Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 76

Johann Sebastian Bach had served in several churches as {{lang|de|Kantor}} and organist, and at the courts of Weimar and Köthen, when he applied for the post of Thomaskantor in Leipzig. He was 38 years old and had a reputation as an organist and organ expert. He had composed church cantatas, notably the funeral cantata {{lang|la|Actus tragicus}} around 1708. In Weimar, he had begun a project to cover all occasions of the liturgical year by providing one cantata a month for four years, including works such as {{lang|de|Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV 12 |italic=unset}}, and {{lang|de|Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 61 |italic=unset}}.

Bach composed the cantata for the Second Sunday after Trinity and first performed it in a service in the Thomaskirche in Leipzig on 6 June 1723, a week after he took up the position as cantor in Leipzig with {{lang|de|Die Elenden sollen essen}}. The cantata is similar in many respects to the earlier work. While BWV 75 was probably begun in Köthen, this cantata may have been composed in Leipzig, according to a manuscript with many corrections. The two cantatas mark the beginning of Bach's first "annual cycle": he started to compose one cantata for each Sunday and holiday of the liturgical year, a project described by Christoph Wolff as "an artistic undertaking on the largest scale".

File:Teachings of Jesus 28 of 40. invitation to the great banquet. Jan Luyken etching. Bowyer Bible.gif, Bowyer Bible]]

The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from the First Epistle of John, "Whoever doesn't love, remains in Death" ({{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=1 John|chapter=3|verse=13|range=–18}}), and from the Gospel of Luke, the parable of the great banquet ({{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Luke|chapter=14|verse=16|range=–24}}). The unknown poet was likely the same as for the first cantata for Leipzig, also in 14 movements, also arranged in two symmetrical parts to be performed before and after the sermon. Again the cantata begins with words from a psalm, {{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Psalms|chapter=19|verse=1|range=,3}} (verses 2 and 4 in the Luther Bible), "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork. There is no speech or language, where their voice is not heard", connecting the Gospel to the Old Testament. The poet first expands, in movements 2 and 3, the thought of the universe praising God's creation. In the following two movements he deplores, following the Gospel, that nonetheless people did not follow the invitation of God, therefore he had to invite "{{lang|de|von allen Straßen|italic=no}}" (from all streets) and bless those, as movement 6 says. Part I closes with the first stanza of Luther's chorale "{{lang|de|Es woll uns Gott genädig sein|italic=no}}" (1524), a paraphrase of Psalm 67. Part I was to be performed before the sermon, Part II after the sermon and during communion. Part II talks about the duties of those who follow God's invitation, to pass the love of Christ in order to achieve heaven on earth, a thought also expressed in the Epistle reading. The third stanza of Luther's chorale closes the work.

File:John Eliot Gardiner at rehearsal in Wroclaw cropped portrait.jpeg

John Eliot Gardiner, who conducted the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage with the Monteverdi Choir in 2000, evaluated the work, connected to Bach's first cantata for Leipzig:

this cantata is clearly more than just a sequel to the previous Sunday's {{lang|de|Die Elenden sollen essen}}... together they form a diptych revealing a thematic continuity extended over two weeks, with plentiful cross-referencing between the two set Gospels and Epistles beyond the obvious parallels between the injunction to give charitably to the hungry (BWV 75) and of brotherly love manifested in action (BWV 76).

The cantata is structured in two parts of seven movements each, to be performed before and after the sermon. It is scored for four vocal soloists (soprano (S), alto (A), tenor (T) and bass (B)), a four-part choir SATB, trumpet (Tr), two oboes (Ob), oboe d'amore (Oa), two violins (Vl), viola (Va), viola da gamba (Vg) and basso continuo (Bc). The two parts of seven movements each are composed as the same arrangement of alternating recitatives and arias with a concluding chorale, only Part II is opened by a sinfonia instead of a chorus. The duration is given as 35 minutes.

In the following table of the movements, the scoring follows the Neue Bach-Ausgabe. The keys and time signatures are taken from Alfred Dürr, using the symbol for common time (4/4). The instruments are shown separately for winds and strings, while the continuo, playing throughout, is not shown.

