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  • The Flowering of the Spirit
    • 2021-2022 Concerts >
      • Clothed Head to Foot in Song
      • World of Wonder
      • Early Music Christmas: Lo How a Rose
      • Sacred Realms: Très Riches Heures
      • Never to Forget
      • Season Finale: Born of the Sun
      • Organ Recital: The Incomparable Herr Buxtehude
    • 2021-22 Educational Events
    • 2021-22 Virtual Offerings >
      • Virtual BachTalks
      • The Choir Loft >
        • June 5th - How Brightly Shines the Morning Star
        • June 12th - Sacred Works by Valentin Silvestrov - Steve Osborn
        • June 26th - Some Music by Palestrina - Comfort in Perfection - Dan Solter
        • July 3rd - William Byrd: Motets and Masses Part One
      • Repertoire Exploration Projects
    • Tickets
    • Donate today!
    • COVID-19 Audience Safety
  • Who we are and What we do
    • Mission Statement
  • Our Ensembles
    • Sonoma Bach Choir
    • Circa 1600
    • Green Mountain Consort
    • Live Oak Baroque Orchestra
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Escrip & Amazon Smile
  • Resources
    • Virtual Offerings - Archive >
      • The Choir Loft
      • Virtual BachTalk
      • Adventures in Sightsinging
      • Parliamo Italiano! Language Workshop
      • Madrigal Mondays
      • Chorale Wednesdays
      • Motet Fridays
      • Virtual Recording Projects
      • Virtual Concerts >
        • Live Oak Baroque Orchestra
        • Music for these Distracted Times - Barefoot All-Stars
        • Agave Baroque American Originals
        • Bach's Long Walk to Lübeck - Anne Laver, organ
    • Concert Programs
    • Scores & Parts
    • Rehearsal Recordings
  • Contact
  • Join our Mailing List!
Schmücke dich
It means 'adorn yourself', and it's also a lovely 'chorale of consolation', with text by Johann Franck, and melody by Johann Crüger. Here's a link to the melody as Crüger originally published it. As you'll see, it's pretty straightforward, but has some nice touches, like the soaring B section and the return of the end of the A section at the end to round things out. 

Bach used the tune only a few times, but these are well worth looking at, particularly the eponymous Cantata 180, one of the long, amazing series of chorale cantatas which Bach produced in his second year in Leipzig--the so-called Jahrgang II.

A score is attached if you want to go spelunking. The first movement is a typical J II setting, with the melody in the top voice, lower voices providing support with their own melodic lines which are traded back and forth. Absolutely delightful!

As is normally the case with Bach's chorale cantatas, the movements work their way through the text, mainly paraphrased in the middle movements. Sometimes the melody makes its appearances only in the first and last movements. But here in the third movement we have a really nice arioso (a sort of quasi-aria) for the soprano, the rarely-heard violoncello piccolo, and basso continuo. She begins with a recitative, but moves into the words of verse 4, sung to a free elaboration of the melody.

And finally, of course, at the end we get A Bach Chorale! This one is a classic of the genre. 


As a bonus, here's a Covid version which I find especially moving. The people seem so absolutely sincere and (despite the Hollywood Squares format) and so musical.

Can't leave this cantata without sharing with you this wonderful live performance of the fifth movement, a soprano aria accompanied by the full band. What a joyful piece! Some great shots and sounds of the oboe da caccia, too, that soulful curved member of the oboe family.


As far as we know, Bach set the chorale only one other time, in the organ chorale BWV 654. Here it is with a scrolling score.
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