Johann Sebastian Bach Wer Dank opfert, der preiset mich

Who praise offers, so honors God,
for such is the way,
that God’s salvation will be shown him.

The world and all therein
are silent witnesses to God’s exalted majesty.
Air, water, firmament and earth,
all wonder at creation’s symmetry.
All nature joins in praise
for gifts to man unnumbered,
which in her lap the Father lays;
and all that breath God’s air,
and crave a portion of his blessings,
with hearts and tongues acclaim,
and joyful praise his name.

Lord God, thy mercy great extends beyond the sky;
thy truth will penetrate to highest clouds of heaven.
If I did not well know

...

Wer Dank opfert, der preiset mich,
und das ist der Weg,
dass ich ihm zeige das Heil Gottes.

Es muss die ganze Welt
ein stummer Zeuge werden
von Gottes hoher Majestät,
Luft, Wasser, Firmament und Erden,
wenn ihre Ordnung als in Schnuren geht;
ihn preiset die Natur
mit ungezählten Gaben,
die er ihr in den Schoß gelegt,
und was den Odem hegt,
will noch mehr Anteil an ihm haben,
wenn es zu seinem Ruhm,
so Zung als Fittich regt.

Herr, deine Güte reicht,
soweit der Himmel ist,

...

Ulrich Leisingery
Translation: David Kosviner

The cantata Wer Dank opfert, der preiset mich (Who praise offers, so honors God) BWV 17 was composed by Johann Sebastian Bach for 22 September 1726. Bach used a text from an annual cycle of cantatas which his older cousin Johann Ludwig Bach had set and from which at least 18 cantatas had been performed in Leipzig during the early part of 1726. By all appearances, the cantata texts were already available to be utilized for the church music in Meiningen in 1705 and thus belong to the oldest cantata librettos which combine Biblical quotations, free poetry and chorales. The librettist, who is not named, closely follows the Bible in his choice of words – not only in the case of the Biblical quotations found in the opening chorus (Psalm 50:23) and at the beginning of the second part of the cantata (Luke 17:15–16) – when he emphasizes God’s benefactions and the obligations which these place on human beings. The 3rd verse of the hymn “Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren” by Johann Gramann (1530) serves as the concluding chorale. In addition to the autograph score, which Bach only titled with J. J. Dominica 14 post Trinitatis.

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