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Kantate, BWV 147 "Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben": Teil II, X. Choral "Jesus bleibet meine Freude"

by Johann Sebastian Bach

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86 retailer listings for this from $2.25 to $8.99. 21 archives offer it free.

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About this piece

Kantate, BWV 147 "Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben": Teil II, X. Choral "Jesus bleibet meine Freude" is a work by Johann Sebastian Bach. Editions in our index are scored for piano, harp, organ and guitar. We track 86 editions for sale priced between $2.25 and $8.99, from Musicnotes, Virtual Sheet Music, Alfred Music and SheetMusic2Print. 21 public-domain archives publish it free of charge, including 8notes, MakingMusicFun and Cantorion.

Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring — three layers of authorship

The chorale closes both parts of Cantata BWV 147, Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, first performed in Leipzig in July 1723. Bach's contribution is the flowing triplet accompaniment that runs underneath; the chorale melody itself is Johann Schop's Werde munter, mein Gemüthe, from 1642.

The English title is a third layer again. "Jesu, joy of man's desiring" is Robert Bridges' 1926 paraphrase, not a translation — the German text at that point, Jesus bleibet meine Freude, means "Jesus remains my joy".

Most of the piano editions in circulation descend from Myra Hess's 1926 transcription, which is a genuine arrangement rather than a reduction: it redistributes the triplets between the hands so one player can sustain the chorale and the moving line at once. If you are buying a piano edition, you are almost certainly buying Hess, and simplified editions are usually simplifications of her version rather than of Bach.

Published in

This piece appears in 59 published collections.

Common questions

How much does Kantate, BWV 147 "Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben": Teil II, X. Choral "Jesus bleibet meine Freude" sheet music cost?
Prices run from $2.25 to $8.99 across 86 retailers. Prices change; the figures shown are the most recent we recorded.
Is Kantate, BWV 147 "Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben": Teil II, X. Choral "Jesus bleibet meine Freude" available for free?
Yes. 21 archives in our index publish it at no cost, typically as a public-domain scan or engraving. Free editions vary in quality and edition; a paid edition may be easier to read or better fingered.
What instruments is Kantate, BWV 147 "Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben": Teil II, X. Choral "Jesus bleibet meine Freude" arranged for?
The editions we track are scored for piano, harp, organ, guitar, harpsichord, cello, flute, oboe, violin, voice, bassoon, bass, vocal, orchestra and doubl. Specific arrangements listed include Choir, Keyboard, Piano, Organ and Handbells.

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