{{Classical movement header | show_text_source = yes | work = Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes - Part 1 | instruments1 = Winds | instruments2 = Strings}}

{{Classical movement row

| id = m1

| number = 1

| title = {{lang|de|Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes|italic=no}}

| text_source = {{Sourcetext|source=Bible|version=King James|book=Psalms|chapter=19|verse=1|range=,3}}

| type = Chorus

| vocal = SATB

| instruments1 = Tr 2Ob

| instruments2 = 2Vl Va

| key = {{nowrap|C major}}

| time = 3/4

}}

{{Classical movement row

| id = m2

| number = 2

| title = {{lang|de|So lässt sich Gott nicht unbezeuget!|italic=no}}

| text_source = {{abbr|anon.|anonymous}}

| type = Recitative

| vocal = T

| instruments1 =

| instruments2 = 2Vl Va

| key =

| time = {{music|common-time}}

}}

{{Classical movement row

| id = m3

| number = 3

| title = {{lang|de|Hört, ihr Völker, Gottes Stimme|italic=no}}

| text_source = anon.

| type = Aria

| vocal = S

| instruments1 =

| instruments2 = Vl solo

| key = {{nowrap|G major}}

| time = {{music|common-time}}

}}

{{Classical movement row

| id = m4

| number = 4

| title = {{lang|de|Wer aber hört|italic=no}}

| text_source = anon.

| type = Recitative

| vocal = B

| instruments1 =

| instruments2 =

| key =

| time = {{music|common-time}}

}}

{{Classical movement row

| id = m5

| number = 5

| title = {{lang|de|Fahr hin, abgöttische Zunft!|italic=no}}

| text_source = anon.

| type = Aria

| vocal = B

| instruments1 = Tr

| instruments2 = 2Vl Va

| key = C major

| time = {{music|common-time}}

}}

{{Classical movement row

| id = m6

| number = 6

| title = {{lang|de|Du hast uns, Herr, von allen Straßen|italic=no}}

| text_source = anon.

| type = Recitative

| vocal = A

| instruments1 =

| instruments2 =

| key =

| time = {{music|common-time}}

}}

{{Classical movement row

| id = m7

| number = 7

| title = {{lang|de|Es woll uns Gott genädig sein|italic=no}}

| text_source = Luther

| type = Chorale

| vocal = SATB

| instruments1 = Tr

| instruments2 = 2Vl Va

| key = E minor

| time = {{music|common-time}}

}}

{{End}}

{{Classical movement header | show_text_source = yes | work = Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes - Part II | instruments1 = Winds| instruments2 = Strings }}

{{Classical movement row

| id = m8

| number = 8

| type = Sinfonia

| text_source =

| instruments1 = Oa

| instruments2 = Vg

| key =

| time =

}}

{{Classical movement row

| id = m9

| number = 9

| title = {{lang|de|Gott segne noch die treue Schar|italic=no}}

| text_source = anon.

| type = Recitative

| vocal = B

| instruments1 =

| instruments2 = 2Vl Va Vg

| key =

| time = {{music|common-time}}

}}

{{Classical movement row

| id = m10

| number = 10

| title = {{lang|de|Hasse nur, hasse mich recht|italic=no}}

| text_source = anon.

| type = Aria

| vocal = T

| instruments1 =

| instruments2 = Vg

| key = A minor

| time = 3/4

}}

{{Classical movement row

| id = m11

| number = 11

| title = {{lang|de|Ich fühle schon im Geist|italic=no}}

| text_source = anon.

| type = Recitative

| vocal = A

| instruments1 =

| instruments2 = Vg

| key =

| time = {{music|common-time}}

}}

{{Classical movement row

| id = m12

| number = 12

| title = {{lang|de|Liebt, ihr Christen, in der Tat!|italic=no}}

| text_source = anon.

| type = Aria

| vocal = A

| instruments1 = Oa

| instruments2 = Vg

| key = E minor

| time = 9/8

}}

{{Classical movement row

| id = m13

| number = 13

| title = {{lang|de|So soll die Christenheit|italic=no}}

| text_source = anon.

| type = Recitative

| vocal = T

| instruments1 =

| instruments2 =

| key =

| time = {{music|common-time}}

}}

{{Classical movement row

| id = m14

| number = 14

| title = {{lang|de|Es danke, Gott, und lobe dich|italic=no}}

| text_source = Luther

| type = Chorale

| vocal = SATB

| instruments1 = Tr

| instruments2 = 2Vl Va

| key = E minor

| time = {{music|common-time}}

}}

{{End}}

File:BWV76-8 autograph manuscript.jpeg

Similar to the opening chorus of BWV 75, Bach sets the psalm in two sections, comparable to a prelude and fugue on a large scale. An instrumental concerto unites the complete "prelude", the trumpet "calls" to tell the glory of God. The fugue in C major is a permutation fugue, which develops the subject twice, starting with the voices, up to a triumphal entrance of the trumpet, similar in development to the first chorus of {{lang|de|Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir, BWV 29 |italic=unset}}, composed much later and used twice in the Mass in B minor. Joseph Haydn later set the same words, also in C major, in his oratorio The Creation.

