Motet: Singet dem Herrn

Dating back as far as the 13th century, motets are a highly diverse body of texted sacred compositions, written in numerous languages and countries. Reaching their pinnacle during the Renaissance, the motets of masters like Byrd, Palestrina, and Ockeghem transformed the genre to become as elaborate and expressive as madrigals, their secular brethren.
Bach wrote six motets (BWV 225-230), all for choir with continuo accompaniment and in German. Most of the six, including Singet dem Herr nein neues Lied, are scored for double choir; that is, two four-part choirs. Bach revels in the possibilities of this antiphonal texture. For instance, for the opening phrase of Singet, Choir I takes the more active material compared to the separated, two-note utterances of choir 2. But in the next phrase, these roles are precisely reversed. As the text unfolds, there is a sublime sense of musical surfeit, of constantly resonating voices filling every moment and every acoustical nook and cranny. Quite quickly Bach has developed each choir to attain full counterpoint, though he wisely holds the other choir tacet so as to maintain a clear texture and appreciation for the text. However, later compositional devices grow increasingly elaborate. At the text “Der Kinder Zion,” Bach launches the sopranos of Choir I on a lengthy melismatic fugue subject with Choir II (all four voices) freely counterpointing below. Eventually the remaining voices of Choir I enter to complete a massive four-part fugue. The effect is, simply put, astounding. Almost without noticing, sixteenth-note melismas begin to infect Choir II until the entire texture radiates with a kind of inner perpetual motion, not ceasing until the first full cadence at the end of the movement.
The second movement splits styles between a homophonic chorale tune (Choir II) and an aria with points of imitation (Choir I). The contrast is so clear as to suggest one is listening alternately to two completely separate compositions. There is a suggestion in Bach’s manuscript that this music would be repeated for the second verse of text only with the choirs completely swapping roles. The third movement, opening with “Lobet den Herrn,” is largely a canon between choirs. In a gesture of musical and political unity, the choirs finally merge for a grand four-part fugue on “Alleluia,” ranking among Bach’s finest in any genre.
Bach continually complained about the limited musical ability of most young men at St. Thomas’s School where he worked. It is hardly likely that these complex motets were composed with such boys in mind. We have no firm evidence that Singet dem Herrn was composed for a specific occasion, though it was first performed around 1727. It is possible that it provided an educational model for Bach’s more talented students. When none other than Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart visited Leipzig in 1789, the school’s music director surprised his famous guest with a performance of Singet dem Herrn. Mozart was highly gratified and upon his request received a copy of the performance parts to keep.

(c) Jason Stell