Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden

Patchy evidence from the earliest surviving sources of the short motet Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden (Praise the Lord, all you nations), together with its scoring for four rather than the usual configuration of eight voices, have cast doubts over whether it is the work of Johann Sebastian Bach. Yet the quality of its counterpoint and the variety of its musical invention strongly suggest that Lobet den Herrn belongs in company with the composer’s authentic motets. The piece sets the opening phrases of the first verse of Psalm 117 as joyful fugues that grow in complexity until Bach clears the way for a lyrical, hymn-like treatment of the second verse, “Denn seine Gnade und Wahrheit” (For his merciful kindness is great toward us). Elaborate fugal counterpoint returns to carry a fleet-footed repeat of the words of the psalm’s second verse which, after a moment’s silence, gives way to a thrilling “Alleluia” in triple time. About J.S. Bach's Motets Church musicians during Bach’s day were raised on a diet of unaccompanied Lutheran motets, simple polyphonic pieces from the early 1600s among them. Bach gave fresh life to the form throughout his career, sometimes to stretch the vocal skills of his Leipzig choristers with virtuosic test pieces for double choir, sometimes to provide funeral music for prominent citizens, sometimes to reinforce the message of a gospel reading or other biblical text. He created five motets between the early 1710s and late 1740s, while three other motet-like works have also been attributed or misattributed to him.