In the first recitative the strings accompany the voice, most keenly in motifs in the arioso middle section, in Gardiner's words "to evoke the spirit of God moving upon the face of the waters". In the second aria, trumpet and bass voice are used to convey the call "to banish the tribe of idolaters", while the strings possibly illustrate "the hordes of infidels". The last recitative leads in an arioso to the chorale. In the chorale, Bach has the violin play an obbligato part to the four-part setting of the voices and separates the lines by interludes, with the trumpet anticipating the line to follow. The continuo plays ostinato a motif which is derived from the first line of the chorale.

Whereas Part I begins with a trumpet announcing ("{{lang|de|erzählen|italic=no}}") God's glory, Part II starts on an intimate chamber music scale with oboe d'amore and viola da gamba, concentrating on "brotherly devotion" ({{lang|de|brüderliche Treue|italic=no}}). A sinfonia in E minor for these two instruments is reminiscent both of Bach's compositions for the court in Köthen and of a French overture, marked "adagio", then "vivace". Bach used the music of this movement later in his organ sonata, BWV 528. Gardiner calls the movement "in effect a sonata da chiesa". The tenor aria illustrates the "masochistic" "Hate me, then, hate me with all your might, o hostile race!" by a first dissonant entry on an ostinato bass line full of chromatic, leaps and interrupting rests. Oboe d'amore and viola da gamba return to accompany the last aria, and "the sombre qualities of both voice and instruments create a feeling of peace and introspection". The music of the closing chorale is identical to that of Part I.

A list of recordings is provided by Aryeh Oron on the Bach Cantatas Website. Ensembles playing period instruments in historically informed performance are shown with green background.

{{Cantata discography header|work=Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 76 |show_orchestra_type=yes }}

{{Cantata discography row

| id = Scherchen

| title = J. S. Bach: Cantata No. 76

| conductor = {{sortname|Hermann|Scherchen}}

| choir = Wiener Akademie-Kammerchor

| orchestra = Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera

| soloists = {{plainlist|

• Magda László
• Hilde Rössel-Majdan
• Petre Munteanu
• Richard Standen

}}

| label = Westminster

| year = {{Start date|1952}}

| orchestra_type =

}}

{{Cantata discography row

| id = Werner

| title = {{lang|fr|Les Grandes Cantates de J.S. Bach Vol. 1}}

| conductor = {{sortname|Fritz|Werner}}

| choir = Heinrich-Schütz-Chor Heilbronn

| orchestra = Pforzheim Chamber Orchestra

| soloists = {{plainlist|

• Ingeborg Reichelt
• Hertha Töpper
• Helmut Krebs
• Franz Kelch

}}

| label = Erato

| year = {{Start date|1959}}

| orchestra_type =

}}

{{Cantata discography row

| id = Ehmann

| title = J. S. Bach: Cantatas BWV 76 & BWV 37

| conductor = {{sortname|Wilhelm|Ehmann}}

| choir = Westfälische Kantorei

| orchestra = Deutsche Bachsolisten

| soloists = {{plainlist|

• Nelly van der Spek
• Frauke Haasemann
• Johannes Hoefflin
• Wilhelm Pommerien

}}

| label = Cantate

| year = {{Start date|1965}}

| orchestra_type =

}}

{{Cantata discography row

| id = Richter

| title = Bach Cantatas Vol. 3 – Ascension Day, Whitsun, Trinity

| conductor = {{sortname|Karl|Richter|dab=conductor}}

| choir = Münchener Bach-Chor

| orchestra = Münchener Bach-Orchester

| soloists = {{plainlist|

• Edith Mathis
• Anna Reynolds
• Peter Schreier
• Kurt Moll

}}

| label = Archiv Produktion

| year = {{Start date|1975}}

| orchestra_type =

}}

{{Cantata discography row

| id = Harnoncourt

| title = J. S. Bach: Das Kantatenwerk • Complete Cantatas • Les Cantates, Folge / Vol. 20

| conductor = {{sortname|Nikolaus|Harnoncourt}}

| choir = Tölzer Knabenchor

| orchestra = {{nowrap|Concentus Musicus Wien}}

| soloists = {{plainlist|

• soloist of the Tölzer Knabenchor
• Paul Esswood
• Kurt Equiluz
• Ruud van der Meer

