Wer Dank opfert, der preiset mich, BWV 17

History and words

Bach wrote the cantata in 1726, his fourth year in Leipzig, for the fourteenth Sunday after Trinity. The prescribed readings for the Sunday were from the Epistle to the Galatians, Paul's teaching on "works of the flesh" and "fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:16–24), and from the Gospel of Luke, Cleansing ten lepers. (Luke 17:11–19).

That year, Bach presented 18 cantatas by his relative Johann Ludwig Bach who was court musician in Meiningen. Bach seems to have been impressed also by the texts of those cantatas and follows similar structures: seven movements, divided in two parts to be performed before and after the sermon, both parts opened by Bible words, Part I by a quotation from the Old Testament, Part II by one from the New Testament. Bach composes some texts that his relative set before, including this cantata, which was written by Ernst Ludwig, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, according to Christoph Wolff. The cantata is regarded as part of Bach's third annual cycle.

The poet derived from the gospel idea that thanks to God for his goodness are man's obligation. A profound scholar of the Bible, he quotes for the opening chorus a verse from Psalm 50 (Psalms 50:23) and for the first recitative in Part II verses 15 and 16 from the gospel. He alludes to the Bible several times, for example telling about God's creation by Psalms 19:5 in movement 2 and Psalms 36:6 in movement 3, to Romans 14:17 in movement 6, "Lieb, Fried, Gerechtigkeit und Freud in deinem Geist" (Love, peace, righteousness and joy in Your spirit). The closing chorale is the third stanza of the hymn "Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren" (1525) by Johann Gramann (Poliander).

Bach first performed the cantata on 22 September 1726. He later used the opening movement for the movement Cum sancto Spritu in the Gloria of his Missa in G major, BWV 236.

Scoring and structure

The cantata is structured in two parts, Part I of three movements to be performed before the sermon, Part II of four movements after the sermon. Bach scored it for four vocal soloists (soprano (S), alto (A), tenor (T) and bass (B)), a four-part choir SATB, two oboes (Ob), two violins (Vl), two violas (Va) and basso continuo (Bc). The title of the autograph score reads: "Domin. 14 post Trin. / Wer Dank opfert, der preiset mich / a / 4 Voci / 2 Hautb. / 2 Viol. / Viola / e Contin. / di / J.S.Bach".

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).

1

The opening chorus presents the verse from the psalm, "Wer Dank opfert, der preiset mich" (He who offers thanks praises Me), in two choral sections, preceded by a long instrumental section.

2

The first recitative is secco, as the two others: "Es muß die ganze Welt ein stummer Zeuge werden" (The entire world must be a silent witness).

3

In the first aria, "Herr, deine Güte reicht, so weit der Himmel ist" (Lord, your goodness reaches as wide as Heaven),soprano and two obbligato violins illustrate in raising lines the text "so weit die Wolken gehen" (as far as the clouds soar), adding extended coloraturas on "preisen" (praise) and "weisen" (indicate [the way]).

4

The recitative beginning Part II, "Einer aber unter ihnen, da er sahe, daß er gesund worden war" (One, however, among them, when he saw that he was cured), is of narrative character and therefore given to the tenor voice, similar to the Evangelist in Bach's Passions.

5

The second aria, "Welch Übermaß der Güte" (What an abundance of goodness), is accompanied by the strings. Both arias share a structure of three vocal sections, avoiding a vocal da capo, but combining the last section with the ritornello, thus achieving a unity of the movement.

6, 7

The last recitative is sung by the bass. "Wie sich ein Vat'r erbarmet" (As a father has mercy), a town is blessed if God reigns in it.

7

John Eliot Gardiner admires particularly the closing chorale, "Gesegnet Land, glückselge Stadt," (Blessed land, fortunate city), for its "wonderful word-painting for the 'flower and fallen leaves' and 'the wind [which] only has to pass over'". He compares it to the central movement of the motet Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied, BWV 225.

Selected recordings

The sortable table follows the selection on the Bach-Cantatas website. Choirs and orchestras are roughly grouped:

1. Large choirs (red background): Boys (choir of all male voices), Bach (choir dedicated to Bach's music, founded in the mid-20th century)
2. Medium-size choirs
3. One voice per part (green background): OVPP

1. Large orchestras (red background): Bach (choir dedicated to Bach's music, founded in the mid-20th century)
2. Chamber orchestra
3. Orchestra on period instruments (green background)