Chorale Melodies used in Bach's Vocal Works
Danket dem Herrn, heut und allzeit

Melody & Text | Use of the CM by Bach | Use of the CM by other composers

Melody & Text:

Nikolaus Selnecker’s “Ach bleib’ bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ,” was first published in his Geistliche Psalmen (Nurnberg, 1611). Actually only stanzas 3-9 are by him, being an addendum to Philipp Melanchthon’s “Vespera jam venit, nobiscum Christe maneto” (St Luke, xxiv. 29). The Alto melody (supra), which also bears the name of N. Selnecker’s hymn, is found in a four-part setting of the hymn “Danket dem Herrn, heut’ und allzeit,” by Sethus Calvisius, in 1594. As a separate melody, however, its Alto part is at least as old as 1589. J.S. Bach uses it in the movement infra, in Cantata BWV 6 (1736), and Choralgesange, Nos. 1, 313. His text is invariable. Its variations of the original are not traced in Zahn. In Witt (No. 476) the hymn is set to another melody, as in the Gotha Cantional (Zahn, No. 613).
Source: Charles Stanfort Terry: Johann Sebastian Bach, Bach’s Chorals, vol. 3 The Hymns and Hymn Melodies of the Organ Works (1921), pp 72, 78-79

Melody: Danket dem Herrn, heut und allzeit = Ach bleib bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ (Zahn 439)
Composer: Sethus Calvisius (Leipzig, 1589), based on 13th century melody

Text 1: Ach bleib bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ (EG 246; Gemeindelieder 98; Wacht auf! (1974) 14)
Author: Philipp Melanchthon (1551) / Nikolaus Selnecker (1572/1611)

Text 2: Uns ist ein Kindlein heut geborn (NLGB 28; KELG 40)
Author: Anon (Wittenberg, 1560) / Anon (1579) / Bartholomäus Gesius (1601)

Use of the Chorale Melody by Bach:

Text 1: Ach bleib bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ

Chorale for Soprano Ach bleib bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ (Mvt. 3) from Cantata BWV 6

Chorale Ach bleib bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 253
Ref: RE 177; Br 177; KE 1; Birnstiel 182; AmB 46II p.98 & p.155; Penzel 118; BGA 1; BC F35.1

Text 2: Uns ist ein Kindlein heut geborn

Chorale Uns ist ein Kindlein heut geborn, BWV 414
Ref: RE 148; Br 148; KE 313; Birnstiel 152; AmB 46II p.134; Penzel 130; BGA 161; BC F35.2

Untexted:

Chorale Prelude Ach bleib' bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 649

The Chorale Prelude BWV 649 (No. 4 in Schübler Chorales) is an an arrangement of the third movement of Cantata BWV 6, the Soprano Unison Choral, “Ach bleib’ bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ ,” in which the voice has the melody, where the obbligato is played by the Violoncello piccolo2 . The movement paints the placid evening scene upon the road to Emmaus. In the Organ movement it is given to the “dextra” manual. The Cantata was composed in 1736.
Source: Charles Stanfort Terry: Johann Sebastian Bach, Bach’s Chorals, vol. 3 The Hymns and Hymn Melodies of the Organ Works (1921), pp 72, 78-79

Use of the Chorale Melody by other composers:

Sources: Bach Digital; BGA; Zahn
Prepared by Aryeh Oron (October 2018)