}}

| label = Teldec

| year = {{Start date|1976}}

| orchestra_type = Period

}}

{{Cantata discography row

| id = Rilling

| title = {{lang|de|Die Bach Kantate Vol. 18}}

| conductor = {{sortname|Helmuth|Rilling}}

| choir = {{nowrap|Gächinger Kantorei}}

| orchestra = Bach-Collegium Stuttgart

| soloists = {{plainlist|

• Arleen Augér
• Helen Watts
• Adalbert Kraus
• Siegmund Nimsgern

}}

| label = Hänssler

| year = {{Start date|1978}}

| orchestra_type =

}}

{{Cantata discography row

| id = Koopman

| title = J. S. Bach: Complete Cantatas Vol. 6

| conductor = {{sortname|Ton|Koopman}}

| orchestra = Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir

| soloists = {{plainlist|

• Ruth Ziesak
• {{nowrap|Elisabeth von Magnus}}
• Paul Agnew
• Klaus Mertens

}}

| label = Antoine Marchand

| year = {{start date|1997}}

| orchestra_type = Period

}}

{{Cantata discography row

| id = Suzuki

| title = J. S. Bach: Cantatas Vol. 9 – (Cantatas from Leipzig 1725)

| conductor = {{sortname|Masaaki|Suzuki}}

| orchestra = Bach Collegium Japan

| soloists = {{plainlist|

• Midori Suzuki
• Robin Blaze
• Gerd Türk
• Peter Kooy

}}

| label = BIS

| year = {{start date|1998}}

| orchestra_type = Period

}}

{{Cantata discography row

| id = Leusink

| title = Bach Edition Vol. 20 – Cantatas Vol. 11

| conductor = {{sortname|Pieter Jan|Leusink}}

| choir = Holland Boys Choir

| orchestra = Netherlands Bach Collegium

| soloists = {{plainlist|

• Marjon Strijk
• Sytse Buwalda
• Knut Schoch
• Bas Ramselaar

}}

| label = Brilliant Classics

| year = {{Start date|2000}}

| orchestra_type = Period

}}

{{Cantata discography row

| id = Gardiner

| title = Bach Cantatas Vol. 2: Paris/Zürich / For the 2nd Sunday after Trinity / For the 3rd Sunday after Trinity

| conductor = {{sortname|John Eliot|Gardiner}}

| choir = Monteverdi Choir

| orchestra = English Baroque Soloists

| soloists = {{plainlist|

• Lisa Larsson
• Daniel Taylor
• James Gilchrist
• Stephen Varcoe

}}

| label = Soli Deo Gloria

| year = {{Start date|2000}}

| orchestra_type = Period

}}

{{Cantata discography row

| id = Milnes

| title = Bach Cantates BWV 76, 79, 80 "Pour Luther"

| conductor = {{sortname|Eric|Milnes}}

| choir = None (OVPP)

| orchestra = Montréal Baroque

| soloists = {{plainlist|

• Hélène Brunet
• Michael Taylor
• Philippe Gagné
• Jesse Blumberg

}}

| label = ATMA Classique

| year = {{Start date|2018}}

| orchestra_type = Period

}}

{{End}}

{{reflist

| refs =

{{cite web

| url = http://www.carus-verlag.com/index.php3?BLink=JSBach&selSprache=1

| title = Johann Sebastian Bach

| publisher = Carus-Verlag

| access-date = 15 March 2013

| url-status = dead

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120510104746/http://www.carus-verlag.com/index.php3?BLink=JSBach&selSprache=1

| archive-date = 10 May 2012

}}

{{cite web

| last = Dellal

| first = Pamela

| author-link = Pamela Dellal

| url = https://www.emmanuelmusic.org/bach-translations/bwv-76

| title = BWV 76 – "Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes"

| publisher = Emmanuel Music

| access-date = 23 August 2022

}}

{{cite book

| last = Dürr

| first = Alfred

| author-link = Alfred Dürr

| title = Die Kantaten von Johann Sebastian Bach

| date = 1981

| publisher = Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag

| isbn = 3-423-04080-7

| volume = 1

| edition = 4

| pages = [https://archive.org/details/diekantatenvonjo0002durr/page/337 337–340]

| language = de

| url = https://archive.org/details/diekantatenvonjo0002durr/page/337

}}

{{cite book

| last1 = Dürr

| first1 = Alfred

| last2 = Jones

| first2 = Richard D. P.

