Now Thank We All Our God

Use: General
Required Resources: 2-pt men's choir, organ
Language: English

While serving as Kantor in Leipzig, Johann Sebastian Bach produced a vast number of cantatas for the Lutheran Church of Saint Thomas, all as a routine part of his job. Many of these cantatas were based on a familiar hymn of the time (called a chorale). Others simply used a chorale as one of the movements, expertly harmonized by this great master of Baroque choral music. In Cantata No.79, "Gott der Herr ist Sonn und Schild," Bach sets the chorale Nun danket alle Gott as the 3rd movement for SATB choir accompanied by strings, woodwinds, 2 horns and timpani.

J. William Greene has arranged this movement for unison or 2-part men's choir and organ, using the familiar English text: "Now Thank We All Our God." The arrangement retains the exuberance of the original cantata movement, and makes it practical for any church choir.

If you've never considered the idea of having "half" the adult choir sing occasionally (i.e. either the women or the men alone), you're missing an exciting treasury of music written for equal voices (SA, SSA, TB, TTB, etc). Bill Greene's arrangement of Bach's setting of the familiar hymn Now Thank We All Our God would be an easy place to start exploring the texture of male voices. The flexibility of the music (suitable for unison or 2-part singing) makes this a good candidate for the new repertoire!