set out to arrange a cantata around Neander’s text and tune, he knew that the grand spirit of the hymn required the use of trumpets and timpani, instrumental features typically reserved for the most festive of occasions. As Gardiner observes, “He knew exactly how best to use the resources of the ceremonial trumpet-led orchestra and choir of his day to convey unbridled joy and majesty.”

He also knew that the finest level of craftsmanship was called for, and so although the cantata is relatively short — only five movements — the structure of the work is masterful. Julian Mincham concludes that Cantata BWV 137 “has a claim to be one of the most perfectly unified of the entire canon.” The chorale melody, that familiar hymn tune which serves as a prime source of unity, is used in a different way in each movement. And there is an artful symmetry evident in the work’s overall structure:

Chorus — Aria — Duet — Aria — Chorale

During the three middle movements, all four soloists get a chance to shine: the first aria belongs to the alto, the second to the tenor, while the soprano and bass sing the middle duet. The inner voices sing the outer movements, while the outer voices hold down the center of the piece.

The three middle movements employ virtuoso instrumental partners to the singers in different ways. In the alto aria, the metaphor of being upheld by “eagle’s wings securely” is suggested by the soaring lines of a lively violin obbligato. In the soprano and bass duet, the instrumental accompaniment features a pair of oboes whose imitative interaction echoes the virtual dance of the singers. The instrumental spotlight during the tenor aria is held on the trumpet soloist, who presents the chorale melody simply (in C major) while the soloist (in A minor, a related key) sings the hymn’s fourth stanza with acrobatic verve.

Here is the text of the cantata’s five movements

Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren,
Praise the Lord, the mighty king of honour,
Meine geliebete Seele, das ist mein Begehren.
My beloved soul, that is my desire.
Kommet zu Hauf,
Gather together
Psalter und Harfen, wacht auf!
Psaltery and harps, awake!
Lasset die Musicam hören.
Let the music be heard.

Lobe den Herren, der alles so herrlich regieret,
Praise the Lord who rules all things so excellently,
Der dich auf Adelers Fittichen sicher geführet,
Who bears you on eagle’s wings securely,
Der dich erhält,
Who supports you,
Wie es dir selber gefällt;
As you yourself wish;
Hast du nicht dieses verspüret?
Have you not felt this?

Lobe den Herren, der künstlich und fein dich bereitet,
Praise the Lord who endows you with such subtle art,
Der dir Gesundheit verliehen, dich freundlich geleitet;
Who grants you good health and guides you in a friendly way;
In wieviel Not
In how many desperate circumstances
Hat nicht der gnädige Gott
Has not God in his mercy
Über dir Flügel gebreitet!
Spread his wings over you!

Lobe den Herren, der deinen Stand sichtbar gesegnet,
Praise the Lord, who has clearly blessed your position,
Der aus dem Himmel mit Strömen der Liebe geregnet;
Who from heaven has rained down streams of love upon you
Denke dran,
Think about
Was der Allmächtige kann,
What the Almighty can do,
Der dir mit Liebe begegnet.
Who meets you with his love.

Lobe den Herren, was in mir ist, lobe den Namen!
Praise the Lord, all that is in me, praise his name!
Alles, was Odem hat, lobe mit Abrahams Samen!
Let all that has breath praise him with Abraham’s seed!
Er ist dein Licht,
He is your light,
Seele, vergiss es ja nicht;
My soul, do not forget this;
Lobende, schließe mit Amen!
End your praise with Amen!

Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren (BWV 137) is performed below by the Netherlands Bach Society, in a concert given in February 2017 as part of the All of Bach project. The soloists are Miriam Feuersinger, soprano; Alex Potter, alto; Thomas Hobbs, tenor, and Peter Kooij, bass. The ensemble is conducted by Peter Dijkstra.