Aria "Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen!" aus der Kantate BWV 51

We hear the great Eisenbarth organ at Friesach, which is perfectly suited for transcriptions from Bach's Cantatas.

This cantata was composed in Leipzig for the 15th Sunday after Trinity. The probable year of composition is 1730.

As one of the few church cantatas, the autograph bears Bach's handwritten note "et In ogni Tempo", which to a certain extent releases the text from the claim to be related to the Gospel reading of the corresponding Sunday. The work's introductory aria and fourth movement are entirely focused on rejoicing and praising God, while the inner movements, the recitative and the second aria, have the character of a prayer. The chorale verse Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren (from the chorale Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren by Johann Gramann, 1549) is followed by a concluding "Alleluja".

"Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen" is one of Bach's best-known cantatas. The instrumentation is unique in his sacred works and demands very great performances from both the solo voice and the trumpet in terms of pitch and virtuosity. One may assume that the trumpet part in the premiere was played by Gottfried Reiche, a Leipzig council musician known for his brilliant playing. The soprano part has long puzzled Bach scholars because, on the one hand, women were not allowed to sing in churches in Leipzig at that time, and on the other hand, the solo part is so demanding that it could hardly have been performed by a boy soprano of today's calibre. The explanation for this is that in Bach's time, boys' voices did not usually break until they were 16 or 17 (see acceleration). Bach was therefore able to use boy sopranos who had a better breathing and supporting technique due to their physique on the one hand and a longer training period due to their age on the other. A rare illustration of this circumstance is provided by the recording of the South African boy soprano Clint van der Linde, who sang the cantata at the age of almost 16.