Now thank we all our God

The cantata “Nun danket alle Gott” (Now thank we all our God) BWV 192 is based on the text of the well-known hymn. It is therefore one of a small number of chorale cantatas which contain no free poetic texts. Correspondingly, there are no recitatives either. It has only recently been assumed that this three-movement work was not intended for Leipzig, but was actually written in 1730 for Bach’s prestigious position as Kapellmeister of Saxe-Weissenfels. The court of Duke Christian enjoyed the its sojourn in the newly-renovated castle of its secondary residence in Sangerhausen and, at Trinity, in the court church, celebrated the anniversary of its consecration with festive music. Bach evidently occasionally contributed to this.

The work does not survive complete. Even in the 18th century a full score evidently no longer existed, just a set of parts, the tenor part of which is entirely missing. For the new edition the missing part has been reconstructed by Detlev Schulten (Leipzig).