Lobt ihn mit Herz und Munde, BWV 220 explained

German: Lobt ihn mit Herz und Munde (Praise him with heart and voice), BWV 220, is a church cantata by an unknown composer, formerly attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach.^[1]

History and text

The cantata was written for the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. It derives from a chorale by and from .

Scoring and structure

The piece is scored for alto, tenor and bass soloists, four-part choir, flauto traverso, two oboes, two violins, viola and basso continuo.

It has five movements:

1. Chorale: German: Lobt ihn Herz und Munde
2. Aria (tenor): German: So preiset den Höchsten, den König des Himmels
3. Recitative (bass): German: Auf Gottes Preis muss alle Freude zielen
4. Aria (alto): German: Sich in Gott und Jesu freuen
5. Chorus: German: Ich freue mich im Herrn

Recording

• Alsfelder Vokalensemble / Steintor Barock Bremen, Wolfgang Helbich. The Apocryphal Bach Cantatas. CPO, 1991.

Notes and References

1. Work at Bach Digital website