BWV 59 Wer mich liebet, der wird mein Wort halten I

First Day of Pentecost (Whitsunday).

Erdmann Neumeister, Geistliche Poesien(Eisenach, 1714) and Fünffache Kirchenandachten (Leipzig, 1717); Facs: Neumann T, p. 296.

1. Jn. 14:23; 3. Martin Luther, verse 1 of the hymn (Wackernagel, III, #19).

16 May 1723 or 28 May 1724, Leipzig; Parody: 4 → BWV 74/2.

BG 12, 2; NBA I/13.


1. Aria [Dictum] (S, A, T, B)

He who loves me will keep my commandments, and my Father, too, will love him, and we shall unto him come then and make our dwelling with him.

2. Recit. (S)

Oh, what are then these honors
To which us Jesus leads?
Who us so worthy finds,
That he hath pledged
With Father and the Holy Ghost
Within our hearts to make his dwelling.
Oh, what are then these honors:
For man is dust,
Of vanity the prey,
Of toil and work a tragedy,
Of every woe the end and goal.
What then? The Lord Almighty saith:
He will within our souls
Elect to make his dwelling.
Ah, what doth God's dear love do not?
Ah, would yet, as he wanted,
Now each and ev'ry man should love him.

3. Chorale (S, A, T, B)

Come Holy Spirit, God the Lord,
And fill with thy most precious grace
Thy believers in heart, will and mind.
Thine ardent love ignite in them.
O Lord, through thine own brilliant light
To the faith thou hast gathered them
The folk of every tongue and clime;
May this, O Lord, be sung to praise thee.
Alleluia, alleluia.

4. Aria (B)

The world with all its realms and kingdoms,
The world with all its majesty
Is to this majesty no equal
Through which our God doth make us glad:
That he within our hearts is reigning
And as within a heaven dwelling.
Ah God, though blessed we may be,
How blessed shall we befirst yet
When our earthly time completed,
With thee in heaven shall be dwelling.(1)



1. The bass part has Chorale segue. The chorale was probably the one in Neumeister's text, verse 3 of "Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort" by Martin Luther (Wackernagel, III, #44ff. or #1482):

Gott Heil'ger Geist, du Tröster werth,
gieb dein'm Volck ein'rley Sinn auf Erd.
Steh bey uns in der letzten Noth,
gleit uns ins Leben aus dem Tod.

God Holy Ghost, thou helper dear,
Make thy folk of one mind on earth.
Stand by us in our final need,
Lead us to life and free from death.

In Neumeister's text Movement 6 is Rom. 15:13 and Movement 7 the aria "Ich bin der Seligkeit gewiss" ("I am of blessedness assured").


© Copyright Z. Philip Ambrose


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