| author2-link = Richard D. P. Jones

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=m9JuwslMcq4C&pg=PA397

| title = The Cantatas of J. S. Bach: With Their Librettos in German-English Parallel Text

| publisher = Oxford University Press

| date = 2006

| isbn = 9780199297764

}}

{{Cite AV media notes

| last = Gardiner

| first = John Eliot

| author-link = John Eliot Gardiner

| url = https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_SDG165

| title = Bach: Cantatas Nos 2, 10, 21, 76 & 135 (Cantatas Vol 2)

| publisher = Soli Deo Gloria (at Hyperion Records website)

| date = 2010

| access-date = 11 August 2018

}}

{{cite web

| last = Hofmann

| first = Klaus

| author-link = Klaus Hofmann

| url = http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Pic-Rec-BIG/Suzuki-C09c%5BBIS-CD931%5D.pdf

| title = BWV 76: Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes / (The heavens declare the Glory of God)

| publisher = Bach Cantatas Website

| page = 4

| date = 1998

| access-date = 3 July 2012

}}

{{cite web

| last = Mincham

| first = Julian

| url = https://www.jsbachcantatas.com/documents/chapter-3-bwv-76

| title = Chapter 3 Bwv 76 – The Cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach

| publisher = jsbachcantatas.com

| date = 2010

| access-date = 23 August 2022

}}

{{cite web

| last = Oron

| first = Aryeh

| url = http://www.bach-cantatas.com/BWV76.htm

| title = Cantata BWV 76 Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes

| publisher = Bach Cantatas Website

| access-date = 10 June 2015

}}

{{cite web

| last = Traupman-Carr

| first = Carol

| url = http://www.bach.org/bach101/cantatas/cantata76.html

| title = Cantata 76, Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes

| publisher = The Bach Choir of Bethlehem

| date = 2006

| access-date = 28 June 2011

| url-status = dead

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111001060927/http://www.bach.org/bach101/cantatas/cantata76.html

| archive-date = 1 October 2011

}}

{{cite book

| last = Wolff

| first = Christoph

| author-link = Christoph Wolff

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=8WFNr4EZk2cC&pg=PA30

| title = Bach: Essays on his Life and Music

| date = 1991

| publisher = Harvard University Press

| isbn = 9780674059269

}}

{{cite web

| url = http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Texts/Chorale108-Eng3.htm

| title = Es woll uns Gott genädig sein / Text and Translation of Chorale

| publisher = Bach Cantatas Website

| date = 2008

| access-date = 29 June 2011

}}

{{cite web

| url = http://www.bach-cantatas.com/CM/Es-woll-uns.htm

| title = Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works / Es woll (or wolle/wollt) uns Gott genädig sein

| publisher = Bach Cantatas Website

| date = 2006

| access-date = 29 June 2011

}}

}}

• {{IMSLP|work=Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 76 (Bach, Johann Sebastian)}}
• [http://www.bach-digital.de/receive/BachDigitalWork_work_00000095?lang=en Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes BWV 76; BC A 97 / Sacred cantata (2nd Sunday after Trinity)] Bach Digital
• [http://www.uvm.edu/~classics/faculty/bach/BWV76.html BWV 76 Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes]: English translation, University of Vermont
• [http://webdocs.cs.ualberta.ca/~wfb/cantatas/76.html BWV 76 Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes]: text, scoring, University of Alberta
• [http://www.allmusic.com/work/cantata-no-76-die-himmel-erzhlen-die-ehre-gottes-bwv-76-bc-a97-c4262/description Cantata No. 76, "Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes," BWV 76] (Allmusic)
• Luke Dahn: [http://www.bach-chorales.com/BWV0076_7_14.htm BWV 76.7=76.14] bach-chorales.com

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Category:Church cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach

Category:Psalm-related compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach

Category:1723 compositions

Category:Compositions with natural trumpets in D