J.S. Bach: Gott, der Herr, ist Sonn und Schild, BWV 79 - The Church Cantatas, Vol. 136

Another monumental cantata is BWV79 for Reformation day (1725?), with its militant horn fanfares, followed by an impressive fugue. The choir enters majestically, the sopranos singing the inversion of the basses. The themes are varied infinitely, all forces combining to stress the fact that God is our refuge, an idea associated directly with Martin Luther. The alto sings a beautiful conversation with the oboe; the music was later used by Bach for the Mass BWV234. The chorale which follows provides us with a fascinating surprise. It is `Nun danket alle Gott’. The horn tune of the first chorus returns, and we now hear that this was based on the opening line of this chorale! A bass recitative leads to a soprano/bass duet, also reused for one of the Lutheran Masses, a dancelike movement with a very characteristic jumping tune. The middle part uses the same musical material; the continuo part is especially worth attending to. The closing chorale once again employs the horns, now as an added musical line.