Melodic Musings on Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
The Listen Guide
Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147: Chorale "Jesu bleibet meine Freude"
I'm Bach, and this is your listen guide to Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. You'll learn to pick out the choir's plain hymn tune from the looping line that circles around it, so you can follow both at once. If you'd like to recognize my pieces and those of my fellow composers when they play, this site can teach you, so head over to the Trainer .
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Who Sits Where in the Band
Let me start with the lineup for this movement, which uses a choir, a trumpet, two oboes, two violins, viola and continuo. The choir carries the hymn tune, so if you want to sing along in your head, follow the voices. The violins and viola keep a looping, flowing line moving around them, while the oboes add a warm, slightly reedy color, a bit like a very polite conversation in the next room. The trumpet brings a touch of brightness, and the continuo, the low instruments that underpin everything, keeps a quiet pulse going from beginning to end.What's in a Name, Exactly?
I should be upfront that the English title you know isn't one I chose, since I never wrote a word of English. In my cantata the tune appears twice, as movement 6, 'Wohl mir, daß ich Jesum habe', and again as movement 10, 'Jesus bleibet meine Freude'. The name 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' became known through Myra Hess, who made a piano transcription in 1926, and it stuck so well that many people never meet the German at all. Still, I'm happy with the idea behind it, because 'Jesus bleibet meine Freude' speaks of joy that stays with you, and I wanted the music to sound as if it truly meant that.Just a Chorale
Choosing the form turned out to be simpler than you might expect, because this is a chorale, which is a hymn tune sung by the choir with instruments moving around it. So it's the tenth and final movement of a cantata that was first performed in Leipzig on 2 July 1723. I'll walk you through four sections: the instrumental opening, the choir's entrance, the middle stretch, and the close. None of them takes long, but each has its own mood, so we'll go through them one at a time.Section 1: The Band Warms Up Alone
The movement begins with the instruments by themselves, spinning a lilting, circling melody in the bright, open key of G major. It's the kind of line that gets into your head, and you'll hear it come back again and again like a friendly refrain. Nothing here is hurried, and the mood is one of quiet contentment. Listen to how the lines chase one another, because that busy interweaving is the heart of the texture for the whole piece.Section 2: The Choir Steps In, Politely
Then the singers arrive with the first line of the hymn, in long, steady notes that feel much slower than the swirling instruments around them. You end up hearing two speeds at once, one calm and one gently busy, and they never get in each other's way. The mood shifts from pure brightness to something more devout, as if the music has bowed its head for a moment. Try to follow the choir's simple tune while the strings keep up their flowing line, and you'll see how well the two fit together.Section 3: Everyone Talks at Once, Nicely
In the middle stretch the hymn lines follow one another, and between them the instrumental theme returns like a deep breath before the next phrase. The harmony shifts its colors a little here and there, so the music feels warmer and a bit more searching than at the start. The oboes and the trumpet are worth listening for in this part, so it's a good place to pick out individual instruments. Even with so much going on, the pulse never loses its steadiness, and that is what keeps the whole section feeling calm.Section 4: A Calm Landing
As the last lines of the hymn arrive, the choir sings its final phrases, and the instruments gather around them. The looping theme appears one more time, almost like a smile at the end of a long, kind conversation. The music settles back into G major, and everything feels resolved and at rest. I wanted you to leave with the feeling that the joy in the title was never in doubt.Press Play and Settle In
Now I invite you to listen for yourself, so press play and let the music carry you along. As you listen, you might keep in mind the two speeds, the voices on top and the strings looping beneath them. People have loved this music for a long time, and in 1972 an instrumental version called 'Joy' by Apollo 100 reached number six on the US Billboard Hot 100, which I'd never have expected. I hope you find the journey through my 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' as rewarding as I did when I wrote it.---
I hope you enjoyed listening along with me to Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. Did this guide help you hear the piece in a new way? I'd like to think the music stays with you a little after the last note has faded, the way a familiar tune often does. There is still more to explore, such as the life this music had before it reached Leipzig, the borrowed tune at its heart, and the story of how its English title came about. If you're curious, please click on the links provided and keep exploring Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. Each time you return to it, I think you'll notice a new line weaving through the steady flow of the strings. I'm glad to have had you here, and I hope the music keeps you good company.